BUSTED

Trump Goon Deletes Tweets as Missing Cash Scandal Explodes

Ric Grenell doesn’t want you seeing his old thoughts, our must-read newsletter The Swamp reveals.

Donald Trump wants to crush The Swamp. The leaks, the sneaks, and the secrets are all there. Our writers, David Gardner, Farrah Tomazin, Sarah Ewall-Wice, Julia Ornedo, and Laura Esposito are sifting through the ooze so you don’t have to. Don’t miss out.

 In this week’s nooze from the ooze: Vivek Ramswamy, Stephen King, Connie Luck, James Talarico, Ric Grenell, Magic Johnson, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Katie Zacharia, Alina “call me Alina Mildon” Habba, Susie Wiles, Nikki Glaser, Turhan Mildon, and Melania Trump.

Grenell’s Old Posts Vanish as Cash Scandal Deepens

Ric Grenell loves putting up social media posts—almost as much as he loves deleting them.

The Trump loyalist has long been one of the administration’s fiercest defenders on X. But now, he’s locked in battle with another top Trump acolyte over accusations that Grenell failed to hand over a multi-million-dollar donation to the Kennedy Center during his disastrous tenure as its acting president and executive director.

That hasn’t stopped him regularly pouring scorn on critics and amplifying MAGA conspiracies, like the debunked theory that Democratic star James Talarico’s days-long disappearance wasn’t just caused by the flu.

On Oct. 11, for example, Grenell gave Truth Social superposter Donald Trump a run for his money by posting a dozen times on X between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. to praise the president, attack author Stephen King, and declare that “journalism is dead.” (The Swamp is alive and well, Ric.)

But Grenell has been deleting a lot of posts, too—amid a mounting scandal.

The Swamp found plenty of examples which have disappeared from Grenell’s feed. Though several of these deleted X posts attacked a variety of figures, including comedian Nikki Glaser to basketball legend Magic Johnson, other posts praised Trump for his deportation blitz and—strange one to get rid of—paid tribute to the late Republican Ukraine booster Lindsey Graham. Most of the deleted posts focused on the Kennedy Center, where the former Fox News contributor had a disastrous, yearlong stint marked by plummeting ticket sales and boycotts by top performers.

Grenell’s explanation for the deleted posts was more confusing than illuminating. “ALL my content deletes after roughly 6 months on X!” he told The Swamp. “Did you even look?! Check. Do journalism.” (Grenell claimed that he uses an auto-deletion tool on his X account—and has been “doing it for many years.”)

Actually, The Swamp had already been doing journalism: Multiple posts by Grenell from 2024 and 2025 are still active which means several posts older than six months are still up. Grenell wasn’t keen to look into this discrepancy. “ALL my content gets deleted automatically after roughly 6 months - everything. It’s an app,” he said in response to being challenged on his posts. “Not sure why a reply to someone else is still up.”

Grenell has a long history of scrubbing his social media posts. Back in 2012, Grenell cleaned up his feed on Twitter after he joined Mitt Romney’s campaign as a foreign affairs spokesman. His deleted posts at the time included inflammatory remarks about Newt Gingrich’s weight and Michelle Obama exercising in the White House. Grenell later admitted to Reuters that he took the posts down after Politico reported on them. A load also vanished in 2025, when he became “Special Envoy for Special Missions,” a position which ended in February this year, but which he was still calling himself in early October.

The combustible former Trump official has reemerged in headlines after Axios revealed a simmering “MAGA blood feud” between him and Alina Habba, Trump’s former defense lawyer. Insiders leaked that Habba stormed into the Oval Office accusing Grenell of failing to transfer a $5.6 million donation from her billionaire (new, third, Turkish) husband Turhan Mildon to the Kennedy Center. The fiasco has forced Trump to step in and order the White House counsel’s office to investigate.

Grenell, meanwhile, has simply brushed off the allegations against him. Where? Through a posting spree on X, naturally.

“It’s absurd,” he wrote in a reply to multiple X posts about the feud. “I’ve never asked for one cent to be sent somewhere else pretending it was for the Kennedy Center and I’ve never received any payment from him [Mildon] at all. Make him give proof to what he is saying, not make these absurd allegations.”

Never delete that one, Ric!

But Ric’s Still Fundraising Off Katie…

Grenell, however, is keen not to delete something else on the internet: The donate now button.

The MAGA loyalist is soliciting donations between $25 to $10,000 or more for Fix California, the political operation he set up in a bid to challenge the Democrats’ dominance in the Golden State.

And he’s found the most unlikely way of bringing in the cash: Dropping the name Katie Zacharia.

“Multiple left wing organizations have filed complaints against Fix California over our hiring of former senior adviser Katie Zacharia, now the White House Press Secretary,” his yet-to-be updated website declared on Tuesday afternoon.

“We want you to know that we will fight these complaints vigorously… but we need your help - please donate to Fix California.”

