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President Trump is ripping air traffic controllers a new a**hole as the government shutdown drags on ... threatening to dock the pay of those playing hooky from their posts.

Trump fired off the financial threat Monday morning on his Truth Social app, claiming any air traffic controller who doesn't work during the shutdown "will be substantially 'docked.'"

The messaging comes in the wake of the FAA ordering reduced air traffic at 40 major airports across the country ... tons of flights are canceled or delayed, and travelers and pilots are feeling the stress ... especially as the holiday travel season ramps up.

Donald Trump's floating the idea of sharing a chunk of cash from his infamous tariffs with the American public ... with a caveat.

The president posted his idea on Truth Social Sunday, bringing up the concept of doling out "at least" $2,000 in a "dividend" taken from tariffs to many Americans ... except "high income people."

47 claims the country is in a much better place in the months since his tariffs have been imposed on imports shipped to the U.S. ... he described people opposed to his financial policies as "fools." He did not offer any details on how this dividend plan would work. He also claimed there is "almost no inflation."

Donald Trump is on a pardoning spree ... now wiping the slate clean for Rudy Giuliani and dozens of his close allies accused of trying to overturn the 2020 election.

Ed Martin -- the Department of Justice’s Pardon Attorney -- made the announcement on X Sunday night ... posting a signed proclamation that says the order "ends a grave national injustice perpetrated upon the American people following the 2020 Presidential Election and continues the process of national reconciliation."

Giuliani is one of the 77 people Trump is pardoning ... including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and his attorneys Sidney Powell and John Eastman.

Melania Trump really must be feeling proud of the red, white, and blue ... because she was just named "Patriot of the Year" at a Fox event.

The First Lady received the award at the Fox Nation Patriot Awards ceremony, which was held at the Tilles Center Concert Hall in Brookville, New York, on Thursday evening, according to Fox News.

Fox News host Sean Hannity presented Melania with the award, declaring the former model is "reinventing the role of America’s First Lady."

Melania then addressed the ceremony's attendees, whom she described as a group of patriots.

The First Lady spoke about defying expectations and innovation, which she sees as "a form of patriotism."

Melania's been active in Washington, D.C. since her husband Donald started his second term in office ... she co-signed the Take it Down Act into law in May, and made an appeal to Vladimir Putin to reunite children displaced by Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine with their families.

Congressman Pat Harrigan has been keeping up with Harvey Levin's OWTA -- which stands for "Out With Their Asses" -- and he told us on TMZ Live he's on board.

With the federal government shutdown now in its record-setting 37th day, Harrigan told us, "The only thing that's assured during a government shutdown is that the American people lose, and we're watching the American people lose in real time."

And for that reason, the Republican representing North Carolina thinks Harvey makes a good point by proposing every congressperson's office be up for grabs next election.

Dr. Oz is always on call ... because he swooped in to help a man who collapsed during a press conference inside the Oval Office ... and President Trump had a front row seat.

Ya gotta see the video ... Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks is talking about a deal the company signed with the Trump Administration to lower prices on obesity drugs -- when an unidentified man in the background suddenly suffers a medical emergency.

The man falls to his knees and Dr. Oz rushes over ... he helps lay the man down on his back and elevates his legs and feet.

Nancy Pelosi's been a fixture in Washington, D.C. for almost 40 years ... but she's finally calling time on her tenure in Congress.

The Democratic Party politician revealed the big news in a social media video message Thursday, saying she will put a bow on her career in Congress at the end of her current term, on January 3, 2027.

Pelosi said she's proud of what she accomplished during her historic time in Congress ... and she's happiest about having represented the people of San Francisco, where she's lived for decades.

Erika Kirk wanted to see Charlie Kirk's dead body in the hospital to see "what they did to my husband," but she has never seen the video of him being shot and doesn't plan to.

In an emotional interview with Jesse Watters, Erika explained why she hasn't seen the assassination footage and why she will never watch it.

Erika says she doesn't want the last image in her mind of Charlie to be him getting shot in the neck and dying at Utah Valley University during a Turning Point USA event.

Marjorie Taylor Greene's been raising eyebrows over her perceived anti-Republican behavior lately, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez thinks she knows why.

FYI ... MTG -- the Representative from Georgia -- has been making out-of-character remarks lately, and some people have taken that as an indication she's moving to the political center.

