Donald Trump, Dennis Rodman & North Korea

[tanwahtiu]

A Buffoon, a sickman of America has no rooms for improvement.... he is dangerous and like Jesus must die....

This arsehole got all Americans to pay 25% more for everything they buy from China.

And his businesses has to pay this 25% more for China products.... what an idiot!...

 

[jw5]

A Buffoon, a sickman of America has no rooms for improvement.... he is dangerous and like Jesus must die....

This arsehole got all Americans to pay 25% more for everything they buy from China.

And his businesses has to pay this 25% more for China products.... what an idiot!...

No worries, Trump is history already, now can scold people on twitter only.

 

[jw5]

from yahoo.com:

Ivanka Trump Didn’t Join Her Siblings in Posting a Father’s Day Tribute to Donald Trump This Year​

Donald Trump didn’t get a lot of social media love from his kids this Father’s Day coming on the heels of his 75th birthday party that only saw oldest son Donald Trump Jr. in attendance. The lack of messages seems in stark contrast to the public proclamations we saw the family bring over the four years their father was in the White House.

Youngest daughter Tiffany Trump made sure to honor her dad with two photos — one with the two of them and one more with fiancé Michael Boulos. The loving message said, “Happy Father’s Day, Dad! I’m so grateful for your boundless love, hilarious sense of humor, and for always believing in me!” Ivanka Trump, who always utilized social media during her time as an unpaid senior advisor in the White House, hasn’t posted since her second vaccination shot on May 5. It seems unusual given how close she worked alongside her father during their Washington, D.C. days.

When it comes to his adult sons, Eric Trump was nowhere to be seen while Donald Jr. shared a long video monologue about the role of fathers in society on Twitter. He briefly mentioned his dad at the top of the video, stating, “I know my dad’s incredible. I hope your dad’s incredible and I’m trying to be an incredible dad myself.” He showed his dad the most love out of all of the Trump kids by sharing a different message on Instagram. “Happy Father’s Day dad, and the same to all the amazing dads and father figures out there,” he wrote. “Keep it up, we need you all in the game.” But why is only Donald Jr. posting in honor of his father on such a big day? After four years of family pride, it feels like some of the Trump family are leaning away from their father’s political messaging.

This odd silence from some of his kids holds up the insider rumors that Ivanka is “focusing on family time,” per a Fox News source, and that husband Jared Kushner is “establishing a simpler relationship” with his father-in-law, per The New York Times. Life outside of the White House is also heating up the court battles for the family, especially with the New York State and Manhattan cases on the front burner for the Trump organization. This may be a sign that Donald’s adult children feel some of that legal pressure ahead, so they are keeping their ties to their dad private instead of inviting social media commentary.

 

[syed putra]

What's wrong with that chap? Does he like Jane Austen books?

Drug withdrawal maybe. They can get pretty nasty.

 

[jw5]

from yahoo.com:

Ivanka Trump & Jared Kushner Are No Longer a Part of Donald Trump's Inner Circle​

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have been keeping a low profile lately, which is a stark comparison to how visible they were during Donald Trump’s administration. Their absence was noted most recently at a dinner where the former president celebrated his 75th birthday. But now, insiders are saying their absence from Donald’s inner circle is a strategy to keep their relationship strictly personal, not professional.

After the loss of the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill insurrection, the couple decided to draw a clear line and remove themselves from the 45th president’s “inability to move on,” according to CNN. While the main message from sources close to Ivanka and Kushner is that they are “focusing on family time,” per Fox News, they also haven’t spent a lot of time around Mar-a-Lago before the social season ended. “They weren’t around for the usual spring and summer events at Mar-a-Lago,” one club member noted to CNN.

No one should think that there is bad blood between the family members, though. Kushner is reinventing what his relationship looks like with his father-in-law after being his closest adviser in the White House. Sources close to Trump’s son-in-law say that they have a “good relationship, but [Kushner] is not anywhere near his political orbit.” The days of being in the inner circle are long gone as Kushner focuses on his recent book deal with Harper Collins. One insider admits that there might be a bit of jealousy surrounding that recent announcement, given Trump’s struggles to land his own publishing contract. So there are complicated parts of their current personal relationship that carries over from their professional days together.

Even though Kushner is no longer Trump’s closest ally, and Ivanka has decided to live a quieter life out of the spotlight (for now), a close family friend maintains that the bond between everyone is still strong. “This is family, and family is in its own category. Its own unique category,” they told CNN. They might not all be working together or align with the same goals any longer, but they still have each other’s backs.

