donald trump
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams was set to meet with Donald Trump in Florida, with many claiming he’s after a federal pardon.
A spokesperson for embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed that he would be meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Thursday evening (January 16). “Mayor Adams has made quite clear his willingness to work with President-elect Trump and his incoming administration on behalf of New Yorkers — and that partnership with the federal government is critical to New York City’s success,” City Hall spokesman Fabian Levy said in an email. “The mayor looks forward to having a productive conversation with the incoming president on how we can move our city and country forward.”
The Democratic mayor’s meeting with Trump wasn’t on his public schedule for Friday (January 17) until early morning. The meeting is set for 1 P.M., where Adams said that the two will discuss “New Yorkers’ priorities”. The city will be funding the trip according to City Hall. Adams is the latest Democratic politician to meet with the president-elect; Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman recently visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
Adams’ visit comes months before he is to stand trial after being indicted on federal charges of wire fraud, bribery, and accepting illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals. Adams was accused of pressuring the New York City Fire Department to approve a new high-rise building for the Turkish Consulate despite prominent safety issues with the construction. He also allegedly accepted over $100,000 in luxury travel, including hotel accommodations from Turkey and other nations. Trump has been publicly sympathetic to Adams, even hinting that he could pardon him after beginning his second term in the White House. Adams has also stated that he was interested in attending the inauguration next Monday in Washington, D.C.
The visit has drawn numerous critics, who see it as another brazen ploy to obtain a federal pardon. “Eric Adams should state immediately that he will not seek or accept a pardon from Donald Trump,” Brad Lander, the New York City comptroller, said to the New York Times. “New Yorkers deserve to know that their mayor is putting their interests ahead of his own.” Others such as Rolling Stone contributor Noah Shachtman took a more sarcastic tone. “It’s such a relief to know that the mayor is spending every waking moment looking out for the people of New York,” he wrote in a post on BlueSky.
Donald Trump will officially be re-inaugurated as President on Jan. 20, and Rascal Flatts have joined the list of performers during inauguration weekend. The country group will be performing at the Commander in Chief Ball, where active duty military members will be attending, a source confirms to Billboard. Trump is scheduled to attend and speak […]
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Source: The Washington Post / Getty
The report by Special Counsel Jack Smith on Donald Trump’s alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election was released, with many on social media outraged at the findings.
Early Tuesday morning (January 14), the report by Special Counsel Jack Smith on the alleged attempts by Donald Trump to interfere with the results of the 2020 presidential election was released, sending shockwaves as the report rebuked the president-elect for his efforts. “Indeed, but for Mr. Trump’s election and imminent return to the presidency, the office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial,” Smith stated in the report.
Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report painfully reminds us of just how far the conservative justices were willing to go: pic.twitter.com/M6GwQw5Tlf
— Shanlon Wu (@shanlonwu) January 14, 2025
The damning 137-page report explicitly connected Trump to the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, that left five dead and 140 police officers injured, having encouraged “violence against his perceived opponents” after losing the presidential election in 2020 to Joe Biden. Smith also highlighted how Trump and his accomplices, including Rudy Giuliani, attempted to overturn the results in Arizona and Michigan. The report also detailed racist threats made to District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, and how Trump encouraged the isolation of his then-Vice President Mike Pence to compel him not to certify the 2020 results.
Smith wrote that he made the move to quickly indict Trump to not impact the 2024 presidential election. “Because of the Office’s deep familiarity and experience with these policies, it focused on completing both of its investigations promptly and making timely charging decisions, long before the election,” he wrote. Smith resigned as Special Counsel last week, and while the report has been sent to Congress, it’s assured there will be no further action since Republicans control both the House and the Senate. There is a second volume of the report related to the classified documents case against Trump. Still, Attorney General Merrick Garland has opted to wait until the legal proceedings against Trump’s co-defendants have ended.
The report has left many online upset at the evidence against the president-elect, seeing it as justice being denied. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Denise Wheeler, a novelist, laid the blame squarely at Garland’s feet with her post: “Merrick Garland waited until late 2022 to appoint a special counsel to investigate the biggest & most treasonous criminal in our country’s history. Yet it wasn’t until after Trump announced his candidacy that Garland acted. This wasn’t weakness. It was flat-out intentional.”
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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / TikTok
TikTok is currently on the verge of being banned, but reportedly, China is mulling the idea of selling the platform to Elon Musk.
Word on the social media streets is that Elon Musk could potentially add TikTok to his portfolio of sh*t he owns but has no business owning in the first damn place. Musk, one of President-elect Trump’s newest rump kissers, joins another potential buyer, Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, another Trump fan throwing his name in the hat as a potential buyer of TikTok.
The Orange Menace is now in favor of saving the platform after once being on the side of banning it. In a Newsmax interview, he explained his position changed, telling the “news channel,” “We won young people, and I think that’s a big credit to TikTok. So I’m not opposed to TikTok … I had a very good experience with TikTok.”
Trump on TikTok: “We won young people and I think that’s a big credit to TikTok. So I’m not opposed to TikTok … I had a very good experience with TikTok.” pic.twitter.com/dKDBrvsZDI
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 14, 2025
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Hilariously, TikTok denies the validity of the reports of Musk seeking to acquire the platform.
