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Elon Musk breaks silence on influencer's claims she had billionaire’s 13th child
Ashley St. Clair says she came forth with the news after a tabloid started investigating
Author of the article
enette Wilford
Published Feb 17, 2025 • Last updated 14 hours ago • 3 minute read
Elon Musk has issued a one-word response in the wake of conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair’s announcement that she has given birth to the Tesla CEO’s 13th child.
The 26-year-old claims that she and the richest man on the planet share a five-month-old child.
Musk on Saturday reacted to an X user who reposted a screenshot of a 2020 tweet by St. Clair joking that she wanted a “marriage proposal” from the 53-year-old billionaire.
“Ashley St. Clair plotted for HALF A DECADE to ensnare Elon Musk,” they captioned the post.
Musk replied: “Whoa.”
Musk appeared to not respond directly to St. Clair, at least on social media, where he instead posted about the wokeness in videogames, sharing a post from The Babylon Bee, which St. Clair used to write for, responded to a photo of his ex-partner Shivon Zilis with whom he shares twins, and hyped up his Department of Government Efficiency.
St. Clair, on the other hand, told the New York Post that Musk wanted to keep their baby a secret due to safety concerns.
“My child is the most perfect thing that happened to me. I wouldn’t change anything,” the writer told the Post, adding that the baby is happy and healthy. She asked that his name remain under wraps.
The children book’s author also shared a statement on X about her child’s dad.
“Five months ago, I welcomed a new baby into the world. Elon Musk is the father,” she wrote.
“I have not previously disclosed this to protect our child’s privacy and safety, but in recent days it has become clear that tabloid media intends to do so, regardless of the harm it will cause,” she explained.
She told the Post that the two met in May 2023 and described Musk as “very funny,” “smart” and “very down to earth.”
She claimed their romance blossomed after she interviewed him — but said that changed once she became pregnant.
“I was told to keep it secret. I was being asked to keep it a secret forever,” St. Clair told the outlet, though she declined to provide a reason for the confidentiality or any evidence that Musk is the biological father.
“I was completely isolated during my pregnancy. Every part of my career and everything I used to do I couldn’t do anymore. I was told not to tell anybody,” she claimed.
Text messages between St. Clair and Jared Birchall, Musk’s money manager, were viewed by the Post and appeared to show that she had complied with Musk’s wish to be left off the birth certificate.
Things escalated after her toddler from a previous relationship was getting threatened.
St. Clair stressed that she was willing to stay silent because it would also protect her newborn’s privacy, but she claimed a tabloid started snooping around, changing everything.
She said she warned Musk’s team that she would be sharing the news, but “he ignored it.”
Now that it’s out there, St. Clair said she just wants to give her baby a normal life.
“My son has never taken a walk outside — in five months. I have never been able to take my baby for a walk. I was terrified that someone would see I had a baby and it would get out,” she told the outlet.
“I am a good mom,” St. Clair added. “And that’s what drives most of my decisions and my kids are my whole world.”
nypost.com
torontosun.com
Ashley St. Clair says she came forth with the news after a tabloid started investigating
Author of the article
enette WilfordPublished Feb 17, 2025 • Last updated 14 hours ago • 3 minute read
Elon Musk has issued a one-word response in the wake of conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair’s announcement that she has given birth to the Tesla CEO’s 13th child.
The 26-year-old claims that she and the richest man on the planet share a five-month-old child.
Musk on Saturday reacted to an X user who reposted a screenshot of a 2020 tweet by St. Clair joking that she wanted a “marriage proposal” from the 53-year-old billionaire.
“Ashley St. Clair plotted for HALF A DECADE to ensnare Elon Musk,” they captioned the post.
Musk replied: “Whoa.”
Musk appeared to not respond directly to St. Clair, at least on social media, where he instead posted about the wokeness in videogames, sharing a post from The Babylon Bee, which St. Clair used to write for, responded to a photo of his ex-partner Shivon Zilis with whom he shares twins, and hyped up his Department of Government Efficiency.
St. Clair, on the other hand, told the New York Post that Musk wanted to keep their baby a secret due to safety concerns.
“My child is the most perfect thing that happened to me. I wouldn’t change anything,” the writer told the Post, adding that the baby is happy and healthy. She asked that his name remain under wraps.
The children book’s author also shared a statement on X about her child’s dad.
“Five months ago, I welcomed a new baby into the world. Elon Musk is the father,” she wrote.
“I have not previously disclosed this to protect our child’s privacy and safety, but in recent days it has become clear that tabloid media intends to do so, regardless of the harm it will cause,” she explained.
She told the Post that the two met in May 2023 and described Musk as “very funny,” “smart” and “very down to earth.”
She claimed their romance blossomed after she interviewed him — but said that changed once she became pregnant.
“I was told to keep it secret. I was being asked to keep it a secret forever,” St. Clair told the outlet, though she declined to provide a reason for the confidentiality or any evidence that Musk is the biological father.
“I was completely isolated during my pregnancy. Every part of my career and everything I used to do I couldn’t do anymore. I was told not to tell anybody,” she claimed.
Text messages between St. Clair and Jared Birchall, Musk’s money manager, were viewed by the Post and appeared to show that she had complied with Musk’s wish to be left off the birth certificate.
Things escalated after her toddler from a previous relationship was getting threatened.
St. Clair stressed that she was willing to stay silent because it would also protect her newborn’s privacy, but she claimed a tabloid started snooping around, changing everything.
She said she warned Musk’s team that she would be sharing the news, but “he ignored it.”
Now that it’s out there, St. Clair said she just wants to give her baby a normal life.
“My son has never taken a walk outside — in five months. I have never been able to take my baby for a walk. I was terrified that someone would see I had a baby and it would get out,” she told the outlet.
“I am a good mom,” St. Clair added. “And that’s what drives most of my decisions and my kids are my whole world.”
Elon Musk breaks silence after conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair claims she gave birth to his 13th child
A conservative influencer who claims to have birthed Elon Musk’s 13th child has been working privately with the world’s richest man on how to best raise the infant, her rep said Saturda…
nypost.com
Elon Musk breaks silence on influencer's claims she had billionaire’s 13th child
Elon Musk has issued one word about author Ashley St. Clair's announcement that she has given birth to the Tesla CEO’s 13th child.
just what we need more autistic genes being spread.Elon Musk breaks silence on influencer's claims she had billionaire’s 13th child
Ashley St. Clair says she came forth with the news after a tabloid started investigating
Author of the article
Published Feb 17, 2025 • Last updated 14 hours ago • 3 minute read
Elon Musk has issued a one-word response in the wake of conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair’s announcement that she has given birth to the Tesla CEO’s 13th child.
The 26-year-old claims that she and the richest man on the planet share a five-month-old child.
Musk on Saturday reacted to an X user who reposted a screenshot of a 2020 tweet by St. Clair joking that she wanted a “marriage proposal” from the 53-year-old billionaire.
“Ashley St. Clair plotted for HALF A DECADE to ensnare Elon Musk,” they captioned the post.
Musk replied: “Whoa.”
Musk appeared to not respond directly to St. Clair, at least on social media, where he instead posted about the wokeness in videogames, sharing a post from The Babylon Bee, which St. Clair used to write for, responded to a photo of his ex-partner Shivon Zilis with whom he shares twins, and hyped up his Department of Government Efficiency.
St. Clair, on the other hand, told the New York Post that Musk wanted to keep their baby a secret due to safety concerns.
“My child is the most perfect thing that happened to me. I wouldn’t change anything,” the writer told the Post, adding that the baby is happy and healthy. She asked that his name remain under wraps.
The children book’s author also shared a statement on X about her child’s dad.
“Five months ago, I welcomed a new baby into the world. Elon Musk is the father,” she wrote.
“I have not previously disclosed this to protect our child’s privacy and safety, but in recent days it has become clear that tabloid media intends to do so, regardless of the harm it will cause,” she explained.
She told the Post that the two met in May 2023 and described Musk as “very funny,” “smart” and “very down to earth.”
She claimed their romance blossomed after she interviewed him — but said that changed once she became pregnant.
“I was told to keep it secret. I was being asked to keep it a secret forever,” St. Clair told the outlet, though she declined to provide a reason for the confidentiality or any evidence that Musk is the biological father.
“I was completely isolated during my pregnancy. Every part of my career and everything I used to do I couldn’t do anymore. I was told not to tell anybody,” she claimed.
Text messages between St. Clair and Jared Birchall, Musk’s money manager, were viewed by the Post and appeared to show that she had complied with Musk’s wish to be left off the birth certificate.
Things escalated after her toddler from a previous relationship was getting threatened.
St. Clair stressed that she was willing to stay silent because it would also protect her newborn’s privacy, but she claimed a tabloid started snooping around, changing everything.
She said she warned Musk’s team that she would be sharing the news, but “he ignored it.”
Now that it’s out there, St. Clair said she just wants to give her baby a normal life.
“My son has never taken a walk outside — in five months. I have never been able to take my baby for a walk. I was terrified that someone would see I had a baby and it would get out,” she told the outlet.
“I am a good mom,” St. Clair added. “And that’s what drives most of my decisions and my kids are my whole world.”
Elon Musk breaks silence after conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair claims she gave birth to his 13th child
A conservative influencer who claims to have birthed Elon Musk’s 13th child has been working privately with the world’s richest man on how to best raise the infant, her rep said Saturda…Elon Musk breaks silence on influencer's claims she had billionaire’s 13th child
Elon Musk has issued one word about author Ashley St. Clair's announcement that she has given birth to the Tesla CEO’s 13th child.
