Michael Wolff: Trump is getting what he wants, conflict
Elon Musk yesterday began 'offloading' from his role overseeing the 'DOGE' programme, after coming to the end of his 130 day limit as a special government employee.
But rumours abound of a falling out between Musk and Trump, with the South African-born businessman criticising the president's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' in an interview yesterday, claiming that the programme of massive tax cuts would actually raise the federal deficit, undermining his work cutting government spending.
In this episode of The Daily T, Kamal Ahmed speaks to Michael Wolff - Trump biographer and author of four behind-the-scenes books about the president - who explains why the president won't be unduly bothered by Elon Musk's criticism and the shock news that his global tariffs have been blocked by a US federal court.
The Daily Telegraph's Chief US Correspondent Rob Crilly also speaks to Kamal from Washington DC, having been in Delaware to witness Joe Biden's first public appearances since his cancer diagnosis.
Watch episodes of the Daily T here. You can also listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe to The Daily T newsletter for updates.
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Newsweek
a minute ago
- Newsweek
Gavin Newsom's Team Unveils New Nickname for JD Vance
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. After pivoting into a Donald Trump-style of social media posting to mock the U.S. president, California Governor Gavin Newsom's team has now introduced a new nickname for Vice President J.D. Vance, "Just Dance Vance." The governor's office was commenting on Vance's recent visit to Indianapolis where Republicans are under pressure from the Trump administration to redraw the state's electoral map ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The same move has recently been pushed by Texas Republicans in the Lone Star State, promising to give the GOP five additional seats next year. The controversial strategy is behind the recent fleeing of Texas Democrats from the state and sparked nationwide protests against a "Trump takeover" on Saturday. "NOT EVEN JD 'JUST DANCE' VANCE CAN SAVE TRUMP FROM THE DISASTROUS MAPS 'WAR' HE HAS STARTED," Newsom's office wrote on X on Saturday, mimicking Trump's habit to write in all-caps. Why It Matters The kind of trolling that Newsom is currently directing at Trump on social media is yet another step in the quickly escalating clash between the U.S. president and the California governor. Their relationship has deteriorated after Trump decided to send thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles earlier this summer despite Newsom's objections. Main image, California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks about the 'Election Rigging Response Act' at a press conference at the Japanese American National Museum on August 14, 2025, in Los Angeles, California; Inset, Vice President JD... Main image, California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks about the 'Election Rigging Response Act' at a press conference at the Japanese American National Museum on August 14, 2025, in Los Angeles, California; Inset, Vice President JD Vance delivers a speech during a visit to RAF Fairford in England on August 13, 2025. More Getty Images The president justified the move as necessary to contain protests in the city against his administration's mass deportation efforts, but Newsom said it was only trying to fulfill "the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial president." The state of California has since sued the president for sending federal troops to Los Angeles without Newsom's permission. A trial was held last week and a decision in the case is looming. What To Know Giving Vance a nickname—"Just Dance Vance"—is just one of the many ways Newsom is imitating Trump's very recognizable social media posting style to mock the president. These include using derogatory nicknames for his political opponents, writing in all-caps and overtly and exaggeratedly praising himself for real or imaginary achievements. In Trump's social media world, the California governor is often referred to as "Newscum." In his mocking posts, Newsom has repeatedly referred to Trump as "tiny hands." This mockery has gone side by side with the California governor's fight against nationwide attempts to redistribute congressional boundaries ahead of the 2026 midterms—a strategy that is backed by Trump and his administration. Newsom has threatened to go ahead with his own plan to redraw California's electoral map should Texas and other Republican-led states reconfigure their state's congressional districts in their favor. The governor said that California will not redraw its electoral map if Republican-led states give up on the idea—if not, they can expect a tit-for-tat from the Golden State which would effectively neutralize their efforts. What People Are Saying Newsom's press office wrote on X: "NOT EVEN JD 'JUST DANCE' VANCE CAN SAVE TRUMP FROM THE DISASTROUS MAPS 'WAR' HE HAS STARTED. NOT EVEN HIS EYELINER LINES LOOK AS PRETTY AS CALIFORNIA 'MAP' LINES. HE WILL FAIL, AS HE ALWAYS DOES (SAD!) "AND I, THE PEACETIME GOVERNOR—OUR NATION'S FAVORITE—WILL SAVE AMERICA ONCE AGAIN. MANY ARE NOW CALLING ME GAVIN CHRISTOPHER 'COLUMBUS' NEWSOM (BECAUSE OF THE MAPS!). THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER." Questioned by a reporter about his trolling of the president in his recent social media posts, Newsom said on Thursday: "I'm just following his example. If you have issues with what I'm putting out, you sure as hell should have concerns with what he's putting out as president." Reporter: What's going on with those posts on X that are clearly trolling the president? Newsom: I hope it's a wake up call for the president. I'm just following his example. If you have issues with what I'm putting out, you sure as hell should have concerns with what he's… — Acyn (@Acyn) August 14, 2025 White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but Newscum's obsession is getting a little creepy at this point. Gavin will never be ready for primetime!" What Happens Next It is unclear how long Newsom and his team will continue to mock the president and his social media posting style, but the bitterness between the two is unlikely to dissipate. Newsom's time in office ends next year, and he is rumored to be contemplating a run for president.