 

[jw5]

from yahoo news:

Donald Trump’s Former Bodyguard Is a New Investigation Target Who Could Turn On His Old Boss​

New York prosecutors are turning the heat up in the Trump Organization investigation by muscling in on someone very important to Donald Trump: former bodyguard turned chief operating officer, Matthew Calamari. While the former president’s employee hasn’t been charged with any infraction, he has been advised to lawyer up, per the Wall Street Journal.
Trump has put Calamari in a tricky situation because he’s reportedly been on the receiving end of “tax-free fringe benefits,” like a leased Mercedes and an apartment in the Trump Park Avenue building. The government likes to know these things — did you pay taxes on these perks or not? By zeroing in on the former bodyguard and Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, prosecutors are likely trying to put pressure on those who have knowledge on the inner workings of the company.

Both men have been loyal associates to Trump, and in 2004, he acknowledged them as “home-run, grand-slam people” in his book, Trump: How to Get Rich, per the Wall Street Journal. So the prosecutors have a mighty task in front of them if they want Calamari and Weisselberg to flip against him. But former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, who did turn against his former client and who is currently finishing up his sentence under home confinement, believes that “the wheels of justice turn slowly; but, they do turn and come full circle.” His tweet is referring to the fact that he testified before the House Oversight Committee in 2019 in regards to Calamari knowing where the bones are buried when it comes to Trump’s assets.

With the Wall Street Journal now confirming that Calamari did take the prosecutors’ advice and has hired Nicholas Gravante Jr. (yes, Hunter Biden’s former lawyer), things seem to be taking a very serious turn. That doesn’t mean Calamari or Weisselberg are ready to spill the beans, but if prosecutors find a reason to charge them when it comes to their reported tax-free bonuses, revealing what they know about the former president may start to seem to these men like their only option.

 

[jw5]

from huffpost.com:

Jimmy Kimmel Spots The Surest Sign Yet That Trump Has Turned On Ivanka​

The late-night host said the former president has grown distant from his own daughter since leaving the White House.

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel got a kick out of a CNN report that claimed Ivanka Trump and Jared Kusher have distanced themselves from Donald Trump.
“Trump’s inner circle is almost as small as his hands right now,” Kimmel cracked.

The former president’s constant gripe sessions about the 2020 election have led his daughter and son-in-law, both of whom served as White House advisers, to keep away from Mar-a-Lago this past spring, the news network reported.

“Trump has reportedly become so distant from Ivanka he’s started calling her Eric, which is really sad,” Kimmel said.

 

[jw5]

from huffpost.com:

Trump Rages Against ‘Saturday Night Live’ In Unhinged Conspiracy Rant​

Donald Trump railed against “Saturday Night Live” and actor Alec Baldwin, and fueled an unhinged conspiracy theory while attacking a report in The Daily Beast on Tuesday.
The website reported that the former president had attempted to sic federal agencies, including the Justice Department, on late-night comedians who made fun of him. Trump called the story “total Fake News,” but added that “Baldwin has no talent, certainly when it comes to imitating me.”

Trump added that late-night comedy was an “illegal campaign contribution” to Democrats.

But it was the conclusion of his message where Trump really went off the rails. Trump closed his statement with “2024 or before!” ― a nod to a conspiracy theory that claims he will overthrow the elected government and again take office before the next election in 2024.
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mocked Trump as “President Snowflake” over the report while “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert called Trump’s alleged actions “dangerous, disturbing, un-American.”

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

Trump returns to rally stage in Ohio, urges votes for Republicans​

Donald Trump has held his first campaign-style rally since leaving the White House, repeating his election grievances and baseless claims of fraud as he urged his supporters to help Republicans win back majorities in the Congress.

© Provided by Al Jazeera Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at the Lorain County Fairgrounds, Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Wellington, Ohio [Tony Dejak/ AP]

Saturday’s rally in Ohio – a state the former president carried in the 2020 election – marks a return to the kind of freewheeling mass gatherings that have been critical to retaining the support of Trump’s base.


It was held to support Max Miller, a former White House aide who is challenging Republican Representative Anthony Gonzalez for his congressional seat. Gonzalez was one of 10 Republican House members who voted to impeach Trump for his role in inciting the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol in the wake of his election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

The Democratic Party’s razor-thin majorities in both chambers of Congress will be on the line in the 2022 midterm elections and history favors Republicans’ chances of gaining seats in those contests.

“We will take back the House, we will take back the Senate, and we will take back America, and we will do it soon,” Trump told thousands of cheering supporters at Ohio’s Lorain County Fairgrounds.

© Provided by Al Jazeera

Republican congressional candidate Max Miller pumps his fist before speaking at a rally at the Lorain County Fairgrounds, Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Wellington,Ohio

© Provided by Al Jazeera

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at the Lorain County Fairgrounds, Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Wellington, Ohio [Tony Dejak/ AP]So far, nine of the 10 House Republicans who voted for Trump’s impeachment have drawn primary challengers. The former president has pledged to back all of them, and even offered to support anyone who steps forward to challenge the remaining candidate, Representative John Katko of New York, according to the website syracuse.com.

