The Ghost, the Glare, and the Grift

Trump tries golfing through scandal in Scotland but Epstein, Gaza, and the Fed won’t go away

Good morning! Donald Trump’s summer getaway to Scotland was supposed to be a breath of fresh air. Instead, it turned into a suffocating reminder that no golf course, no amount of tartan, and no bagpipes can drown out the clamor of scandal, starvation, and stagflation.

First came the protesters at Turnberry. Small but sharp, including one man hoisting a laminated photo of Trump and Jeffrey Epstein while mounted police and steel fencing tried to sanitize the optics. It didn’t work. The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post both reported what the fencing couldn’t hide: Trump fled the U.S. amid his administration’s most toxic political crisis, one marked by a collapsing narrative around the Epstein files, open infighting inside DOJ and FBI, and a public that no longer buys the “nothing to see here” routine.

Pam Bondi’s now-infamous memo, declaring Epstein’s case closed and denying the existence of a client list, has detonated in spectacular fashion. Whistleblowers report that agents were told to flag any mention of Trump during file reviews. Meanwhile, Bondi and Todd Blanche are scrambling to fix the fallout by interviewing Ghislaine Maxwell in prison for two full days. Her lawyer says she answered questions about “100 different people.” That’s not exactly confidence-inspiring for a White House that just weeks ago insisted there was no one else to prosecute.

Back in Scotland, even Trump’s ancestral homeland rolled its eyes. Most Scots still consider his lineage an embarrassment. The $1.2 billion investment he promised? Never materialized. The pristine dunes? Bulldozed. The resort? A money pit. The legacy? One laminated Epstein poster away from a full meltdown.

But just as the Epstein scandal hit fever pitch, Trump made an unexpected pivot to Gaza.

Speaking in Turnberry between closed-door sessions with European leaders, Trump admitted what many in Israel’s government still deny: there is “real starvation” in Gaza. He announced plans for U.S.-backed food centers and declared, “those children look very hungry… you can’t fake that.” It’s rare that Trump breaks from Netanyahu, but the mounting malnutrition deaths—now totaling 147, including 88 children, left him no choice. Aid trickling in under the so-called “tactical pauses” hasn’t slowed the hunger crisis. And despite Israel’s claims that Hamas is stealing supplies, a leaked U.S. report flatly contradicts them. No systemic diversion. Just starving civilians.

Trump’s reversal might earn him a few reluctant nods abroad, but it’s not enough to mask the economic slow burn happening at home, something the Federal Reserve is watching closely.

This Wednesday, Fed Chair Jay Powell is expected to prevail in an 11–2 vote against rate cuts, despite Trump’s tantrums and back-channel pressure. The reason? Stagflation. Rising prices. Weak job growth. Uncertainty about how Trump’s tariffs are distorting supply chains and inventory pricing. Trump-appointed Fed governors Michelle Bowman and Christopher Waller are the lone dissenters, and everyone sees it for what it is: an audition for Powell’s job when his term ends in 2026.

Wall Street isn’t fooled. Analysts at JPMorgan and the Fed itself know the tariffs haven’t been fully baked into consumer prices yet. But they will be, and that’s when inflation will spike further. That’s also when Trump will try to scream for lower rates to prop up his illusion of economic competence. It won’t work. He already lost the battle to fire Powell, who, let’s not forget, was Trump’s own appointee. A fact the president conveniently forgets as he now trashes him for not waving a magic interest wand.

Meanwhile, job creation has flatlined. Unemployment ticked up. And contrary to Trump’s bluster about restoring American industry, his mass deportation policies are decimating entire sectors, construction, agriculture, manufacturing, where undocumented workers are vital. The Fed is watching that too. Closely.

In short: the markets aren’t buying his spin. The Fed isn’t playing along. And the scandals, be it Epstein, Gaza, or the hollow promise of 90 trade deals in 90 days, are circling like vultures over Turnberry’s 18th hole.

Marz, my 130 lb mastiff and certified emotional support chaos engine, has an early morning appointment with the veterinarian today. So please forgive the brevity of this morning’s roundup, we’ve packed in all the essentials, Epstein shame included, but I’ll be back tomorrow with the full snarky spread. Wish Marz luck (and me, a stronger back).