donald trump
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MSNBC host Michael Steele called out Attorney General Merrick Garland for his lack of holding Donald Trump accountable.
Outgoing Attorney General Merrick Garland has been attacked for his reluctance to fully hold Donald Trump accountable, and an MSNBC host raked him over the coals for it. Former Republican National Committee chairman and co-host of The Weekend Michael Steele began a segment blasting U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon on Sunday (Jan. 12), for her attempts to help the president-elect ward off investigations by former Special Counsel Jack Smith as he sat with former lawyer Kathy Greenberg. He would veer off to address Garland’s apparent delay in releasing the final report of Special Counsel Jack Smith after Greenberg characterized Cannon’s previous rulings as “lawless.”
“I’m of the view I don’t care how you release it, just get the damn thing released because we have nickel and dimed around this. Merrick Garland has been wholly useless in this process, completely useless,” Steele thundered. “The most timid person at justice, period, in the history of the organization. Even in this hour, in the face of everything else, knowing what happens on January 20th: ‘Well, I don’t know if we should put this out because something may come,’” he continued, referring to the date that Trump is set to be sworn in for his second presidential term.
“Nothing’s coming of this because it’s all gone at 12:01 next Tuesday, next Monday!” he exclaimed. “So what’s the point, Kristy? I mean, citizens look at this and they go, this has been a complete cluster for the American people relative to our judicial process. How do you restore that faith? Where do we begin to get back this idea that our judiciary, particularly since Donald Trump is going to stack it with more Judge Cannons, is impartial and a place where you can go and have those scales balanced in a way in which you can receive some justice, or that we can at least see it working.”
Steele’s comments echoed those of many observers and experts who agreed about Garland’s lack of urgency. In a surprise move, however, Judge Cannon denied a motion from Trump’s co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira to block the release of Smith’s report on the classified documents case on Monday (Jan. 13). Barring an appeal, the decision means that after the temporary injunction expires on Tuesday, the report will be released to the public.
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Source: Fulton County Jail / Fulton County Sheriff’s Office
President-elect Donald Trump was officially sentenced in federal court to an unconditional discharge in New York, after the Supreme Court denied his last-ditch appeal.
On Friday morning (Jan. 10), Donald Trump became the first person to officially be a convicted felon who will serve as president of the United States. The president-elect was sentenced to an unconditional discharge by the U.S. District Court Judge Juan Merchan in New York City, having lost his emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in a decision on Thursday night (Jan. 9). The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to deny Trump’s appeal, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson composing the majority vote.
Trump and his lawyer, Todd Blanche, virtually attended the sentencing from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
Joshua Steinglass, a prosecutor with the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, reiterated the details of the conviction that Trump received last May in the “hush money” trial. Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election to hide their affair. Steinglass blasted Trump for his stream of attacks, saying that he deems himself above the law. “This defendant has caused enduring damage to public perception of the criminal justice system and has placed officers of the court in harm’s way,” Steinglass stated.
Trump was allowed to speak, and as expected, he claimed he was unfairly convicted in a rambling speech for 10 minutes. “This has been a very terrible experience. I think it’s been a tremendous setback for the system and New York,” he began. He would go on to say that his winning the presidential election showed the conviction was unjust. “I was treated very, very unfairly, and I thank you very much,” he concluded. Judge Merchan then began to speak, laying out the reasons for his decision citing the “unique and remarkable set of circumstances.”
The judge noted that “Donald Trump the ordinary citizen, Donald Trump the criminal defendant” would not have had the same punishment and reminded him that his upcoming presidential term shielded him from the more serious consequences, which made Trump visibly wince according to reporting from the courtroom. He then issued the sentence of an unconditional discharge, meaning that Trump would not receive jail time or be fined, and wished him “Godspeed” before concluding the hearing.
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Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty
Footage of former President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump in conversation at the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter set social media buzzing, wondering about what took place.