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But just what could he be talking about when he mentions those evil left-wing “complaints” about Zacharia, who didn’t even manage half a Scaramucci? Unfortunately for Grenell, two watchdogs are now seeking investigations into whether the 41-year-old committed a crime by misrepresenting her credentials, particularly by posing as “general counsel” for Fix California when she hadn’t even passed the California bar exam.

Looks like Fix California might have to fix itself.

29 Going on 20

There is no shortage of folks who shave a few years off their ages to make them appear more youthful, but, according to U.S. documents and British records, the new husband of Trump’s pet lawyer Alina “call me Alina Mildon” Habba added four years, saying he is 29 when he is actually 25. Turhan Mildon had already chalked up one marriage and an engagement before getting hitched to 42-year-old Habba at the New York Astoria in September. Calender note to The Swamp - check on Mildon in 2040 and see if he’s pretending to be four years younger.

Marco’s Career Takes Dark and Voluminous Twist

Back in 2010, Marco Rubio caught flak for coughing up $134 for a haircut. That was just a few years before “Little Marco” was swapping insults with the carefully coiffed Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election campaign. Thinning Rubio was then sporting a comb-over and lambasted Trump for his little hands and his spray tan, while the future two-time president mocked Marco for his big ears and sweaty demeanor. Ten years later and Rubio is looking forward to a possible 2028 White House run with renewed confidence and a lot more hair.

It’s not for The Swamp to suggest that he has enjoyed some cosmetic help that cost way more than a $134 hair styling. It’s worth noting that Türkiye (the official name for Turkey) is the leading surgery destination for men’s hair transplants and guess who has traveled there in May 2025 and July, 2026? The last trip was to Ankara which boasts several top-rated hair restoration clinics known for Follicular Unit Extraction, Direct Hair Implantation, and personalized care models. Did Marco visit Dr. Terziler, “The Picasso of Robotic DHI Hair Transplant”? Only two people, and the robot, know for sure. Our DMs are open, even to robots.

Vivek’s Professional Slanderer of Abused Women Unmasked

Nobody could have missed the disastrous Vivek Ramswamy ad, smearing Amy Acton on the word of Acton’s estranged mother, who has a long criminal record and sided with her child-abusing husband over her own daughter. Who, you might wonder, would double down behind would-be MAGA Ohio governor Ramaswamy in such a situation? Well, his female press spokesperson, a devout Catholic, would. Connie Luck accused Acton of being “a fabulist.” If Ramswamy wins, Luck would presumably be guaranteed a job in his administration. If he doesn’t it will be back to the day job at her aptly named company: MAD Global Strategy. You don’t have to be MAD to work there, but…

Are These Ladies Gaga for Each Other? Or Is it a Bad Wom-ance?

What’s going on with Susie Wiles and Melania Trump? The two most senior women in the Trump orbit, one his wife, the other his Chief of Staff, appear suddenly to be BFFs.

That at least is the impression The Swamp felt we were supposed to take from their antics at the first lady’s unveiling of her “women’s health initiative” in the (concreted over) Jacqueline Kennedy Rose Garden. Breast cancer survivor Wiles will co-chair the task force, Melania announced, along with Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who arguably knows a lot less about women’s health. After the ceremonial signing, Melania ordered her husband to give Wiles a souvenir sharpie. Wiles later returned the favor, posting a glowing tribute to Melania’s leadership. All of this, of course, coming days after reports of internal power struggles raised questions about Wiles’s future. So is Melania really just into Susie? Or is Trump world aware that an ousted Susie could be a dangerous liability? The Swamp is waiting for the next episode… in fact, come to think of it, maybe they could turn it into a documentary!

Trump’s Popularity is in the Bargain Basement

First, the Tennessee Trump Superstore announced it was going out of business. Then vendors at the MAGA fyre-fest midterm convention in Dallas struggled to move their wares. Now the Trumpinator bobblehead, billed as “America’s Number 1 Collectable,” is being flogged at a whopping 83 percent discount.

The bobblehead, advertised on the Proud Patriots website, which used to be priced at $29.99.,is now down to the bargain basement price of $4.99 – and “ when that last batch is gone, the Trumpinator retires for good.”

It’s not a great sign with the midterm elections only two weeks away. The good news for fans is that the holiday season is coming, and the same website is advertising a new item: a Trump “elf on the shelf.” Die-hards can pre-order now for $29.99—but stock is apparently running low.

Happy Anniversary of the East Wing Destruction to All Who Celebrate

The Swamp brings you bad news. You missed the one year anniversary of the first day of the demolition of the East Wing on Tuesday. Luckily, some people celebrated. Watchdog group Public Citizen could have sent a card, but instead they sued the National Park Service and Department of Interior, accusing them of failing to disclose information about the collection and management of the supposed $330 million in donations from corporations and billionaires Trump has gathered to fund his folly. Still, there’s always next anniversary where the celebration can presumably take place in the ballroom itself.

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