Breaking: Trump Officials Abandon Americans In War, Save Themselves
In advance of entering the war against Iran last night, Trump decided to evacuate members of his administration. Regular Americans are not so lucky.
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For the past several days, a woman named Debra, whom I don’t know, has been asking me for help in evacuating Israel. She is traveling alone and is uncomfortable leaving through southern Israel and Egypt by herself, as my family and I did. She desperately needs to get home and is getting no help from the American embassy, which is why she is reaching out to me — a stranger.
Several days ago, my friend Julie emailed me because her parents were similarly stuck in Israel, and she wanted advice about what to do, since she saw that we were able to get out. Her mom and dad finally made their own way to Jordan without government help and arrived back in New Jersey yesterday.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports:
US evacuates 79 staff and family from embassy in Israel as more Americans ask how to leave
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. evacuated 79 staff and families from the U.S. Embassy in Israel on Friday as the conflict between Israel and Iran intensifies and growing numbers of private American citizens seek information on how to leave Israel and Iran.
An internal State Department memo says the military flight, the second known to have occurred this week, left Tel Aviv for Sofia, Bulgaria, where some or all of the passengers were to get a connecting charter flight to Washington.
The document, which was obtained by The Associated Press, also said that more than 6,400 U.S. citizens in Israel had filled out an online form on Friday alone asking for information about when and if the U.S. government would organize evacuation flights. An additional 3,265 people, some of whom may also have competed the form, called an emergency number seeking assistance.
The document estimated that between 300 and 500 people per day could need evacuation assistance should the U.S. decide to offer flights or ships to get Americans out, as the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has said is being considered.
In advance of entering the war against Iran last night, Trump decided to evacuate members of his administration. Regular Americans who find themselves in Israel are not so lucky. They are left to fend for themselves, even as the situation has grown increasingly more dangerous.
Don’t know Ambassador Mike Huckabee, like these diplomats? Be prepared to figure out travel back home yourself. Get ready to drive in the open for hours as missiles are fired at you. Figure out how to navigate border crossings in foreign countries without any assistance. Get out your credit card to pay handsomely out of pocket to get out.
This should make your blood boil. I don’t care what your political affiliation is. In fact, I would wager that among the thousands of Americans who are desperate to leave this war zone is a sizable number of people who voted for Donald Trump.
It doesn’t matter. They are just as abandoned by this president as everyone else.
The top consular mission of the United States government is helping American citizens abroad, especially in emergencies. How do I know? Because the State Department says this on its own website:
The highest priority of the Bureau of Consular Affairs is to protect the lives and serve the interests of U.S. citizens abroad. Across the globe, we serve our fellow citizens during some of their most important moments – births, adoptions, medical emergencies, deaths, arrests, and disasters.
If finding yourself under perpetual missile fire in a war zone is not a disaster, I don’t know what is. Yet the Trump Administration is putting the needs of its own staffers first by getting them to safety, not the Americans whose lives they are literally tasked with protecting. Meanwhile, the American embassy in Jerusalem was closed for the weekend, because why would the diplomats remaining in Israel not take a few days off in the midst of an international crisis?
If Joe Biden had done this, the head of every single Fox News anchor would be exploding on live television. Congress would be calling hearings and agitating to impeach the Secretary of State, if not the president. As it is, several House members have written letters to Trump demanding answers about evacuating Americans from a war zone. It looks like Washington Democrats have still not gotten the memo about how to communicate effectively.
Remember all this the next time Trump uses “antisemitism” as the predicate to curtail civil rights, impose its will on universities and exploit divisions. He could not care less when Jewish lives really are in danger. And as someone who just lived through three days under ballistic missile attack, I promise you that they very much are.
Further Reading:
The Associated Press: US evacuates 79 staff and family from embassy in Israel as more Americans ask how to leave
U.S. Department of State: Key Topics – Bureau of Consular Affairs
Rep. Greg Stanton: Letter to President Trump and Secretary of State Rubio
It’s been a crazy week coming back from the Middle East and settling back in. I truly appreciate everyone’s messages and support. They mean more than you know.
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“When you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs, they would double and triple the price over a short period of time, and I won an election based on that. We're going to bring those prices way down." - Donald Trump, Meet the Press, December 8, 2024.
Below is the most recently available national data on the average price of apples, bacon, and eggs. It’s been five months and those prices are not “way down.” In fact, they are all way up.
Apples (Honeycrisp, per pound): $2.70 (up from $2.31 when Biden left office and up from $1.44 this time last year)
Bacon (sliced, per pound): $6.985 (May, 2025, up from $6.915 in December, 2024, which was Biden’s last full month in office)
Eggs (Grade A, Large, per dozen): $4.55 (May, 2025, up from $4.15 in December, 2024, which was Biden’s last full month in office)
Salty Monday:
Proof that Trump Doesn't Give a Rat's Ass About Americans
Whatever America First means, it certainly does not mean Americans first.
Salty Tuesday:
Israel-Iran at War
Thank you to the wonderful Michelle Kinney for joining me today to talk about my crazy four continent journey to get my family out of Israel and back to NYC this weekend.
Salty Wednesday:
Trump Cuts and Runs
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Salty Thursday:
Pax Americana: Episode 12
Thank you to so many of you for joining us for this week’s episode of Pax Americana. I’ve never been happier to be home and back at the mic.
Salty Saturday:
ICYMI: Coffee and Conversation
Thank you to almost 15,000 (!) of you for joining us this morning for this week’s Coffee and Conversation.
I would not have visited Israel or taken a job there in the last 30 years if you were going to pay me $100,000 a month.
The idea that someone is “stuck” in Israel right now seems ludicrous to me.
Because the idea of visiting Israel or working in Israel during the last period of Palestinian apartheid and horrendous Hamas attacks caused by a apartheid governance. It’s like telling me you like to go swimming in a sewer with your grandchildren.
Oh, wait. Our secretary of Health does that. Bad example.
Infuriating. Glad you and your family managed to get out safely, Julie. My congressman Jason Crow posted this days ago. He’s one of the good ones:
“Protecting Coloradans is one of the most important parts of my job.
If #CO06 constituents are stuck in Israel or the Middle East and need help getting back to the U.S., please contact my office at crow.house.gov or call (720) 748-7514.”