Apple to fix iPhone dictation glitch that suggests replacing the word ’racist’ with ’Trump’
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Feb 26, 2025 • 1 minute read
LONDON (AP) — Apple is fixing a bug within the dictation feature on some iPhones that briefly suggests the word “Trump” when a word with an R consonant is spoken, including “racist.”
The company is responding to the controversy after some iPhone owners posted videos on social media this week to detail how the glitch works.
When users activated the dictation feature and said the word “racist,” the word “Trump” appears in the text window before quickly being replaced by the correct word, according to various videos posted online.
“We are aware of an issue with the speech recognition model that powers Dictation and we are rolling out a fix today,” Apple said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The company said that the speech recognition models that power the voice-to-text feature might show words with some phonetic overlap.
It also said that other words that have an “r” consonant were also erroneously triggering the bug. The Associated Press could not duplicate the problem on Wednesday, a day after it emerged.
This week the company announced a plan to invest more than $500 billion and hire 20,000 people in the United States over the next four years as well as build a new factory in Texas, amid Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on imports. Separately, Apple shareholders rebuffed an attempt to pressure the company into joining Trump’s push to scrub corporate programs designed to diversify its workforce.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Feb 26, 2025 • 1 minute read
LONDON (AP) — Apple is fixing a bug within the dictation feature on some iPhones that briefly suggests the word “Trump” when a word with an R consonant is spoken, including “racist.”
The company is responding to the controversy after some iPhone owners posted videos on social media this week to detail how the glitch works.
When users activated the dictation feature and said the word “racist,” the word “Trump” appears in the text window before quickly being replaced by the correct word, according to various videos posted online.
“We are aware of an issue with the speech recognition model that powers Dictation and we are rolling out a fix today,” Apple said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The company said that the speech recognition models that power the voice-to-text feature might show words with some phonetic overlap.
It also said that other words that have an “r” consonant were also erroneously triggering the bug. The Associated Press could not duplicate the problem on Wednesday, a day after it emerged.
This week the company announced a plan to invest more than $500 billion and hire 20,000 people in the United States over the next four years as well as build a new factory in Texas, amid Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on imports. Separately, Apple shareholders rebuffed an attempt to pressure the company into joining Trump’s push to scrub corporate programs designed to diversify its workforce.
Apple to fix iPhone dictation glitch that suggests replacing the word ’racist’ with ’Trump’
The company is responding to the controversy after some iPhone owners posted videos to detail how the glitch works.
Man torches Tesla chargers in South Carolina and catches clothes on fire
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Mar 11, 2025 • 1 minute read
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — A man burned three Tesla chargers in a South Carolina parking lot and also apparently inadvertently set his clothes on fire, police said.
The man spray-painted “long live the Ukraine” and a crude reference to President Donald Trump on the pavement next to the charging stations Friday near an outlet mall in North Charleston, according to a report from the North Charleston Police.
The man then ignited an unidentified material stuffed into beer bottles and began to throw the bottles at the stations, police said. While doing so he caught the clothes on his back on fire, then ran from the parking lot, witnesses told police.
No arrests have been made, North Charleston Police spokesperson Harve Jacobs said Tuesday. The agency turned the investigation over to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Investigators collected the beer bottles while firefighters cut the power to the chargers and put out the blaze.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Mar 11, 2025 • 1 minute read
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — A man burned three Tesla chargers in a South Carolina parking lot and also apparently inadvertently set his clothes on fire, police said.
The man spray-painted “long live the Ukraine” and a crude reference to President Donald Trump on the pavement next to the charging stations Friday near an outlet mall in North Charleston, according to a report from the North Charleston Police.
The man then ignited an unidentified material stuffed into beer bottles and began to throw the bottles at the stations, police said. While doing so he caught the clothes on his back on fire, then ran from the parking lot, witnesses told police.
No arrests have been made, North Charleston Police spokesperson Harve Jacobs said Tuesday. The agency turned the investigation over to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Investigators collected the beer bottles while firefighters cut the power to the chargers and put out the blaze.
Man torches Tesla chargers in South Carolina and catches clothes on fire
A man burned three Tesla chargers in a South Carolina parking lot and also apparently inadvertently set his clothes on fire
Disneyland tourist’s MAGA Mickey Mouse hat sparks outrage
Author of the articleenette Wilford
Published Mar 11, 2025 • Last updated 11 hours ago • 1 minute read
Side view of man wearing black light-up Mickey Mouse MAGA hat with ears.
Side view of man wearing black light-up Mickey Mouse MAGA hat with ears. Photo by @spacestrawberry420 /Reddit
A visitor at Disneyland created a bit of an uproar after a photo of him wearing a controversial hat was posted on social media.
A user named @spacestrawberry420 shared on the theme park’s Reddit page a photo of a man sitting on a tram wearing a black light-up Mickey Mouse hat festooned with the “Make America Great Again” slogan in gold lettering.
“Custom MAGA ears — my friend is at Disneyland today and had the pleasure of sharing a tram ride with these lovely folks,” the caption read.
The woman sitting next to the Trump supporter’s headgear can’t be seen, though her ears do appear to match her seatmate’s, at least colour-wise.
The comments were jam-packed with people, most of whom were shocked that the man would don such a hat at a tourist attraction.
“I really can’t imagine being so pumped for any political party to do this,” one user wrote. “Like it’s not even like a shirt or something that is easily accessible. Like you would have to work to find those.”
Others argued that anything political should be banned from Disney parks.
That said, many pointed out that the man likely wore it to get a reaction — which, incidentally, he accomplished.
“Help me understand the thinking here. ‘I hate woke Disney,’ but let me give them my money. The whole MAGA party is full of hypocrisies.”
Disneyland’s website makes no mention of political attire being against the park’s dress code.
Aside from costumes and masks (with the exception of those used for medical purposes) being worn by older guests, it only mentions “inappropriate attire,” which includes “clothing with objectionable material, including obscene language or graphics,” excessively torn or loose-fitting clothing that could create a potential tripping hazard, and revealing clothing that exposes “excessive portions of the skin.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article
enette WilfordPublished Mar 11, 2025 • Last updated 11 hours ago • 1 minute read
Side view of man wearing black light-up Mickey Mouse MAGA hat with ears.
Side view of man wearing black light-up Mickey Mouse MAGA hat with ears. Photo by @spacestrawberry420 /Reddit
A visitor at Disneyland created a bit of an uproar after a photo of him wearing a controversial hat was posted on social media.
A user named @spacestrawberry420 shared on the theme park’s Reddit page a photo of a man sitting on a tram wearing a black light-up Mickey Mouse hat festooned with the “Make America Great Again” slogan in gold lettering.
“Custom MAGA ears — my friend is at Disneyland today and had the pleasure of sharing a tram ride with these lovely folks,” the caption read.
The woman sitting next to the Trump supporter’s headgear can’t be seen, though her ears do appear to match her seatmate’s, at least colour-wise.
The comments were jam-packed with people, most of whom were shocked that the man would don such a hat at a tourist attraction.
“I really can’t imagine being so pumped for any political party to do this,” one user wrote. “Like it’s not even like a shirt or something that is easily accessible. Like you would have to work to find those.”
Others argued that anything political should be banned from Disney parks.
That said, many pointed out that the man likely wore it to get a reaction — which, incidentally, he accomplished.
“Help me understand the thinking here. ‘I hate woke Disney,’ but let me give them my money. The whole MAGA party is full of hypocrisies.”
Disneyland’s website makes no mention of political attire being against the park’s dress code.
Aside from costumes and masks (with the exception of those used for medical purposes) being worn by older guests, it only mentions “inappropriate attire,” which includes “clothing with objectionable material, including obscene language or graphics,” excessively torn or loose-fitting clothing that could create a potential tripping hazard, and revealing clothing that exposes “excessive portions of the skin.”
'HELP ME UNDERSTAND:' Disneyland tourist’s MAGA Mickey Mouse hat sparks outrage
A visitor at Disneyland created a bit of an uproar after a photo of him wearing a controversial hat was posted on social media.
Trump demands removal of his portrait in the Colorado Capitol and claims it was 'distorted'
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Jesse Bedayn
Published Mar 24, 2025 • Last updated 11 hours ago • 2 minute read
President Donald Trump's portrait hangs in the Colorado Capitol after an unveiling ceremony, Aug. 1, 2019, in Denver.
President Donald Trump's portrait hangs in the Colorado Capitol after an unveiling ceremony, Aug. 1, 2019, in Denver. Photo by Thomas Peipert /AP
DENVER (AP) — President Donald Trump has demanded that his portrait in the Colorado state Capitol be taken down, saying he has received complaints about the image and claiming it was “purposefully distorted,” which prompted a steady stream of visitors to pose for photos with the painting on Monday.
The portrait was painted during Trump’s first term and unveiled in 2019. Colorado Republicans raised more than $10,000 through a GoFundMe account to commission the oil painting by Sarah Boardman, who also produced the Capitol’s portrait of President Barack Obama.
Trump lauded Obama’s portrait, saying “he looks wonderful,” then suggested that the artist “lost her talent as she got older.”
In the Sunday night post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he would prefer no picture at all over the one that hangs in the Colorado Capitol.
“Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the state Capitol, put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before,” Trump wrote.
The portraits are not the purview of the Colorado governor’s office, but the Colorado Building Advisory Committee.
