Mark Hamill trolls Trump for AI-generated ‘Star Wars' portrait
The Oakland-born actor, who originated Luke Skywalker in the franchise, took to Bluesky to criticize the AI-generated image of Trump, in which he is gripping a red lightsaber in front of two American flags and eagles, wearing a sleeveless Jedi robe that reveals bulging muscles.
'Proof this guy is full of SITH,' Hamill wrote on Sunday, May 4, responding to a post from Mrs. Betty Bowers, Canadian comedian Deven Green's satirical character, about the image.
Bowers pointed out in her Bluesky post that as part of 'Star Wars' lore, 'those who have embraced the Dark Side of the Force wield red lightsabers.'
The White House shared the controversial image on Sunday morning to celebrate the day that many fans regard as a 'Star Wars' holiday due to the way in which the date sounds like its most iconic phrase: 'May the Force be with you.'
For the first time ever, BART also recognized the fan holiday by offering a special 'Star Wars'-themed 'starship' ride on Sunday. The sold-out experience featured trivia, costume contests and other activities to help commuters form new friendships over the course of the 90-minute ride.
Other May the Fourth activities in the Bay Area over the weekend included film screenings, craft parties and even a burlesque show.
Hamill, one of the science-fiction franchise's most recognizable stars, has been a vocal opponent of Trump's for years. He even banded together with 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' director J.J. Abrams, 'Pixels' star Josh Gad and a handful of other notable white men to support former Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential bid during last year's election season. The group, which operated under the name White Dudes for Harris, raised $4 million during a viral rally in July.
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News24
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- News24
Trump names Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor among Kennedy Center honorees
Donald Trump on Wednesday named Sylvester Stallone and disco diva Gloria Gaynor among the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors. This comes as the US president pursues a controversial overhaul of the storied arts venue. Since returning to office in January, the Republican leader has declared war on what he calls 'woke' viewpoints espoused in the nation's cultural institutions. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday named 'Rocky' star Sylvester Stallone and country music great George Strait among the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, as he pursues a controversial overhaul of the storied arts venue. Since returning to office in January, the Republican leader has declared war on what he calls 'woke' viewpoints espoused in the nation's cultural institutions, including a fresh probe of content at several Smithsonian museums. The Kennedy Center, a living monument to the late John F. Kennedy that opened in 1971, has long enjoyed bipartisan support but has been in the president's crosshairs, and he appointed himself board chairman in February. 'We have completely reversed the decline of this cherished national institution,' Trump told reporters at the stately white marble complex overlooking the Potomac River. 'We ended the woke political programming.' Also receiving the Kennedy Center Honors, one of the nation's highest arts awards for lifetime achievement, will be disco diva Gloria Gaynor, rock band KISS and British actor Michael Crawford, known for Broadway's Phantom of the Opera. AFP Trump announced that he himself would host the awards gala, which usually takes place in early December and is later broadcast on CBS. 'I did not insist, but I think it will be quite successful,' he said. He also joked that he wanted an honour himself but was 'never able to get one.' Rocky and the Phantom Stallone, who at 79 is the same age as Trump, is a three-time Oscar nominee: for best actor and screenplay for the 1976 classic boxing flick Rocky, and for best supporting actor, again in the Rocky Balboa role, in the 2015 follow-up Creed. Trump called Stallone a 'great actor.' He is also a major Trump supporter and one of the president's 'Hollywood ambassadors' along with Jon Voight and Mel Gibson. In November 2024, at a post-election event at Trump's Mar-a-Lago compound in Florida, Stallone called him 'the second George Washington.' Strait, 73, is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with more than 120 million records sold. He is known for huge hits like All My Exes Live in Texas and Amarillo by Morning. 'He's a good-looking guy. Hope he still looks like that,' Trump quipped. James Devaney/GC Images Gaynor, 81, is the singer behind the monster disco anthem I Will Survive. KISS, formed in the 1970s in Trump's hometown, New York City, gained fame with its shock rock performances and outlandish black and white face paint. 