Donald Trump ‘thrives' off celebrity drama
'To Di For' podcast host Kinsey Schofield says US President Donald Trump 'thrives' off drama.
Ms Schofield told Sky News host Rita Panahi that Donald Trump uses celebrities publicly attacking him as 'ammunition'.
'To reinforce his narrative, 'they hate me because I stand up to the elite'.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
37 minutes ago
- News.com.au
What's not being discussed at G7 as Trump shapes agenda
Gender equality, climate change, biodiversity, poverty, health, gay rights and more -- the list of issues missing at the Canada G7 from past summits is long. The G7 gathering has been carefully planned to ensure US President Donald Trump agreed to attend at all and Canada is keen to avoid a public dust-up. Official agenda items are the global economic outlook and energy security, with organizers naming priorities as critical mineral supply chains and AI adoption, as well as "international peace and security." Last year's Group of Seven summit in Italy, when Joe Biden was US president, ended with a joint declaration promising better ties with Africa, action on poverty, and determination to tackle "the triple crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss." Such subjects are almost totally absent at the G7 talks this year in order to placate Trump, said John Kirton of the G7 Research Group at the University of Toronto. "There's no point in putting them on the agenda if the Americans will just refuse to discuss them. And if you put too many of them on, Trump wouldn't even come," he said. Kirton added that the schedule was also crowded out by crises from Ukraine to the Middle East, with G7 nations increasingly concerned with defense spending rather than development aid. For the G7 -- founded 50 years ago by the world's leading economies at the time -- such a lurch in priorities poses major questions about the club's purpose and future. But, for the Trump administration, the group is just returning to its original function of promoting global economic stability and growth. "Canada knows its audience and if it wants a unified outcome of this year's G7 leaders summit then it should stick close to traditional G7 values while avoiding controversial topics," said Caitlin Welsh of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. - 'Retreat' from world problems - The impact on the ground has alarmed many campaigners who say the G7 reduction of foreign aid is hitting millions of world's poorest, threatening food supplies, water, education and health. "The G7's retreat from the world is unprecedented and couldn't come at a worse time," said Oxfam International Executive Director Amitabh Behar. 'Rather than breaking from the Trump administration's cruel dismantling of USAID and other US foreign assistance, G7 countries like the UK, Germany and France are instead following the same path." Oxfam calculated that G7 nations, which provide three-quarters of all official development assistance, are cutting aid by 28 percent between 2024 and 2026. No joint communique is expected at the end of the summit on Tuesday to avoid the potential failure for all members to agree on the text. But there is one way that the non-US members of the G7 are fighting back -- discreetly. An unexpected item on the agenda is to "boost collaboration to prevent, fight and recover from wildfires." The wildfire issue "allows us to talk about climate change without saying it directly because we know that unfortunately not everyone likes it," a Canadian official speaking anonymously told AFP. Both Canada and the United States are increasingly affected by major forest fires -- worsened by climate change -- including blazes that burnt down swathes of Los Angeles earlier this year. Professor Kirton said the wildfires agenda tactic was "clever rather than sneaky." "They saw wildfires as a point of entry, and one that would work with Donald Trump." Kirton highlighted that wildfires are currently causing damage across the US states of North and South Carolina, both Trump heartlands. "That's getting into his MAGA base," he said.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Desperately seeking safety: Why Australia could benefit from America's woes
What's more frightening? The rapidly escalating horror in the Middle East as Tel Aviv and Tehran trade missile barrages or the sight of America descending into authoritarianism with soldiers on the streets of Los Angeles and military parades in Washington. The world suddenly has become a much more dangerous place as uneasy parallels have begun to emerge between recent events and those of a century ago. Global superpowers once again are jostling for domination as America actively tries to disengage from trade and defence alliances that have governed the global order for eight decades. A brutal three-year-old war is raging on Europe's doorstep while, in Africa, there are more armed conflicts than at any time since World War II. Meanwhile, in Asia, a nuclear armed hermit king is in control of South Korea while China quietly readies itself to flex its military might and reassert itself as the pre-eminent force in a new world order. Safety has become an elusive prospect. And not just from a physical perspective. Money has suddenly found itself looking for alternatives to traditional safe havens as the United States brings down the shutters, demanding local companies bring their foreign investments home and as its financial strength begins to fray. America remains the world's biggest economy with the deepest pools of capital, making it the centre for global finance, if only because there is little alternative right now. But the clumsy attempts by President Donald Trump to rectify its trade imbalances, the reckless fiscal policies, his complete lack of consistency on almost everything and the nation's descent into authoritarian rule has diminished America's reputation, perhaps permanently. Growing unrest on the streets at mass arrests and deportations, the administration's undermining of the legal system, the media, the bureaucracy, learning institutions and the scientific community has shaken faith in America's reputation as "The Land of the Free". The new US president wanted a new world order. But this may not be exactly what he had in mind. Israel's assault on Tehran last week did not come as a total shock. Since 1992, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly claimed that Iran was on the cusp of building nuclear weapons. With Gaza now in ruins, an increasingly hostile attitude from many western governments towards Israel and US talks scheduled with Tehran, the attacks on Iran ordinarily would have been considered ill-timed to say the least. But Tel Aviv used the latest report on Iran's nuclear program by the International Atomic Energy Agency as a convenient trigger to escalate hostilities. Shortly after the attack, the White House claimed Israel acted alone without any US involvement, an admission that would have seemed inconceivable just a short time ago and sent markets into a spin. Here's how global money markets should have reacted. Fearing the worst, money should automatically have flowed out of global stock markets and into the ultimate safe haven, US government bonds which essentially are IOUs. It's a safe bet