Aaron Howe, visiting Colorado’s state Capitol from Wyoming on Monday, stood in front of Trump’s portrait, looking down at photos of the president on his phone, then back up at the portrait.
“Honestly he looks a little chubby,” said Howe of the portrait, but “better than I could do.”
“I don’t know anything about the artist,” said Howe, who voted for Trump. “It could be taken one way or the other.”
Kaylee Williamson, an 18-year-old Trump supporter from Arkansas, got a photo with the portrait.
“I think it looks like him. I guess he’s smoother than all the other ones,” she said. “I think it’s fine.”
Boardman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press, but the artist previously told The Denver Post when the portrait was unveiled that it was important that her depictions of both Obama and Trump look “apolitical.”
Shelby Wieman, a spokesperson for Polis said in a statement that the governor was “surprised to learn the President of the United States is an aficionado of our Colorado State Capitol and its artwork.”
“We appreciate the President and everyone’s interest in our Capitol building and are always looking for any opportunity to improve our visitor experience,” Wieman continued.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Jesse Bedayn
Published Mar 24, 2025 • Last updated 11 hours ago • 2 minute read
President Donald Trump's portrait hangs in the Colorado Capitol after an unveiling ceremony, Aug. 1, 2019, in Denver.
President Donald Trump's portrait hangs in the Colorado Capitol after an unveiling ceremony, Aug. 1, 2019, in Denver. Photo by Thomas Peipert /AP
DENVER (AP) — President Donald Trump has demanded that his portrait in the Colorado state Capitol be taken down, saying he has received complaints about the image and claiming it was “purposefully distorted,” which prompted a steady stream of visitors to pose for photos with the painting on Monday.
The portrait was painted during Trump’s first term and unveiled in 2019. Colorado Republicans raised more than $10,000 through a GoFundMe account to commission the oil painting by Sarah Boardman, who also produced the Capitol’s portrait of President Barack Obama.
Trump lauded Obama’s portrait, saying “he looks wonderful,” then suggested that the artist “lost her talent as she got older.”
In the Sunday night post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he would prefer no picture at all over the one that hangs in the Colorado Capitol.
“Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the state Capitol, put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before,” Trump wrote.
The portraits are not the purview of the Colorado governor’s office, but the Colorado Building Advisory Committee.
Aaron Howe, visiting Colorado’s state Capitol from Wyoming on Monday, stood in front of Trump’s portrait, looking down at photos of the president on his phone, then back up at the portrait.
“Honestly he looks a little chubby,” said Howe of the portrait, but “better than I could do.”
“I don’t know anything about the artist,” said Howe, who voted for Trump. “It could be taken one way or the other.”
Kaylee Williamson, an 18-year-old Trump supporter from Arkansas, got a photo with the portrait.
“I think it looks like him. I guess he’s smoother than all the other ones,” she said. “I think it’s fine.”
Boardman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press, but the artist previously told The Denver Post when the portrait was unveiled that it was important that her depictions of both Obama and Trump look “apolitical.”
Shelby Wieman, a spokesperson for Polis said in a statement that the governor was “surprised to learn the President of the United States is an aficionado of our Colorado State Capitol and its artwork.”
“We appreciate the President and everyone’s interest in our Capitol building and are always looking for any opportunity to improve our visitor experience,” Wieman continued.
Trump demands removal of his portrait in the Colorado Capitol and claims it was 'distorted'
President Donald Trump is demanding that his portrait in the Colorado state Capitol be taken down.
Colorado Capitol removes Donald Trump portrait that he called ’distorted’
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Mead Gruver
Published Mar 25, 2025 • Last updated 15 hours ago • 2 minute read
A group poses for a photograph near the empty spot where a portrait of President Donald Trump once was displayed after the picture, which was part of a display of all of the country's chief executives, was removed from the wall of the rotunda in the State Capitol following complaints about the likeness from Trump Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Denver.
A group poses for a photograph near the empty spot where a portrait of President Donald Trump once was displayed after the picture, which was part of a display of all of the country's chief executives, was removed from the wall of the rotunda in the State Capitol following complaints about the likeness from Trump Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Denver.
A portrait of Donald Trump that he said was “purposefully distorted” was removed from a wall at the Colorado state Capitol where it had been since 2019.
After Trump posted complaints about the painting on his Truth Social platform, Colorado Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, a Republican, asked that it be taken down and replaced with one that “depicts his contemporary likeness.” Colorado Republicans had raised more than $10,000 to commission the oil painting.
By Tuesday morning, the portrait was no longer hanging next to those of other U.S. presidents.
Democrats in the Legislature did not object to the painting’s removal.
President Donald Trump's portrait hangs in the Colorado Capitol after an unveiling ceremony, Aug. 1, 2019, in Denver.
President Donald Trump’s portrait hangs in the Colorado Capitol after an unveiling ceremony, Aug. 1, 2019, in Denver. Photo by Thomas Peipert /AP
“If the GOP wants to spend time and money on which portrait of Trump hangs in the Capitol, then that’s up to them,” they said in a statement.
Republicans have not said how they will pay for a new portrait or who might paint it.
In his post on social media on Sunday, Trump had said he would prefer no picture at all over the one at the Colorado Capitol. He praised the portrait of former President Barack Obama, which was painted by the same artist.
“Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the state Capitol, put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before,” Trump wrote.
The presidential portraits are not the purview of the Colorado governor’s office but the Colorado Building Advisory Committee.
The ones up to and including President Jimmy Carter were donated as a collection. The others were donated by political parties or paid for by outside fundraising.
It wasn’t the first time the portrait of Trump has drawn attention. Before its installation, a prankster placed a picture of Russian President Vladimir Putin near the spot intended for Trump.
Some people initially objected to artist Sarah Boardman’s depiction of Trump as “nonconfrontational” and “thoughtful” when they considered him just the opposite, according to an interview with Colorado Times Recorder from the time. She told the news outlet that she wanted to create a likeness that was apolitical and would stand the test of time.
Boardman did not return phone and email messages Monday and Tuesday seeking comment.
— Gruver reported from Cheyenne, Wyoming.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Mead Gruver
Published Mar 25, 2025 • Last updated 15 hours ago • 2 minute read
A group poses for a photograph near the empty spot where a portrait of President Donald Trump once was displayed after the picture, which was part of a display of all of the country's chief executives, was removed from the wall of the rotunda in the State Capitol following complaints about the likeness from Trump Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Denver.
A group poses for a photograph near the empty spot where a portrait of President Donald Trump once was displayed after the picture, which was part of a display of all of the country's chief executives, was removed from the wall of the rotunda in the State Capitol following complaints about the likeness from Trump Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Denver.
A portrait of Donald Trump that he said was “purposefully distorted” was removed from a wall at the Colorado state Capitol where it had been since 2019.
After Trump posted complaints about the painting on his Truth Social platform, Colorado Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, a Republican, asked that it be taken down and replaced with one that “depicts his contemporary likeness.” Colorado Republicans had raised more than $10,000 to commission the oil painting.
By Tuesday morning, the portrait was no longer hanging next to those of other U.S. presidents.
Democrats in the Legislature did not object to the painting’s removal.
President Donald Trump's portrait hangs in the Colorado Capitol after an unveiling ceremony, Aug. 1, 2019, in Denver.
President Donald Trump’s portrait hangs in the Colorado Capitol after an unveiling ceremony, Aug. 1, 2019, in Denver. Photo by Thomas Peipert /AP
“If the GOP wants to spend time and money on which portrait of Trump hangs in the Capitol, then that’s up to them,” they said in a statement.
Republicans have not said how they will pay for a new portrait or who might paint it.
In his post on social media on Sunday, Trump had said he would prefer no picture at all over the one at the Colorado Capitol. He praised the portrait of former President Barack Obama, which was painted by the same artist.
“Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the state Capitol, put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before,” Trump wrote.
The presidential portraits are not the purview of the Colorado governor’s office but the Colorado Building Advisory Committee.
The ones up to and including President Jimmy Carter were donated as a collection. The others were donated by political parties or paid for by outside fundraising.
It wasn’t the first time the portrait of Trump has drawn attention. Before its installation, a prankster placed a picture of Russian President Vladimir Putin near the spot intended for Trump.
Some people initially objected to artist Sarah Boardman’s depiction of Trump as “nonconfrontational” and “thoughtful” when they considered him just the opposite, according to an interview with Colorado Times Recorder from the time. She told the news outlet that she wanted to create a likeness that was apolitical and would stand the test of time.
Boardman did not return phone and email messages Monday and Tuesday seeking comment.
— Gruver reported from Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Colorado Capitol removes Donald Trump portrait that he called ’distorted’
A portrait of Donald Trump that he said was "purposefully distorted" was removed from a wall at the Colorado state Capitol.
How Kristi Noem’s $50,000 Rolex in a Salvadoran prison became a political flashpoint
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Drew Harwell, Alec Dent
Published Mar 28, 2025 • 5 minute read
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Tours Notorious Prison During Trip To El Salvador
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem attends a Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement Memorandum of Cooperation signing ceremony, at the presidential palace on March 26, 2025 in San Salvador, El Salvador.
When Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem visited El Salvador’s most notorious mega-prison on Wednesday, she sported an eye-catching piece on her wrist that experts have identified as an 18-karat gold Rolex Cosmograph Daytona watch that sells for about $50,000.
The high-end Swiss watch lent a striking contrast to Noem’s tour of the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, where imprisoned men watched silently from a crowded cell as she recorded a video for a social media post warning undocumented immigrants not to enter the United States.
