Donald Trump Announces 2016 White House Bid
- Thread starter B00Mer
- Start date
Yep. Different in that Joe didn't lie about having them. He encouraged the Feds to come find 'em and take 'em back.
What did your Orange Jesus do?
You mean the ones that were there since he was a senator, which he was not supposed to have to start with. Oh, but the dems are OK, cus they are for the people.
Guess what. The dems are more corrupt, the people has decided they are. Get used to it.
Guess what. The dems are more corrupt, the people has decided they are. Get used to it.
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You mean "back to" the days when a Texas judge, sentencing two good ol' boys who murdered two gay men, stated on the record that he was giving them the minimum sentence because "it wasn't like they had murdered a young mother." That what you're hankering to go back to?
Maybe what old Donald is thinking for the future is that he will introduce a national sales tax, with the idea that it would not cost anything to the people. In Canada they have a 5% GST, Goods and Service Tax O most anything that you buy, but most groceries. Good way to hide the fact that the government can hide higher spending.
President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urge judge to toss his hush money conviction
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Michael R. Sisak and Jake Offenhartz
Published Dec 03, 2024 • 4 minute read
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers formally asked a judge Monday to throw out his hush money criminal conviction, arguing that continuing the case would present unconstitutional “disruptions to the institution of the Presidency.”
In a filing made public Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers told Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that anything short of immediate dismissal would undermine the transition of power, as well as the “overwhelming national mandate” granted to Trump by voters last month.
They also cited President Joe Biden’s recent pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of tax and gun charges.
“President Biden asserted that his son was ‘selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,’ and ‘treated differently,”‘ Trump’s legal team wrote. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, they claimed, had engaged in the type of political theater “that President Biden condemned.”
Prosecutors will have until Dec. 9 to respond. They have said they will fight any efforts to dismiss the case but have indicated a willingness to delay the sentencing until after Trump’s second term ends in 2029. In their filing Monday, Trump’s attorneys dismissed the idea of holding off sentencing until Trump is out of office as a “ridiculous suggestion.”
Following Trump’s election victory last month, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed his sentencing, previously scheduled for late November, to allow the defence and prosecution to weigh in on the future of the case. He also delayed a decision on Trump’s prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds.
Trump has been fighting for months to reverse his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier. He says they did not and denies any wrongdoing.
The defence filing was signed by Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who represented Trump during the trial and have since been selected by the president-elect to fill senior roles at the Justice Department.
Taking a swipe at Bragg and New York City, as Trump often did throughout the trial, the filing argues that dismissal would also benefit the public by giving him and “the numerous prosecutors assigned to this case a renewed opportunity to put an end to deteriorating conditions in the City and to protect its residents from violent crime.”
Clearing Trump, the lawyers added, would also allow him to “to devote all of his energy to protecting the Nation.”
Merchan hasn’t yet set a timetable for a decision. He could decide to uphold the verdict and proceed to sentencing, delay the case until Trump leaves office, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court or choose some other option.
An outright dismissal of the New York case would further lift a legal cloud that at one point carried the prospect of derailing Trump’s political future.
Last week, special counsel Jack Smith told courts that he was withdrawing both federal cases against Trump — one charging him with hoarding classified documents at his Florida estate, the other with scheming to overturn the 2020 presidential election he lost — citing longstanding Justice Department policy that shields a president from indictment while in office.
The hush money case was the only one of Trump’s four criminal indictments to go to trial, resulting in a historic verdict that made him the first former president to be convicted of a crime.
Prosecutors had cast the payout as part of a Trump-driven effort to keep voters from hearing salacious stories about him. Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels. Trump later reimbursed him, and Trump’s company logged the reimbursements as legal expenses _ concealing what they really were, prosecutors alleged.
Trump has said the payments to Cohen were properly categorized as legal expenses for legal work.
A month after the verdict, the Supreme Court ruled that ex-presidents can’t be prosecuted for official acts — things they did in the course of running the country — and that prosecutors can’t cite those actions to bolster a case centered on purely personal, unofficial conduct.
Trump’s lawyers cited the ruling to argue that the hush money jury got some improper evidence, such as Trump’s presidential financial disclosure form, testimony from some White House aides and social media posts made during his first term.
Prosecutors disagreed and said the evidence in question was only “a sliver” of their case.
If the verdict stands and the case proceeds to sentencing, Trump’s punishments would range from a fine to probation to up to four years in prison — but it’s unlikely he’d spend any time behind bars for a first-time conviction involving charges in the lowest tier of felonies.
Because it is a state case, Trump would not be able to pardon himself once he returns to office.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Michael R. Sisak and Jake Offenhartz
Published Dec 03, 2024 • 4 minute read
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers formally asked a judge Monday to throw out his hush money criminal conviction, arguing that continuing the case would present unconstitutional “disruptions to the institution of the Presidency.”
In a filing made public Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers told Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that anything short of immediate dismissal would undermine the transition of power, as well as the “overwhelming national mandate” granted to Trump by voters last month.
They also cited President Joe Biden’s recent pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of tax and gun charges.
“President Biden asserted that his son was ‘selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,’ and ‘treated differently,”‘ Trump’s legal team wrote. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, they claimed, had engaged in the type of political theater “that President Biden condemned.”
Prosecutors will have until Dec. 9 to respond. They have said they will fight any efforts to dismiss the case but have indicated a willingness to delay the sentencing until after Trump’s second term ends in 2029. In their filing Monday, Trump’s attorneys dismissed the idea of holding off sentencing until Trump is out of office as a “ridiculous suggestion.”
