Latest news with #TheApprentice
USA Today
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
GOP lawmaker proposes renaming Kennedy Center after Trump
Rep. Bob Onder, R-Missouri, introduced a bill that would designate the Kennedy Center as the 'Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts.' WASHINGTON - A House Republican is proposing to rename the iconic John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts after President Donald Trump. Missouri Rep. Bob Onder has dubbed his bill the 'Make Entertainment Great Again Act" and would re-designate the District of Columbia institution that was named in remembrance of Kennedy, the 35th president who was assassinated in 1963. Onder's plan would change the building's name to the 'Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts" and comes after a key House panel also voted to put first lady Melania Trump's name on the Kennedy Center's opera house. Onder in a statement said Trump has 'entertained audiences for decades,' referring to the two-term Republican president's prior run as host of the reality TV show "The Apprentice" and appearances in films such as "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York." More: Made-for-TV presidency: How Trump's celebrity past shaped his first 100 days 'I cannot think of a more ubiquitous symbol of American exceptionalism in the arts, entertainment, and popular culture at large than President Trump,' added Onder, a freshman GOP lawmaker who represents a central Missouri district that includes the suburbs of St. Louis, Columbia and Jefferson City. But the proposal quickly received pushback from critics. Maria Shriver, a niece of former President Kennedy and also the former first lady of California, said it makes her 'blood boil.' 'It's so ridiculous, so petty, so small minded. Truly, what is this about? It's always about something. 'Let's get rid of the Rose Garden. Let's rename the Kennedy Center.' What's next?' she wrote on X. With House lawmakers out for their annual summer break, there won't be much action taken on the bill until after they return. In February, Trump appointed himself chairman of the Kennedy Center and pushed out billionaire philanthropist David M. Rubenstein, who previously served in the role. He also dismissed individuals part of the chair's board of trustees. Trump complained of "woke" programming at the Kennedy Center, citing "drag shows" held there as one of the reasons for taking command of the center and vowing to stop such performances. The Kennedy Center, affiliated with the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera, hosts more than 2,000 performances a year. It is described as the "living memorial" to Kennedy on its website. USA TODAY reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment. Contributing: Joey Garrison and Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
Think Donald Trump is a clown? He's a serious politician and a warning to Scotland
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... I have some advice for John Swinney as he prepares for his chat with Donald Trump. Expected the unexpected. The President of the United States, who has popped over the Atlantic for a long weekend break at his golf courses in Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire, is no ordinary world leader. Not for him the niceties of protocol, the firm handshakes, the carefully scripted exchanges, drafted weeks in advance by diplomats. The Donald could, and may well, do or say anything. Theresa May never fully recovered from Trump holding her hand as they strolled through the White House gardens in early 2017. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Twenty years ago, I was a nervous press officer standing outside the lift in the lobby of Trump Tower, waiting for the signal to take the then First Minister up to Donald Trump's penthouse office for a meet and greet, as had been arranged with his office. Jack McConnell was in New York on a short trip to promote Scotland as a great place for inward investment. Donald Trump dances on stage at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines earlier this month (Picture: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds) | AFP via Getty Images Trump's hidden mic Scottish Enterprise officials had set up a meeting with Trump, whose mother Mary Anne Macleod was from the Western Isles, after the property developer turned TV star expressed an interest in building a world-class golf resort on the North East coast. The lift doors suddenly opened and out swept Trump, with a camera crew in tow, shouting 'Where's the First Minister?' What followed was a classic Trump meeting. He insisted on doing press interviews first, which delighted the small Scottish media pack who were with us. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Then, on the way to lunch in the Trump Tower restaurant, he tried to make the First Minister wear one of his signature red baseball caps, emblazoned with his then-famous catchphrase 'You're Fired', from his hit TV show The Apprentice. Trump knew full well that if he had succeeded, the picture would have been splashed on the front page of every Scottish newspaper. I am grateful to this day that the FM saw through his schoolboy jape. Then, just as the burger and fries were served, McConnell asked his host to remove the microphone he had hidden under his tie. A shamefaced Trump apologised, saying he always wore one in case he came across anything 'interesting' for his TV show. An amusing tale, and one that says more about the 47th President than any number of Foreign Office briefings. Another word of advice, Mr Swinney. Check for hidden mics. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Three-time loser' Trump is the world's biggest show-off. He has to be the centre of attention, whether he is meeting with the war-weary president of Ukraine or jousting with his erstwhile best friend, Elon Musk. Everything he says and does is content for TV networks or social media. And he has the attention span of a teenage girl scrolling TikTok. Only his beloved golf holds his interest for longer than a few minutes, and his weekend in Scotland will be no different. He also ditches people as soon as they are no longer useful to him. His friendship with Alex Salmond ended in tears when Trump objected to plans for windfarms near his Menie golf resort. Salmond dubbed Trump a 'three-time loser' while Trump hit back, calling Salmond a 'has been' with a 'bloated ego'. Take any compliment with a pinch of salt, First Minister. He doesn't mean a word he says. But as Trump flies back to Washington and Swinney and his team review the weekend's events, there is a far bigger lesson to be drawn from Trump's flying visit than that the President is a shameless exhibitionist. He is also a very successful politician whose populist messaging now appeals to a large swathe of America, and not just white, working-class rednecks – as the Democrats tried to argue before November 2024. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A recent analysis of his election win by the Pew Research Center shows that he has built a diverse coalition of supporters from across Hispanic, Black and Asian communities and expanded his base of white, blue-collar, non-college educated voters. Extremism, as promoted by Trump, is now mainstream in the land of the free. Trump supporters in Scotland There may be thousands of Scots protesting his visit this weekend, screaming in anger about Gaza, the climate crisis and what they see as the damage Trump has done to the 'very principles of justice and humanity'. But the silent majority of voters will scarcely give the president's PR jaunt a second thought, and some will positively welcome him, pleased that he has singled out his mother's homeland for his first 'private' overseas visit since his election. Trump is often characterised by his opponents as a clown but, as he has shown, it is the politician who speaks directly to people in blunt, often politically 'incorrect' language who is more likely to succeed in today's unsettled and unsettling world. Voters, whether in Pennsylvania or Scotland, are disillusioned by career politicians who appear more interested in progressive issues like gender identity than everyday concerns such as the price of eggs or coffee. It was Trump's visceral appeal, more than his policy platform, that won him the popular vote last year, and it is not hard to imagine home-grown populists like Nigel Farage on the right and Jeremy Corbyn, with his new left-wing party, having a similar effect on Scottish voters. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Sky News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Trump hopes to escape Epstein controversy, but story risks following him to Scotland
I knew Donald Trump when he was nothing. Nothing like he is today, to be precise. It was the 18 April 2006, and he had landed by helicopter at St Andrew's, on his way to survey a stretch of Aberdeenshire coastline he was going to turn into a golf course. He duly delivered and "Trump International" is a stunning addition to Scotland's golfing real estate, alongside his other course at Turnberry. 1:30 Back in 2006, Trump was big time and big news. He was the brand built on property and showbiz and, upon arrival, the star of TV's The Apprentice breezed his way through our interview, obliging us by pointing down the barrel of the camera and delivering his trademark "you're fired". We talked investment, Scottish roots and some local objections to the golf course. I said it was all a bit like the film Local Hero, which likened him to the rich guy played by Burt Lancaster and he seemed happy enough. Innocent times. Fast forward 20 years to President Trump and we are braced for his latest return 'home'. For this son of Scotland (his mother is from the Isle of Lewis), it's a homecoming from hell. Hellish on security logistics, at least. You might think a trip to the old country would carry an element of triumph, wrapped in a nation's pride. He's the prodigal who made president, after all - think Biden, Ireland, and the rock star welcome rolled out there for one of their own. Not so for President Trump. The dynamic's different with the Donald - the heartland he'll visit isn't loved up, it's locked down. Same as it ever was, whenever he lands in Scotland. Hundreds of extra police officers have been drafted from around the country to hermetically seal his golf courses in Turnberry and Aberdeenshire. A private trip in two very public settings demands a huge security operation, complicated by an army of protestors mobilising for what they're calling a "carnival of resistance". Demonstrations are planned over a range of causes - organisers cite "threats" to democracy, climate, the global economy and more. There is no cause untouched by a president of the US and none forgotten by this weekend's protests. Scotland leans left of Donald Trump, and critics will lean into an effort to let him know. It's an awkward setting for a charm offensive by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Scotland's First Minister John Swinney. As the biggest show in politics rolls into town, they will polish the script on trade negotiations, wary of a president distracted, unpredictable and prone to changing the plot. His distraction, of course, is the political drama back home. Trump will welcome a weekend under the radar as an opportunity to escape the Jeffrey Epstein controversy, but there's every chance the story will travel with him. Daily efforts to steer the media away from the scandal haven't stemmed the flow of persistent enquiry and revelations that cement Trump's relationship with Epstein in the public consciousness, and so further raise questions of cover-up.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Federal Reserve chief schools Trump in excruciating live fact-check