“If you come to our country illegally, this is one of the consequences you could face,” Noem said.
Noem’s choice of watch kicked off a race among internet sleuths to identify it and infuriated immigration advocates, who said the juxtaposition was insensitive to the harsh reality of mass imprisonment and deportation.
“You’re in front of all these people in a very poor country, who are in the bottom 10 or 20 percent of their country … and it looks like you’re just flaunting your wealth while you flaunt your freedom,” said Adam Isacson, an analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights group.
“This is an administration that is trying to be populist, anti-elite, appeal to the common man,” he added. Meanwhile, there’s “people stacked up like cordwood behind her.”
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed the make of the watch in a statement, saying that “then-Governor Noem chose to use the proceeds from her New York Times best selling books to purchase an item she could wear and one day pass down to her children.”
Political figures in recent decades have largely avoided costly watches to avoid appearing out of touch with everyday Americans. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush wore inexpensive Timex watches, while Barack Obama frequently trumpeted his $595 Shinola and visited the American brand’s Detroit showroom.
When Joe Biden wore a Rolex Datejust, a gift from his wife worth roughly $7,000, to his inauguration, some conservatives criticized him for his choice of an “elitist” watch.
“Politicians generally shy away from wearing expensive watches like this as it can attract undue and unwanted attention from the public,” said Eric Wind, a Rolex expert who has researched presidential timepieces.
But Noem’s statement piece veers closer to President Donald Trump, whose pricey watch collection includes a Rolex Day-Date, a Patek Philippe Ellipse and a Vacheron Constantin Historiques 1968, all in gold. Trump even has his own licensed watch brand, which includes pieces like the Inauguration Diamond Commander, retailing for $1,199.
Three vintage watch dealers contacted by The Washington Post said Noem’s timepiece, which they identified as either a reference number 116528 or 126508 Daytona, appeared to be made of solid gold and probably cost $40,000 to $60,000.
“For a public servant to be wearing it is quite the statement,” said Alan Bedwell, a vintage watch dealer and the owner of Foundwell in New York, who compared it to a “flag-waving exercise.”
“To be wearing that in El Salvador while visiting a” maximum-security prison, he said, “is kind of like a big F you.”
Noem visited the prison as part of her trip to three Latin American nations to discuss crime, deportation and immigration. The Trump administration has sent scores of Venezuelan migrants to CECOT without judicial hearings, despite a court order to return them to the U.S.
During Noem’s tour, she walked past a containment unit, the prison armory and two crowded cell blocks, where men in a cell packed almost to the ceiling were told to remove their face masks and shirts and stand in the shot, according to a press pool report.
Men in the prison, which can house up to 40,000 inmates, sleep on metal bunks with no mattresses and are not allowed visits from lawyers or family members.
During her visit, Noem turned her back to the bars to record a selfie video. When Noem left, the cell block erupted in indecipherable chants, according to the pool report.
Noem made $241,000 as governor of South Dakota, a position she held until resigning to run the Department of Homeland Security, according to a financial disclosure she filed in January. The disclosure said she received about $180,000 for book advances and that her husband, who owns an insurance company, had a salary of about $1.1 million.
Rolex makes all its watches in Switzerland. Though the watches are often copied for knockoffs, the three experts said they believed Noem’s was real. “I don’t think a convincing fake for this watch even exists,” said vintage watch dealer Mike Nouveau.
Noem’s Rolex, Wind said, has a champagne dial and black registers and could be identified in part by the signature screw-down chronograph pushers, the buttons that start and stop the watch’s timing function, on the watch’s side.
The Daytona is famous in watch circles as an ultra-high-end statement piece. In 2017, a Daytona once owned by movie star Paul Newman sold at auction for more than $17 million.
Noem has been photographed wearing the watch for meetings on Capitol Hill, Oval Office photo opportunities and during a Coast Guard ship-assault demonstration where she fired a rifle.
“How is a public servant able to flaunt these kind of accessories?” Ed Espinoza, former president of the liberal advocacy group Progress Texas, said of Noem’s watch. “This is the kind of things we’re used to seeing in other countries.”
Besides her Rolex, Noem wore a blue Immigration and Customs Enforcement baseball hat, a white shirt and gray drawstring pants. In other photos and videos she’s posted to social media from immigration raids and tours of the southern border, Noem has worn a flak jacket and a cowboy hat.
On X, some said that the criticism was misguided and that Noem was free to display her wealth however she liked. “She’s successful. I’m sure that pissed you nerds off,” said Rob Schmitt, a TV host on the right-wing network Newsmax. Wrote another user: “We are taking back our country in style.”
To other observers, Noem’s watch choice recalled first lady Melania Trump’s decision in 2018 to, before visiting a shelter for migrant children in Texas, wear green jacket emblazoned with the phrase: “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” Trump said in her recent memoir that the statement was directed at the media.
El Salvador is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, according to the World Bank, with a per-person income of about 6 percent of the U.S. average – less than $5,000 in 2023.
Under President Nayib Bukele, whose hard-line anti-gang policies have sparked mass arrests, Salvadoran prisons have been criticized by Human Rights Watch as having extreme overcrowding and “inhumane conditions.”
The human rights group said last month that Salvadoran government officials had allowed journalists and social media influencers to visit the prison only under highly controlled circumstances. Noem’s video post from the prison has been viewed on X more than 4 million times.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Drew Harwell, Alec Dent
Published Mar 28, 2025 • 5 minute read
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Tours Notorious Prison During Trip To El Salvador
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem attends a Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement Memorandum of Cooperation signing ceremony, at the presidential palace on March 26, 2025 in San Salvador, El Salvador.
When Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem visited El Salvador’s most notorious mega-prison on Wednesday, she sported an eye-catching piece on her wrist that experts have identified as an 18-karat gold Rolex Cosmograph Daytona watch that sells for about $50,000.
The high-end Swiss watch lent a striking contrast to Noem’s tour of the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, where imprisoned men watched silently from a crowded cell as she recorded a video for a social media post warning undocumented immigrants not to enter the United States.
“If you come to our country illegally, this is one of the consequences you could face,” Noem said.
Noem’s choice of watch kicked off a race among internet sleuths to identify it and infuriated immigration advocates, who said the juxtaposition was insensitive to the harsh reality of mass imprisonment and deportation.
“You’re in front of all these people in a very poor country, who are in the bottom 10 or 20 percent of their country … and it looks like you’re just flaunting your wealth while you flaunt your freedom,” said Adam Isacson, an analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights group.
“This is an administration that is trying to be populist, anti-elite, appeal to the common man,” he added. Meanwhile, there’s “people stacked up like cordwood behind her.”
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed the make of the watch in a statement, saying that “then-Governor Noem chose to use the proceeds from her New York Times best selling books to purchase an item she could wear and one day pass down to her children.”
Political figures in recent decades have largely avoided costly watches to avoid appearing out of touch with everyday Americans. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush wore inexpensive Timex watches, while Barack Obama frequently trumpeted his $595 Shinola and visited the American brand’s Detroit showroom.
When Joe Biden wore a Rolex Datejust, a gift from his wife worth roughly $7,000, to his inauguration, some conservatives criticized him for his choice of an “elitist” watch.
“Politicians generally shy away from wearing expensive watches like this as it can attract undue and unwanted attention from the public,” said Eric Wind, a Rolex expert who has researched presidential timepieces.
But Noem’s statement piece veers closer to President Donald Trump, whose pricey watch collection includes a Rolex Day-Date, a Patek Philippe Ellipse and a Vacheron Constantin Historiques 1968, all in gold. Trump even has his own licensed watch brand, which includes pieces like the Inauguration Diamond Commander, retailing for $1,199.
Three vintage watch dealers contacted by The Washington Post said Noem’s timepiece, which they identified as either a reference number 116528 or 126508 Daytona, appeared to be made of solid gold and probably cost $40,000 to $60,000.
“For a public servant to be wearing it is quite the statement,” said Alan Bedwell, a vintage watch dealer and the owner of Foundwell in New York, who compared it to a “flag-waving exercise.”
“To be wearing that in El Salvador while visiting a” maximum-security prison, he said, “is kind of like a big F you.”
Noem visited the prison as part of her trip to three Latin American nations to discuss crime, deportation and immigration. The Trump administration has sent scores of Venezuelan migrants to CECOT without judicial hearings, despite a court order to return them to the U.S.
During Noem’s tour, she walked past a containment unit, the prison armory and two crowded cell blocks, where men in a cell packed almost to the ceiling were told to remove their face masks and shirts and stand in the shot, according to a press pool report.
Men in the prison, which can house up to 40,000 inmates, sleep on metal bunks with no mattresses and are not allowed visits from lawyers or family members.
During her visit, Noem turned her back to the bars to record a selfie video. When Noem left, the cell block erupted in indecipherable chants, according to the pool report.
Noem made $241,000 as governor of South Dakota, a position she held until resigning to run the Department of Homeland Security, according to a financial disclosure she filed in January. The disclosure said she received about $180,000 for book advances and that her husband, who owns an insurance company, had a salary of about $1.1 million.
Rolex makes all its watches in Switzerland. Though the watches are often copied for knockoffs, the three experts said they believed Noem’s was real. “I don’t think a convincing fake for this watch even exists,” said vintage watch dealer Mike Nouveau.
Noem’s Rolex, Wind said, has a champagne dial and black registers and could be identified in part by the signature screw-down chronograph pushers, the buttons that start and stop the watch’s timing function, on the watch’s side.