Following Trump’s election victory last month, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed his sentencing, previously scheduled for late November, to allow the defence and prosecution to weigh in on the future of the case. He also delayed a decision on Trump’s prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds.
Trump has been fighting for months to reverse his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier. He says they did not and denies any wrongdoing.
The defence filing was signed by Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who represented Trump during the trial and have since been selected by the president-elect to fill senior roles at the Justice Department.
Taking a swipe at Bragg and New York City, as Trump often did throughout the trial, the filing argues that dismissal would also benefit the public by giving him and “the numerous prosecutors assigned to this case a renewed opportunity to put an end to deteriorating conditions in the City and to protect its residents from violent crime.”
Clearing Trump, the lawyers added, would also allow him to “to devote all of his energy to protecting the Nation.”
Merchan hasn’t yet set a timetable for a decision. He could decide to uphold the verdict and proceed to sentencing, delay the case until Trump leaves office, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court or choose some other option.
An outright dismissal of the New York case would further lift a legal cloud that at one point carried the prospect of derailing Trump’s political future.
Last week, special counsel Jack Smith told courts that he was withdrawing both federal cases against Trump — one charging him with hoarding classified documents at his Florida estate, the other with scheming to overturn the 2020 presidential election he lost — citing longstanding Justice Department policy that shields a president from indictment while in office.
The hush money case was the only one of Trump’s four criminal indictments to go to trial, resulting in a historic verdict that made him the first former president to be convicted of a crime.
Prosecutors had cast the payout as part of a Trump-driven effort to keep voters from hearing salacious stories about him. Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels. Trump later reimbursed him, and Trump’s company logged the reimbursements as legal expenses _ concealing what they really were, prosecutors alleged.
Trump has said the payments to Cohen were properly categorized as legal expenses for legal work.
A month after the verdict, the Supreme Court ruled that ex-presidents can’t be prosecuted for official acts — things they did in the course of running the country — and that prosecutors can’t cite those actions to bolster a case centered on purely personal, unofficial conduct.
Trump’s lawyers cited the ruling to argue that the hush money jury got some improper evidence, such as Trump’s presidential financial disclosure form, testimony from some White House aides and social media posts made during his first term.
Prosecutors disagreed and said the evidence in question was only “a sliver” of their case.
If the verdict stands and the case proceeds to sentencing, Trump’s punishments would range from a fine to probation to up to four years in prison — but it’s unlikely he’d spend any time behind bars for a first-time conviction involving charges in the lowest tier of felonies.
Because it is a state case, Trump would not be able to pardon himself once he returns to office.
President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urge judge to toss his hush money conviction
President-elect Donald Trump's lawyers formally asked a judge Monday to throw out his hush money criminal conviction.
Old Donnie is going to impose tariffs on imported goods as a way to get Americans working again. This has been effective in reducing wheat, lentils, and many other commodities that have been sold to China in years past. Reports of hundreds of Billions of future grain shipments to China have been cancelled, putting the farmers on edge of bankruptcy. While this tactic will reduce trade deficits, it will reduce the sale of American goods until they can find new markets for sale of goods. By leading USA by confusion, old Donnie will help Americans get on the world attention.
Free trade is being reduced in North America, and I guess over time United States will have to see how that plays out.
Free trade is being reduced in North America, and I guess over time United States will have to see how that plays out.
Wheat futures are heading north for 2025. Food is so abundant in North America, its mandatory we burn it but its illegal for farmers to use their own crops for biodiesel. All oil refinery regulations apply to bio fuel refining.
Trump’s lawyers cite Hunter Biden pardon in N.Y. hush money dismissal bid
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Shayna Jacobs, The Washington Post
Published Dec 04, 2024 • 4 minute read
NEW YORK – President-elect Donald Trump’s felony conviction for falsifying business documents is tainted by the same corruption in the justice system that President Joe Biden decried when he announced his son’s pardon, Trump’s attorneys wrote in a document released Tuesday.
The attorneys pointed to comments by Biden in defending his pardon of his son Hunter, in which he alleged the younger Biden was targeted by the president’s detractors for political payback. Biden said in a statement that his son was “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted” and “treated differently” than most.
Trump’s lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove wrote in their court filing that the same corruption Biden described extended to the state court case handled by New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan. Merchan has rejected past claims by Trump lawyers that the case was tainted by political bias.
Blanche and Bove wrote that like Biden’s assessment of the Justice Department’s treatment of his son, “this case would never have been brought were it not for President Trump’s political views, the transformative national movement established under his leadership, and the political threat that he poses to entrenched, corrupt politicians in Washington, D.C. and beyond.”
Biden signed a pardon Sunday for Hunter Biden, who was found guilty of gun-related charges in Delaware and pleaded guilty to tax evasion in California.
The president said in prepared remarks that Hunter “was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong,” a remark that echoed a chorus of complaints from Trump and his allies in recent years as he fought a cascade of criminal and civil investigations.
Trump’s criminal case in New York, his lawyers said, must be thrown out under federal law because Trump is entitled to protection from legal issues that may interfere with his upcoming term.
The Justice Department that Biden criticized “coordinated and oversaw the politically-motivated, election-interference witch hunts targeting President Trump,” Blanche and Bove wrote in the 72-page motion.
Trump’s attorneys wrote that Merchan had to ensure that their client, who has not been sentenced, would be released from the criminal case that stems from a $130,000 hush money payment to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
A jury in May found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts. Merchan must decide whether to hand down a punishment before Trump begins his term Jan. 20, after his term or never.