Trump has also endorsed a challenger to Senator Lisa Murkowski, the only one of the seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict him in his January impeachment trial who is up for re-election in 2022.

The Ohio event in Wellington, about 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Cleveland, was the first of three public appearances, followed by a trip to the US-Mexico border on June 30 and a rally in Sarasota, Florida, on July 3.

While Trump praised Miller as an “incredible patriot” and a “great guy” who “loves the people of Ohio,” he spent much of his 90-minute address fixating on the 2020 election, which he insists he won, even though top state and local election officials, his own attorney general and numerous judges, including some he appointed, have said there is no evidence of the mass voter fraud he alleges took place.

“This was the scam of the century and this was the crime of the century,” Trump said. “The 2020 presidential election was rigged. We won that election in a landslide.”

The crowd chanted “Trump won” and “four more years! four more years!”. But the former president made no clear mention of his political future.

He did however tease the crowd at one point by alluding to the possibility of another stab at the White House.

“We may have to win it a third time. It is possible,” he said.

© Provided by Al Jazeera

A supporter waits for former President Donald Trump to speak at a rally at the Lorain County Fairgrounds, Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Wellington, Ohio [Tony Dejak/ AP]Whether Trump runs again could be influenced by the outcome of various legal troubles.

Prosecutors in Manhattan informed his company on Thursday that it could soon face criminal charges stemming from a wide-ranging investigation into the former president’s business dealings. The New York Times, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported that charges could be filed against the Trump Organization within days.

Trump has denounced the investigations as nothing more than a “witch hunt” aimed at damaging him politically.

The former president also used the Ohio rally to lambast Biden, calling him a “catastrophe” and focusing on the rising number of immigrants crossing over the US southern border – an issue Republicans have zeroed in on to rally their voters.

“You have millions of people coming into our country. We have no idea who they are. Joe Biden is doing the exact opposite as we did,” Trump said.

“Joe Biden is destroying our nation before our very eyes,” he added.

Trump’s rallies have been instrumental to his politics since he launched his 2016 campaign and his supporters in Ohio said they hoped he would use such events to help unify the party behind like-minded candidates for Congress.

“Continuing these rallies is extremely important,” said Jessica Dicken, a 30-year-old stay-at-home mother from southeast Ohio, adding Trump could be “a voice for the more conservative movement here in Ohio and across the nation”.

Chris Laskowski, 55, who lives in Medina, Ohio, said she missed Trump.

“I think they robbed him of the election and he’s still our president.”

Trump’s repeated false claims of election fraud have taken hold of Republican voters. Some 53 percent of Republicans believe Trump won the 2020 election and blame his loss on illegal voting, and one quarter of the overall public agreed that Trump won, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

Republican strategist Matt Dole said both Trump and those vying to stay close to him benefited from such public displays of bonhomie. Some of the candidates now seeking his endorsement have made disparaging comments about Trump in the past.

“These are marriages of convenience,” said Dole, who is based in Ohio. “Donald Trump is using these opportunities to keep his name out there, to keep the base motivated.”

 

[KuanTi01]

The biggest racist here is you.

Disagree. He is the great Defender of Chinese pride in the face of so many anti-China Attackers.

 

[KuanTi01]

Disagree, he was very buddy with Piers Morgan, who is probably smarter than him. There were also a lot of very smart people in his administration, it's just that they were so often flamed by Trump haters, that some of the shit stuck.

Agree to disagree, that was in the past. They had fallen out of love.

 

[jw5]

Agree to disagree, that was in the past. They had fallen out of love.

I believe it was Piers who had fallen out of love with POTUS Trump. The latter was still ok with Piers.

 

[jw5]

from yahoo.com:

Trump Organization Longtime CFO Surrenders To New York Prosecutors – Update​

UPDATED with Weisselberg surrender: The Trump Organization’s long-serving chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg voluntarily turned himself in to New York prosecutors this morning to face criminal charges in an ongoing probe of former President Donald Trump’s real estate business.

Weisselberg’s lawyer said he intends to plead not guilty when the indictments are handed down later today. He turned himself in shortly after 6 am ET.

PREVIOUSLY: The Trump Organization and its CFO, a longtime Donald Trump employee and loyalist, are expected to be charged Thursday in New York with tax-related and other offenses., according to legal sources.

Charges against Allen Weisselberg are said to focus on his failing to pay taxes on fringe benefits from the company ranging from a rent-free apartment to college tuition and other perks. He’s expected to turn himself to authorities — the first shoe to drop in a broad criminal inquiry into the former president’s real estate business led by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance working with New York Attorney General Letitica James.

Trump Organization attorneys said they met with local prosecutors recently in an attempt to persuade them not to proceed with their case but were unsuccessful.