Investors Business Daily reports that Beijing officials are mulling their options as the January 19 deadline approaches, forcing Chinese-based company Byte Dance to sell or face a ban in U.S. app stores. During a hearing last week, Supreme Court justices seemed to be leaning towards siding with the U.S. Government.
Per Investors Business Daily:
Chinese government officials prefer that TikTok remains under the control of ByteDance, Bloomberg reported citing unnamed sources. But officials have begun to discuss “contingency plans,” according to Bloomberg.
A deal with one of Trump’s most prominent supporters in Musk “holds some appeal” for the Chinese government, Bloomberg reported. Musk could run the business along with X, the former Twitter that Musk acquired in 2022.
The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, reported early Tuesday that Chinese officials have “internally discussed options including the possibility of allowing a trusted non-Chinese party such as Elon Musk to invest in or take control of TikTok’s U.S. operations.”
In an emailed comment to IBD, a TikTok spokesperson said the company “cannot be expected to comment on pure fiction.”
According to Wedbush analysts, if Musk is serious about buying TikTok, IBD reports that it could cost the Tesla chief between $40 billion and $50 billion.
Meanwhile, TikTok fans are also making moves. In response to the pending ban, U.S. TikTok users are signing up for the Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, which is now the top-downloaded app in the U.S.
According to the AP, TikTok refugees—yes, that’s what they are seriously calling themselves—claim to be signing up for the app to protest the U.S.’s potential ban on it.
For American TikTok “refugees”, here is a list of Chinese social media substitution apps. pic.twitter.com/eDzpqpE1Ro
— Li Zexin (@XH_Lee23) January 14, 2025
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Bruh.
Is it really that serious?
Whatever happens, a lot of people need to really touch grass.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. Mmmmmhmmmm
2. You sure it doesn’t have anything to do with China’s government getting your info?
5. Hmmmmmm
9. Good chance this won’t end well
10. Exactly
Village People have joined the presidential inaugural activities for Donald Trump.
The group took to Facebook on Monday (Jan. 13) to announce that they have “accepted an invitation from President Elect Trump’s campaign to participate in inaugural activities, including at least one event with President Elect Trump.”
They continued, “We know this wont make some of you happy to hear however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics. Our song Y.M.C.A. is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost.”
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The statement concluded, “Therefore, we believe it’s now time to bring the country together with music which is why VILLAGE PEOPLE will be performing at various events as part of the 2025 Inauguration of Donald J. Trump.”
See the post here.
Trending on Billboard
According to The Hill, the group will perform at Trump’s “victory rally” at Capital One Arena in Washington, and at the Liberty Inaugural Ball.
“Macho Man” and “Y.M.C.A.” were popular song choices at Trump campaign rallies during his 2020 and 2024 campaign rallies.
In December, Village People’s Victor Willis doubled down on why he chose to let the president-elect play “Y.M.C.A.” at rallies and events, saying he “didn’t have the heart” to block the usage — despite originally asking Trump to stop in 2020 — upon realizing that the politician seemed to “genuinely like” and was “having a lot of fun” with “Y.M.C.A.” Plus, as Willis noted, the dance tune has only “benefited greatly” in terms of chart placements and sales since the twice-impeached former POTUS incorporated it into his campaign.
Earlier in the day, it was revealed that Carrie Underwood will be performing at the presidential inauguration ceremony on Monday, Jan. 20, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.. The eight-time Grammy winner will perform “America the Beautiful,” accompanied by The Armed Forces Chorus and the The United States Naval Academy Glee Club.
She shared to Billboard via a statement, “I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event. I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”
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Source: ADAM GRAY / Getty / Steve Bannon
There is some MAGA infighting going on. Steve Bannon, one of Donald Trump’s most loyal allies, is letting it be known he is no fan of Trump’s new homie, Elon Musk.
Spotted on The Hill, two shirt-wearing former adviser to President-Elect Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, vows to “take down” Tesla chief Elon Musk, and, in a classic pot calling the kettle black moment, describing Trump’s pick to run DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) as “truly evil.”
Per Mediaite, Bannon expressed his disdain for Musk in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. Musk’s support of H-1B visas is fueling this MAGA feud.
Per The Hill:
“I will have Elon Musk run out of here by Inauguration Day,” Bannon said. “He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy. I made it my personal thing to take this guy down.”
With Trump set to take office for the second time shortly, Musk’s influence in the next administration remains unclear.
Bannon criticized Musk over the continued debate over H-1B visas. Musk is supportive of the work program that allows the U.S. to attract international talent. Trump’s base, however, is not supportive of the program, fueling a fight over the topic.
“This thing of the H-1B visas, it’s about the entire immigration system is gamed by the tech overlords, they use it to their advantage, the people are furious,” Bannon said.
Steve Bannon Calls Elon Musk A Racist
What’s even more hilarious is that Bannon, who has been accused of being a racist, slammed Musk’s heritage, calling South Africans the most racist people on Earth.
“He should go back to South Africa,” Bannon continued. “Why do we have South Africans, the most racist people on Earth, white South Africans, we have them making any comments at all on what goes on in the United States?”
Bannon didn’t stop there, adding that Musk has the maturity of a “little boy” and is only trying to add to his ridiculous wealth.
We don’t agree with Bannon on anything, but he’s not lying there.
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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.