With fateful decision, Trump gambles his presidency on war
President Donald Trump's decision Saturday to strike Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities was an extraordinary bet that he could eliminate a nuclear program that has bedeviled multiple presidents while avoiding another long-running Middle East conflict of the sort he and his supporters have long denounced.
What happens next will have profound consequences for his presidency. If Iran is sufficiently weakened that it cannot meaningfully retaliate, Trump will have delivered a blow against a longtime adversary that will send a message to China, Russia and other global rivals that he will not shy from using military power when necessary.
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Business Insider
33 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Business leaders from Bill Ackman to Jason Calacanis react to the US strike on Iran's nuclear sites
Donald Trump on Saturday announced the US had launched strikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites. The attack takes US involvement in the conflict between Iran and Israel to a new level. Here's how business leaders from Bill Ackman to Jason Calacanis reacted to the news. The military operation marks a significant escalation in the tensions between Iran and Israel and represents a new level of US involvement in the international conflict. Business leaders from Bill Ackman to Jason Calacanis reacted to the news. Bill Ackman Billionairehedge fund manager Ackman, a longtime ally of the president's, was among the first to publicly react to the news with a post on X. "Thank you to our great military for its superb execution on ridding Iran of its nuclear threat," Ackman wrote shortly after the news broke. "All Americans are eternally grateful for you." Thank you to our great military for its superb execution on ridding Iran of its nuclear threat. All Americans are eternally grateful for you. — Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) June 22, 2025 He continued later, writing in a separate post: "To state the obvious, @realDonaldTrump's actions tonight are a lot better than relying on the IRGC's 'commitment' to not develop nuclear weapons." "In eight days, the United States and Israel eliminated Iran's nuclear capabilities with minimal civilian casualties," he added in another post. "One of the greatest military achievements ever." Jason Calacanis Serial entrepreneur Calacanis posted on X, "Five months into Trump's term, we're at war." In a subsequent post, he elaborated, saying that his initial statement was "just an observation, published without judgement." "We don't have the intelligence that our leaders have, so I will reserve judgement until we know more," Calacanis wrote. "It should be obvious to everyone, however, that no president can just stop conflicts on day one. We now have three conflicts were involved in." Its just an observation, published without judgement We dont have the intelligence that our leaders have, so I will reserve judgement until we know more. It should be obvious to everyone, however, that no president can just stop conflicts on day one. We now have three — @jason (@Jason) June 22, 2025 Spencer Hakimian The founder of the hedge fund Tolou Capital Management responded to the strikes in a series of posts on social media, describing the US military operation as "completely undetectable," given that no flight trackers showed US military aircraft over Iran within 30 minutes of the strikes. "Say what you want," Hakimian wrote. "The United States military is A1 and there's not a close competitor at the moment." In a separate post, Hakimian added: "The most escalatory thing that Iran can do is not to bomb U.S. military bases in the Middle East. It's to close the Strait of Hormuz. And if that happens, Oil goes above $100 in the blink of an eye. Iran is no military match for the United States. But they can wreak havoc via inflation. Just like Russia in 2022." The most escalatory thing that Iran can do is not to bomb U.S. military bases in the Middle to close the Strait of if that happens, Oil goes above $100 in the blink of an eye. Iran is no military match for the United States. But they can wreak havoc — Spencer Hakimian (@SpencerHakimian) June 22, 2025 Shaun Maguire Maguire, a partner at Sequoia Capital, praised Trump as the "Greatest President of my lifetime." "You may just not realize it yet," Maguire wrote in a post on X, alongside a picture of Trump with his fist in the air after he was wounded during an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. "Bulletproof instincts and nerves of steel." James Fishback A vocal supporter of Trump and cofounder of Azoria investment firm, Fishback praised the US strikes — and criticized those who expressed concern over the rising geopolitical tensions — in a series of posts on X. "Iran can't possibly think this is the start of a U.S. offensive. Trump's been clear from the start: they can't have a nuke. We just accomplished that. We're done here," Fishback said in one post. "If Iran chooses to retaliate against a clearly telegraphed, one-and-done strike, they'd be signing their own death warrant. Trump was right."