Vance has been probing the Trump family business for possible fraud involving banks, insurance companies and taxes, particularly whether it manipulated property values up and down to obtain loans, on one hand, and pay lower taxes, on the other.

The legal battle saw Trump’s accounting firm forced to turn over eight years of tax records in a case that went to the Supreme Court.

The charges come after a special grand jury convened to consider possible criminality by the president, his business associates and the company itself returned indictments today.

Weisselberg worked for the Trump Organization for nearly 50 years. (In 2004, he appeared in an episode of The Apprentice.) Vance’s office has been trying to flip him to testify against his long serving boss, who is not expected to be charged tomorrow. This ratchets up the pressure.

Weisselberg’s former daughter-in-law is prepared to testify against him at trial following criminal charges.

 

[jw5]

from aol.com:

Donald Trump tells Hannity he's come to a decision on whether he's running in 2024​

On Hannity Wednesday night, which was broadcasted from the South Texas airport only a few miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, Sean Hannity asked former President Donald Trump the question many people across the country have been wondering.

"Let's talk about your future plans," Hannity told Trump, before turning to the crowd at the town hall to ask the audience, "Would you like to see the president run again in 2024?"

Trump spent the day Wednesday discussing the U.S.-Mexico border wall with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has vowed to use state resources, a $250 million down payment to be exact, to continue work on Trump's border wall, which has been halted by President Joe Biden.

And while Trump has not publicly revealed whether or not he plans to run for president in 2024, on Wednesday, when Hannity asked Trump the question, it sounded like the former president had made progress in his decision.

"You are not going to answer, but I have to ask, where are you in the process of," said Hannity. He continued, "Let me ask you this, without giving the answer, what the answer is, have you made up your mind?"

"Yes," responded Trump firmly. Hannity then happily stated, "I think you got it right, yeah."

Hannity later stated, "If you move forward, you know how difficult it is, but you seem ready to re-engage in that battle."

"It's not that I want to," Trump pointed out. "The country needs it. We have to take care of this country. I don't want to, is this fun? Fighting constantly? Fighting always? I mean, the country, what we have done is so important."

While it may not have been an official announcement, or confirmation, Trump did say he has come to his decision, which means he's definitely not just "beyond seriously" considering it anymore, which he said to Hannity back in April.

 

[jw5]

from yahoo.com:

Trump Organization, CFO indicted on tax fraud charges​

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s company and its longtime finance chief were charged Thursday in what prosecutors called a “sweeping and audacious” tax fraud scheme in which the executive collected more than $1.7 million in off-the-books compensation, including apartment rent, car payments and school tuition.

Trump himself was not charged with any wrongdoing, but prosecutors noted he signed some of the checks at the center of the case. And one top prosecutor said the 15-year scheme was “orchestrated by the most senior executives” at the Trump Organization.

It is the first criminal case to come out New York authorities' two-year investigation into the former president's business dealings.

According to the indictment, from 2005 through this year, the Trump Organization and Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg cheated tax authorities by conspiring to pay senior executives off the books by way of lucrative fringe benefits and other means.

Weisselberg alone was accused of defrauding the federal government, state and city out of more than $900,000 in unpaid taxes and undeserved tax refunds.

The most serious charge against Weisselberg, grand larceny, carries five to 15 years in prison. The tax fraud charges against the company are punishable by a fine of double the amount of unpaid taxes, or $250,000, whichever is larger.

The 73-year-old Weisselberg has intimate knowledge of the Trump Organization's financial dealings from nearly five decades at the company. The charges against him could enable prosecutors to pressure him to cooperate with the investigation and tell them what he knows.

Both Weisselberg and lawyers for the Trump Organization pleaded not guilty. Weisselberg was ordered to surrender his passport and was released without bail, leaving the courthouse without comment.

In a statement, Trump condemned the case as a “political Witch Hunt by the Radical Left Democrats.” Weisselberg's lawyers said he will “fight these charges.”

The case is being led by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both Democrats.

Vance has been investigating a wide range of matters involving Trump and the Trump Organization, such as hush-money payments made to women on Trump’s behalf and whether the company falsified the value of its properties to obtain loans or reduce its tax bills.

The news comes as Trump has been more seriously discussing a possible comeback run for president in 2024. He has ramped up his public appearances, including holding his first rallies since leaving the White House.

In announcing the grand jury indictment, Carey Dunne, the top prosecutor in the district attorney's office, said: “Politics has no role in the jury chamber, and I can assure you it had no role here."

The Trump Organization is the entity through which the former president manages his many ventures, including his investments in office towers, hotels and golf courses, his many marketing deals and his TV pursuits. Trump’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric have been in charge of day-to-day operations since he became president.