'They work hard, and they're still working hard,' the US president said. Crawford, 83, made his mark on British television in the 1970s before achieving international success by originating the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Phantom of the Opera, thrilling audiences with his powerful tenor voice. 'I think he's one of the greatest talents I've ever actually seen,' Trump said Wednesday. In his first term, from 2017 to 2021, the Republican president skipped the Kennedy Center Honors gala because some of the artists receiving awards criticised him or said they would not attend in his presence. 'We're restoring the Kennedy Center' The Kennedy Center is home to the National Symphony Orchestra and also offers theatre, opera, comedy and other productions. Many artists associated with the centre, including opera singer Renée Fleming and musician Ben Folds, have cut ties with the institution since Trump took the reins. Others, including comedian Issa Rae, cancelled performances. The producers of smash hit historical musical Hamilton opted to cancel a scheduled 2026 run, citing the end of 'neutrality' at the centre. 'We're restoring the Kennedy Center as the premier venue for performing arts anywhere in the country, anywhere in the world,' Trump said. 'It was being run down; money wasn't being spent properly. They were building things they shouldn't have built that nobody wanted instead of taking care of the great gem that it is.' The Smithsonian Institution, which runs a vast network of museums, said it was reviewing a White House letter announcing a probe of content aimed at removing 'divisive or partisan narratives.' Among the museums targeted are the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the National Museum of the American Indian, the letter said.
Yahoo
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Now Jimmy Fallon Is Using Taylor Swift To Suggest Trump Had Sinister Ties To Epstein
Jimmy Fallon is on a roll in taunting President Donald Trump with sexual jokes ― and some are making insinuations about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. (Watch the video below.) On Wednesday the 'Tonight Show' host was back at it again, using Taylor Swift songs to sum up the president's Friday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Fallon got a big response for noting that Americans are worried that Trump isn't ready for the talks to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine 'since his mind is basically a giant 'Blank Space.' ' Then the comedian waded into very sensitive territory. 'Also, he's distracted by the Epstein scandal. He'll tell Putin it's been a 'Cruel Summer' because everyone thinks 'I Did Something Bad' but I swear everyone on the island was '22.′' 'Oooooh,' the audience reacted in he-really-went-there fashion. Fast-forward to 1:50 for the Swift-Trump bit: To be clear, Trump reportedly has never been investigated over anything involving the late Epstein. The sex offender's hobnobbing with celebrities and politicians has generated high interest in what government files potentially contain about them. And while Trump was reportedly told by Attorney General Pam Bondi that he is mentioned in the files, the context is not publicly known. Trump brought some suspicion on himself by suddenly declaring the files to be a hoax. But some Republicans are backing a bipartisan House push for the release of all the files related to Epstein. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) appears to be hindering the process. Fallon has taunted Trump for a while on his about-face on the Epstein front. On Monday the host noted that the president had hoped for a 'trilateral meeting' of peace talks involving Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy. 'Last time Trump had a trilateral meeting was on Epstein Island,' Fallon cracked. On Tuesday, he again parlayed monologue chatter about the summit into another naughty dig at the commander in chief. 'Trump said that in his meeting with Putin, he will know probably in the first two minutes whether a deal is possible,' the host said. 'It's reassuring when a president talks about ending a war like a Tinder date.' 'Yep,' Fallon continued, 'Trump says that he'll know in two minutes, which makes sense because, according to Stormy Daniels, two minutes is plenty.' Related... A Funny Thing Happened To Ratings When Jimmy Fallon Had Fox News Host As Guest Jimmy Fallon Again Talks Dirty About Trump And We're Here For It Jimmy Fallon's Filthy Trump Burn Over Putin Meeting Gets A 'Whoa' From Audience
USA Today
29 minutes ago
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It's not just DC: Republicans seem happy to let Trump do whatever he wants