Blanche and Bove argued that Trump’s transition to the presidency is a legally protected process and cannot be interrupted under federal law. He also cannot face charges while he’s in office under precedent recently solidified by a Supreme Court decision, they said.
Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, won a second term in the Nov. 5 election. He frequently announces appointments and nominations and routinely meets with officials and prospects for his new administration from his Mar-a-Lago estate and private club in Palm Beach, Florida.
Attorneys for Trump have tried repeatedly to get the Manhattan criminal court case thrown out. The Supreme Court issued a presidential immunity ruling in July that broadly defined official conduct that protects a president.
Blanche and Bove argued in the latest filing submitted Monday that a sitting president cannot be subjected to state investigations or court proceedings. In a previous motion and again in the latest one, the defense argued that the case had to be dismissed because Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office improperly built it around evidence and testimony stemming from Trump’s official presidential conduct.
Prosecutors have said that the case, in which a jury found Trump guilty on all charges, did not involve presidential duties and that it would have been strong even without the inclusion of some evidence generated during Trump’s first year in the White House.
Bragg and his team have said there is no basis to throw out Trump’s state court case and that presidents are not immune from state court proceedings. The district attorney acknowledged in a recent letter to Merchan that it might make sense to sentence Trump after his term concludes.
He faces up to four years in prison under New York law.
Trump’s attorneys said that prospect is also nonviable because “it would be egregious and unlawful for this Court to hold the prospect of a 2029 sentencing over President Trump’s head while he continues his service to this Country.”
The hush money case was one of four indictments against Trump. He also faced charges in Georgia, Florida and D.C.
Since he won the presidential election, both of Trump’s federal cases were withdrawn. Special counsel Jack Smith wound down the pending matters, citing a Justice Department policy that prevents sitting presidents from facing prosecution.
A team led by Smith had obtained two indictments against Trump. In Florida, Trump was charged for allegedly hoarding classified records at his Palm Beach home and private club and blocking efforts by the government to regain custody of them. Trump-appointed Judge Aileen M. Cannon dismissed that matter in a highly controversial decision.
Smith is appealing her ruling but recently dropped Trump from that case — keeping his two co-defendants — because Justice Department policy prohibits prosecuting a sitting president.
A D.C. judge last week separately dismissed Smith’s indictment of Trump for allegedly trying to interfere with the results of the 2020 election. Smith’s motion to dismiss said he stood by the facts of the indictment, but concluded he could not proceed with the federal prosecution now that Trump had been elected again.
A state court indictment is still pending against Trump and a number of his allies in Georgia, stemming from alleged efforts to overturn election results from 2020 in that state. That case is frozen pending an appeal of a ruling related to alleged prosecutorial misconduct.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Shayna Jacobs, The Washington Post
Published Dec 04, 2024 • 4 minute read
NEW YORK – President-elect Donald Trump’s felony conviction for falsifying business documents is tainted by the same corruption in the justice system that President Joe Biden decried when he announced his son’s pardon, Trump’s attorneys wrote in a document released Tuesday.
The attorneys pointed to comments by Biden in defending his pardon of his son Hunter, in which he alleged the younger Biden was targeted by the president’s detractors for political payback. Biden said in a statement that his son was “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted” and “treated differently” than most.
Trump’s lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove wrote in their court filing that the same corruption Biden described extended to the state court case handled by New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan. Merchan has rejected past claims by Trump lawyers that the case was tainted by political bias.
Blanche and Bove wrote that like Biden’s assessment of the Justice Department’s treatment of his son, “this case would never have been brought were it not for President Trump’s political views, the transformative national movement established under his leadership, and the political threat that he poses to entrenched, corrupt politicians in Washington, D.C. and beyond.”
Biden signed a pardon Sunday for Hunter Biden, who was found guilty of gun-related charges in Delaware and pleaded guilty to tax evasion in California.
The president said in prepared remarks that Hunter “was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong,” a remark that echoed a chorus of complaints from Trump and his allies in recent years as he fought a cascade of criminal and civil investigations.
Trump’s criminal case in New York, his lawyers said, must be thrown out under federal law because Trump is entitled to protection from legal issues that may interfere with his upcoming term.
The Justice Department that Biden criticized “coordinated and oversaw the politically-motivated, election-interference witch hunts targeting President Trump,” Blanche and Bove wrote in the 72-page motion.
Trump’s attorneys wrote that Merchan had to ensure that their client, who has not been sentenced, would be released from the criminal case that stems from a $130,000 hush money payment to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
A jury in May found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts. Merchan must decide whether to hand down a punishment before Trump begins his term Jan. 20, after his term or never.
Blanche and Bove argued that Trump’s transition to the presidency is a legally protected process and cannot be interrupted under federal law. He also cannot face charges while he’s in office under precedent recently solidified by a Supreme Court decision, they said.
Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, won a second term in the Nov. 5 election. He frequently announces appointments and nominations and routinely meets with officials and prospects for his new administration from his Mar-a-Lago estate and private club in Palm Beach, Florida.
Attorneys for Trump have tried repeatedly to get the Manhattan criminal court case thrown out. The Supreme Court issued a presidential immunity ruling in July that broadly defined official conduct that protects a president.
Blanche and Bove argued in the latest filing submitted Monday that a sitting president cannot be subjected to state investigations or court proceedings. In a previous motion and again in the latest one, the defense argued that the case had to be dismissed because Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office improperly built it around evidence and testimony stemming from Trump’s official presidential conduct.