The Daytona is famous in watch circles as an ultra-high-end statement piece. In 2017, a Daytona once owned by movie star Paul Newman sold at auction for more than $17 million.
Noem has been photographed wearing the watch for meetings on Capitol Hill, Oval Office photo opportunities and during a Coast Guard ship-assault demonstration where she fired a rifle.
“How is a public servant able to flaunt these kind of accessories?” Ed Espinoza, former president of the liberal advocacy group Progress Texas, said of Noem’s watch. “This is the kind of things we’re used to seeing in other countries.”
Besides her Rolex, Noem wore a blue Immigration and Customs Enforcement baseball hat, a white shirt and gray drawstring pants. In other photos and videos she’s posted to social media from immigration raids and tours of the southern border, Noem has worn a flak jacket and a cowboy hat.
On X, some said that the criticism was misguided and that Noem was free to display her wealth however she liked. “She’s successful. I’m sure that pissed you nerds off,” said Rob Schmitt, a TV host on the right-wing network Newsmax. Wrote another user: “We are taking back our country in style.”
To other observers, Noem’s watch choice recalled first lady Melania Trump’s decision in 2018 to, before visiting a shelter for migrant children in Texas, wear green jacket emblazoned with the phrase: “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” Trump said in her recent memoir that the statement was directed at the media.
El Salvador is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, according to the World Bank, with a per-person income of about 6 percent of the U.S. average – less than $5,000 in 2023.
Under President Nayib Bukele, whose hard-line anti-gang policies have sparked mass arrests, Salvadoran prisons have been criticized by Human Rights Watch as having extreme overcrowding and “inhumane conditions.”
The human rights group said last month that Salvadoran government officials had allowed journalists and social media influencers to visit the prison only under highly controlled circumstances. Noem’s video post from the prison has been viewed on X more than 4 million times.
How Kristi Noem’s $50,000 Rolex in a Salvadoran prison became a political flashpoint
"If you come to our country illegally, this is one of the consequences you could face," Noem said.
Trump says he’s considering ways to serve a third term as president
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Chris Megerian
Published Mar 30, 2025 • Last updated 9 hours ago • 3 minute read
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump said Sunday that “I’m not joking” about trying to serve a third term, the clearest indication he is considering ways to breach a constitutional barrier against continuing to lead the country after his second term ends at the beginning of 2029.
“There are methods which you could do it,” Trump said in a telephone interview with NBC News from Mar-a-Lago, his private club.
He also said “it is far too early to think about it.”
The 22nd Amendment, added to the Constitution in 1951 after President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected four times in a row, says “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”
Any attempt to remain in office would be legally suspect and it is unclear how seriously Trump might pursue the idea. The comments nonetheless were an extraordinary reflection of the desire to maintain power by a president who had violated democratic traditions four years ago when he tried to overturn the election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
“This is yet another escalation in his clear effort to take over the government and dismantle our democracy,“ said a statement from Rep. Daniel Goldman, a New York Democrat who served as lead counsel for Trump’s first impeachment. ”If Congressional Republicans believe in the Constitution, they will go on the record opposing Trump’s ambitions for a third term.”
Steve Bannon, a former Trump strategist who runs the right-wing “War Room” podcast, called for the president to run again during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference last month.
“We want Trump in ’28,” he said.
Jeremy Paul, a constitutional law professor at Boston’s Northeastern University, said “there are no credible legal arguments for him to run for a third term.”
NBC’s Kristen Welker asked Trump if one potential avenue to a third term was having Vice President JD Vance run for the top job and “then pass the baton to you.”
“Well, that’s one,” Trump responded. “But there are others too. There are others.”
“Can you tell me another?” Welker asked.
“No,” Trump replied.
Vance’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
Derek Muller, a professor of election law at Notre Dame, noted that the 12th Amendment, which was ratified in 1804, says “no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.”
Muller said that indicates that if Trump is not eligible to run for president again because of the 22nd Amendment, he is not eligible to run for vice president, either.
“I don’t think there’s any ‘one weird trick’ to getting around presidential term limits,” Muller said.
In addition, pursuing a third term would require extraordinary acquiescence by federal and state officials, not to mention the courts and voters themselves.
He suggested that Trump is talking about a third term for political reasons to “show as much strength as possible.”
“A lame-duck president like Donald Trump has every incentive in the world to make it seem like he’s not a lame duck,” he said.
Trump, who would be 82 at the end of his second term, was asked whether he would want to keep serving in “the toughest job in the country” at that point.
“Well, I like working,” the president said.
Trump suggested that Americans would go along with a third term because of his popularity. He falsely claimed to have “the highest poll numbers of any Republican for the last 100 years.”
Gallup data shows President George W. Bush reaching a 90% approval rating after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. His father, President George H.W. Bush, hit 89% following the Gulf War in 1991.
Trump has maxed out at 47% in Gallup data during his second term, despite claiming to be “in the high 70s in many polls, in the real polls.”
Trump has mused before about serving longer than two terms before, generally with jokes to friendly audiences.
“Am I allowed to run again?” he said during a House Republican retreat in January.
Representatives for the congressional leadership — House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York — did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the AP.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Chris Megerian
Published Mar 30, 2025 • Last updated 9 hours ago • 3 minute read
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump said Sunday that “I’m not joking” about trying to serve a third term, the clearest indication he is considering ways to breach a constitutional barrier against continuing to lead the country after his second term ends at the beginning of 2029.
“There are methods which you could do it,” Trump said in a telephone interview with NBC News from Mar-a-Lago, his private club.
He also said “it is far too early to think about it.”
The 22nd Amendment, added to the Constitution in 1951 after President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected four times in a row, says “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”
Any attempt to remain in office would be legally suspect and it is unclear how seriously Trump might pursue the idea. The comments nonetheless were an extraordinary reflection of the desire to maintain power by a president who had violated democratic traditions four years ago when he tried to overturn the election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
“This is yet another escalation in his clear effort to take over the government and dismantle our democracy,“ said a statement from Rep. Daniel Goldman, a New York Democrat who served as lead counsel for Trump’s first impeachment. ”If Congressional Republicans believe in the Constitution, they will go on the record opposing Trump’s ambitions for a third term.”
Steve Bannon, a former Trump strategist who runs the right-wing “War Room” podcast, called for the president to run again during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference last month.
“We want Trump in ’28,” he said.
Jeremy Paul, a constitutional law professor at Boston’s Northeastern University, said “there are no credible legal arguments for him to run for a third term.”
NBC’s Kristen Welker asked Trump if one potential avenue to a third term was having Vice President JD Vance run for the top job and “then pass the baton to you.”
“Well, that’s one,” Trump responded. “But there are others too. There are others.”
“Can you tell me another?” Welker asked.
“No,” Trump replied.
Vance’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
Derek Muller, a professor of election law at Notre Dame, noted that the 12th Amendment, which was ratified in 1804, says “no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.”
Muller said that indicates that if Trump is not eligible to run for president again because of the 22nd Amendment, he is not eligible to run for vice president, either.
“I don’t think there’s any ‘one weird trick’ to getting around presidential term limits,” Muller said.
In addition, pursuing a third term would require extraordinary acquiescence by federal and state officials, not to mention the courts and voters themselves.
He suggested that Trump is talking about a third term for political reasons to “show as much strength as possible.”
“A lame-duck president like Donald Trump has every incentive in the world to make it seem like he’s not a lame duck,” he said.
Trump, who would be 82 at the end of his second term, was asked whether he would want to keep serving in “the toughest job in the country” at that point.
“Well, I like working,” the president said.
Trump suggested that Americans would go along with a third term because of his popularity. He falsely claimed to have “the highest poll numbers of any Republican for the last 100 years.”
Gallup data shows President George W. Bush reaching a 90% approval rating after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. His father, President George H.W. Bush, hit 89% following the Gulf War in 1991.
Trump has maxed out at 47% in Gallup data during his second term, despite claiming to be “in the high 70s in many polls, in the real polls.”
Trump has mused before about serving longer than two terms before, generally with jokes to friendly audiences.
“Am I allowed to run again?” he said during a House Republican retreat in January.
Representatives for the congressional leadership — House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York — did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the AP.
Trump says he’s considering ways to serve a third term as president
"There are methods which you could do it," Trump said in a telephone interview with NBC News.
Trump ordered to pay legal bill of UK firm he sued over Russia dossier
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Apr 03, 2025 • 1 minute read
LONDON (AP) — A British judge on Thursday ordered U.S. President Donald Trump to pay more than 625,000 pounds ($820,000) in legal costs to a company he unsuccessfully sued over a dossier alleging he took part in sex acts in Russia.
Trump filed a claim in 2022 against Orbis Business Intelligence, a consulting firm founded by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele.
Steele was paid by Democrats to compile a 2016 dossier that contained rumors and uncorroborated allegations that caused a political storm just before Trump’s first inauguration.
It said that Trump had been “compromised” by Russia’s security service, and included two memos that claimed Trump had taken part in “sex parties” in St. Petersburg and consorted with sex workers in Moscow.
Trump denies all the allegations. His lawyers said the “shocking and scandalous claims” were false and harmed his reputation.
He sued the company, saying the dossier was phony and Orbis had violated British data protection laws.
In a written witness statement, Trump said the allegations were “wholly untrue.”
Trump said he had not engaged in “perverted sexual behavior including the hiring of prostitutes … in the presidential suite of a hotel in Moscow,” taken part in “sex parties” in St. Petersburg, bribed Russian officials, or provided them with “sufficient material to blackmail me.”
