Latest news with #PoliticsWarRoom
New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Democrats' twisted lies about Melania's past are cruel and creepy
Tough as the competition may be, the Democrats' most vile smear has got to be the ongoing insinuations that Melania Trump met her future husband thanks to notorious predator-procurer Jeffrey Epstein. The first lady has been aggressively squashing the crass smear for weeks, ever since chronically wrong scandal-hawker Michael Wolff claimed on a Daily Beast podcast that Donald and Melania met through a modeling agent with ties to Epstein, and suggestively asked: 'Where does she fit into the Epstein story? Where does she fit into . . . this whole culture of models of indeterminate age?' Wolff knows this market for sleaze-mongering: The usual Trump-haters were soon foaming at the mouth over the supposed Epstein match-making. Advertisement But truth still matters: The Daily Beast had to retract and apologize for a story reporting on Wolff's claim. Next, veteran Clinton councilor James Carville repeated the charge on his 'Politics War Room' podcast — but soon had to apologize and take it down. Then Hunter Biden pushed the lie in a profanity-ridden interview with Channel 5 — and answered demands he retract his remarks with a true-to-character 'F—k that.' Advertisement Then again, Hunter probably has no assets left to lose in any lawsuit. It's sexist filth, and downright creepy. The obvious suggestion is that Melania couldn't have succeeded on her own, nor formed a genuine bond with her husband: These men insist on crediting the infamous trafficker instead; dragging a woman's reputation through the mud is, we guess, just an added benefit. Get opinions and commentary from our columnists Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Advertisement It means nothing to them that the first lady is plainly distressed by the smear campaign — as evidenced by her repeatedly sending her lawyers to kibosh these lies. Lefties shout 'Believe women!' until a woman on the wrong side of the aisle tells them she's not, in fact, a victim of some heinous scheme, a sick fiction these supposedly enlightened Democrats are perpetuating a bit too gleefully. This doesn't even come off as just more mud thrown at the president, with his wife as collateral damage: It's a head-on assault on her integrity, her honor. Frankly, it's hard not to conclude that these men are enjoying the pain they're causing this beautiful woman — which is sick even by the abysmal standards of modern American politics.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Malin Ackerman says her role in Netflix's The Hunting Wives is inspired by Melania Trump
Malin Ackerman said in an interview last week that her new Netflix series, The Hunting Wives, used first lady Melania Trump as a main reference for her role as a manipulative politician's wife who has affairs. Malin Ackerman said the creative team told her to think of Melania Trump when playing Margo(Instagram/@malinakerman, Melania Trump/ Facebook) Speaking to Vulture, Ackerman said the creative team told her to think of the first lady when playing Margo, a Texas housewife married to a wealthy aspiring politician with a past involving murder, adultery and abortion. 'During filming, she says, the series' creative team described Margo as a bit like Melania Trump, someone who 'came into a marriage to this rich man as one woman,' then finds the expectations for her have shifted once he becomes politically ambitious,' per the outlet. 'That was the only reference, really,' Ackerman added. Her character's past includes growing up poor, doing sex work, and having multiple affairs. 'But once her husband, Jed (Dermot Mulroney), decides to run for governor on a pro-gun, anti-abortion, happy-marriage platform, Margo realises the increased public scrutiny could threaten everything she has built for herself, exposing elements of her life Jed's voters won't like,' Vulture stated. Among the secrets are 'the abortion she just had after her boyfriend, a high school student, got her pregnant; the murder she committed to cover up that fling; and the affair she's currently having with new-to-town Sophie (Brittany Snow).' Ackerman said she also drew inspiration from her impression of 'high society' types, who she sees as lacking authenticity. Also Read: Is Netflix's 'The Hunting Wives' based on a real story? Everything we know about the thriller 'Other than that, it's just high society. I've mingled with aristocrats and high-society people and seen the games that go into it. For lack of a better word, I wouldn't say 'authenticity' is how those people lead,' she said. She described Margo as a 'survivor' who acts out of necessity to get ahead. Melania Trump's lawyer forces Carville to pull Epstein remarks Melania Trump has often been a focus of media attention since her husband's 2016 presidential campaign. Last week, her lawyer forced Democratic strategist James Carville and his Politics War Room podcast team to remove comments suggesting she met Donald Trump through a modelling agency linked to Jeffrey Epstein. At the start of the episode, Carville said, 'After the episode, we received a letter from Melania Trump's lawyer. He took issue with our title of one of those YouTube videos from that episode and a couple of comments I made about the first lady. We took a look at what they complained about, and we took down the video and edited out those comments from the episode. I also take back these statements and apologise.'