Prosecutors have said that the case, in which a jury found Trump guilty on all charges, did not involve presidential duties and that it would have been strong even without the inclusion of some evidence generated during Trump’s first year in the White House.
Bragg and his team have said there is no basis to throw out Trump’s state court case and that presidents are not immune from state court proceedings. The district attorney acknowledged in a recent letter to Merchan that it might make sense to sentence Trump after his term concludes.
He faces up to four years in prison under New York law.
Trump’s attorneys said that prospect is also nonviable because “it would be egregious and unlawful for this Court to hold the prospect of a 2029 sentencing over President Trump’s head while he continues his service to this Country.”
The hush money case was one of four indictments against Trump. He also faced charges in Georgia, Florida and D.C.
Since he won the presidential election, both of Trump’s federal cases were withdrawn. Special counsel Jack Smith wound down the pending matters, citing a Justice Department policy that prevents sitting presidents from facing prosecution.
A team led by Smith had obtained two indictments against Trump. In Florida, Trump was charged for allegedly hoarding classified records at his Palm Beach home and private club and blocking efforts by the government to regain custody of them. Trump-appointed Judge Aileen M. Cannon dismissed that matter in a highly controversial decision.
Smith is appealing her ruling but recently dropped Trump from that case — keeping his two co-defendants — because Justice Department policy prohibits prosecuting a sitting president.
A D.C. judge last week separately dismissed Smith’s indictment of Trump for allegedly trying to interfere with the results of the 2020 election. Smith’s motion to dismiss said he stood by the facts of the indictment, but concluded he could not proceed with the federal prosecution now that Trump had been elected again.
A state court indictment is still pending against Trump and a number of his allies in Georgia, stemming from alleged efforts to overturn election results from 2020 in that state. That case is frozen pending an appeal of a ruling related to alleged prosecutorial misconduct.
Trump’s lawyers cite Hunter Biden pardon in N.Y. hush money dismissal bid
Biden said in a statement that his son was "selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted" and "treated differently" than most.
Lara Trump stepping down as RNC co-chair and addressing speculation about Florida Senate seat
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Juliet Linderman And Martha Mendoza
Published Dec 09, 2024 • 3 minute read
Lara Trump will step down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee as she considers a number of potential options with her father-in-law, President-elect Donald Trump, set to return to the White House.
Among those possibilities is replacing Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whom Trump tapped to be the next secretary of state. If Rubio is confirmed, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will choose who takes the seat through the remainder of Rubio’s term, which expires in 2026.
“It is something I would seriously consider,” she told The Associated Press in an interview. “If I’m being completely transparent, I don’t know exactly what that would look like. And I certainly want to get all of the information possible if that is something that’s real for me. But yeah, I would 100% consider it.”
Elected as RNC co-chair in March, Lara Trump was a key player in the Republicans retaking the White House and control of the Senate while maintaining a narrow House majority. What she does next could shape Republican politics, given her elevated political profile and her ties to the incoming president.
The idea of placing a Trump family member in the Senate has been lauded in some Republican circles. Among the people pushing for her to replace Rubio is Maye Musk, mother of Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
“The Senate is an old man’s club. We desperately need a smart, young, outspoken woman who will reveal their secrets,” she posted on X. Lara Trump is 42.
Elon Musk, who was with Lara Trump on election night at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, responded to his mother’s post: “Lara Trump is genuinely great.”
Led by chairman Michael Whatley and Lara Trump, the RNC invested heavily in recruiting roughly 230,000 volunteers and an army of lawyers for what it called its “election integrity” effort, four years after Donald Trump lost his reelection bid to Democrat Joe Biden, citing false or unproven theories about voter fraud. Outside groups such as Turning Point Action and Musk’s America PAC took a greater responsibility for advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts.
While Whatley will remain RNC chairman, Lara Trump said she felt she had accomplished her goals in the co-chair role.
“With that big win, I kind of feel like my time is up,” she said. “What I intended to do has been done.”
Lara Trump praised Musk’s new endeavor, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a nongovernmental task force headed by Musk and and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. They’ve been tapped to fire federal workers, cut programs and slash federal regulations as part of Trump’s “Save America” agenda for his second term.
“I really don’t think we’ve seen movement like this in our federal government since our country’s founding in many ways,” she said. “And I think if they are successful in what they plan to do, I think it is going to be transformative to America in a great way.”
She said she expects a different presidency this time, beginning with the structure of the administration: While Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner served as White House advisers in his last administration, Lara Trump said she doesn’t see any family member taking any position in the White House this time around with her father-in-law.
“He really wants to get in there and do a good job for the four years, and that’s all he wants to serve,” she said. “Four years, and he’s out.”
Lara Trump also says she expects the Republican Party to be more unified than it has ever been. When she became co-chair in May, the Trump campaign and the RNC merged, with staffers fired and positions restructured. She said the result could spell trouble for GOP lawmakers who do not agree with Trump’s agenda.
“The whole party has totally shifted and totally changed,” she said. “I think people are feeling a little more bold in coming out with their political views.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Juliet Linderman And Martha Mendoza
Published Dec 09, 2024 • 3 minute read
Lara Trump will step down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee as she considers a number of potential options with her father-in-law, President-elect Donald Trump, set to return to the White House.
Among those possibilities is replacing Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whom Trump tapped to be the next secretary of state. If Rubio is confirmed, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will choose who takes the seat through the remainder of Rubio’s term, which expires in 2026.