Judge Karen Steyn threw out the case in February 2024, without ruling on the truth of the allegations. She said the claim was “bound to fail,” in part because Trump had waited several years to bring the action.
Steyn ordered Trump to pay Orbis’s costs, which lawyers for the president alleged had been set “absolutely outrageously high.”
After Trump failed to pay the first instalment of 290,000 pounds, a hearing was held earlier this year without him to decide the full bill.
Judge Jason Rowley said Thursday that the president must pay 626,058.98 pounds, with interest accruing daily at 12%.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Apr 03, 2025 • 1 minute read
LONDON (AP) — A British judge on Thursday ordered U.S. President Donald Trump to pay more than 625,000 pounds ($820,000) in legal costs to a company he unsuccessfully sued over a dossier alleging he took part in sex acts in Russia.
Trump filed a claim in 2022 against Orbis Business Intelligence, a consulting firm founded by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele.
Steele was paid by Democrats to compile a 2016 dossier that contained rumors and uncorroborated allegations that caused a political storm just before Trump’s first inauguration.
It said that Trump had been “compromised” by Russia’s security service, and included two memos that claimed Trump had taken part in “sex parties” in St. Petersburg and consorted with sex workers in Moscow.
Trump denies all the allegations. His lawyers said the “shocking and scandalous claims” were false and harmed his reputation.
He sued the company, saying the dossier was phony and Orbis had violated British data protection laws.
In a written witness statement, Trump said the allegations were “wholly untrue.”
Trump said he had not engaged in “perverted sexual behavior including the hiring of prostitutes … in the presidential suite of a hotel in Moscow,” taken part in “sex parties” in St. Petersburg, bribed Russian officials, or provided them with “sufficient material to blackmail me.”
Judge Karen Steyn threw out the case in February 2024, without ruling on the truth of the allegations. She said the claim was “bound to fail,” in part because Trump had waited several years to bring the action.
Steyn ordered Trump to pay Orbis’s costs, which lawyers for the president alleged had been set “absolutely outrageously high.”
After Trump failed to pay the first instalment of 290,000 pounds, a hearing was held earlier this year without him to decide the full bill.
Judge Jason Rowley said Thursday that the president must pay 626,058.98 pounds, with interest accruing daily at 12%.
Trump ordered to pay legal bill of UK firm he sued over Russia dossier
Trump filed a claim against Orbis Business Intelligence, a consulting firm founded by ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele.
A look at Laura Loomer, longtime Trump ally criticized for racist posts and Sept. 11 conspiracies
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Adriana Gomez Licon
Published Apr 03, 2025 • 4 minute read
Laura Loomer, a right-wing personality known for her incendiary social media presence, appeared to have been sidelined at points by Donald Trump’s campaign and then by his administration.
But she has long had the president’s ear and may have it again, at least for now.
In an Oval Office meeting on Wednesday, the conservative activist urged Trump to fire National Security Council officials, as the team struggles to answer questions not only on why they were using Signal, a publicly available encrypted app, to discuss a military operation in Yemen, but how a journalist was mistakenly added to the group chat. Trump followed suit, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
It was the latest sign of Loomer’s influence, even as she has faced criticism for entertaining 9/11 conspiracy theories and her history of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim posts. Loomer, who is prolific on social media, has been tearing into some of Trump’s allies and advisers, calling out what she calls a “vetting crisis” within the White House and implying members of his team are trying to subvert his agenda.
Trump has long praised Loomer while distancing himself at times from her most controversial comments.
Here’s what to know about Loomer and what both she and Trump said about the latest incident.
How did she get close to Trump?
Loomer, 31, has been involved in politics as an advocate of Trump. She twice unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2020 and 2022 in South Florida and had been known for staging protests including handcuffing herself to a Twitter office after the service banned her and jumping a fence at a home owned by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She says she was invited to Mar-a-Lago after leading attacks against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was preparing to challenge Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential primary.
Last year, Loomer accompanied Trump on his 9/11 travels in New York and Pennsylvania and was also seen walking out of the plane the previous day after Trump landed in Philadelphia to debate his electoral opponent, then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Loomer said she was invited those days as a guest.
Loomer said she never officially joined the campaign after Trump’s allies preferred he would keep his distance.
What makes her an influential figure?
Loomer has been banned from numerous social media platforms, including Facebook. She posted during last year’s presidential campaign that if Harris beat Trump, “the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center.” Harris was the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president.
In December she publicly sparred with billionaire adviser Elon Musk, a native of South Africa, over their opposing positions on the use of skilled migration visas.
The conservative activist says such visas go against the “America First” agenda. Her account on X, a social media platform owned by Musk, was temporarily suspended, and for some time following the feud, she said she lost access to other paid features.
Earlier this month, Trump ended Secret Service protection details assigned to Democrat Joe Biden’s adult children following a report from Loomer with photos showing Hunter Biden’s protective detail while in South Africa.
What is she known for?
Loomer has a podcast called “Loomer Unleashed” on Rumble, a platform known for streaming far-right figures. Her last name has been coined as a verb that people on both sides of the political aisle use for when politicians, officials, or other figures are publicly shamed.
The influencer frequently makes anti-Islam and anti-immigrant posts on social media and made vile racist and sexist attacks against Harris. She once shared a video on X that said “9/11 was an Inside Job!”
The conspiracy theory that U.S. officials are hiding information about the Sept. 11 attacks or were somehow involved in the planning has taken hold among a segment of determined “truthers,” but many of their most prevalent claims have fallen apart upon further scrutiny.
What happened with Loomer this week?
People speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters say Loomer met with Trump, Vice President JD Vance, chief of staff Susie Wiles, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Sergio Gor, director of the Presidential Personnel Office and presented “research findings.”
When reached for comment, Loomer referred The Associated Press to an X post shared earlier on Thursday, saying she was not going to divulge any details about her Oval Office meeting with Trump “out of respect” for the president.
“I will continue working hard to support his agenda, and I will continue reiterating the importance of, and the necessity of STRONG VETTING, for the sake of protecting the President of the United States of America, and our national security,” Loomer said.
Loomer has been critical of Waltz and his own vetting process. In the lead up to the meeting, she complained to sympathetic administration officials that he relied too much on “neocons,” or neoconservatives within the GOP and “not-MAGA-enough” types.
Loomer has attacked principal deputy national security adviser Alex Wong, who was Waltz’ aide taking the lead in assembling the team based on the conversation shared by journalist Jeffrey Goldberg.
What has Trump said about her?
During last year’s election after her racist posts about Harris, Trump said, “Laura’s been a supporter of mine” and that she had “strong opinions,” but denied knowledge of her comments. He would later post on his Truth Social account that he disagreed with her comments.
Trump denied on Thursday that Loomer had anything to do with aides being ousted from their jobs at the National Security Council, calling her a “very good patriot and a very strong person.”
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he made his way to Miami that she only made recommendations.
“Sometimes I listen to those recommendations, like I do with everybody,” Trump said, adding: “She’s usually very constructive. She recommended certain people for jobs.”
— Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Adriana Gomez Licon
Published Apr 03, 2025 • 4 minute read
Laura Loomer, a right-wing personality known for her incendiary social media presence, appeared to have been sidelined at points by Donald Trump’s campaign and then by his administration.
But she has long had the president’s ear and may have it again, at least for now.
In an Oval Office meeting on Wednesday, the conservative activist urged Trump to fire National Security Council officials, as the team struggles to answer questions not only on why they were using Signal, a publicly available encrypted app, to discuss a military operation in Yemen, but how a journalist was mistakenly added to the group chat. Trump followed suit, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
It was the latest sign of Loomer’s influence, even as she has faced criticism for entertaining 9/11 conspiracy theories and her history of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim posts. Loomer, who is prolific on social media, has been tearing into some of Trump’s allies and advisers, calling out what she calls a “vetting crisis” within the White House and implying members of his team are trying to subvert his agenda.
Trump has long praised Loomer while distancing himself at times from her most controversial comments.
Here’s what to know about Loomer and what both she and Trump said about the latest incident.
How did she get close to Trump?
Loomer, 31, has been involved in politics as an advocate of Trump. She twice unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2020 and 2022 in South Florida and had been known for staging protests including handcuffing herself to a Twitter office after the service banned her and jumping a fence at a home owned by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She says she was invited to Mar-a-Lago after leading attacks against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was preparing to challenge Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential primary.
Last year, Loomer accompanied Trump on his 9/11 travels in New York and Pennsylvania and was also seen walking out of the plane the previous day after Trump landed in Philadelphia to debate his electoral opponent, then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Loomer said she was invited those days as a guest.
Loomer said she never officially joined the campaign after Trump’s allies preferred he would keep his distance.
What makes her an influential figure?
Loomer has been banned from numerous social media platforms, including Facebook. She posted during last year’s presidential campaign that if Harris beat Trump, “the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center.” Harris was the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president.
In December she publicly sparred with billionaire adviser Elon Musk, a native of South Africa, over their opposing positions on the use of skilled migration visas.
The conservative activist says such visas go against the “America First” agenda. Her account on X, a social media platform owned by Musk, was temporarily suspended, and for some time following the feud, she said she lost access to other paid features.
Earlier this month, Trump ended Secret Service protection details assigned to Democrat Joe Biden’s adult children following a report from Loomer with photos showing Hunter Biden’s protective detail while in South Africa.
What is she known for?