New York Congresswoman AOC commented on Greene's new political direction during an Instagram Live session this week, claiming MTG has been eyeing a run for Senate in her home state of Georgia -- although it was allegedly shut down by President Donald Trump, reports Fox News.

Ocasio-Cortez said Greene decided to embark on a "revenge tour" in response to the presidential snub -- hence all the interesting public remarks about the government shutdown, Israel, and the Epstein Files.

MTG has made a name for herself for pushing far-right positions for years, but she's appeared to break recently with the Republican Party on big issues, including the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which she's called a "humanitarian crisis."

Still, Greene claimed she still had plenty of affection for Trump while appearing on "The View" on Tuesday.

California Governor Gavin Newsom celebrated his fellow Democrats leaping from the top rope and scoring a big win on election night ... sharing a clip where he and his compatriots are wrestling Republicans.

Newsom posted the meme clip late Tuesday night after polls across the country closed ... and, it kicks off with him and former President Barack Obama taking out the trash -- smashing a receptacle over President Donald Trump's head.

Congressman from New York Hakeem Jeffries jumps in to help his fellow pols in the melee ... taking on Speaker of the House Mike Johnson -- and, AOC even gets in on the fun, too.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was groped by a man while greeting supporters — but she kept her cool and took care of the situation herself.

The creepy incident occurred Tuesday in Mexico City's downtown district, where Sheinbaum was meeting with some of her constituents on the street in broad daylight as the man -- or perv -- came up behind her.

A witness shot video of their ensuing interaction, which shows the man leaning in to kiss Sheinbaum while putting his hands on her waist.

Zohran Mamdani made history Tuesday night, becoming the first Muslim mayor of New York City -- and his first order of business was going after his nemesis, President Trump!

The democratic socialist breezed to victory over his closest opponent, Andrew Cuomo, in the NYC mayoral race -- then took the stage at the Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, delivering a 20-minute speech celebrating his big win, and vowed to stop Trump once and for all.

Standing at a podium flanked by his wife, Rama Duwaji, Mamdani told his huge crowd of supporters, "If any city can show a nation how to stop Donald Trump, it is the city that gave rise to him." Trump, of course, was born and raised in Queens -- and spent much of his life building his real estate empire in Manhattan.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott told New Yorkers to think twice about moving to Texas this week.

Abbott posted on his X account Monday warning folks from the Big Apple he'll hit them a whopping "100% tariff" if they decamp to Texas following Tuesday's mayoral election. The threat isn't really being taken seriously though -- how do you apply a tariff to a person? -- it's clearly a reference to President Donald Trump's ongoing tariff declarations on foreign country trading partners.

The British newspaper Daily Mail reports about 765,000 New Yorkers will "definitely" leave the Big Apple if Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor of NYC Tuesday night, according to a poll ... and the poll claims as much as 25 percent of the population would "consider" leaving. Take those results with a grain of salt.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stopped by "TMZ Live" on the 35th day of the government shutdown Tuesday ... telling us Republicans have been on a taxpayer-funded vacation while Democrats have been reporting to Capitol Hill, hoping to hash out a deal.

With the shutdown now the longest on record in U.S. history, our Harvey Levin has been gaining traction with his new political movement, OWTA -- "Out With Their Asses." And he explained to Jeffries why he thinks every congressional office should be up for grabs.

Harvey said, "It seems like you, as a body, are not suited to run the government because you guys are at loggerheads."

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is getting shredded online after she and her boyfriend, Kyle Pearcy, dressed up in what many are calling racist Halloween costumes for a party in Loveland, Colorado Friday night.

Check out the pic -- the ultra-conservative politician put on a traditional Mexican dress and a sombrero, and tried to crack a joke on the chalkboard she was toting around. It reads ... "Mexican Word of the day: JUICY. Tell me if Juicy Ice coming" ... a questionable play on the Spanish-accented pronunciation of "you see."

And, completing the costume was her real-estate-broker beau, standing right next to her, proudly dressed up as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.

Erika Kirk hasn't said much about Jimmy Kimmel mentioning her husband Charlie Kirk's killer on his late-night show ... but in a new interview, she told Fox News' Jesse Watters what she would say to the comedian.

As controversial as Jimmy's comments were -- they led to a brief shutdown of the funnyman's late-night TV show and a huge critical backlash -- Erika apparently never considered it a major issue for her.

She said, "If you want to say 'I'm sorry' to someone who's grieving, go right ahead. But if that's not in your heart, don't do it. I don't want it. I don't need it."