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump Will Delay Enforcing TikTok Ban for a Third Time, White House Says
Under a U.S. law that went into effect Jan. 19, 2025, it is illegal for American companies to host or distribute TikTok in the country as long as it remains controlled by its Chinese owner, ByteDance. The legislation passed last year with overwhelming bipartisan support, on fears that the popular video entertainment app's ties to China's communist regime make it a national security risk. The Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the ban. But since taking office, President Donald Trump has issued two executive orders delaying enforcement of the law, and now he's going to give TikTok — which has said it has more than 170 million U.S. users — yet another stay of execution. More from Variety Trump's $499 Gold Smartphone Is Probably Being Made in China, According to Experts Trump Mobile: President's Company Unveils Wireless Service Delivered via AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, Plans to Launch a U.S.-Made 'Sleek, Gold' Android Smartphone Shakira Says Being an Immigrant in the United States Means 'Living in Constant Fear': 'The Treatment of All People Must Always Be Humane' On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump will sign an additional executive order this week 'to keep TikTok up and running.' The new deadline to reach a deal that would keep TikTok legal is now mid-September. 'As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark,' Leavitt said in a statement (via CBS News). 'This extension will last 90 days, which the Administration will spend working to ensure this deal is closed so that the American people can continue to use TikTok with the assurance that their data is safe and secure.' Earlier Tuesday, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that a TikTok deal would probably require approval by China's government and he said, 'I think President Xi will ultimately approve it, yes.' Asked whether he has the legal authority to extend the deadline yet again, Trump claimed, 'Yes, I do.' Under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, ByteDance is required to sell a controlling interest in TikTok to non-Chinese owners or be outlawed. The law does not permit Trump to postpone enforcement of the law. But he has done so anyway, as his administration tries to figure out a new structure for TikTok in the U.S. that would comply with the law. The Trump administration reportedly proposed spinning off TikTok's U.S. business into a new company majority-owned by U.S. investors, with ByteDance retaining a stake of less than 20% to comply with the law. Potential investors in TikTok could include Oracle, Blackstone and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, which have been reported to be part of the deal talks. Oracle is seen as a logical partner, as the company has an existing agreement to host TikTok's U.S. user data. But the deal evidently fell apart amid rising tensions between the U.S. and China over Trump's move to impose steep tariffs on Chinese goods. In April, prior to Trump's previous deadline, ByteDance said that it was in discussions with U.S. government officials 'regarding a potential solution for TikTok U.S.' but that an agreement was not finalized because 'there are key matters to be resolved.' ByteDance also said any agreement would be subject to approval under Chinese law. After TikTok lost an appeal to the Supreme Court challenging the divest-or-ban law on First Amendment grounds, the app briefly shut down in the U.S. on Jan. 18. But less than 12 hours later, TikTok restored service — citing Trump's pledge to not enforce the ban while he sought to find a solution. Meanwhile, Apple and Google pulled TikTok from their U.S. app stores amid legal uncertainty over Trump's executive order delaying enforcement of the TikTok-targeted law, but restored TikTok in February after assurances from the White House they would not be held criminally liable for doing so. Trump, during his first term as U.S. president, tried to ban TikTok on national-security grounds but those efforts were shot down by federal courts. Trump joined TikTok in June 2024 during his presidential campaign. At a press conference in December, Trump said, 'I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok' because the app helped drive support for him among young voters. ByteDance has said 60% of its ownership is represented by 'global institutional investors' including BlackRock, General Atlantic and Susquehanna, with 20% owned by its Chinese founders and 20% by employees including those in the U.S. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump Says David Ellison Is ‘Great, He'll Do a Great Job' Running Merged Skydance-Paramount, as FCC Deal Approval Is Still Pending