Loomer has a podcast called “Loomer Unleashed” on Rumble, a platform known for streaming far-right figures. Her last name has been coined as a verb that people on both sides of the political aisle use for when politicians, officials, or other figures are publicly shamed.
The influencer frequently makes anti-Islam and anti-immigrant posts on social media and made vile racist and sexist attacks against Harris. She once shared a video on X that said “9/11 was an Inside Job!”
The conspiracy theory that U.S. officials are hiding information about the Sept. 11 attacks or were somehow involved in the planning has taken hold among a segment of determined “truthers,” but many of their most prevalent claims have fallen apart upon further scrutiny.
What happened with Loomer this week?
People speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters say Loomer met with Trump, Vice President JD Vance, chief of staff Susie Wiles, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Sergio Gor, director of the Presidential Personnel Office and presented “research findings.”
When reached for comment, Loomer referred The Associated Press to an X post shared earlier on Thursday, saying she was not going to divulge any details about her Oval Office meeting with Trump “out of respect” for the president.
“I will continue working hard to support his agenda, and I will continue reiterating the importance of, and the necessity of STRONG VETTING, for the sake of protecting the President of the United States of America, and our national security,” Loomer said.
Loomer has been critical of Waltz and his own vetting process. In the lead up to the meeting, she complained to sympathetic administration officials that he relied too much on “neocons,” or neoconservatives within the GOP and “not-MAGA-enough” types.
Loomer has attacked principal deputy national security adviser Alex Wong, who was Waltz’ aide taking the lead in assembling the team based on the conversation shared by journalist Jeffrey Goldberg.
What has Trump said about her?
During last year’s election after her racist posts about Harris, Trump said, “Laura’s been a supporter of mine” and that she had “strong opinions,” but denied knowledge of her comments. He would later post on his Truth Social account that he disagreed with her comments.
Trump denied on Thursday that Loomer had anything to do with aides being ousted from their jobs at the National Security Council, calling her a “very good patriot and a very strong person.”
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he made his way to Miami that she only made recommendations.
“Sometimes I listen to those recommendations, like I do with everybody,” Trump said, adding: “She’s usually very constructive. She recommended certain people for jobs.”
— Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.
A look at Laura Loomer, longtime Trump ally criticized for racist posts and Sept. 11 conspiracies
Laura Loomer, a right-wing personality known for her incendiary social media presence, has long had the president's ear.
Fired Justice Department pardon attorney accuses agency of ’ongoing corruption’
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Eric Tucker And Alanna Durkin Richer
Published Apr 07, 2025 • 3 minute read
The Department of Justice headquarters
The Department of Justice headquarters building in Washington is photographed early in the morning, May 14, 2013.
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department’s recently fired pardon attorney accused the leadership of the law enforcement agency of “ongoing corruption,” testifying Monday at a congressional hearing meant to showcase concerns that the Trump administration is assaulting the rule of law, abusing its power and forcing out career civil servants.
“It should alarm all Americans that the leadership of the Department of Justice appears to value political loyalty above the fair and responsible administration of justice,” said Liz Oyer, who has said she was fired last month after refusing to recommend that the gun rights of actor Mel Gibson, a friend of President Donald Trump’s, be restored. “It should offend all Americans that our leaders are treating public servants with a lack of basic decency and humanity.”
The hearing represented the first time in the new Trump administration that Justice Department lawyers who were either recently fired or quit have spoken before Congress about the circumstances of their departures and their concerns about the agency’s direction.
It unfolded as a wave of resignations and firings have hollowed out the ranks of experienced career lawyers at the department and as Attorney General Pam Bondi and her leadership team team have signaled little patience for dissent within the workforce, including by suspending a government attorney who admitted in court that the deportation of a Maryland man to a notorious El Salvador prison was a mistake.
“The Trump administration has unleashed an all-out assault on these public servants, who are now facing attacks on their employment, their integrity, their well-being, and even their safety,” Stacey Young, a former Justice Department lawyer who is now leading a group that advocates for department employees, told lawmakers at a hearing convened by members of the House and Senate Judiciary committees.
The warnings were stark, with lawyers who spent years at the Justice Department recounting their experiences with unprecedented political pressure that they said made them deeply uneasy and obliterated the institution’s norms.
Oyer decried what she described as the “callous cruelty with which DOJ leadership is treating dedicated public servants.” She testified about being abruptly fired without explanation last month, one day after refusing to endorse the restoration of Gibson’s gun rights following a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction, and being told security officers were waiting in her office to escort her out of the building.
She said Justice Department leaders tried as recently as Friday night to intimidate her into silence by dispatching armed deputy marshals to her house to deliver her a letter warning her against testifying, though she was able to forestall the arrival of the officers at her home.
“The letter was a warning to me about the risks of testifying here today. But I am here because I will not be bullied into concealing the ongoing corruption and abuse of power at the Department of Justice,” Oyer said.
A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Oyer’s testimony. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has previously dismissed Oyer’s statements, without elaboration, as inaccurate. The department last week attempted to invoke executive privilege to prevent Oyer from telling Congress about the circumstances of her departure. The legal principle broadly refers to a president’s power to keep information from the courts, Congress and the public to protect the confidentiality of presidential decision-making.
Another witness was former public corruption prosecutor who resigned under protest amid the Justice Department’s dismissal of its case against New York Mayor Eric Adams. Ryan Crosswell, who was not involved in the Adams case, described the events surrounding the move to dismiss the Adams case — so that the Democrat could help Trump’s immigration crackdown — as “among the saddest in the department’s history.”
“In a properly functioning justice system, any public official wishing to avoid prison has to live by one rule of thumb: obey our nation’s laws,” Crosswell said. “And this action raised an even more chilling question: Is the Justice Department that will drop charges against those who acquiesce to a political command a Justice Department that will bring charges against those who don’t?”
He recalled how a senior Justice Department official directed Crosswell’s section to identify two prosecutors willing to submit a motion seeking the dismissal of the Adams case, with the implicit offer of career advancement for those who did and potential punishment for those who did not. After one ultimately stepped forward, Crosswell resigned.
“I didn’t have a job lined up or insurance lined up, but I’d rather be unemployed and not be insured than to work for someone that would do something like that to my colleagues,” he said.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Eric Tucker And Alanna Durkin Richer
Published Apr 07, 2025 • 3 minute read
The Department of Justice headquarters
The Department of Justice headquarters building in Washington is photographed early in the morning, May 14, 2013.
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department’s recently fired pardon attorney accused the leadership of the law enforcement agency of “ongoing corruption,” testifying Monday at a congressional hearing meant to showcase concerns that the Trump administration is assaulting the rule of law, abusing its power and forcing out career civil servants.
“It should alarm all Americans that the leadership of the Department of Justice appears to value political loyalty above the fair and responsible administration of justice,” said Liz Oyer, who has said she was fired last month after refusing to recommend that the gun rights of actor Mel Gibson, a friend of President Donald Trump’s, be restored. “It should offend all Americans that our leaders are treating public servants with a lack of basic decency and humanity.”
The hearing represented the first time in the new Trump administration that Justice Department lawyers who were either recently fired or quit have spoken before Congress about the circumstances of their departures and their concerns about the agency’s direction.
It unfolded as a wave of resignations and firings have hollowed out the ranks of experienced career lawyers at the department and as Attorney General Pam Bondi and her leadership team team have signaled little patience for dissent within the workforce, including by suspending a government attorney who admitted in court that the deportation of a Maryland man to a notorious El Salvador prison was a mistake.
“The Trump administration has unleashed an all-out assault on these public servants, who are now facing attacks on their employment, their integrity, their well-being, and even their safety,” Stacey Young, a former Justice Department lawyer who is now leading a group that advocates for department employees, told lawmakers at a hearing convened by members of the House and Senate Judiciary committees.
The warnings were stark, with lawyers who spent years at the Justice Department recounting their experiences with unprecedented political pressure that they said made them deeply uneasy and obliterated the institution’s norms.
Oyer decried what she described as the “callous cruelty with which DOJ leadership is treating dedicated public servants.” She testified about being abruptly fired without explanation last month, one day after refusing to endorse the restoration of Gibson’s gun rights following a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction, and being told security officers were waiting in her office to escort her out of the building.
She said Justice Department leaders tried as recently as Friday night to intimidate her into silence by dispatching armed deputy marshals to her house to deliver her a letter warning her against testifying, though she was able to forestall the arrival of the officers at her home.
“The letter was a warning to me about the risks of testifying here today. But I am here because I will not be bullied into concealing the ongoing corruption and abuse of power at the Department of Justice,” Oyer said.
A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Oyer’s testimony. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has previously dismissed Oyer’s statements, without elaboration, as inaccurate. The department last week attempted to invoke executive privilege to prevent Oyer from telling Congress about the circumstances of her departure. The legal principle broadly refers to a president’s power to keep information from the courts, Congress and the public to protect the confidentiality of presidential decision-making.
Another witness was former public corruption prosecutor who resigned under protest amid the Justice Department’s dismissal of its case against New York Mayor Eric Adams. Ryan Crosswell, who was not involved in the Adams case, described the events surrounding the move to dismiss the Adams case — so that the Democrat could help Trump’s immigration crackdown — as “among the saddest in the department’s history.”
“In a properly functioning justice system, any public official wishing to avoid prison has to live by one rule of thumb: obey our nation’s laws,” Crosswell said. “And this action raised an even more chilling question: Is the Justice Department that will drop charges against those who acquiesce to a political command a Justice Department that will bring charges against those who don’t?”
