Latest news with #DemocraticConvention
Forbes
a day ago
- General
- Forbes
Elon Musk Accuses Cory Booker Of Nazi Salute
Elon Musk—who drew criticism earlier this year after making a gesture many alleged was a Nazi salute—accused Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., of doing a Nazi salute on stage at an event for California Democrats on Saturday night. Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during a news conference with President Donald Trump in the Oval ... More Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. Booker was speaking at the California Democratic Convention Saturday night, and ended his speech by placing his hand on his heart and extending his arm toward the crowd in a motion Musk and others have said resembled the Nazi salute. Musk began sharing posts about Booker's gesture around 9 p.m. EDT Saturday night, and he quote-tweeted a post about the incident and lack of media coverage with the caption, 'Legacy media lies.' He continued to tweet about it Sunday morning, when he shared a post showing Democratic leaders former President Barack Obama, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Mass. and former presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton with their arms extended and the caption, 'We know where Cory Booker learned his Nazi salute from'—and Musk added a '🤨' emoji. Booker has not publicly commented on the gesture, and Forbes reached out to his office for comment. Musk drew criticism in January after he pounded his fist to his chest and extended his right arm into the air twice while speaking at an event for President Donald Trump's inauguration. International leaders including Spain's minister of labor and social economy and Germany's health minister criticized the gesture, as did a number of Democrats. Musk didn't explain why he made the motion, but said in posts on X at the time that Democrats were playing 'dirty tricks' and that 'the 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired.' One month after Musk's incident, another Trump ally, Steve Bannon—who was feuding with Musk at the time over his close relationship with Trump—was accused of giving a Nazi salute when he spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Bannon denied making the salute and told the Daily Mail it 'was a wave to the crowd.' After Musk was accused of making the motion, the Anti-Defamation League—a nonprofit working against antisemitism—said in a statement that Musk seemed to make 'an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute,' and urged people on 'all sides (to) give one another a bit of grace.' The ADL had not publicly commented on the allegations against Booker, though Forbes has reached out for comment. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., also took to X Sunday morning to criticize Booker. In her post she said Democrats 'were hyperventilating about this false smear of Elon,' when he was accused of doing the salute in January and added 'the mainstream media is totally corrupt.' Stefanik also continued: 'The American people are smart. Neither Elon Musk or @CoryBooker are giving the Nazi salute. Americans see thru this obvious and destructive double standard by the totally broken media and Democrat Party.' Musk responded to the post with, 'they are such hypocrites,' presumably referring to the media. 9. That's how many times Musk had tweeted or shared posts about Booker's gesture as of 12:55 p.m. EDT on Sunday. Elon Musk 'Salute' Condemned By European Leaders, Democrats (Forbes) French Far-Right Leader Cancels CPAC Speech After Steve Bannon's Salute Draws Nazi Comparisons (Forbes)
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Democrat senator sparks MAGA outrage after awkward hand gesture during speech in California
Democratic Senator Cory Booker sent MAGA-aligned social media into a frenzy after performing an awkward hand gesture during a Democratic convention speech in California. The New Jersey senator ended his speech on Saturday by placing his hand over his heart before extending his arm out toward the crowd - a gesture that some said bore a troubling resemblance to a Nazi salute. Richie Greenberg, a San Francisco-based political commentator and former Republican mayoral candidate, was the first to post the footage. 'Moments ago, Cory Booker salutes 4,000 CA Democrat Party delegates,' Greenberg wrote dramatically. Collin Rugg, co-owner of the conservative outlet Trending Politics, quickly amplified it, sarcastically noting, 'looking forward to the wall-to-wall coverage from the 'honest' and totally not biased media.' Meanwhile, social media influencer Gunther Eagleman furiously declared Booker a 'straight up NAZI,' adding 'WOW' and 'HOLY S***!' to emphasize his outrage. Right-wing journalist Nick Sortor piled on, labeling Booker 'literally Hitler' for the gesture. The uproar evoked sharp memories of two prior incidents that drew similar outrage - Elon Musk's controversial gesture during President Donald Trump's second inauguration earlier this year, and Steve Bannon's at CPAC just weeks later. Musk, while addressing Trump supporters at the Capital One Arena in January, had slapped his hand on his chest before thrusting his arm straight out with his palm down, telling the crowd, 'My heart goes out to you.' The move, eerily reminiscent of a Nazi salute, ignited an immediate firestorm. Musk's response to his own questionable gesture only fanned the flames to haters and detractors on social media. 'Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ''everyone is Hitler'' attack is sooo tired,' he posted on X at the time. Hate-monitoring organizations like the Anti-Defamation League urged caution, calling Musk's gesture 'awkward' and asking the public not to leap to conclusions. At the time, MAGA influencers defended Musk and railed against what they described as faux-outrage from the mainstream media and general public. Rugg himself argued Musk was 'excited, awkward, not thinking about how he looks, and trying to show his heart going out to the crowd.' Popular MAGA X account Libs Of Tiktok, also shared the video of Booker. At the time of Musk's salute, the account said the Tesla head 'was literally motioning "my heart goes out to you." This is why no one trusts the fake media.' The following month, Steve Bannon, former White House strategist and host of the influential 'War Room' podcast, followed with his own contentious gesture. During his fiery CPAC speech, Bannon thrust his right arm into the air with a flat palm after shouting, 'Fight! Fight! Fight!' The backlash for Bannon was swift. French far-right leader Jordan Bardella canceled his scheduled CPAC speech, condemning the gesture as 'referring to Nazi ideology.' The Anti-Defamation League also slammed Bannon's long record of stoking antisemitism writing, 'We are not surprised, but are concerned about the normalization of this behavior.' Bannon dismissed the criticism saying that it was merely a 'wave' - a gesture he said he'd made at countless rallies. Booker's office has yet to comment on the gesture. Booker, who recently broke the Senate filibuster speech record by talking for 25 hours and five minutes had been riding a wave of positive attention. His marathon speech, protesting Trump and invoking 'good trouble' in honor of the late John Lewis, had solidified his standing among Democratic voters. According to a new AtlasIntel poll, Booker now ranks fourth among potential 2028 Democratic presidential contenders, behind Pete Buttigieg, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Kamala Harris. 'When you're a public figure at the highest echelons of power, doing a salute like that—accidental or not—is extraordinarily disturbing and calls for an explanation,' said Brian Levin, founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's next move: Energizing Democrats in South Carolina and California
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will seek to energize activists at Democratic state conventions in South Carolina and California on Saturday, as the party's 2024 vice presidential nominee works to keep up the high national profile he gained when Kamala Harris selected him as her running mate. Walz, a former schoolteacher who went to Congress and then became his state's governor, will keynote the South Carolina gathering in Columbia, traditionally a showcase for national-level Democrats and White House hopefuls. Another leader who often appears on those lists, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, spoke Friday night at the party's fundraising dinner.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's next move: Energizing Democrats in South Carolina and California
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will seek to energize activists at Democratic state conventions in South Carolina and California on Saturday, as the party's 2024 vice presidential nominee works to keep up the high national profile he gained when Kamala Harris selected him as her running mate. Walz, a former schoolteacher who went to Congress and then became his state's governor, will keynote the South Carolina gathering in Columbia, traditionally a showcase for national-level Democrats and White House hopefuls. Another leader who often appears on those lists, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, spoke Friday night at the party's fundraising dinner. South Carolina held the first Democratic presidential primary of the 2024 campaign, and the party hopes for a repeat as first in line in 2028. But the national party organizations haven't settled their 2028 calendars yet, and party officials in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada are also vying to go first. 'From the classroom to the governor's office, Tim Walz leads with compassion and common sense,' the South Carolina party posted on social media earlier this month when it announced his appearance. 'He's proof that you can govern with both heart and backbone, and he's bringing that message to South Carolina.' Walz, who's on a long list of potential 2028 candidates who have been traveling to early-voting states, will also be a featured speaker as California Democrats gather in Anaheim on Saturday. 'We're fired up to welcome Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to the Convention stage in Anaheim,' state chair Rusty Hicks said in a statement. 'He's a former teacher, a veteran, and a trailblazer who's spent his career fighting for working families and standing up for the values we all share — fairness, dignity, and opportunity for all.' Democrats have been debating since Harris lost to President Donald Trump in November over which direction the party should take. That self-examination reflects deep frustrations among Democratic voters that their leaders are failing to put up enough resistance against Trump, who has taken a much more aggressive approach to his second term in the White House. Walz hasn't officially said if he'll seek a third term in 2026, but acknowledges he's thinking about it. He said in a recent interview with KSTP-TV that he would probably wait to decide until July, after he calls a special session of the closely divided Minnesota Legislature to finish work on the state's next budget. Those negotiations have gone slowly despite his frequent meetings with legislative leaders. He's given mixed signals on a 2028 presidential run while keeping up his attacks on Trump. He told The New Yorker Radio Hour for an interview that aired in March that he would 'certainly consider that' if circumstances were right. He told CNN's 'State of the Union' last month that he was 'not thinking about running in 2028.' But he hasn't ruled it out, either, and has signaled possible interest in other ways. Following the Democratic ticket's defeat in November, Walz returned to the road in March when he went to Iowa to launch a series of town halls in competitive congressional districts represented by Republicans, after House Speaker Mike Johnson advised GOP representatives to avoid holding town halls because of protests at them. Walz's gubernatorial campaign organization, which has been actively raising money, has used his travels in 'Support Tim on the Road' fundraising pitches. 'For the past few weeks, I've been showing up where Republicans won't,' he wrote in one recent message. 'I've hosted town halls in Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Texas to hear from people the GOP is neglecting.' ___
USA Today
19-05-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Whitmer for president? As a Michigan taxpayer, here's why voters should stay away.