On Thursday (January 9), the state funeral service for former President Jimmy Carter took place at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. As befitting the occasion, all of the former living presidents were in attendance including President-elect Donald Trump, who sat next to former President Barack Obama in the first two rows at the cathedral. Trump being near Obama caught the attention of many who tuned in to the broadcast of the funeral.
Obama and Trump yucking it up at Carter’s funeral pic.twitter.com/pRI24CnalF
— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) January 9, 2025
Observers noted that the two were cordial, with Obama listening to Trump and even cracking a smile here and there. It was a sight, considering the two have been publicly at odds with each other. In last year’s presidential campaign, when Obama was stumping for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, he famously attacked Trump in speeches at her rallies. Others noticed that former First Lady Michelle Obama was not at the service, while former First Lady Melania Trump sat to her husband’s left, visibly in a mood. Representatives for Mrs. Obama sent a statement saying: “Mrs. Obama sends her thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from the remarkable former president.” They confirmed that she is in Hawai’i on an extended vacation, but did not offer insight on if she would be back to attend Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
The scene had many on social media in heightened conversation, with some belittling Obama for being cordial. Many more praised Obama for being the person deflecting Trump’s attention from everyone else who visibly did not want to speak to him – the most glaring example came as Trump greeted his former Vice President, Mike Pence, and his wife Karen Pence didn’t even move to greet him. Trump had attacked Pence in the hours before the January 6th attack on the Capitol building four years ago, where rioters had planned to hang Pence. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the “Wu-Tang Is For The Children” account noted how former President George W. Bush gave Obama a familial “belly tap” as he passed by to sit down next to him with former First Lady Laura Bush.
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Source: MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images / Getty
Donald Trump attacked California Governor Gavin Newsom, blaming him for the deadly wildfires in Los Angeles and demanding he step down.
As the nation is gripped by scenes of the deadly wildfires plaguing Los Angeles over the past few days, President-elect Donald Trump’s ire is reserved for California Governor Gavin Newsom. In a late-night post on his Truth Social platform, Trump took to his usual tactic of attack in using a derogatory nickname for the governor: “One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground. It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!”
In a follow-up post earlier that evening, Trump alleged that Newsom’s policy of protecting the delta smelt, a small fish on the endangered species list, was a cause of restricting water flow. “Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,” he wrote. Izzy Gardon, Newsom’s director of communications, refuted that claim: “There is no such document as the water restoration declaration, that is pure fiction. The Governor is focused on protecting people, not playing politics, and making sure firefighters have all the resources they need.”
Governor Newsom was asked about Trump’s attack by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in an interview while both were in a neighborhood in the Pacific Palisades area where the fires were being fought. “People are literally fleeing,” Newsom said. “People have lost their lives, kids lost their schools. Families completely torn asunder, churches burned down, and this guy wanted to politicize it. I have a lot of thoughts and I know what I want to say – I won’t.” His office would reiterate that sentiment in a post on X, formerly Twitter, afterward which featured the interview.
Firefighters are combating five infernos in the areas surrounding Los Angeles, fueled by the intense Santa Ana winds which have reached gusts up to 100 miles per hour. Officials have said that so far, five people have died as a result of the fires with the tally expected to rise in the coming days. The Palisades, Eaton, Sunset, Hurst and Lidia fires have consumed over 28,000 acres to date.
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Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Donald Trump has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to block the sentencing for the hush money case before it takes place at the end of the week.
On Wednesday morning (Jan. 8), Donald Trump made an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court to block his sentencing in the hush money case in New York City. “This court should enter an immediate stay of further proceedings in the New York trial court,” the application from his legal team read, “to prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the presidency and the operations of the federal government.”
Trump was convicted last May on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records related to payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, whom Trump had an affair with. The payments were made through Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, in 2016 before his election to the White House later that year. Trump is scheduled to appear in federal court Friday (Jan. 10) before District Court Judge Juan Merchan, 10 days before he is sworn in as president. Merchan has signaled that he may not give Trump any fines or jail time. Still, the sentencing would solidify Trump’s entering office with the dubious distinction of being a convicted felon.