because if the US government can't repay its debts, then no-one can. Demand for bonds sends bond prices sharply higher and yields, or market interest rates, lower. It's a win win. Punters can breathe a sigh of relief and Americans get cheap debt. The second big impact would be a dramatic lift in the greenback. That's because global investors need to buy US dollars before they buy US government bonds. For decades, that's been the traditional flight to safety drill. Usually, it didn't take much for that to occur as US government debt has been considered the ultimate risk free investment. So entrenched is the strategy, that it has even been the go-to shelter when America has caused the market meltdown in the first place, such as during the global financial crisis. Instead, here's what went down on Friday. Predictably, oil prices soared on the prospect of supply disruptions. But the US bond market barely blinked. And the US dollar, which has shed almost 10 per cent this year, rose by just a smidgen. If ever there was an illustration that America's reputation as the global reserve currency and the leader of free market capitalism has been tarnished, this was it. Suddenly, there seems to be nowhere left to hide. Gold has been an obvious shelter from the storm. It began gathering pace last year, accelerating into the US election and has shot ahead this year, as the graph below shows, hitting new records again this week. While it doesn't deliver a yield or dividend, gold has one great advantage; it is politically neutral and is recognised universally as a store of wealth In recent months, platinum has ended up on the safe haven radar, overtaking gold in the rush to safety. Price rises have been spectacular. But there have been surprises. Ever since April, money has been flowing out of America, looking for alternative hiding places. Government bonds in other recognised havens have found favour, such as Japan and Switzerland. Now there is a possibility Australia may be on the radar. Usually, we are considered the opposite, especially by currency traders. Given our status as a commodity exporter — minerals, energy and food — global financial traders love to bet on the Aussie dollar. If iron ore, coal, oil or wheat prices shift, so does our currency. That makes it one of the most heavily traded and volatile currencies out there. And given our reliance on China as a trading partner, global currency traders use the Aussie dollar as a yardstick for China's economic performance. Australian bond markets, however, are a different kettle of fish altogether. Our government debt is low compared to that in the US, the UK, Japan and much of Europe which makes us a safer bet. In fact, we are one of just 11 countries with a triple A credit rating alongside Canada, Denmark, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland. If more foreigners shift to our government debt, the Australian dollar could end up gaining ground and perhaps losing some of the volatility with which it has been associated. Stocks normally are considered anything but safe. As a shareholder, you stand last in line should anything go wrong with the company into which you've put your hard earned. But so far, they have avoided the shake-out we saw in April when Donald Trump imposed his Liberation Day tariffs. They have in fact recovered all that ground and are pushing back into record territory, which has many analysts perplexed, claiming stocks are overvalued and ripe for a fall. And then there is the Commonwealth Bank. Australia's biggest company by far, it seems to have broken free of the normal valuation shackles and continues to soar ever skywards. On some measures, it is the most expensive bank stock in global history. Unaffected by tariffs, with a stranglehold on the Australian market, it last week broke through the $180 a share barrier although it since has edged lower. Why? Global investors are reducing exposure to the US and looking for safer alternatives. Successful Aussie banks are on the list. Any port in a storm.
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
Donald Trump to flood big cities like Los Angeles, New York and Chicago with ICE agents in ‘single largest Mass Deportation Program' in history
President Trump announced plans to flood Democrat-run cities, namely New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, with new, larger waves of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to bring about the 'single largest Mass Deportation Program in History.' Trump highlighted the sweeping change targeting the majority-Democrat cities on Truth Social Sunday night as he praised ICE agents for their 'incredible strength, determination, and courage.' 'In order to achieve this, we must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America's largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside,' Trump wrote. 'These, and other such Cities, are the core of the Democrat Power Center, where they use Illegal Aliens to expand their Voter Base, cheat in Elections, and grow the Welfare State, robbing good paying Jobs and Benefits from Hardworking American Citizens.' Republican-run states like Texas, which is home to five of the largest cities in America, including Houston and San Antonio, were notably left out of the president's post. None of the Lone Star State's big urban centers, however, call themselves 'sanctuary cities.' 'These Radical Left Democrats are sick of mind, hate our Country, and actually want to destroy our Inner Cities — And they are doing a good job of it!' the commander in chief added in his post. 'And that is why I want ICE, Border Patrol, and our Great and Patriotic Law Enforcement Officers, to FOCUS on our crime ridden and deadly Inner Cities, and those places where Sanctuary Cities play such a big role. You don't hear about Sanctuary Cities in our Heartland!' Trump previously pledged that 'changes are coming' last week after admitting that his administration's crackdown on immigration was massacring key American industries — namely farming and hospitality. The Department of Agriculture estimates that nearly half of the 850,000 crop workers in the United States are undocumented, putting America's food supply chain at risk of total collapse if all are deported. While New York State is home to the largest sanctuary city in the country, it ranks first nationally in the production of many crops and products, including household staples like yogurt and cottage cheese, according to the New York Farm Bureau. With Trump's focus set on sanctuary cities, it is unclear how other parts of Democratic states may be impacted, or if ICE activity will primarily center on metropolitan areas going forward. Even so, raids have already expanded beyond the fields with ICE agents turning up anywhere from courthouses to schools. The shift quickly scared many immigrant workers away from the public eye. Data cited by the Wall Street Journal showed how immigrants' purchasing habits dramatically shifted online. Large brands also saw a steep decrease in Hispanic customer traffic, with places that have fallen victim to raids like Home Depot seeing an 8.7% drop. Originally published as Donald Trump to flood big cities like Los Angeles, New York and Chicago with ICE agents in 'single largest Mass Deportation Program' in history