In addition to exposing the Trump Organizations to fines, the criminal case could make it more difficult for the business to secure bank loans or strike deals — a hit that comes at a particularly bad time, with the company already reeling from lost business because of the coronavirus and the backlash over the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

“Companies that are being indicted, whether they are private or public, big or small, face serious collateral consequences,” said Daniel Horwitz, a white-collar defense attorney. “Companies in the financial services industry are reluctant to do business with them. Their access to capital is limited or cut off."

Weisselberg came under scrutiny in part because of questions about his son’s use of a Trump apartment at little or no cost.

Weisselberg’s son Barry — who managed a Trump-operated ice rink in Central Park — paid no reported rent while living in a Trump-owned apartment in 2018, and he was charged just $1,000 per month — far below typical Manhattan prices — while living in a Trump apartment from 2005 to 2012, the indictment said.

Allen Weisselberg himself, an intensely private man who lived for years in a modest home on Long Island, continued to claim residency there despite living in a company-paid Manhattan apartment, prosecutors said.

By doing so, Weisselberg concealed that he was a New York City resident, and he avoided paying hundreds of thousands in federal, state and city income taxes while collecting about $133,000 in refunds to which he was not entitled, prosecutors said.

According to the indictment, Weisselberg paid rent on his Manhattan apartment with company checks and directed the company to pay for his utility bills and parking, too.

The company also paid for private school tuition for Weisselberg’s grandchildren with checks bearing Trump’s signature, as well as for Mercedes cars driven by Weisselberg and his wife, and gave him cash to hand out tips around Christmas.

Such perks were listed on internal Trump company documents as being part of Weisselberg’s compensation but were not included on his W-2 forms or otherwise reported, and the company did not withhold taxes on their value, prosecutors said.

Trump’s company also issued checks, at Weisselberg’s request, to pay for personal expenses and upgrades to his homes and an apartment used by one of his sons, such as new beds, flat-screen TVs, carpeting and furniture, prosecutors said.

Barry Weisselberg’s ex-wife has been cooperating with investigators and given them reams of tax records and other documents.

Two other Trump executives who were not identified by name also received substantial under-the-table compensation, including lodging and the payment of automobile leases, the indictment said.

Weisselberg has a reputation as a workaholic utterly devoted to Trump's interests. So far, there is no sign that he is about to turn on the former president.

“I think it’s possible that Weisselberg would reconsider. Seeing the charges spelled out in this much detail, and seeing that the alleged federal tax loss is included, could in theory change his mind," said Daniel R. Alonso, former chief assistant district attorney. “On the other hand, he is a loyal Trump soldier, which obviously argues against his cooperation.”

Trump has said his company’s actions were standard practice in the business and in no way a crime. The Trump Organization accused the district attorney's office of using Weisselberg as “a pawn in a scorched-earth attempt to harm the former president.” It said the DA's office and the IRS have never before brought criminal charges against a company over employee benefits.

Vance fought a long battle to get Trump’s tax records and has been subpoenaing documents and interviewing company executives and other Trump insiders.

James Repetti, a tax lawyer and professor at Boston College Law School, said a company like the Trump Organization would generally have a responsibility to withhold taxes not just on salary but on other forms of compensation.

Another prominent New York City real estate figure, the late Leona Helmsley, was convicted of tax fraud in a federal case that arose from her company paying to remodel her home without her reporting that as income.

“The IRS routinely looks for abuse of fringe benefits when auditing closely held businesses,” Repetti said.

Michael Cohen, the former Trump lawyer who has been cooperating with Vance's investigation, wrote in his book “Disloyal” that Trump and Weisselberg were “masters at allocating expenses that related to non-business matters and finding a way to categorize them so they weren’t taxed."

Weisselberg first started working for Trump’s real estate-developer father, Fred, after answering a newspaper ad for a staff accountant in 1973, and rose in the organization.

Keeping a low profile — aside from a 2004 appearance as a judge on Trump’s reality TV show “The Apprentice" — Weisselberg was barely mentioned in news articles before Trump started running for president and questions arose about the boss’ finances and charity.

Cohen said Weisselberg was the one who decided how to secretly reimburse him for a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, the porn star who said she had sex with Trump.

 

[jw5]

from yahoo.com:

Florida Rally Marks New Twist In Donald Trump’s Comeback Tour, As Potential GOP Challenger Looms​

Former President Donald Trump returns home to Florida today for yet another political rally. But this time, the stakes may be higher.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is considered a front-runner for the Republican nomination in 2024, and in a recent straw poll by the Western Conservative Summit, he beat Trump 74-71 as the potential nominee.

DeSantis won’t attend Trump’s Sarasota rally, but his presence will loom over the event. Some reports, denied by DeSantis, said he asked Trump to postpone the rally in the wake of the condo collapse in Miami.

Crowds are already lining up for the 8 PM rally, being held at the Sarasota Fairgrounds. It is the third campaign-style event in recent weeks, following a rally in Ohio and Trump appearance at the Texas border. Newsmax will televise and stream the rally, starting with a pre-show at 6 PM ET.