President Trump praised David Ellison, CEO of Skydance Media, as 'great' and said that 'he'll do a great job' as head of the merged Skydance-Paramount Global — but his administration has yet to approve the deal. Speaking with reporters outside the White House Wednesday morning, Trump did not directly answer a question about what is holding up the FCC from granting regulatory approval of the proposed Skydance-Paramount deal, which was reached in July 2024. But the president immediately began discussing his $20 billion lawsuit against CBS over a '60 Minutes' interview with then-VP Kamala Harris. More from Variety Mark Ruffalo Slams 'Grifter' Trump and Says 'Billionaires Are the Problem, Not Immigrants': They're 'Stealing You Blind' While 'Immigrants Add to the Economy' Trump Will Delay Enforcing TikTok Ban for a Third Time, White House Says Trump's $499 Gold Smartphone Is Probably Being Made in China, According to Experts Trump filed the lawsuit against CBS just days before the 2024 presidential election, alleging that a '60 Minutes' interview with Harris violated a Texas consumer protection law by misleading voters and causing Trump personal financial harm. On Wednesday, Trump said that Harris' answer — to a question about the Biden administration's relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu — was 'horrendous' and 'election-threatening, it was so incompetent. So they took the entire answer out, and they took another answer to another question and put it in.' Trump asked rhetorically, 'You think they'd do that for me?' The reporter he was speaking with responded, 'I think it happens daily,' to which Trump said, 'Well, I've never seen it. I thought I've seen everything, that I've never seen.' In March, Paramount filed a motion to dismiss Trump's suit, which the company said is 'an affront to the First Amendment' that is 'without basis in law or fact.' But since then, lawyers for Paramount and Trump have entered into settlement talks. In a filing last Friday, attorneys for both parties said the two sides are 'engaged in active settlement discussions, including continued mediation.' Paramount offered $15 million to settle the lawsuit but that was rejected by Trump's team, which wants at least $25 million as well as an apology from CBS, the Wall Street Journal reported. Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount Global, is said to support the company's attempts to resolve the '60 Minutes' suit through mediation. If the deal is approved, Ellison would become chairman and CEO of the new 'Paramount Skydance Corp.' The FCC is reviewing the transaction and must approve the transfer of CBS broadcast licenses to the new ownership to finalize the deal. Trump lawsuit's centers on an exchange in which '60 Minutes' correspondent Bill Whitaker asked Harris about the Biden administration's relations with Netanyahu, whom Whitaker said 'is not listening' to the White House. CBS News broadcast a longer portion of Harris's response on Oct. 6 on 'Face the Nation,' whereas the edited '60 Minutes' segment broadcast the next day included a shorter excerpt from the same answer. 'Each excerpt reflects the substance of the vice president's answer,' CBS News said in a statement. In response to an FCC request, CBS News released an unedited transcript of the '60 Minutes' interview with Harris that aired Oct. 6, 2024 (available at this link) and said the materials show that 'consistent with 60 Minutes' repeated assurances to the public,' the broadcast 'was not doctored or deceitful.' In his comments Wednesday, Trump also said that in the wake of his lawsuit, 'the head of '60 Minutes' got fired, the head of CBS [News] got fired, they're all getting fired.' He claimed CBS is 'very embarrassed' by the episode. On April 22, '60 Minutes' executive producer Bill Owens resigned, saying interference from Paramount execs prevented him from making 'independent decisions based on what was right for '60 Minutes,' right for the audience.' On May 19, CBS News president Wendy McMahon announced her resignation, writing in a memo to staff, 'It's become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward.' Meanwhile, David Ellison met with Trump at two recent UFC events (on April 12 and June 7), which the Skydance CEO failed to disclose in violation of FCC ex parte rules, according to an FCC filing by tech company (which claims it made 'a superior bid' over Skydance to acquire National Amusements Inc. and Paramount and is opposing the Skydance-Paramount deal). At the June 7 UFC fight, Trump and Ellison engaged in 'a heated exchange which required White House and UFC officials to intervene' before the encounter concluded 'with a firm handshake,' according to the filing, citing video recorded at the event. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar
