The 12 Days of Grift-mas
Bulwark Takes
The Bulwark
4.7 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 25 December 2025
⏱️ 4 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The 12 Days of Grift-mas, annotated:
1 giant Qatari jet: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy5lp4v594o
2 peace awards: FIFA Peace Prize (https://www.thebulwark.com/p/screw-it-lets-rename-the-moon-trump-institute-of-peace-kennedy-center-coin-epsitein-files) and the Nixon Foundation Architect of Peace Award (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-architect-of-peace-award-nixon-foundation/)
3 Olympic medals: from the LA Olympic Committee (https://www.whitehouse.gov/videos/president-trump-has-been-awarded-a-full-set-of-1984-olympic-medals-%F0%9F%8F%85%F0%9F%87%BA%F0%9F%87%B8/)
4 Four Rush-Hour films: Recently promised by Paramount, which wants Trump to approve a merger with Warner Bros. Discovery (https://www.thebulwark.com/p/jackie-chan-sequel-rush-hour-4-says-whole-lot-trump-economy)
5 golden trophies: A golden plaque from Apple (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/08/07/tim-cook-trump-gift/85555805007/), a golden pager from Netanyahu (https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/06/middleeast/netanyahu-trump-golden-pager-intl/index.html), the FIFA Club World Cup trophy (https://people.com/trump-pockets-fifa-medal-club-world-cup-11774149), World Boxing Council BC boxing belt from Ukraine (https://www.si.com/fannation/boxing/ukraine-president-zelensky-boxing-gift-that-didnt-land-with-trump), and a golden crown from South Korea (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/world/asia/trump-south-korea-crown-gyeongju.html)
6 golfing wins: At his own clubs, naturally (https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/sports/2025/08/05/donald-trump-golf-tournament-championship/85516763007)
7 pretty portraits: Saudi (https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-insane-gifts-saudi-arabia-gave-president-trump/), El Salvador (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/21/world/americas/trump-painting-missing.html), 2 from Russia (https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/22/style/russian-artist-trump-portrait-putin-intl and https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/22/us/politics/trump-putin-photo.html), Australia (https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-gifted-least-3-portraits-himself-foreign-leaders-2019-1616322), Egypt (https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-gifted-least-3-portraits-himself-foreign-leaders-2019-1616322), Vietnam (https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-gifted-least-3-portraits-himself-foreign-leaders-2019-1616322?utm_source)
8 foreign honors: Georgia, Saudi Arabia, Kosovo, Morocco, UAE, Egypt, Israel, South Korea (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_honors_received_by_Donald_Trump#International)
9 postage stamps: From Poland (https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-oversight.house.gov/files/Foreign%20Gifts%20Appendix%20I%20-%20Trump.pdf)
10 Epstein years: “I was Donald’s closest friend for 10 years” - Jeffrey Epstein (https://docs.house.gov/meetings/JU/JU08/20250227/117951/HHRG-119-JU08-20250227-SD006-U6.pdf)
11 Nobel noms – Argentinian President Javier Millei, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, U.S. Representative Buddy Carter, U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, Malta foreign minister, U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, Pakistan, U.S. Rep Claudia Tenney, U.S. Rep. Bernie Moreno, Rwanda’s foreign minister
12 diet cokes: Trump reportedly drinks about a dozen per day (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/09/us/politics/donald-trump-president.html)
Merry Christmas!
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me one jet from Qatar. |
| 0:07.0 | On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me two piece awards and a giant |
| 0:14.6 | Qatari jet. On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me three Olympic medals two piece awards and a giant |
| 0:24.8 | catari jet on the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me four rush our films three |
| 0:32.3 | Olympic medals two piece awards and a giant Catarie jet |
| 0:37.8 | We're on five now |
| 0:38.7 | On the fifth day of Christmas |
| 0:41.0 | My true love gave to me |
| 0:42.9 | Five golden trophies |
| 0:46.7 | Four rush hour films |
| 0:48.8 | Three Olympic medals |
| 0:50.3 | Two piece awards |
| 0:51.9 | And the giant Katari jet. |
| 0:55.7 | On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me. |
| 1:00.2 | Six golfing wins. |
| 1:01.8 | Five golden trophies. |
| 1:05.6 | Four rush hour films. |
| 1:07.3 | Three Olympic medals. |
| 1:08.8 | Two piece awards and a giant Katatarid jet on the seventh day of |
| 1:14.8 | christmas my true love gave to me seven pretty portraits six golfing wins five golden trophies |
| 1:24.5 | for rush our film three-olympic medal |
| 1:27.7 | two piece of wars |
... |
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