Latest news with #DonJr.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Donald Trump Jr. Says Getting ‘Debanked, De-Insured, De-Everything' Orange-Pilled Him
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of U.S. President Donald Trump, said he and his younger brother Eric Trump 'orange-pilled' their father after the family and its organization experienced pervasive de-banking in the wake of Trump's first presidential term. Speaking at Bitcoin 2025 in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Don Jr. said he wasn't an early adopter of bitcoin or crypto, only finding his way to blockchain technology after realizing the 'fragile' nature of the traditional financial system. 'We were real estate guys, we were hard assets, we built buildings — [bitcoin] was a bit nebulous,' he said during a fireside chat with Rumble CEO and founder Chris Pavlovski. 'But once we got into that political sector…we were getting de-banked, we were getting de-insured, we were getting de-everything. It was brutal.' Don Jr. said he and Eric 'definitely' had a hand in helping their father, who called bitcoin a scam in 2021, understand the potential of crypto and blockchain technology. 'We were the ones who were getting subpoenaed in nonsense lawsuits, we were the ones who are dealing with getting de-banked … we're the guys who probably saw that first-hand,' he said of him and his brother. 'We probably, maybe got there a little bit before him. Once we started explaining the potential, he's a quick study … he got there pretty quickly.' Once Trump embraced crypto on the campaign trail, Don Jr. said he got a laugh out of other candidates, including Democratic nominee and former Vice President Kamala Harris, jumping on the bitcoin bandwagon. 'I would pay money, a lot of money, maybe my entire crypto wallet, to have Kamala Harris explain blockchain technology,' Don Jr. said. 'That would be the greatest word salad in the history of Kamala Harris word salad.' Don Jr. added that his father 'cares about doing what's right for America,' saying the democratization of finance 'is a fundamental tenant after, like, world peace, of what he wants to accomplish in this administration.' The Trump family's crypto ventures, including the TRUMP memecoin and World Liberty Financial, have been heavily criticized in both the industry and the government for being opaque and allegedly presenting conflicts of interest. However, since Trump took office, there has been a renewed push for new regulations and the passage of crypto legislation, as well as the apparent end to the so-called regulation-by-enforcement practiced by regulators during former President Joe Biden's administration. With stablecoin legislation seemingly around the corner, potentially followed by a comprehensive market structure bill and strategic bitcoin reserve legislation, Don Jr. said the improved regulatory clarity for the industry will be a boon for bitcoin. 'I think you have the perfect storm for this thing just going to the moon, as they say,' he said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
White House Freaks Out at Don Jr. Being Compared to Hunter
Donald Trump's White House accused the German owner of Politico and Business Insider of 'foreign political meddling' after a Business Insider story compared Donald Trump Jr. to Hunter Biden. The story, published on Monday with the headline 'Don Jr. is the new Hunter Biden,' rankled the White House enough for it to directly attack Business Insider's German parent company Axel Springer using extraordinary language which suggested it could take legal action against it for the story. The report detailed Trump Jr.'s work with investment firm 1789 Capital. 1789 aims to invest in U.S.-based 'anti-woke' MAGA businesses. The report, by longtime business writer Bethany McLean, cited multiple people who discussed the potential for a conflict of interest over the president's son benefiting from his father's government office—though it did not allege any illegality—and drew a direct line to Hunter Biden. Don Jr. is a private citizen with no official role in his father's White House, but a White House spokesman told MAGA news site Breitbart, 'Donald Trump Jr is an innovator and visionary who is successfully reimagining the conservative media eco system—and the left is truly petrified. 'Axel Springer, a foreign-based media organization, is brazenly weaponizing its platforms to sow political division and spread disinformation in a manner that may well stretch beyond journalism, into illegal foreign political meddling.' The German-based Axel Springer is run by Mathias Döpfner, who himself has appeared at the very least MAGA-curious. He called Vice President JD Vance's attack on Europe in a speech in February 'inspiring.' During Trump's first term, Döpfner had taken soft approaches to the president's rhetoric, though he has defended his publications after Elon Musk's DOGE alleged the government was subsidizing Politico. Axel Springer lambasted the White House's accusation in a statement. 'Axel Springer is a global media company committed to press freedom,' a spokesperson said. 'Our U.S. newsrooms operate independently without editorial interference, and we stand firmly behind their right to report freely and without intimidation.' A Business Insider spokesperson said, 'Our newsroom operates with full editorial independence, and we stand by our reporting.' The White House has used its power to target some of its enemies, including executive orders aimed at law firms and an attempt to ice out the Associated Press over its coverage, but it has also simply launched verbal attacks at its enemies through statements. Axel Springer may have already seen some fallout from the report; the website Florida Politics reported that MAGA-aligned lobbying firm Ballard Partners dropped Axel Springer as a client over the story. Ballard Partners did not respond to an immediate request for comment, though a federal filing shows it dropped Axel Springer a day after the Business Insider story ran. The White House did not respond to an immediate request for comment from the Daily Beast. Trump Jr. attacked the piece in an X post on Tuesday and claimed the difference between he and Biden was that Trump Jr. has 'been a businessman and serial investor my entire adult life. He became a 'businessman' after his dad got elected." He also said he solely planned to invest in U.S. businesses. 'Oh, and he's also a felon crackhead and I'm not,' Trump Jr. wrote. 'Thanks for playing, guys!' An assistant to Trump Jr. did not respond to an immediate request for comment. Hunter was pardoned by former President Joe Biden in December—a development greeted with major outrage by MAGA and particularly by Don Jr. There are biographical parallels between the two. Hunter is a divorced father of five; both are Ivy League graduates and while Hunter now says he is sober after battling crack addiction, Don Jr. has avoided alcohol since he was at college. The attacks on Axel Springer come more than a year after billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman attacked Business Insider over a series of stories that showed his wife, scholar Neri Oxman, lifted elements of her 2010 dissertation from other sources without citations. After Ackman threatened to sue the publication, he dined with Döpfner in February. Three months later, editor-in-chief Nicholas Carlson announced he would step down from his role—though denied it had anything to do with the stories.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ben Shapiro Slams Don Jr.'s Moneymaking Moves: ‘Not a Good Look'