“It is something I would seriously consider,” she told The Associated Press in an interview. “If I’m being completely transparent, I don’t know exactly what that would look like. And I certainly want to get all of the information possible if that is something that’s real for me. But yeah, I would 100% consider it.”
Elected as RNC co-chair in March, Lara Trump was a key player in the Republicans retaking the White House and control of the Senate while maintaining a narrow House majority. What she does next could shape Republican politics, given her elevated political profile and her ties to the incoming president.
The idea of placing a Trump family member in the Senate has been lauded in some Republican circles. Among the people pushing for her to replace Rubio is Maye Musk, mother of Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
“The Senate is an old man’s club. We desperately need a smart, young, outspoken woman who will reveal their secrets,” she posted on X. Lara Trump is 42.
Elon Musk, who was with Lara Trump on election night at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, responded to his mother’s post: “Lara Trump is genuinely great.”
Led by chairman Michael Whatley and Lara Trump, the RNC invested heavily in recruiting roughly 230,000 volunteers and an army of lawyers for what it called its “election integrity” effort, four years after Donald Trump lost his reelection bid to Democrat Joe Biden, citing false or unproven theories about voter fraud. Outside groups such as Turning Point Action and Musk’s America PAC took a greater responsibility for advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts.
While Whatley will remain RNC chairman, Lara Trump said she felt she had accomplished her goals in the co-chair role.
“With that big win, I kind of feel like my time is up,” she said. “What I intended to do has been done.”
Lara Trump praised Musk’s new endeavor, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a nongovernmental task force headed by Musk and and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. They’ve been tapped to fire federal workers, cut programs and slash federal regulations as part of Trump’s “Save America” agenda for his second term.
“I really don’t think we’ve seen movement like this in our federal government since our country’s founding in many ways,” she said. “And I think if they are successful in what they plan to do, I think it is going to be transformative to America in a great way.”
She said she expects a different presidency this time, beginning with the structure of the administration: While Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner served as White House advisers in his last administration, Lara Trump said she doesn’t see any family member taking any position in the White House this time around with her father-in-law.
“He really wants to get in there and do a good job for the four years, and that’s all he wants to serve,” she said. “Four years, and he’s out.”
Lara Trump also says she expects the Republican Party to be more unified than it has ever been. When she became co-chair in May, the Trump campaign and the RNC merged, with staffers fired and positions restructured. She said the result could spell trouble for GOP lawmakers who do not agree with Trump’s agenda.
“The whole party has totally shifted and totally changed,” she said. “I think people are feeling a little more bold in coming out with their political views.”
Lara Trump stepping down as RNC co-chair and addressing speculation about Florida Senate seat
Lara Trump will step down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee as she considers a number of options with her father-in-law
Poll suggests 13% of Canadians think Canada should become 51st American state
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Kyle Duggan and Jordan Omstead
Published Dec 10, 2024 • 2 minute read
OTTAWA — President-elect Donald Trump is calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the governor of the “Great State of Canada” on his social media account.
Trump said in a taunting post to Truth Social early Tuesday it was a “pleasure to have dinner” with Trudeau at his Mar-a-Lago estate and that he looks forward to seeing the “governor again soon” to talk tariffs and trade, the “results of which will be truly spectacular for all.”
Turns out, some Canadians think that’s not such a bad idea.
A new Leger poll suggests 13% of Canadians would like the country to become the next U.S. state.
The demographic breakdowns show there’s higher support among men, at 19%, compared with only 7% of women.
Conservative party supporters came in at 21%, while one in 10 Liberal voters said they were in favour of the idea. The People’s Party of Canada showed the highest level of endorsement among the federal parties, at 25%, while the NDP was the lowest, at 6%.
Among the overall population, 82% opposed to the idea, the highest of which comes from Atlantic provinces, women and Canadians over the age of 55.
Leger polled 1,520 people between Dec. 6 and Dec. 9. The poll does not have a margin of error because online polls aren’t considered truly random samples.
Asked about Trump’s comments ahead of a federal cabinet meeting Tuesday, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said “it sounds like we’re living in an episode of South Park.”
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc attended that surprise dinner at Mar-a-Lago last month, which came soon after the president-elect threatened to impose a 25% tariff on imports unless Canada beefs up its border.
LeBlanc has said Trump was only teasing when at the dinner he suggested he could make Canada the 51st U.S. State.
“The president was telling jokes,” LeBlanc told reporters a week ago. “The president was teasing us. It was, of course, on that issue in no way a serious comment.”
Trump later shared a seemingly AI-generated image of himself standing on a mountain ridge with a Canadian flag planted in it, with the caption “Oh Canada!”
Trudeau has not matched that tone, warning in a talk on Monday that such steep tariffs would be devastating for the Canadian economy and describing Trump’s approach as an attempt to destabilize negotiating partners by introducing a bit of chaos.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Kyle Duggan and Jordan Omstead
Published Dec 10, 2024 • 2 minute read
OTTAWA — President-elect Donald Trump is calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the governor of the “Great State of Canada” on his social media account.
Trump said in a taunting post to Truth Social early Tuesday it was a “pleasure to have dinner” with Trudeau at his Mar-a-Lago estate and that he looks forward to seeing the “governor again soon” to talk tariffs and trade, the “results of which will be truly spectacular for all.”
Turns out, some Canadians think that’s not such a bad idea.
A new Leger poll suggests 13% of Canadians would like the country to become the next U.S. state.
The demographic breakdowns show there’s higher support among men, at 19%, compared with only 7% of women.