Trump also will face scrutiny in a different area, as this is his first public appearance since New York prosecutors unsealed indictments of the Trump Organization and Allen Weisselberg, the company’s CFO. The charges include allegations that taxes were avoided on non-monetary perks like company cars. Weisselberg has pleaded not guilty.

 

[jw5]

from yahoo.com:

Trump hosts campaign-style rally in Florida as he aims to retain Republican spotlight​

SARASOTA, Fla. (Reuters) -Former U.S. President Donald Trump will hold a rally on Saturday in Sarasota, Florida, his second campaign-style event of the summer as he seeks to retain his hold over the Republican Party and bolster allies ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

The rally, billed as a Fourth of July celebration featuring fireworks, is expected to draw several thousand people from across the state which Trump, a Republican, won by more than 3 percentage points in the 2020 presidential election.

By afternoon, several thousand people wearing red, white and blue had arrived at the Sarasota Fairgrounds for the rally, some wearing Trump 2024 T-shirts and waving American flags.

Trump is likely to berate President Joe Biden, repeat his false claim that he lost the 2020 election due to fraud, and urge his supporters to back his allies in their midterm campaigns as Republicans fight to take back control of Congress from the Democratic Party next year.

Jack Brill, chair of the Republican Party of Sarasota County, said he hoped the former president would use his speech to galvanize his supporters ahead of the midterms and the Florida gubernatorial race.

"I'm hoping that this will get everybody fired up as we moved forward for our 2022 elections," Brill said.

The Sarasota event is the latest in Trump's return to public life after his election loss and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, which was carried out by his supporters who believed his false claim that the election was rigged.

Some 53% of Republicans believe Trump won and blame his loss on illegal voting, and one quarter of the overall public agreed Trump won, a May 17-19 Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.

Trump held his first comeback rally on June 26 in Wellington, Ohio, where he voiced support for his former White House aide Max Miller's primary campaign against U.S. Representative Anthony Gonzalez, who had voted to impeach Trump over the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol.

BUILDUP TO 2024

Trump, 75, has dangled the possibility of running for president again in 2024, and his 2021 rally series marks his effort to keep his base energized and in his camp.

Whether he runs could depend on the outcome of some of the investigations and lawsuits facing Trump.

On Thursday, Trump's namesake company and its chief financial officer pleaded not guilty to criminal charges brought as part of an investigation by the Manhattan district attorney into suspected tax fraud. Trump has accused the prosecutors of being politically motivated.

Many Republicans see an appealing option for a 2024 party nominee in Florida's 42-year-old governor, Ron DeSantis. A longtime Trump ally, DeSantis has been at the forefront of Republican-led fights against strict anti-coronavirus lockdowns, racial justice protests and expanded ballot access.

In a straw poll of potential 2024 candidates at a conservative conference in Denver in June, DeSantis finished ahead of Trump, 74% to 71%.

DeSantis' office has said the governor is focused on winning re-election in Florida next year, not aspiring to national office.

Lindsay Gordon, a 35-year-old Sarasota resident who works in retail, said it was her third time attending a Trump rally and she was excited to show her support for the former president. She said she hopes Trump runs again, but thought DeSantis might be a better, less-polarizing alternative.

"I think DeSantis would probably have a better opportunity seeing as he's younger," Gordon said. "Because he's still new and fresh there's still a chance to get people to understand where he's coming from. There isn't as much of this negativity."

DeSantis was not attending Trump's Sarasota rally, a spokesperson said, since he plans to spend the weekend in Surfside, Florida, where rescuers have spent more than a week searching for survivors in the rubble of a condo building collapse that killed at least 24 people and left scores missing.

 

[jw5]

from yahoo.com:

The new circus comes to town: fiery support for Donald Trump at rain-soaked Florida rally​

Their trust in Trump remains unshaken.

Supporters of Donald Trump, the former US president, gathered in their thousands at a rain-soaked rally in Florida on Saturday unmoved by criminal charges against his business.

Two days earlier the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, had pleaded not guilty to tax fraud charges brought by the Manhattan district attorney (DA). The case in New York could be merely the tip of a legal iceberg that threatens Trump himself.

But Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman turned Trump critic, tweeted in response: “Trump’s supporters already know he’s a tax cheat, a liar, a ruler-breaker, and a crook. They don’t care.”

Interviews at the rally with some of the ex-president’s most ardent fans put this hypothesis to the test. Some did indeed shrug and move on. Others echoed Trump’s view that the charges were politically motivated. More than one prefaced their answer with the words “it’s bullshit”.

From all it was clear that the charges fitted neatly into an existing narrative in which Democrats, the media and the “deep state” have been trying to tear Trump down since he launched his candidacy with an escalator ride at Trump Tower in 2015. Any new accusation is merely interpreted as another data point to strengthen that case.