For a party that claims to care about federal overreach, GOP leaders certainly have been quiet about President Trump's invasion of an American city. I'm starting to wonder when our government's checks and balances will kick in – or if they will at all. On Monday, Aug. 11, President Donald Trump announced he would be deploying the National Guard in Washington, DC, and taking over the city's police force "to rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse.' The troops began showing up on Tuesday evening. According to Trump, violent crime is up in the nation's capital, and he's the only one who can rescue the city from societal collapse. It's a convenient narrative, one that feeds into MAGA's perception of him. For the rest of us, it's a terrifying move that shows he is willing to test the limits of presidential oversight. But while Trump's hostile takeover of DC public safety is concerning on its own, it's more alarming that Republicans in Congress are letting him do this with seemingly no regard for what is ethical. Even if this deployment is legal, there are certain lines that presidents should not cross. This is one of them. And I have to ask. Would Republicans be sitting on their hands if a Democratic president were doing everything that Trump is doing? I would hope not, but here we are. Of course, Trump is lying about crime in DC Trump seems to have called in the military after an assault on a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer on Aug. 3. While it's horrible that a government employee was attacked, Trump's declaration that Washington is crime-infested and dangerous doesn't align with reality. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, violent crime is down 26% compared with last year. In fact, 2024 marked a 30-year low for violent crime in Washington, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Per a New York Times analysis, the homicide rate in 2023 was 40.4 per 100,000 people, the highest rate in 20 years. But that rate declined in 2024, down to 26.6 per 100,000 people. And homicides in the city continue to decline in 2025. While Trump is correct in saying this rate is higher than those of Mexico City and Bogotá, Colombia, it doesn't paint the full picture. A federal takeover is an extreme reaction. It doesn't matter, of course, that violent crime in the city is down overall this year. That wouldn't fit in with the Trumpian narrative, the one where he's the hero saving tourists and locals alike from violent crime. Are you worried about crime? Do you feel safe where you live? Tell us. | Opinion Forum Who even asked for this? It wasn't DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. All of this is happening to the dismay of Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser, who noted on the Aug. 12 edition of 'The Breakfast Club' that the militarization of the city will instill fear in its residents. '(Trump) wants to send the message to cities that if he can get away with this in Los Angeles, if he can get away with this in DC, he can get away with it in New York, or Baltimore or Chicago, or any other place where millions of people live, work and are doing everything the right way,' Bowser said on the radio show. Bowser is right, this is an escalation. It's Trump's way of showing everyone in Democratic parts of the country that he has the final say and that he isn't afraid to use the military to his advantage. Trump is a bully. He's using the National Guard to conquer DC as a test run. | Opinion Will Republicans hold Trump accountable for anything? For a party that claims to care about federal overreach, GOP leaders certainly have been quiet about Trump's invasion of an American city. In fact, it seems that many are supportive of the move. If a Democratic president were to try to do this, the Republican Party would decry authoritarianism's arrival in the United States. But because it's Trump, there has been zero pushback. Just like his tariff plan that's costing everyday Americans, the failed Elon Musk overhaul of the federal government, the deployment of soldiers against citizens in Los Angeles and his ruthless immigration agenda that includes trying to erase due process, the GOP is letting him get away with all of it. Republicans may even be happy about it. Imagine if Joe Biden did any of that? The Republican pearl-clutching would be generational. But this is fine because it's their king. Trump is considering extending the troop deployment beyond 30 days, something he will need congressional approval for. This seems entirely plausible, even likely, because of the Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress. I'm hesitant to throw the F-word – fascism – around, but if the Trump administration continues down this path, I worry that the rights we have as Americans will slip away. Who's stopping the president from deploying troops to other cities in the United States? It certainly isn't going to be Congress. There's some hope for the Supreme Court, but it has a 6-3 conservative majority. All of this is happening within the first year of Trump's return to the White House. There's no telling what the next three years will bring if this is how he's starting out. There should be firm lines that presidents do not cross – there are some things that are not appropriate or reasonable for a president to do. Yet that line keeps getting moved by Republicans, who don't seem to care as long as their conservative agenda is being implemented. Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter: @sara__pequeno