Conservative pundit Ben Shapiro slammed Donald Trump Jr. for 'making bank' off the back of his father's presidency. Don Jr., who recently said he's not ruling out a White House bid of his own, has been making headlines for his business moves since his father's second term started in January. That has led to 'awkward' questions about the ethics behind his deal-making, Shapiro said on his podcast The Ben Shapiro Show. The MAGA ally, who recently criticized President Donald Trump for accepting a $400 million jet from Qatar, broke rank for a second time this month when he suggested something might be amiss with the eldest Trump son's deal-making. 'Many of the organizations that Donald Trump Jr. is connected to are making an enormous amount of money during this period of time when his father is president. This raises awkward questions, certainly about Trump administration policy ranging from Trump memecoin to World Liberty Financial to gigantic real estate deals in Qatar,' he said. 'None of this is an amazingly good look,' Shapiro added. Trump Jr. has joined at least eight corporate boards or advisory committees since his father won the election in November. He is also executive vice president of development acquisitions at The Trump Organization, the holding company for most of his father's business ventures. In addition, he is the trustee of a revocable trust of which his father is the sole donor and beneficiary. The president and his family also control about 60 percent of World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance platform. Don Jr. and brother Eric Trump recently announced that they are partnering with an existing firm to create a crypto-mining company. Even MAGA hall of famer and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson conceded that some deals struck with countries in the Middle East last month 'seem like corruption.' The Trump Organization signed a deal with a Qatari royal family-backed real estate company to construct a luxury golf course in the country. The company is also set to lease its brand to two real estate projects in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In Jeddah, a Trump Tower is slated for construction. The Trump Organization will be further enriched by a Trump International Hotel and luxury golf development in Oman. Sean Spicer, the president's press secretary during his first term, told CBS News earlier this month that Don Jr. is his father's righthand man. He's the 'most prominent non-elected representative of the MAGA base hands-down, the No. 1 surrogate and power-player in the ecosystem outside of his father,' Spicer said. The 47-year-old is a partner at the 'anti-woke' investment firm 1789 Capital, where he helps invest in U.S.-based MAGA businesses. He joined the fund in November last year rather than join his father's administration in an official capacity. The group has since been granted investment access to major defense contractors. Before Don Jr. joined, the firm had raised less than $200 million in funding. In the three months since Trump Sr. took office, it has raised $500 million and is aiming to collect $1 billion by mid-2025, plus another $3 billion-plus next year. Don. Jr.'s business dealings have led to comparisons with Hunter Biden, the former president's son who was also accused of cashing in on his father's position. A Business Insider article published earlier this month, headlined 'Don Jr. Is the New Hunter Biden,' triggered a furious response from the first son. 'The difference between me and Hunter Biden? I've been a businessman and serial investor my entire life. He became a 'businessman' after his dad got elected,' he wrote on X. The story also rankled the White House, with a spokesperson accusing Axel Springer, the German owner of Business Insider, of 'foreign political meddling.' Trump's second eldest son, Eric, also broke ground on a $1.5 billion golf resort in Vietnam earlier this month. On 'Liberation Day', the president announced a 46 percent tariff on Vietnamese imports. That has since been reduced to 10 percent. Shapiro continued: 'This administration is doing too many important things to be bogged down with conversations about how members of the Trump family or the Witkoff family or any of the other families surrounding the administration are making bank in countries that President Trump is attempting to negotiate with. That is not a good thing. 'At the very least, it is not a useful thing.' Shapiro also spoke out against the idea of a Trump dynasty. The comments come after Don Jr. was asked at the Qatar Economic Forum whether he would like to make a run for president of his own. 'Maybe one day,' he told Bloomberg anchor Joumanna Bercetche, before adding later in a post on X that he doesn't intend to run any time soon. Either way, Shapiro isn't hot on the idea. 'I'm just gonna put it out there right now. No. No. OK. Dynasties are un-American. They are not good,' he said, making the point that presidencies like that of George W. Bush after his father were 'not great for the country.' 'And we elected Donald Trump for a reason, but connection with President Trump's name does not mean that you should be president of the United States,' Shapiro added, saying that a 'leading gambit' of Trump's GOP presidential primary campaign in 2016 was attacking 'low energy' candidate Jeb Bush, brother of George W. Bush. 'Why the American obsession with political dynasties? And that's not a critique of Donald Trump Jr. as a person or as a future politician—that's just a reality that dynasties in American politics are typically bad. Kennedy dynasties, Bush dynasties, none of this is good,' he concluded. Donald Trump Jr. has been contacted for comment.
CBS News
21-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Trump Jr. says "maybe one day" he'll run for president
President Trump's oldest son, Don Jr., said Wednesday he could run for president "maybe one day," after previously denying he was considering a White House bid. Asked during an economic forum in Doha, the capital of Qatar, if he would consider entering a presidential race to succeed his father, Don Jr. first chuckled before suggesting it was possible. Donald Trump Jr. speaking during a session of the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha on May 21, 2025. KARIM JAAFAR / AFP via Getty Images "It's an honor to be asked and an honor to see that some people are OK with it," he said during a panel discussion at Bloomberg's Qatar Economic Forum as some in the audience applauded. "You never know," he added. Donald Trump Jr, 47, is an executive vice president at The Trump Organization, his family's luxury real estate conglomerate, and a vocal proponent of his father's right-wing MAGA political agenda. In March, left-leaning website Mediate reported that Don Jr. was "seriously considering a run for president in 2028," which he denied at the time. But on Wednesday, Don Jr. didn't rule out a White House run. "I don't know, maybe one day, you know — that calling is there," he told the forum. "I think my father has truly changed the Republican Party. I think it's the America First party now, the MAGA party, however you want to look at it," he added. "For the first time ever, the Republican Party actually has a bench of America First fighters," he continued, according to the Reuters news agency. The Trump Organization has been run by the president's two eldest sons, Don Jr. and Eric, since his 2016 election win. While the president no longer holds an executive title, he's retained his stake in the family business via a trust.
GMA Network
21-05-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
Donald Trump Jr. says on running for president: ‘That calling is there'
Trump's initial reaction to the question was: "Here we go. Well... oh boy," to faint applause from the audience. Shawn Thew/ Pool via REUTERS/ File photo DOHA — US President Donald Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr. said on Wednesday he could maybe run for president one day, adding "that calling is there." During an appearance on a panel in Qatar, the 47-year-old was asked by a moderator if he would run and "pick up the reins" after his father leaves office. "So the answer is I don't know, maybe one day. You know, that calling is there. I'll always be very active in terms of being a vocal proponent of these things," he said, referring to the ideals of the "Make America Great Again" movement his father has built. Donald Trump Jr has emerged as a political force in his own right. Reuters reported in November that he was the most influential Trump family member in the transition as his father built the most controversial cabinet in modern US history. Trump, who fiercely prizes loyalty, has long relied on family members for political advice, but which relative has his ear is known to vary. Don Jr., as the president's eldest son is known, helped cabinet contenders sink or rise to the fore—from championing now-Vice President JD Vance as Trump's running mate to blocking former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from joining the cabinet, sources have said. "I think my father has truly changed the Republican Party, I think it's the America First party now, the MAGA party, however you want to look at it," Don Jr. said, speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha on Wednesday. "For the first time ever, the Republican Party actually has a bench of America First fighters," he added. Speaking alongside 1789 Capital founder Omeed Malik, Trump's initial reaction to the question was: "Here we go. Well... oh boy," to faint applause from the audience as he added, "it's an honor to be asked and an honor to see that some people are okay with it." He joked that the people clapping were "the couple of people we know." Don Jr. is a partner in 1789 Capital. He said on Wednesday at the same event that the Trump Organization, where he is executive vice president, was not doing business with government entities. The Trump family has forged multi-billion dollar business deals in the Gulf, moves that Democrats and other critics say could open pathways to improperly influence the president. The US president's visit to Arab Gulf states Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates last week focused on securing major business deals from the oil-rich countries, but the president said there was no talk of building a Trump Tower in Syria or golf during his meetings in Saudi Arabia. He also said he did not know how the deal for a firm backed by the Abu Dhabi government to use the Trump family company's digital coins for a $2-billion investment in a crypto exchange came about. — Reuters