Trump’s defense hinges on the polarizing ruling made by the Supreme Court last June that said that former presidents did have broad immunity for their past actions. His lawyers also argued that his status if fully sentenced would hinder his abilities as president. “In fact, the prospect of imposing sentence on President Trump just before he assumes office as the 47th president raises the specter of other possible restrictions on liberty, such as travel, reporting requirements, registration, probationary requirements, and others — all of which would be constitutionally intolerable under the doctrine of presidential immunity,” they wrote.
The Supreme Court has directed its prosecutors from the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to answer the motion by 10 a.m. Thursday (Jan. 9). The previous appeal in New York was denied on Tuesday (Jan. 7), prompting Trump’s lawyers to file an emergency appeal to that state’s highest court and the Supreme Court simultaneously.
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Source: Scott Olson / Getty
Lawyers for Donald Trump are scrambling to block the final investigative report by Special Counsel Jack Smith from being released, calling them “failed cases.”
The legal team for President-elect Donald Trump sent a last-minute request to Attorney General Merrick Garland to halt the “imminent” release of the final report by Special Counsel Jack Smith claiming it would be a “bad-faith crusade” on the part of the Biden-Harris administration, and further arguing that Garland should fire Smith. This request was reportedly made after the team had the chance to review a draft of the report “in a conference room at Smith’s office between January 3 and January 6, 2025,” which Smith was scheduled to file with the Department of Justice at 1 p.m. “Because Smith has proposed an unlawful course of action, you must countermand his plan and remove him immediately,” the letter from Todd Blanche and John Lauro read. U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon would ultimately block the release of the report for now in a motion.
Smith had requested that the election interference case against Trump related to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol be dismissed in November after Trump won the presidential election. “The Department’s position is that the Constitution requires that this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated,” he wrote in the motion filed with U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, who oversaw the case in Washington D.C. “This outcome is not based on the merits or strength of the case against the defendant.” The case against Trump and other co-defendants in Florida where he was accused of hoarding classified government documents and refused returning them to the government, was dismissed by Judge Cannon, who has made decisions favorable to Trump in the past and was appointed to the bench by him in his first term. In her decision at the time, she ruled that Smith’s appointment as Special Counsel was “unconstitutional.”
Garland has stated that he would provide lawmakers with a copy of the report once Smith has filed it with his office, and in an overnight brief, Smith noted that Garland’s office would probably not release it until Friday morning (Jan. 10). In Cannon’s motion to block, the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals would first review the emergency appeal by Trump’s lawyers. However, it does not distinguish between the two cases and allows for the court to also review the Department of Justice’s counter-appeal to Trump’s legal motion.
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Source: DREW ANGERER / Getty / Meta
Big tech CEOs continue to look weird and act dumb in the wake of the incoming Trump presidency. In what many see as a sign of capitulation, Mark Zuckerberg announced that his company, Meta, will end its fact-checking program and opt to go the X route with “community notes.”
With Elon Musk in his pocket, Jeff Bezos’ Amazon paying $40 million for Melania Trump’s life story, and Tim Cook contributing to the cost of Trump’s inauguration, Donald Trump’s rebranding on social media and in the tech space is well underway.
Today, Zuckerberg, who has taken that AI-generated image of him looking like the ultimate f*** boy very seriously and is now dressing like one in real life, announced the company will no longer be fact-checking content.
“Fact checkers have been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created,” Zuckerberg said in a video announcing the new heada** policy.” What started as a movement to be more inclusive has increasingly been used to shut down opinions and shut out people with different ideas, and it’s gone too far.”
Riiiiiiggghhhttt.
The Meta chief did note that there would be a “tradeoff” with the policy acknowledging that more “harmful” content will make its way onto timelines.
Donald Trump Winning Had Everything To Do With Meta’s Policy Shift
Meta’s newly appointed Chief of Global Affairs, Joel Kaplan, a prominent Republican, supports him. He adds that Meta’s relationship with third-party fact-checkers was “well-intentioned at the outset, but there’s just been too much political bias in what they choose to fact-check and how.”