Anthony Cabrera, 19, a student wearing a “Make America great again” [Maga] cap, spoke for many when he said: “I have no opinion. You hear about it and you move on with your day.”

But with some prompting, he elaborated: “I think it’s a publicity thing. The Manhattan DA’s been trying to get something for ages. It’s a trophy.”

And if Trump eventually finds himself in the dock, will the Maga army rally in his defence? Cabrera said: “I have no doubt. You see the crowd here. Trump’s got a lot of very enthusiastic support. Escalating something like this for political reasons is not going to be good for the country.”

Supporters of former president Donald Trump attend a rally held at the Sarasota Fairgrounds, the winter quarters of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus. Photograph: Octavio Jones/Reuters
Eddie Gottsman, 67, a retired manager, was blunt. “I think it’s bullshit,” he said. “It’s a witch hunt. The way they’ve treated Trump for the last four years, it’s obvious they’re out to cancel him. He scares them. I know he’s going to run in 2024 and, if he does, he’ll win.”

There is much speculation that Weisselberg, who was led into court wearing handcuffs, might “flip” to save his own skin. But Gottsman opined: “I don’t think so because Trump doesn’t have anything to hide. He’s always three steps ahead of them, whatever they try to do. Russian collusion was all a hoax, all made-up lies.”

Ashley Ballinger, 38, a business owner, agreed. “I think the witch hunt is still continuing,” she said. “They’ve been trying to get him for years and they still haven’t got anything on him. This gentleman has worked for him for years. Trump takes care of his people and they take care of him.”

Trump has accused New York’s state attorney general, Letitia James, and the Manhattan DA, Cyrus Vance, of partisanship because both are Democrats. But Ballinger said: “It’s Republicans and Democrats: they’re all in this together, they’re all politicians. He’s a threat to them and all of us are a threat to them and that is what scares them.”

On the eve of Independence Day. Trump’s second post-presidential “Save America!” rally was held at fairgrounds in Sarasota, perhaps fitting for a man often described as a carnival barker or clown. For more than 60 years Sarasota was the winter quarters of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus. But John Ringling, “king of the sawdust ring”, lost his fortune and fell on hard times.

The new circus came to town with a man playing guitar and singing “You can stick your poisoned vaccine up your ass”; a Trump impersonator in baggy suit, red tie, blond wig and orange makeup prancing across the field; a 10ft-plus Trump statue with giant hands outstretched; a man in a “Trump 2024” cap and Confederate vest; an eight-year-old Black boy wearing a t-shirt that said: “Trump won.”

But it only became the greatest show on earth when a small plane, presumably belonging to a Biden voter, circled overhead with the words “Loser-Palooza’ scrolling in lights underneath its wings.

There was food, fireworks and flags that snarled: “Fuck Biden and fuck you for voting for him!” Warm-up acts including Matt Gaetz, a Florida congressman under investigation over alleged sex trafficking, and Trump’s son Don Jr who said of the Manhattan DA’s case: “The political persecution will continue because we are no different from Russia, we are no different from the mullahs in Iran.”

A giant Donald Trump loomed over supporters at the rally, which was co-sponsored by the Republican Party of Florida. Photograph: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images
Trump himself launched a tirade against the charges, insisting that they were part of a five-year campaign against him that included the Russia investigation which, he claimed, cleared him of collusion. He accused Democratic prosecutors of “corrupting and weaponising the law” against opponents while allowing violent crime to skyrocket.

“This is the kind of persecution they’re doing, as an example in New York, that you would see in Third World nations,” he said. “It’s reminiscent of a communist dictatorship targeting its political opponents... There’s no depth to which the radical left will not sink to stop our Make America Great Again movement.”

Trump complained that New York prosecutors did not go after a single financial firm after the 2007-08 financial crisis and did not target Democrat Hillary Clinton or Biden’s son Hunter. “They leave Democrats alone, no matter how bad they are, but they mobilise every power of government to come after me, my family, my wonderful employees and my company solely because of politics... The harder I fight for you, the harder they come after me.”

Related: ‘He’s not a quitter’: faithful out in force as Trump gets back to the campaign trail

He went on to suggest that charges against Weisselberg related to not paying taxes on a company car and an apartment that eased his commute were trivial. He also claimed ignorance as to whether Weisselberg did anything wrong with regard to taxes on his grandchildren’s private education, asking the crowd: “Does anybody know the answer to that?”

Such sentiments resonated with his diehard followers. Garry Petty, 44, manager of a pest control and fertiliser company, said: “I think it’s bullshit. They’ve been going after him since the day he ran for president and they came up with nothing. Washington hates Trump because he’s not a politician. He’s a businessman who doesn’t need their support or money and that scares the shit out of them.