Newsweek
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Donald Trump's Low Approval Rating 'Concerning': Polling Expert
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. President Donald Trump's low approval ratings are "concerning," a polling expert has said. Speaking on the Politics War Room podcast with political strategist James Carville and journalist Al Hunt, Alexander Theodoridis, associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) reacted to recent polling about the President and said Trump was facing "low and concerning approval numbers" Why It Matters Approval ratings are useful in providing a snapshot of the electorate's mood at any one time and in the first six months of his presidency, Trump's popularity has fluctuated. Maintaining broad support will be of key importance when voters head to the midterm elections in November 2026, particularly in swing states where every vote matters. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, watches as President Donald Trump departs an event to mark National Purple Heart Day in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, in Washington. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, watches as President Donald Trump departs an event to mark National Purple Heart Day in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, in Washington. AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein What To Know Theodoridis' comments come after his university, UMass Amherst, released a poll this week which found that Trump has an overall approval rating of net -20 points. This is six points lower than the pollster's April survey. With a 3.5 percent margin of error, the survey of 1,000 people conducted between July 25 and July 30 also found that Trump's approval rating among men has dropped from 48 percent in April to 39 percent in July. Meanwhile, other polls have also painted a concerning picture. According to a YouGov polling for U.K. newspaper The Times, the proportion of people who disapprove of Trump's job performance has increased from 52 percent in April to 57 percent in July. Newsweek analysis also revealed that Trump's approval rating is positive in 18 of the states he won in the 2024 election, and negative in 13. On the podcast, Theodoridis added that the most important issues affecting voters were the Trump administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case and frustrations with Russia's continuing war with Ukraine, which Trump pledged to end during his campaign. "There's a negative feeling about things," he said. "People don't like chaos." "There's material out there that Democrats can find success in 2025 and 2026 with mostly just in frustration with the current administration and with Congress," he said. What People Are Saying Heath Brown, an associate professor of public policy at City University of New York told Newsweek: "These numbers are concerning if you believe the public's approval of the President's agenda and actions matter. I think most Americans see it this way. "When polls move in the negative direction it suggests the public is losing confidence in the President to make the right decisions in their best interests. Presidents historically have read this has a good reason to change direction and respond to public sentiments. This is one of the levers of democracy." Carville said on the podcast about Trump's polling: "This is really bad news." What Happens Next Trump's popularity is likely to fluctuate throughout the remainder of his presidency. Whether he can turn negative polling around in that time frame remains to be seen.
Fox News
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Melania Trump posts victory X post after James Carville removes podcast alleging 'Epstein connection'
First lady Melania Trump shared an X post in triumph on Thursday after Democratic strategist James Carville retracted claims disputed by her lawyer. Carville opened his latest episode of the Politics War Room podcast with a legal note, abandoning his usual folksy and avuncular style for a more serious tone. "In last week's podcast episode, we spoke with Judd Legum," he said. "After the episode, we received a letter from Melania Trump's lawyer. He took issue with our title of one of those YouTube videos from that episode and a couple of comments I made about the first lady. We took a look at what they complained about, and we took down the video and edited out those comments from the episode. I also take back these statements and apologize." Melania Trump shared a screenshot of the above apology's transcript and a crossed-out screenshot of a video of the episode titled, "The Epstein connection: Trump & Melania." Melania Trump's dispute was about how Carville characterized how she met her future husband. An aide to the first lady, Nick Clemens, told Fox News Digital in a statement, "First Lady Melania Trump's attorneys are actively ensuring immediate retractions and apologies by those who spread malicious, defamatory falsehoods. The true account of how the First Lady met President Trump is in her best-selling book, 'Melania.'" Last week, The Daily Beast pulled an article detailing allegations by journalist Michael Wolff that Melania Trump was introduced to her husband Donald Trump via a modeling agent connected to Jeffrey Epstein, after a challenge from the first lady's lawyers. The outlet shared an Editor's Note in place of the article, declaring, "After this story was published, The Beast received a letter from First Lady Melania Trump's attorney challenging the headline and framing of the article. After reviewing the matter, the Beast has taken down the article and apologizes for any confusion or misunderstanding."
New York Post
08-08-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Pundit James Carville apologizes and pulls video suggesting a Melania Trump ‘Epstein connection'
Democratic strategist James Carville publicly apologized Thursday for posting a video suggesting some sort of 'Epstein connection' involving first lady Melania Trump. The 80-year-old pundit issued the mea culpa at the start of his latest 'Politics War Room' podcast episode, noting that he also took down and edited the offending video after hearing from the first lady's attorney. 3 Melania Trump has aggressively defended herself from allegations she was introduced to her husband by Jeffrey Epstein. AP 'In last week's podcast episode, we spoke with Judd Legum. After the episode, we received a letter from Melania Trump's lawyer. He took issue with our title of one of those YouTube videos from that episode and a couple of comments I made about the first lady,' Carville explained. 'We took a look at what they complained about, and we took down the video and edited out those comments from the episode,' he continued. 'I also take back these statements and apologize,' Carville, sounding like he was reading a prepared statement, added. Melania shared a transcript of Carville's apology on X – along with a screenshot of the pulled video with a red 'X' across it. The YouTube clip was titled: 'James Carville: The Epstein Connection – Trump & Melania.' It's unclear what specific claims made by the former Bill Clinton campaign manager peeved the first lady's legal team since the offending comments have been scrubbed. 3 Carville noted that the edits and apology were made after he heard from Melania's lawyer. Getty Images Carville's retraction and apology follows lefty news website Daily Beast taking down a Melania story last week after the outlet was contacted by her lawyers. 'After this story was published, The Beast received a letter from First Lady Melania Trump's attorney challenging the headline and framing of the article,' read the editor's note that replaced the article's text. 'After reviewing the matter, the Beast has taken down the article and apologizes for any confusion or misunderstanding,' the note continued. 3 Melania shared Carville's apology on X. X / @MELANIATRUMP The retracted article highlighted dubious claims by author Michael Wolff that a modeling agent connected to notorious sex predator Jeffrey Epstein introduced Melania to her husband, President Trump. In her self-titled 2024 memoir, Melania explained that she met Trump at a September 1998 Fashion Week party at the Kit Kat Klub in New York City. Trump sat down next to his future wife and started a conversation, Melania recalled. 'I found myself drawn to his magnetic energy,' she wrote. The Trumps got engaged six years later and married in 2005.