Conservative party supporters came in at 21%, while one in 10 Liberal voters said they were in favour of the idea. The People’s Party of Canada showed the highest level of endorsement among the federal parties, at 25%, while the NDP was the lowest, at 6%.
Among the overall population, 82% opposed to the idea, the highest of which comes from Atlantic provinces, women and Canadians over the age of 55.
Leger polled 1,520 people between Dec. 6 and Dec. 9. The poll does not have a margin of error because online polls aren’t considered truly random samples.
Asked about Trump’s comments ahead of a federal cabinet meeting Tuesday, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said “it sounds like we’re living in an episode of South Park.”
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc attended that surprise dinner at Mar-a-Lago last month, which came soon after the president-elect threatened to impose a 25% tariff on imports unless Canada beefs up its border.
LeBlanc has said Trump was only teasing when at the dinner he suggested he could make Canada the 51st U.S. State.
“The president was telling jokes,” LeBlanc told reporters a week ago. “The president was teasing us. It was, of course, on that issue in no way a serious comment.”
Trump later shared a seemingly AI-generated image of himself standing on a mountain ridge with a Canadian flag planted in it, with the caption “Oh Canada!”
Trudeau has not matched that tone, warning in a talk on Monday that such steep tariffs would be devastating for the Canadian economy and describing Trump’s approach as an attempt to destabilize negotiating partners by introducing a bit of chaos.
Poll suggests 13% of Canadians think Canada should become 51st American state
A new Leger poll suggests 13% of Canadians would like the country to become the next U.S. state.
'We are already the 51st state,' says Trudeau's half-brother
Kyle Kemper predicts Pierre Poilievre will win next election with ease
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Published Dec 12, 2024 • 3 minute read
Canada potentially becoming America’s 51st state has become a much-talked-about sore spot Donald Trump has enjoyed rubbing Justin Trudeau’s nose in.
Not so fast, says the prime minister’s half-brother who suggests a 60-state setup might make sense.
While Trump has called Trudeau “governor,” the Canadian leader’s kin has not outright rejected the concept or hypothetical conversations about it,.
Kyle Kemper added his own thoughts on the matter.
“Canada as a single state doesn’t make sense … as 10 however …” Kyle Kemper posted to X.
Maybe 13 states if you include the territories.
Whatever way you count it, if you bring Canada into the United States with its provinces becoming states, that would effectively put Trudeau or any prime minister out of a job.
Over the phone from Florida, I learned Kemper believes his half-brother will no longer be prime minister after the next election, expected to take place in 2025.
“By the time Pierre (Poilievre) comes into office, and I think he’s not just going to win, but he’s going to win by an unbelievable mandate the likes of which has never been seen by a Conservative government” the Trump agenda will be in full swing and help kick start “the mess Pierre is inheriting,” said Kemper, whose mother is Margaret Trudeau.
Added Kemper: “There is a moment in time now to rethink a lot of the systems. We are going to be seeing major system updates in America and Canada has the benefit” of seeing how that goes.
Originally working on the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. independent presidential campaign and then shifting over to support Trump, Kemper believes Trump, Kash Patel, Elon Musk, JD Vance, Tulsi Gabbard, Vivek Ramaswamy and others are in a position to change America for the better — from economics to health.
And he believes Canada is on the precipice of this as well if it moves on from the Trudeau regime.
Trudeau’s younger brother believes Poilievre will have “an opportunity to rethink, discuss, deliberate and begin transformation and identify the corporate capture of the regulatory agencies and fix it, fix the tax code and fix all of it.”
Kemper sees Canadians leaving Canada because of overwhelming government authority, control and “taxation” that eats away at “85% of what people” earn.
The overall floating of Canada joining the United States has been an in-jest punchline shared by news outlets and on social media ever since America’s incoming president made the quip at Mar-a-Lago to Trudeau that with a $100-billion annual trade deficit, Canada should consider becoming a state.
Where Trudeau’s half-brother got into this debate was in response to a poll posted by comedian Russell Brand on social-media site X. Brand asked the question “Canadians — Do you want to be America’s 51st state?”
The results were surprising. On the notion of Canada becoming part of America, the number was 64.9% in favour and 35.1% against.
Kemper was not surprised.
“We are already the 51st state,” he said, adding the special relationship effectively already connects the two on many levels from business, trade and security.
While in the past, he was against any such notion of connecting the two with the same dollar or political system, he said things are so broken in Canada, it’s not something he dismisses anymore.
“Right now, given how brutal the Canadian system is, it actually looks pretty good and I think a lot of Canadians are looking at alternatives,” said Kemper, who earns his living working in the cryptocurrency world.
On any new configuration going forward, “Canadians would have to be the ones to decide,” but “it’s worth having a thorough discussion on how we can create an outcome that really works for Canada and America,” he said.
Whether Canada, officially or unofficially, aligns closer with Trump’s America, Kemper believes, “we absolutely must update our system to work with America to make a more beneficial relationship for all of us.”
No matter what state or province you are from.
torontosun.com
Kyle Kemper predicts Pierre Poilievre will win next election with ease
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Published Dec 12, 2024 • 3 minute read
Canada potentially becoming America’s 51st state has become a much-talked-about sore spot Donald Trump has enjoyed rubbing Justin Trudeau’s nose in.
Not so fast, says the prime minister’s half-brother who suggests a 60-state setup might make sense.
While Trump has called Trudeau “governor,” the Canadian leader’s kin has not outright rejected the concept or hypothetical conversations about it,.
Kyle Kemper added his own thoughts on the matter.