New York Times
a minute ago
- New York Times
Trump and Putin Find Common Ground on One Issue: Biden
President Trump and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia did not agree on a cease-fire to the war in Ukraine during their meeting in Alaska. But they did agree on something else: They both despise Joe Biden. During their private meeting and their public appearance in Anchorage on Friday, both leaders blamed Mr. Biden for the war in Ukraine, never mind that Mr. Putin was the one who ordered troops to invade his neighbor and keeps authorizing strikes against civilian targets. The Russian president complained that Mr. Biden did not accede to Russian demands before the full-scale invasion three and a half years ago, and he played to the current president's ego by agreeing that the war would not have happened had Mr. Trump still been in office in 2022. By Mr. Trump's account, Mr. Putin behind closed doors also endorsed the lie that Mr. Trump actually won the 2020 election, only to have it stolen by Democrats. 'I think that he respects our country now,' Mr. Trump said of Mr. Putin during a post-summit interview on Fox News. 'He didn't respect it under Biden, I can tell you that. He had no respect for it. I was so happy when he said this would have never happened. This — all those lives would be saved if they had a competent — if we had a competent president.' It was unorthodox, to say the least, to see a sitting American president join a foreign dictator accused of war crimes onstage in Anchorage to bash a former American president. But it underscored that Mr. Trump, with his increasingly authoritarian tendencies, in some ways finds more common ground with the repressive leader of Russia than he does with his own country's leaders. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.


New York Times
a minute ago
- New York Times
Trump Officials Hint at Possible Concessions by Putin
President Trump and two advisers spent Sunday trying to recast the lack of a cease-fire in the war in Ukraine as one step in a possibly slow march toward peace. It was a significant departure from the peace agreement that the president said he had wanted out of a meeting in Alaska with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia just 48 hours earlier. Steve Witkoff, an envoy for Mr. Trump who had attended the meeting in Anchorage, said in a CNN interview on Sunday that Mr. Putin had edged toward making some concessions in talks to end the war, including by agreeing to strong security protections, though not under NATO, that Mr. Trump had floated earlier. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is scheduled to meet with Mr. Trump on Monday, and is expected to be flanked by at least half a dozen European leaders. In a tandem appearance on ABC's 'This Week,' Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was also at Mr. Trump's side in Anchorage, took a more cautious approach. He warned that both Russia and Ukraine would need to make concessions to end the war and that a peace agreement might be elusive in the short term. 'We made progress in the sense that we identified potential areas of agreement, but there remain some big areas of disagreement,' Mr. Rubio said. 'So we're still a long ways off. We are not at the precipice of a peace agreement. We are not at the edge of one. But I do think progress was made.' The television appearances by Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Rubio, who were the only people at Mr. Trump's side as he met with Mr. Putin on Friday, illustrated just how hard the Trump administration has worked to reframe expectations on a compressed timeline. On Friday, the president said that he was 'not going to be happy' and that there would be 'severe consequences' if the Russians did not agree to stop the war. By Sunday, all three were hailing progress without offering many specifics. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.