“If he’d done something wrong, they’d have dug it up by now. If they did find something on him we could handle it – oh, we were wrong – but I don’t think that’s going to happen. They’re going to have to keep trying and I’m sure they will. They’re scared shitless of him running again; that’s why they turned up on the heat.”

But if Trump goes to court, Perry – wearing a “Hillary Clinton killed my friend” t-shirt – does not foresee violent protests. “I think the right is the reasonable half of the country. Take a look at who has been doing the looting and rioting over the past year: it’s not been us.” In fact far-right white nationalists have been linked to a surge in racist and antisemitic violence.

The rally came days after Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, had pleaded not guilty to tax fraud charges brought by the Manhattan district attorney. Photograph: Octavio Jones/Reuters
The views were shared across age, gender and race. Liz Ulibarri, 57, who works in a metal shop, said: “I think the charges are trumped up and the Democrats are desperate to pin something on him. They’ve decided to try and bring him down but everything they’ve tried has failed. Over five years, how many things has he been accused of and how many have turned out to be trumped up?”

Could Weisselberg, accused of accepting fringe benefits “off the books”, turn against his boss of nearly half a century and reveal dark secrets? Ulibarri said: “I don’t think Allen Weisselberg has dark secrets to tell. They’re trying to charge him for taking gifts. How petty is that?”

Dolly Schacht, 67, a business owner, was also staying loyal. “It’s a set up,” she said. “I didn’t get with politics until Trump. I listened to him and it was everything I wanted. He exposed corruption in government and it was scary. I also think we want a businessman to run country rather than a politician who doesn’t know what they’re doing.”

Asked if she was troubled by potential corruption in the Trump Organization, Schacht replied: “It will be less than the politicians. I think government forces businesses to be a little bit corrupt.”

And if Trump ends up in handcuffs? “The people will support him without question,” she said, gesturing to the crowd. “We are there. We’ve seen him go through so much. I think the Democrats have hurt themselves more than they’ve helped themselves. Trump might be a talker and antagonist but he loves the American people.”

 

[jw5]

from yahoo.com:

Donald Trump Jr. Concedes Felony Count In Indictment Against Dad's Company Is True​

Donald Trump Jr. has come right out and acknowledged that one of the counts in the 15-felony indictment against his dad’s Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, is true.

In a rambling 13-minute video posted to Facebook on Thursday, Junior said that, yes, his father, former President Donald Trump, paid the private school tuition for Weisselberg’s grandkids. “My dad did that,” he said, because he’s a “good guy.”
MSNBC’s Ari Melber said on “The Beat” Friday that Don Jr. may have made things “worse” for the Trump Organization and Weisselberg with his remarks. “This is about off-the-books tax crime allegations,” Melber said. (Check out the video up top.)

A count in the indictment filed Thursday against Weisselberg and the former president’s business details the tuition payments — made in lieu of an equal portion of Weisselberg’s salary — as a part of an alleged wide-ranging scheme to defraud the government of taxes owed by both the Trump Organization and Weisselberg, by paying the CFO some of his earned compensation “off the books.”

According to federal prosecutors, the tuition money was part of Weisselberg’s salary — not charity from Trump. It was paid directly to the school so the Trump Organization could dodge payroll taxes on the money and Weisselberg could shirk income taxes, according to the indictment.

“The payment of tuition expenses for Weisselberg’s family members constituted employee compensation and taxable income” to Weisselberg that was “treated as part of Weisselberg’s annual compensation in internal records maintained by the Trump Corporation,” the indictment says. It was not, however, reported as income, prosecutors noted, and Weisselberg allegedly avoided paying taxes on nearly $360,000 paid directly as tuition.

The tuition was one of many similar “off the books” pay arrangements, the indictment alleges.
Weisselberg and the Trump Organization have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

As for questionable compensation schemes, Trump’s oldest children could also be in trouble.

The New York Times reported Friday that New York City and state investigators issued subpoenas last year for information on Trump Organization tax write-offs for “millions of dollars of consulting fees” paid to TTT Consulting — a limited liability company set up for Trump’s three eldest children.

“Some of those fees appear to have been paid” to Ivanka Trump, the newspaper reported last year.

On a 2017 disclosure she filed when joining the White House as a presidential adviser, Ivanka “reported receiving payments from a consulting company she co-owned, totaling $747,622, that exactly matched consulting fees claimed as tax deductions by the Trump Organization for hotel projects in Hawaii and Vancouver, British Columbia,” the Times reported.

Ivanka Trump was a full-time employee of the Trump companies that made the payments, meaning she “appears to have been treated as a consultant while also working for the company” as a senior executive, the Times noted.

Eric Trump said he isn’t worried about indictments against him or his siblings. “We’ve always lived amazingly clean lives,” he told Newsmax Friday.

 

[Leongsam]

Wow Trump is the best after all. Time to update my banners.