“Canada as a single state doesn’t make sense … as 10 however …” Kyle Kemper posted to X.
Maybe 13 states if you include the territories.
Whatever way you count it, if you bring Canada into the United States with its provinces becoming states, that would effectively put Trudeau or any prime minister out of a job.
Over the phone from Florida, I learned Kemper believes his half-brother will no longer be prime minister after the next election, expected to take place in 2025.
“By the time Pierre (Poilievre) comes into office, and I think he’s not just going to win, but he’s going to win by an unbelievable mandate the likes of which has never been seen by a Conservative government” the Trump agenda will be in full swing and help kick start “the mess Pierre is inheriting,” said Kemper, whose mother is Margaret Trudeau.
Added Kemper: “There is a moment in time now to rethink a lot of the systems. We are going to be seeing major system updates in America and Canada has the benefit” of seeing how that goes.
Originally working on the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. independent presidential campaign and then shifting over to support Trump, Kemper believes Trump, Kash Patel, Elon Musk, JD Vance, Tulsi Gabbard, Vivek Ramaswamy and others are in a position to change America for the better — from economics to health.
And he believes Canada is on the precipice of this as well if it moves on from the Trudeau regime.
Trudeau’s younger brother believes Poilievre will have “an opportunity to rethink, discuss, deliberate and begin transformation and identify the corporate capture of the regulatory agencies and fix it, fix the tax code and fix all of it.”
Kemper sees Canadians leaving Canada because of overwhelming government authority, control and “taxation” that eats away at “85% of what people” earn.
The overall floating of Canada joining the United States has been an in-jest punchline shared by news outlets and on social media ever since America’s incoming president made the quip at Mar-a-Lago to Trudeau that with a $100-billion annual trade deficit, Canada should consider becoming a state.
Where Trudeau’s half-brother got into this debate was in response to a poll posted by comedian Russell Brand on social-media site X. Brand asked the question “Canadians — Do you want to be America’s 51st state?”
The results were surprising. On the notion of Canada becoming part of America, the number was 64.9% in favour and 35.1% against.
Kemper was not surprised.
“We are already the 51st state,” he said, adding the special relationship effectively already connects the two on many levels from business, trade and security.
While in the past, he was against any such notion of connecting the two with the same dollar or political system, he said things are so broken in Canada, it’s not something he dismisses anymore.
“Right now, given how brutal the Canadian system is, it actually looks pretty good and I think a lot of Canadians are looking at alternatives,” said Kemper, who earns his living working in the cryptocurrency world.
On any new configuration going forward, “Canadians would have to be the ones to decide,” but “it’s worth having a thorough discussion on how we can create an outcome that really works for Canada and America,” he said.
Whether Canada, officially or unofficially, aligns closer with Trump’s America, Kemper believes, “we absolutely must update our system to work with America to make a more beneficial relationship for all of us.”
No matter what state or province you are from.
WARMINGTON: 'We are already the 51st state,' says Trudeau's half-brother
Canada potentially becoming America’s 51st state sore spot Donald Trump is enjoying rubbing Justin Trudeau's nose it.
We read that there is some friction between China and the USA, and is the up coming president making it worse? Maybe what old Donnie should do is BUY CHINA, get funding from his rich supporters, buy the country, fire the President/leader, and then solve the problems and be the leader for both the country’s.
Thats a fantastic idea. 900M Chinese who currently live below the international poverty line would absolutely love to be free from slavery and oppression.
Becareful what you wish for.
Judge rejects Trump’s bid to toss hush-money conviction because of immunity ruling
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Michael R. Sisak, Jake Offenhartz And Jennifer Peltz
Published Dec 16, 2024 • 4 minute read
NEW YORK — A judge Monday refused to throw out president-elect Donald Trump’s hush-money conviction because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity. But the overall future of the historic case remains unclear.
Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan’s decision blocks one potential off-ramp from the case ahead of the former and future president’s return to office next month. His lawyers have raised other arguments for dismissal, however. It’s unclear when — or whether — a sentencing date might be set.
Prosecutors have said there should be some accommodation for his upcoming presidency, but they insist the conviction should stand.
A jury convicted Trump in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush-money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels in 2016. Trump denies wrongdoing.
The allegations involved a scheme to hide the payout to Daniels during the final days of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign to keep her from publicizing — and keep voters from hearing — her claim of a sexual encounter with the married then-businessman years earlier. He says nothing sexual happened between them.
A month after the verdict, the Supreme Court ruled that ex-presidents can’t be prosecuted for official acts — things they did in the course of running the country — and that prosecutors can’t cite those actions to bolster a case centred on purely personal, unofficial conduct.
Trump’s lawyers then cited the Supreme Court opinion to argue that the hush-money jury got some improper evidence, such as Trump’s presidential financial disclosure form, testimony from some White House aides and social media posts made while he was in office.
In Monday’s ruling, Merchan denied the bulk of Trump’s claims that some of prosecutors’ evidence related to official acts and implicated immunity protections.
The judge said that even if he found that some evidence related to official conduct, he’d still conclude that prosecutors’ decision to use “these acts as evidence of the decidedly personal acts of falsifying business records poses no danger of intrusion on the authority and function of the Executive Branch.”
Even if prosecutors had erroneously introduced evidence that could be challenged under an immunity claim, Merchan continued, “such error was harmless in light of the overwhelming evidence of guilt.”
Prosecutors had said the evidence in question was only “a sliver” of their case.
Trump communications director Steven Cheung on Monday called Merchan’s decision a “direct violation of the Supreme Court’s decision on immunity, and other longstanding jurisprudence.
