London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Feb 21, 2026

Trump's Oval Office meeting with 4 election conspiracy theorists spiraled into a chaotic, multihour screaming match

Trump's Oval Office meeting with 4 election conspiracy theorists spiraled into a chaotic, multihour screaming match

"Are you out of your f---ing mind?" the White House advisor Eric Herschmann told Sidney Powell at one point, Axios reported.

A meeting in the Oval Office in December with President Donald Trump and four election conspiracy theorists devolved into a curse-filled screaming match that went well into the night, Axios reported on Tuesday.

The meeting included the lawyers Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani; Michael Flynn, a former national security advisor; former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne; Eric Herschmann, a senior White House advisor; and Derek Lyons, the White House staff secretary.

Pat Cipollone, a former White House counsel; Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff; and Robert O'Brien, the national security advisor, also attended at various points.

The New York Times also reported on details of the meeting at the time.

Axios reported that at the beginning of the December 18 meeting, Herschmann said, "How the hell did Sidney get in the building?"

Powell had come presenting what she claimed was evidence of massive election fraud by a cabal of foreign communist countries that had hacked Dominion voting machines to "flip" votes from Trump to Joe Biden.

Powell also claimed that the federal government had the authority to issue an executive order to seize voting machines and said Trump should appoint her to be a special counsel to investigate voter fraud. Several people in the room pushed back on her suggestions, neither of which happened.

Dominion Voting Systems has since filed defamation lawsuits against Powell and Giuliani, seeking $1.3 billion in damages in each case.

In the meeting, Herschmann said Powell seemed to be making completely different arguments than Giuliani, who had argued that Democratic politicians and courts improperly changed election rules before the election in November.

Powell stunned Herschmann by saying that the case was really about election fraud and that Giuliani "hasn't understood what this case is about until just now," Axios reported.

Byrne, Powell, and Flynn claimed that top advisors in the Trump administration were disloyal, fueling more yelling and cursing.

"You're quitting! You're a quitter! You're not fighting!" Flynn said of Herschmann before turning to Trump and adding, "Sir, we need fighters."

According to Axios, Herschmann responded, "Why the f--- do you keep standing up and screaming at me?"

He added: "If you want to come over here, come over here. If not, sit your ass down."

When asked why she had lost so many lawsuits alleging election fraud, Powell reportedly said it was because all the judges, both state and federal, were corrupt.

"That's your argument?" Herschmann responded. "Even the judges we appointed? Are you out of your f---ing mind?"

Byrne, who made several bizarre comments during the meeting, spoke up in support of Powell's and Flynn's claims that the Department of Justice was corrupt, Axios reported.

"I know how this works," he said. "I bribed Hillary Clinton $18 million on behalf of the FBI for a sting operation."

At one point, Giuliani, who was on the phone, told everyone to calm down. As one attendee of the meeting told Axios, "When Rudy's the voice of reason, you know the meeting's not going well."

Later, members of the group went up to the residence, where Herschmann and Meadows unloaded on Powell and Flynn for portraying them as disloyal.

"Don't you dare challenge me about whether I'm being supportive of the president and working hard," Meadows reportedly shouted at Flynn.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Confirms Preferential U.S. Trading Terms Will Continue After Supreme Court Tariff Ruling
U.S. and U.K. to Hold Talks on Diego Garcia as Iran Objects to Potential Military Use
UK Officials Weigh Possible Changes to Prince Andrew’s Position in Line of Succession Amid Ongoing Scrutiny
British Police Probe Epstein’s UK Airport Links and Expand High-Profile Inquiries
United Kingdom Denies U.S. Access to Military Base for Potential Iran Strike
British Co-founder of ASOS falls to his death from Pattaya apartment
Early 2026 Data Suggests Tentative Recovery for UK Businesses and Households
UK Introduces Digital-First Passport Rules for Dual Citizens in Border Control Overhaul
Unable to Access Live Financial Data for January UK Surplus Report
UK Government Considers Law to Remove Prince Andrew from Royal Line of Succession
UK ‘Working Closely with US’ to Assess Impact of Supreme Court Tariff Ruling
Trump Criticises UK Decision to Restrict Use of Bases in Potential Iran Strike Scenario
UK Foreign Secretary and U.S. State Chief Hold Strategic Talks as Tensions Rise Over Joint Air Base
Two teens arrested in France for alleged terror plot.
Nordic Fracture: How Criminal Scandals and Toxic Ties are Dismantling the Norwegian Crown
US Supreme Court Voids Trump’s Emergency Tariff Plan, Reshaping Trade Power and Fiscal Risk
King Charles III Opens London Fashion Week as Royal Family Faces Fresh Scrutiny
Trump’s Evolving Stance on UK Chagos Islands Deal Draws Renewed Scrutiny
House Democrat Says Former UK Ambassador Unable to Testify in Congressional Epstein Inquiry
No Record of Prince Andrew Arrest in UK as Claims Circulate Online
UK Has Not Granted US Approval to Launch Iran Strikes from RAF Bases, Government Confirms
AI Pricing Pressure Mounts as Chinese Models Undercut US Rivals and Margin Risks Grow
Global Counsel, Advisory Firm Co-Founded by Lord Mandelson, Enters Administration After Client Exodus
London High Court dispute over Ricardo Salinas’s $400mn Elektra share-backed bitcoin loan
UK Intensifies Efforts to Secure Saudi Investment in Next-Generation Fighter Jet Programme
Former Student Files Civil Claim Against UK Authorities After Rape Charges Against Peers Are Dropped
Archer Aviation Chooses Bristol for New UK Engineering Hub to Drive Electric Air Taxi Expansion
UK Sees Surge in Medical Device Testing as Government Pushes Global Competitiveness
UK Competition Watchdog Flags Concerns Over Proposed Getty Images–Shutterstock Merger
Trump Reasserts Opposition to UK Chagos Islands Proposal, Urges Stronger Strategic Alignment
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis advocates for a ban on minors using social media.
Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash Accuses Prime Minister of Lying to Australians
Meanwhile in Time Square, NYC One of the most famous landmarks
Jensen Huang just told the story of how Elon Musk became NVIDIA’s very first customer for their powerful AI supercomputer
A Lunar New Year event in Taiwan briefly came to a halt after a temple official standing beside President Lai Ching‑te suddenly vomited, splashing Lai’s clothing
Jillian Michaels reveals Bill Gates’ $55 million investment in mRNA vaccines turned into over $1 billion.
Ex-Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrested
Former British Prince Andrew Arrested on Suspicion of Misconduct in Public Office
Four Chagos Islanders Establish Permanent Settlement on Atoll
Unitree Robotics founder Wang Xingxing showcases future robot deployment during Spring Festival Gala.
UK Inflation Slows Sharply in January, Strengthening Case for Bank of England Rate Cut
Hide the truth, fake the facts, pretend the opposite, Britain is as usual
France President Macron says Free Speech is Bull Sh!t
Viktor Orbán getting massive praise for keeping Hungary safe, rich and migrant-free!
UK Inflation Falls to Ten-Month Low, Markets Anticipate Interest Rate Cut
UK House Prices Climb 2.4% in December as Market Shows Signs of Stabilisation
BAE Systems Predicts Sustained Expansion as Defence Orders Reach Record High
Pro-Palestine Activists Cleared of Burglary Charges Over Break-In at UK Israeli Arms Facility
Former Reform UK Councillors Form New Local Group Amid Party Fragmentation
Reform UK Pledges to Retain Britain’s Budget Watchdog as It Seeks Broader Economic Credibility
×