The figures are eye-watering. What started as a $US1.9 billion ($2.9 billion) project in 2023 has blown out to about $US2.5 billion – although, in percentage terms, that's nowhere near as bad as our very own beleaguered North Sydney Olympic Pool. The expensive reno involves two grand Washington buildings, constructed in the 1930s, and is scheduled for completion in 2027. By then, Powell will no longer be the Fed chair – his term finishes in May. Taking their tour, Trump and Powell stood beside each other in matching white hard hats, in what looked like a deleted scene from The Odd Couple. 'It looks like it's about $US3.1 billion. It went up a little bit. Or a lot,' Trump said of the renovation cost. Powell, who had been staring grimly at the floor, turned to the president and began shaking his head. 'I'm not aware of that,' the banker said. 'It just came out,' Trump replied. Powell added: 'I haven't heard that from anybody at the Fed.' Turns out the figure 'just came out' of Trump's jacket pocket, from which the president withdrew a document that Powell then inspected, quizzically, after donning his glasses. It took him just a few seconds to realise the ruse – Trump was trying to conflate two separate projects. Loading 'Oh, you're including the Martin renovation,' Powell said, referring to the refurbishment of another building, which was completed in 2021. 'You just added in a third building, is what that is.' 'It's a building that's being built,' Trump said. 'No, it was built five years ago,' Powell corrected. 'We finished Martin five years ago … it's not new.' Unfazed, Trump turned it over to questions. Asked by a reporter what he, as a real estate developer, would do with a project manager who presided over such budget blowouts, Trump adopted his trademark phrase (and tone) from his days on reality TV show The Apprentice. 'I'd fire 'em,' he said. Asked whether there was anything Powell could say to him that would cause him to back off from his personal attacks, Trump said: 'I'd love him to lower interest rates', and then slapped the bank chairman on the back. And, in an audacious display from someone who has spent weeks calling him every name in the book, Trump batted away suggestions that he might try to fire Powell. 'I don't want to be personal,' he said.
The Age
5 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Federal Reserve chief schools Trump in excruciating live fact-check
The figures are eye-watering. What started as a $US1.9 billion ($2.9 billion) project in 2023 has blown out to about $US2.5 billion – although, in percentage terms, that's nowhere near as bad as our very own beleaguered North Sydney Olympic Pool. The expensive reno involves two grand Washington buildings, constructed in the 1930s, and is scheduled for completion in 2027. By then, Powell will no longer be the Fed chair – his term finishes in May. Taking their tour, Trump and Powell stood beside each other in matching white hard hats, in what looked like a deleted scene from The Odd Couple. 'It looks like it's about $US3.1 billion. It went up a little bit. Or a lot,' Trump said of the renovation cost. Powell, who had been staring grimly at the floor, turned to the president and began shaking his head. 'I'm not aware of that,' the banker said. 'It just came out,' Trump replied. Powell added: 'I haven't heard that from anybody at the Fed.' Turns out the figure 'just came out' of Trump's jacket pocket, from which the president withdrew a document that Powell then inspected, quizzically, after donning his glasses. It took him just a few seconds to realise the ruse – Trump was trying to conflate two separate projects. Loading 'Oh, you're including the Martin renovation,' Powell said, referring to the refurbishment of another building, which was completed in 2021. 'You just added in a third building, is what that is.' 'It's a building that's being built,' Trump said. 'No, it was built five years ago,' Powell corrected. 'We finished Martin five years ago … it's not new.' Unfazed, Trump turned it over to questions. Asked by a reporter what he, as a real estate developer, would do with a project manager who presided over such budget blowouts, Trump adopted his trademark phrase (and tone) from his days on reality TV show The Apprentice. 'I'd fire 'em,' he said. Asked whether there was anything Powell could say to him that would cause him to back off from his personal attacks, Trump said: 'I'd love him to lower interest rates', and then slapped the bank chairman on the back. And, in an audacious display from someone who has spent weeks calling him every name in the book, Trump batted away suggestions that he might try to fire Powell. 'I don't want to be personal,' he said.