Whitmer for president? As a Michigan taxpayer, here's why voters should stay away. | Opinion Failure to deliver is the quintessential feature of an empty suit. That's what American voters would get with a President Gretchen Whitmer. Show Caption Hide Caption Watch: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's full speech at Democratic Convention Gov. Gretchen Whitmer endorsed Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in her speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer may as well have already declared herself as a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028. In a much-ballyhooed speech last month in Washington, DC, Whitmer promised to get America building again, with the slogan 'Build, America, Build.' Whitmer certainly knows how to tap into popular sentiment. She also has good political instincts. But when it comes to the all-important work of passing real reforms, her time as governor shows that she has been more focused on building her image. Opinion: Whitmer hides face during Trump visit. It's another cringey moment for Democrats. Whitmer promised to 'fix the damn roads.' She hasn't. Whitmer ran for governor promising to 'fix the damn roads.' When she began, Michigan was fixing roads roughly as fast as they fell apart. It wouldn't have taken much more to declare victory and point to continuous improvement. But she failed anyway, vetoing extra money Republicans authorized for roads. Whitmer deflected criticism about failing her campaign promise by forcing Michigan taxpayers to take on more debt, with the bonds paid by future taxes earmarked to road funds. This improves roads over the short term at the cost of the long term. Michigan roads are now expected to deteriorate over time. Higher prices are hurting residents, and Whitmer says that she's doing something to drive down costs. 'I'm laser-focused on lower costs,' she posted on X, 'and making life a little easier for every Michigander.' Yet, she has raised the state income tax and required union wages on construction and broadband projects, which raises the overall cost to taxpayers. The policies she has pointed to as 'lowering costs' instead transfer money from some taxpayers to others to pay for preschool, college and other benefits. Subsidizing demand without expanding supply only raises costs, with taxpayer subsidies hiding the price increases from the beneficiaries. Opinion: 77 million Americans voted for Trump. After 100 days, few of them regret it. It's good that Whitmer has called to build more housing to address the spike in home prices. But Michigan's housing market has stultified. Developers built only 5% more homes in 2024 than the previous year, and the number of new homes built remains less than half of what it was in 2005. It would be nice to be able to cheer Whitmer on in housing policy. There is bipartisan legislation to allow more and more types of homes to be built without extra permission. It shouldn't take much effort from the governor to get them passed. But her call to 'Build, America, Build' is a slogan backed by little policy. State subsidies to GM, Ford fail to create jobs The hollowness of Whitmer's pledges is best seen by her attempts to boost manufacturing in Michigan. 'I will continue working with anyone to make transformational investments in our economy, create good-paying jobs, and empower working families,' she said after handing $660 million in taxpayer cash to General Motors in 2022. No jobs have been created as a result of this subsidy. Indeed, none of Whitmer's major deals have created any jobs. The governor has handed out money to Stellantis, Acrisure, Ford, battery manufacturers and Corning. The state reports no jobs have yet been created from these deals. Nor should anyone expect these jobs to materialize. Political deals are about appearances. I looked at the major subsidy deals made from 2000 to 2020 and found that companies produced just 9% of the jobs that they announced. Political deal-making is about the show, not about results. Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. Whitmer now implores government to 'get ship done,' and build more vessels in the United States. She likely put more thought into the pun than what it would take to get the American shipbuilding industry competitive again. Shipyards already receive problematic federal protections, and unless lawmakers have a plan to do something about that, they don't have a plan to boost American shipbuilding. Failure to deliver is the quintessential feature of an empty suit. That's what American voters would get with a President Whitmer. She may be promising to build up America, but she's shown no ability to build anything other than her own persona. James Hohman is director of fiscal policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a research and educational think tank in Michigan.
