Seung Min Kim, Author at The Rapid City Post

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on board Air Force One on his way back to the White House from a weekend trip at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Trump heads to Miami to speak about his economic agenda on the anniversary of his election win

November 4, 2025

President Donald Trump is heading to Miami, speaking on the anniversary of his reelection to a second term. Trump on Wednesday will address a forum of business leaders and global athletes and plans to discuss his economic agenda and recent trade and investment deals made on his trip to Asia. The event, called the American Business Forum, is designed to be a more accessible version of gatherings like the World Economic Forum in Davos. Miami is playing a key role in Trump’s second term. He’s hosting the G20 in nearby Doral next year, and Miami is one of the U.S. host cities for next year’s World Cup.

FILE - Paul Ingrassia arrives before Trump speaks during a summer soiree on the South Lawn of the White House, June 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Trump pick to lead federal watchdog agency withdraws after offensive text messages were revealed

October 21, 2025

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead a federal watchdog agency has withdrawn from consideration after his offensive text messages were made public and GOP senators revolted. Paul Ingrassia, who was nominated to lead the Office of Special Counsel, had been scheduled to have his confirmation hearing this week. On Monday, however, Politico reported on a text chat that showed him saying the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell.” Ingrassia also described himself in the chat as having “a Nazi streak” at times. After the texts came to light, several Republican senators said they would not support his nomination. They included some of the most stalwart Trump allies in the Senate.

President Donald Trump addresses a dinner for donors who have contributed to build the new ballroom at the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Trump hosts glitzy dinner for wealthy donors to new White House ballroom

October 15, 2025

President Donald Trump has welcomed nearly 130 donors, allies and representatives of major companies for a dinner at the White House to reward them for their contributions to a new $250 million ballroom project. Trump says the East Wing ballroom will feature bulletproof glass and hold up to 999 people. Trump expressed enthusiasm for the renovation, highlighting the importance of maintaining the White House. Representatives from major companies like Amazon and Google attended the dinner Wednesday. Trump also unveiled plans for an arch at one end of the Arlington Memorial Bridge. The ballroom project still needs approvals from federal commissions, but Trump claims he can proceed without them.

President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Finland's President Alexander Stubb in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump is headed to Walter Reed for a ‘semiannual physical’

October 9, 2025

President Donald Trump is undergoing a “semiannual physical” at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The White House announced the visit earlier this week. Trump is preparing to travel to the Middle East shortly after his medical exam. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the visit earlier this week as a “routine yearly checkup,” although Trump had his annual physical in April. White House aides declined to explain why he was getting another checkup. Trump told reporters Thursday that he thinks he’s in great shape. He plans to return to the White House after the visit.

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Everybody in Washington hates a shutdown. Until you’re pushing for one

October 1, 2025

If you’ve been in Washington long enough, you’ve most likely argued both sides of a government shutdown. Donald Trump said in 2013 that “you have to get people in a room” and make deals to avoid a shutdown. He’s now not negotiating. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer criticized people who “amazingly” believe a shutdown is good if it gets them what they want. Schumer is now doing just that. Both parties have used the threat of shutdowns to force a policy outcome, and both sides have decried the other for doing the same. Nobody likes a shutdown, but each side insists that the American people are on their side.

President Donald Trump attends the Ryder Cup golf tournament at Bethpage Black Golf Course in Farmingdale, N.Y., Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/Pool Photo via AP)

Trump’s shutdown blame game: Why he says Democrats are at fault

September 28, 2025

President Donald Trump is blaming Democrats for a potential government shutdown. He says they’re “crazed” and want to “shut it down.” Trump is focused on laying pressure on Democrats to either back down from their health care demands or be held responsible if a shutdown comes Wednesday. The Republican president has indicated he’s not willing to compromise with Democrats. But he’s agreed to a meeting Monday with congressional leaders from both parties. Republicans believe Democrats will be blamed if the government closes, while Democrats feel Republicans would be faulted by voters.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend their visit to St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, in Windsor, England, Wednesday Sept. 17, 2025. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP)

Trump says he’ll designate antifa as a terrorist group but offers few details

September 17, 2025

President Donald Trump says he plans to designate antifa as a “major terrorist organization.” Antifa, short for short for “anti-fascists,” is an umbrella term for far-left-leaning militant groups and is not a singular entity. They consist of groups that resist fascists and neo-Nazis, especially at demonstrations. It’s unclear how the administration would label what is effectively a decentralized movement as a terrorist organization, and the White House on Wednesday did not immediately offer more details. Trump, who is on a state visit to the United Kingdom, made the announcement in a social media post shortly before 1:30 a.m. Thursday local time. He called antifa a “SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER.”

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks during the NATO summit, Dec. 4, 2019, in Watford, England. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci, File)

Trump heads to the NATO summit on the heels of a possible Israel-Iran ceasefire

June 23, 2025

President Donald Trump’s first appearance at NATO since returning to the White House was supposed to center on how the U.S. secured a historic military spending pledge from others in the alliance. But in the spotlight instead is Trump’s decision to strike three nuclear enrichment facilities in Iran that the administration says eroded Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, as well as the president’s sudden announcement that Israel and Iran had reached a “complete and total ceasefire.” The impact of the strikes had already begun to shape the summit. Still, other NATO countries have become accustomed to the unpredictable when it comes to Trump.

In this image provided by the White House, President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, sit in the Situation Room, Saturday, June 21, 2025, at the White House in Washington. (The White House via AP)

White House photos show rare look inside the Situation Room as Trump authorizes strikes in Iran

June 21, 2025

The White House published a series of photos from inside the Situation Room on its X account as President Donald Trump authorized strikes that hit nuclear sites in Iran. The photos from Saturday portrayed Trump with senior members of his team, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio — doubling as Trump’s national security adviser — White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. They are gathered around a large wooden table in the main conference room of the Situation Room, known as the “JFK Room” — named for the president who was in office when the Situation Room was established.

President Donald Trump talks with reporters as he meets with members of the Juventus soccer club in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump’s latest judicial pick is someone that Joe Biden almost nominated

June 19, 2025

President Donald Trump says he plans to tap Chad Meredith, a former state solicitor general in Kentucky, for a federal judgeship in the state. Meredith’s home-state senator, Kentucky’s Rand Paul, opposed the nomination three years ago when he was almost nominated by former President Joe Biden. At the time, Paul said he would not allow the nomination to move forward because it was a “secret deal” between the White House and former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. But now, Paul says he will support the nominee. Trump made the announcement in a social media post Wednesday night.

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with the Fraternal Order of Police in the State Dinning Room of the White House, Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

US, Chinese officials to meet in London next week for new round of trade talks

June 6, 2025

Senior U.S. administration officials will meet with a Chinese delegation on Monday in London for the next round of trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing, President Donald Trump said Friday. The meeting comes after a phone call between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday, which the U.S. president described as a “very positive” conversation as the two countries attempt to break an impasse over tariffs and global supplies of rare earth minerals. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will represent the U.S. side in the trade talks. “The meeting should go very well,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Friday afternoon.

Seung Min Kim.