“This lawless case should have never been brought, and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed,” Cheung said in a statement.
Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, which prosecuted the case, declined to comment.
Merchan’s decision noted that part of the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling declared that “not everything the president does is official.” Trump’s social media posts, for example, were personal, Merchan wrote.
He also pointed to a prior federal court ruling that concluded that the hush-money payment and subsequent reimbursements pertained to Trump’s private life, not official duties.
Trump, a Republican, takes office Jan. 20. He’s the first former president to be convicted of a felony and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office.
Over the last six months, his lawyers have made numerous efforts to get the conviction and the overall case dismissed. After Trump won last month’s election, Merchan indefinitely postponed his sentencing — which had been scheduled for late November — so defence lawyers and prosecutors could suggest next steps.
Trump’s defence argued that anything other than immediate dismissal would undermine the transfer of power and cause unconstitutional “disruptions” to the presidency.
Meanwhile, prosecutors proposed several ways to preserve the historic conviction. Among the suggestions: Freezing the case until Trump leaves office in 2029; agreeing that any future sentence won’t include jail time; or closing the case by noting he was convicted but that he wasn’t sentenced and his appeal wasn’t resolved because he took office.
The last idea is drawn from what some states do when a defendant dies after conviction but before sentencing.
Trump’s lawyers branded the concept “absurd” and took issue with the other suggestions, too.
Trump was indicted four times last year. The hush-money case was the only one to go to trial.
After the election, special counsel Jack Smith ended his two federal cases. They pertained to Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and allegations that he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
A separate state election interference case in Fulton County, Ga., is largely on hold.
Trump denies wrongdoing in all.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Michael R. Sisak, Jake Offenhartz And Jennifer Peltz
Published Dec 16, 2024 • 4 minute read
NEW YORK — A judge Monday refused to throw out president-elect Donald Trump’s hush-money conviction because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity. But the overall future of the historic case remains unclear.
Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan’s decision blocks one potential off-ramp from the case ahead of the former and future president’s return to office next month. His lawyers have raised other arguments for dismissal, however. It’s unclear when — or whether — a sentencing date might be set.
Prosecutors have said there should be some accommodation for his upcoming presidency, but they insist the conviction should stand.
A jury convicted Trump in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush-money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels in 2016. Trump denies wrongdoing.
The allegations involved a scheme to hide the payout to Daniels during the final days of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign to keep her from publicizing — and keep voters from hearing — her claim of a sexual encounter with the married then-businessman years earlier. He says nothing sexual happened between them.
A month after the verdict, the Supreme Court ruled that ex-presidents can’t be prosecuted for official acts — things they did in the course of running the country — and that prosecutors can’t cite those actions to bolster a case centred on purely personal, unofficial conduct.
Trump’s lawyers then cited the Supreme Court opinion to argue that the hush-money jury got some improper evidence, such as Trump’s presidential financial disclosure form, testimony from some White House aides and social media posts made while he was in office.
In Monday’s ruling, Merchan denied the bulk of Trump’s claims that some of prosecutors’ evidence related to official acts and implicated immunity protections.
The judge said that even if he found that some evidence related to official conduct, he’d still conclude that prosecutors’ decision to use “these acts as evidence of the decidedly personal acts of falsifying business records poses no danger of intrusion on the authority and function of the Executive Branch.”
Even if prosecutors had erroneously introduced evidence that could be challenged under an immunity claim, Merchan continued, “such error was harmless in light of the overwhelming evidence of guilt.”
Prosecutors had said the evidence in question was only “a sliver” of their case.
Trump communications director Steven Cheung on Monday called Merchan’s decision a “direct violation of the Supreme Court’s decision on immunity, and other longstanding jurisprudence.
“This lawless case should have never been brought, and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed,” Cheung said in a statement.
Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, which prosecuted the case, declined to comment.
Merchan’s decision noted that part of the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling declared that “not everything the president does is official.” Trump’s social media posts, for example, were personal, Merchan wrote.
He also pointed to a prior federal court ruling that concluded that the hush-money payment and subsequent reimbursements pertained to Trump’s private life, not official duties.
Trump, a Republican, takes office Jan. 20. He’s the first former president to be convicted of a felony and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office.
Over the last six months, his lawyers have made numerous efforts to get the conviction and the overall case dismissed. After Trump won last month’s election, Merchan indefinitely postponed his sentencing — which had been scheduled for late November — so defence lawyers and prosecutors could suggest next steps.
Trump’s defence argued that anything other than immediate dismissal would undermine the transfer of power and cause unconstitutional “disruptions” to the presidency.
Meanwhile, prosecutors proposed several ways to preserve the historic conviction. Among the suggestions: Freezing the case until Trump leaves office in 2029; agreeing that any future sentence won’t include jail time; or closing the case by noting he was convicted but that he wasn’t sentenced and his appeal wasn’t resolved because he took office.
The last idea is drawn from what some states do when a defendant dies after conviction but before sentencing.
Trump’s lawyers branded the concept “absurd” and took issue with the other suggestions, too.
Trump was indicted four times last year. The hush-money case was the only one to go to trial.
After the election, special counsel Jack Smith ended his two federal cases. They pertained to Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and allegations that he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
A separate state election interference case in Fulton County, Ga., is largely on hold.
Trump denies wrongdoing in all.
Judge rejects Trump’s bid to toss hush-money conviction because of immunity ruling
Judge Juan M. Merchan's decision blocks one potential off-ramp from the case ahead of the former and future president's return to office.