Kaplan also admitted that Trump winning the 2024 presidential election was a reason for Meta’s policy shift, adding, “no question that there has been a change over the last four years. We saw a lot of societal and political pressure, all in the direction of more content, moderation more censorship, and we’ve got a real opportunity. Now, we’ve got a new administration, and a new president coming in who are big defenders of free expression, and that makes a difference.”
Note how Kaplan also throws the Biden administration under the bus here. Not very subtle. https://t.co/pQxlobk1KW
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 7, 2025
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Sources close to the situation tell CNN that Meta gave Trump’s team a heads-up before announcing the policy change. During an off-the-wall press conference, Orange Mussolini claimed that his bullying of Zuckerberg had influenced the company’s decision.
Q: Do you think Zuckerberg is responding to the threats you’ve made to him in the past?
TRUMP: Probably. Yeah. Probably. pic.twitter.com/1XT01KCDXc
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 7, 2025
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Another One Kisses The Trump Ring
This latest announcement comes as Zuckerberg has been out here glazing and doing his best to get in the good graces of the Orange Menace before his stench reenters the White House.
UFC CEO and big-time Trump ally Dana White joined the company’s board a day ago. Like Tim Cook, Meta has donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, and Zuckerberg expressed a desire to play an “active role” in shaping tech policy in the Trump administration.
Also, like Cook, Zuckerberg is getting fried on social media for bowing down to Donald Trump.
This is 100% capitulation by Mark @finkd Zuckerberg. Just despicable https://t.co/upTKmJ7si8
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) January 7, 2025
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Mark Zuckerberg is removing fact-checking from Meta. 👀
I hope most rational people are asking themselves why removing fact-checking is necessary for free speech and expression.
Only liars and con-artists don’t like being fact-checked. pic.twitter.com/RuER0Yhpt5
— Ryan Shead (@RyanShead) January 7, 2025
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This is definitely going to be a spooky four years. You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
2. Follow the money
3. Howling
4. Stay vigilant y’all. Avoid those crazy posts from your aunts and uncles
5. Well damn
7. Don’t fall for the jig
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Source: Fulton County Jail / Fulton County Sheriff’s Office
President-elect Donald Trump is slated to appear for sentencing for his conviction in the “hush money” case in New York City, and his online supporters are beside themselves.
Last Friday (January 3), President-elect Donald Trump received bad news regarding his sentencing in the “hush money” case in New York City when Judge Juan Merchan issued a decision that he would proceed. Judge Merchan ordered the sentencing to take place ten days before Trump is to be sworn in as president in Washington, D.C. The 18-page decision detailed Merchan’s reasoning, primarily explaining that Trump’s claims of immunity citing the Supreme Court’s infamous opinion were not valid. “The Constitution dictates that only a President, after taking the oath of office, has the authority of the Chief Executive, a President-elect does not. Accordingly, a President-elect is not permitted to avail himself of the protections afforded to the individual occupying that Office,” Merchan wrote.
Trump’s constant trashing of Merchan and other lawmakers and the court system also played a part in the decision. “Defendant’s disdain for the Third Branch of government, whether state or federal, in New York or elsewhere, is a matter of public record. Indeed, Defendant has gone to great lengths to broadcast on social media and other forums his lack of respect for judges, juries, grand juries, and the justice system as a whole,” he continued. Trump is not expected to receive any time in jail, as Merchan noted the difficulties in handing a prison sentence to a sitting president, he will not move to throw out the conviction.
Trump raged over that fact in a post on his Truth Social platform in the early hours of Monday morning (January 6), hours before his team declared that they would file an emergency appeal with New York State known as an “Article 78” petition used to challenge decisions by state judges and agencies. Several of Trump’s supporters among the right voiced their displeasure with Merchan on social media. “JUST IN: Judge Juan Merchan has just ordered President Trump to be sentenced in his phony hush money case on January 10th in New York City, 10 days before his inauguration. Outrageous,” wrote Laura Loomer, a far-right activist who’s been an ardent follower of Trump.