He recalled how a senior Justice Department official directed Crosswell’s section to identify two prosecutors willing to submit a motion seeking the dismissal of the Adams case, with the implicit offer of career advancement for those who did and potential punishment for those who did not. After one ultimately stepped forward, Crosswell resigned.
“I didn’t have a job lined up or insurance lined up, but I’d rather be unemployed and not be insured than to work for someone that would do something like that to my colleagues,” he said.
Fired Justice Department pardon attorney accuses agency of ’ongoing corruption’
The Justice Department's recently fired pardon attorney accused the leadership of the law enforcement agency of "ongoing corruption"
Trump administration fires senior Navy female officer at NATO
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Lolita C. Baldor
Published Apr 07, 2025 • 2 minute read
President Donald Trump, left, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
President Donald Trump, left, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listen during an event in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, March 21, 2025.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, the only woman on NATO’s military committee, was fired over the weekend by the Trump administration, U.S. officials said Monday.
Although no reason was given, officials said it was apparently tied to comments she has made that supported diversity in the force.
According to the officials, Chatfield got a call from Adm. Christopher Grady, the acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and was told the administration wanted to go in a different direction with the job.
The officials said they believe the decision was made last week by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but it was unclear whether he received any direction from President Donald Trump. Three U.S. officials spoke about the firing on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters.
Chatfield is the third top female officer to be fired since Trump took office. Hegseth announced in February that he was firing the chief of naval operations, Adm. Lisa Franchetti. And Trump fired Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan just a day after he was sworn in.
Trump and Hegseth have been vocal in their insistence that so-called woke policies are dead. There has been a vigorous campaign to remove leaders who promoted diversity, equity and inclusion, and to erase DEI programs and online content.
Chatfield was on a list of senior military officers targeted as “woke” by the conservative American Accountability Foundation, which sent a letter to Hegseth saying that “purging the woke from the military is imperative.”
Chatfield, a Navy helicopter pilot who also commanded a joint reconstruction team in Afghanistan, had been serving as one of the 32 representatives on NATO’s military committee. The panel is the primary source of military advice to the North Atlantic Council and NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group, according to NATO. It serves as the link between the political decision-makers and NATO’s military structure..
Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, said he was “deeply disturbed” by the firing.
“Trump’s relentless attacks on our alliances and his careless dismissal of decorated military officials make us less safe and weaken our position across the world,” Warner said in a post on X.
The campaign to erase DEI programs and online content has been met with questions from lawmakers, local leaders and citizens angered by the removal of military heroes and historic mentions from Defense Department websites and social media pages.
The accountability foundation complained in the letter to Hegseth that those responsible for DEI policies “must be dismissed,” adding that military leaders should be focused on cultivating lethality, not on fostering diversity, equity and inclusion in the ranks.
The letter said Chatfield posted supportive comments on LinkedIn about a diversity summit and gave a speech in 2015 at Women’s Equality Day. The group quoted her as saying that investing in empowering women can unlock human potential.
And they also said she was quoted as saying, “our diversity is our strength” — a phrase that Hegseth has repeatedly condemned.
A native of Garden Grove, California, Chatfield graduated from Boston University and received her master’s degree from Harvard University and a doctorate from the University of San Diego.
She deployed to the Pacific and the Persian Gulf as a pilot. She later served as the senior military assistant to the supreme allied commander Europe. She was awarded a Bronze Star.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Lolita C. Baldor
Published Apr 07, 2025 • 2 minute read
President Donald Trump, left, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
President Donald Trump, left, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listen during an event in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, March 21, 2025.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, the only woman on NATO’s military committee, was fired over the weekend by the Trump administration, U.S. officials said Monday.
Although no reason was given, officials said it was apparently tied to comments she has made that supported diversity in the force.
According to the officials, Chatfield got a call from Adm. Christopher Grady, the acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and was told the administration wanted to go in a different direction with the job.
The officials said they believe the decision was made last week by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but it was unclear whether he received any direction from President Donald Trump. Three U.S. officials spoke about the firing on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters.
Chatfield is the third top female officer to be fired since Trump took office. Hegseth announced in February that he was firing the chief of naval operations, Adm. Lisa Franchetti. And Trump fired Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan just a day after he was sworn in.
Trump and Hegseth have been vocal in their insistence that so-called woke policies are dead. There has been a vigorous campaign to remove leaders who promoted diversity, equity and inclusion, and to erase DEI programs and online content.
Chatfield was on a list of senior military officers targeted as “woke” by the conservative American Accountability Foundation, which sent a letter to Hegseth saying that “purging the woke from the military is imperative.”
Chatfield, a Navy helicopter pilot who also commanded a joint reconstruction team in Afghanistan, had been serving as one of the 32 representatives on NATO’s military committee. The panel is the primary source of military advice to the North Atlantic Council and NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group, according to NATO. It serves as the link between the political decision-makers and NATO’s military structure..
Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, said he was “deeply disturbed” by the firing.
“Trump’s relentless attacks on our alliances and his careless dismissal of decorated military officials make us less safe and weaken our position across the world,” Warner said in a post on X.
The campaign to erase DEI programs and online content has been met with questions from lawmakers, local leaders and citizens angered by the removal of military heroes and historic mentions from Defense Department websites and social media pages.
The accountability foundation complained in the letter to Hegseth that those responsible for DEI policies “must be dismissed,” adding that military leaders should be focused on cultivating lethality, not on fostering diversity, equity and inclusion in the ranks.
The letter said Chatfield posted supportive comments on LinkedIn about a diversity summit and gave a speech in 2015 at Women’s Equality Day. The group quoted her as saying that investing in empowering women can unlock human potential.
And they also said she was quoted as saying, “our diversity is our strength” — a phrase that Hegseth has repeatedly condemned.
A native of Garden Grove, California, Chatfield graduated from Boston University and received her master’s degree from Harvard University and a doctorate from the University of San Diego.
She deployed to the Pacific and the Persian Gulf as a pilot. She later served as the senior military assistant to the supreme allied commander Europe. She was awarded a Bronze Star.
Trump administration fires senior Navy female officer at NATO
U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, the only woman on NATO's military committee, was fired over the weekend by the Trump administration
The odds of him living through this term are not great. Chances of making a third term would be really low.Trump says he’s considering ways to serve a third term as president
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Chris Megerian
Published Mar 30, 2025 • Last updated 9 hours ago • 3 minute read
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump said Sunday that “I’m not joking” about trying to serve a third term, the clearest indication he is considering ways to breach a constitutional barrier against continuing to lead the country after his second term ends at the beginning of 2029.
“There are methods which you could do it,” Trump said in a telephone interview with NBC News from Mar-a-Lago, his private club.
He also said “it is far too early to think about it.”
The 22nd Amendment, added to the Constitution in 1951 after President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected four times in a row, says “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”
Any attempt to remain in office would be legally suspect and it is unclear how seriously Trump might pursue the idea. The comments nonetheless were an extraordinary reflection of the desire to maintain power by a president who had violated democratic traditions four years ago when he tried to overturn the election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
“This is yet another escalation in his clear effort to take over the government and dismantle our democracy,“ said a statement from Rep. Daniel Goldman, a New York Democrat who served as lead counsel for Trump’s first impeachment. ”If Congressional Republicans believe in the Constitution, they will go on the record opposing Trump’s ambitions for a third term.”
Steve Bannon, a former Trump strategist who runs the right-wing “War Room” podcast, called for the president to run again during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference last month.
“We want Trump in ’28,” he said.
Jeremy Paul, a constitutional law professor at Boston’s Northeastern University, said “there are no credible legal arguments for him to run for a third term.”
NBC’s Kristen Welker asked Trump if one potential avenue to a third term was having Vice President JD Vance run for the top job and “then pass the baton to you.”
“Well, that’s one,” Trump responded. “But there are others too. There are others.”
“Can you tell me another?” Welker asked.
“No,” Trump replied.
Vance’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
Derek Muller, a professor of election law at Notre Dame, noted that the 12th Amendment, which was ratified in 1804, says “no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.”
Muller said that indicates that if Trump is not eligible to run for president again because of the 22nd Amendment, he is not eligible to run for vice president, either.
“I don’t think there’s any ‘one weird trick’ to getting around presidential term limits,” Muller said.
In addition, pursuing a third term would require extraordinary acquiescence by federal and state officials, not to mention the courts and voters themselves.
He suggested that Trump is talking about a third term for political reasons to “show as much strength as possible.”
“A lame-duck president like Donald Trump has every incentive in the world to make it seem like he’s not a lame duck,” he said.
Trump, who would be 82 at the end of his second term, was asked whether he would want to keep serving in “the toughest job in the country” at that point.
“Well, I like working,” the president said.
Trump suggested that Americans would go along with a third term because of his popularity. He falsely claimed to have “the highest poll numbers of any Republican for the last 100 years.”
Gallup data shows President George W. Bush reaching a 90% approval rating after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. His father, President George H.W. Bush, hit 89% following the Gulf War in 1991.
Trump has maxed out at 47% in Gallup data during his second term, despite claiming to be “in the high 70s in many polls, in the real polls.”
Trump has mused before about serving longer than two terms before, generally with jokes to friendly audiences.
“Am I allowed to run again?” he said during a House Republican retreat in January.
Representatives for the congressional leadership — House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York — did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the AP.
Trump says he’s considering ways to serve a third term as president
"There are methods which you could do it," Trump said in a telephone interview with NBC News.
AKA removing deadwood.
much like the bureaucracy treats taxpayers.