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January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol was attacked by a mob of largely white domestic terrorists operating under the orders of Donald Trump as part of his “Stop The Steal” movement. On the fourth anniversary of the heinous attack on democracy, many on X are remembering the January 6 insurrection just as Trump is gearing up for a second term in the White House.
The events of January 6 were an example of how unchecked power in the White House could be dangerous, and how the lack of checks and balances might essentially doom our democracy. Under Trump’s guidance and fueled by misinformation and conspiracy theories from the darkest corners of the Web, the mob of Trump supporters swarmed the Capitol under the veil of misguided justice in the name of their leader.
The group, sparked by politically motivated bloodlust, was sent to attack Vice President Mike Pence for failing to block the confirmation and there were clear intentions to harm any elected official who was a perceived enemy of Trump. This mob felt ordained to carry out Trump’s justice as wayward vigilantes fighting under a false flag.
Given the level of meddling Trump engaged in on the state level regarding losing votes over what he thought would be shoo-ins for his reelection, the weaponizing of his base to enact a coup of sorts should have had its day in court before winning the election last fall. Even members of Trump’s party sought a path where the president-elect would face the facts of his actions.
However, procedural delays, political hand-wringing, and an unprecedented move by the United States Supreme Court empowered Trump and will most likely allow him and the January 6 insurrectionists to sidestep justice unscathed. The embers of hope that Trump would have his day in court were effectively snuffed out after Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith filed to have felony charges against Trump dropped.
The election interference matter Trump has been accused of was marred by the typical tug-of-war of politics, with Trump supporters stating that the DOJ was on a “witch hunt” and a true denial of any sort of accountability from Trump. It is sobering that Donald Trump yet avoided penalties for his actions yet again, and the populace at large is bracing for another four years under Trump’s reign.
On X, formerly Twitter, many are remembering the January 6 insurrection attack, and the reactions are centered on the truth of what happened, not centering on any political side.
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Photo: Getty
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Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty / Apple / Tim Cook
You can now add Tim Cook to the growing list of big tech CEOs who have decided to kiss the orange menace, Donald Trump’s ring.
Donald Trump just got $1 million from Tim Apple, oops, we mean Tim Cook, for his upcoming inauguration, Axios exclusively reports.
According to the website, Cook will personally donate the money to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural committee, according to sources close to the matter told Axios.
Axios reports the donation “reflects a long, collaborative relationship between Trump and Cook that included many meetings during Trump’s first term, and dinner at Mar-a-Lago last month.”
Sources told Axios that the Alabama native’s reasoning for the $1 million donation is that he believes the inauguration—which Trump famously skipped out on because he’s a sore loser and pushed the big lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him—continues to be a great American tradition, and his generous gift is in the spirit of unity.
Axios also notes that Apple, a massive contributor to the US economy and the largest taxpayer in the country, will not be sending Orange Mussolini any money.
Cook joins other big tech CEOs, such as Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Uber, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
Tim Cook Is Getting Cooked
While he means well, social media is not trying to hear about “unity,” especially regarding the divider-in-chief who makes it his business to sow discord and push conspiracies.
Senator Elizabeth Warren didn’t bite her tongue to the news, writing in a post on X, formerly Twitter, “It’s no secret why Apple’s CEO is sucking up to Donald Trump: Republicans are planning more corporate tax cuts that would give Apple an extra $2.7 billion in handouts.”
It’s no secret why Apple’s CEO is sucking up to Donald Trump: Republicans are planning more corporate tax cuts that would give Apple an extra $2.7 billion in handouts. https://t.co/mzMM3tl2WT
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 4, 2025
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Warren is not alone in cooking Tim Cook on X. The gallery below shows more reactions.
1. We all collectively considered chucking our iPhones at the news of Tim Cook’s donation
2. A worthy headline to perfectly describe what is going on
3. Damn Tim, they calling you a sellout
6. Ruh Roh
7. It might be