Latest news with #TrumpSupport
The Independent
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
The insult JD Vance jokingly used on interviewer who called him an ‘intellectual'
Vice President JD Vance jokingly called an interviewer an "a**hole" for referring to him as an "intellectual" during an event hosted by the American Compass think tank on Tuesday night. The interviewer, Oren Cass, founder of American Compass, noted Vance's past writings for National Review, where he opposed Donald Trump, before his public turnaround and endorsement by Trump. Cass praised Vance as someone who was "an intellectual first," leading to Vance's sarcastic outburst. Vance interrupted Cass's comments, feigning outrage and jokingly insulting Cass, which was met with cheers and applause from the audience. Cass acknowledged Vance's remark, admitting that he, too, had written for National Review.
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- General
- Bloomberg
Polish Nationalist Nawrocki Wins Presidential Election
A nationalist candidate backed by Donald Trump won Poland's presidential election, defeating the centrist mayor of Warsaw in a blow to the country's pro-European Union government. Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian and former boxer, won 50.9%, while Rafal Trzaskowski took 49.1%, according to Bloomberg News calculations based on data from 100% of precincts reported by the electoral commission.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump is breaking up with the tech bros, here's why
As Elon Musk steps down from his role at the White House, there are signs Donald Trump's love affair with Silicon Valley could be on the rocks. The president sailed to election victory in November buoyed up by a wave of support from tech billionaires. But as his America First measures on immigration, university funding, tariffs and energy begin to bite, a tech bro break-up looms. 'There's definitely some buyer's remorse on the right,' said Nu Wexler, a former policy communications executive at Google. Having previously blocked the president from all Meta platforms, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg sought to make amends first by dining with Mr Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in November, and then by donating $1 million to his inauguration fund. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, caused outrage in February when he shook up The Washington Post's opinion section, ordering the paper to support 'personal liberties and free markets', in a move widely interpreted as a courtesy to Mr Trump. He also made overtures to the first lady, paying $40 million for a Melania Trump documentary – nearly three times the next highest bid. Meanwhile, Tim Cook, the Apple CEO, was hailed as tech's Trump whisperer after he donated $1 million and is said to have sweetened the deal with promises to start manufacturing products in the US. Their support for Mr Trump was not without reason. During the election campaign, the president promised to unleash innovation by stripping back regulations he said hindered the development of artificial intelligence (AI) under the Biden administration. Mr Trump is currently also making good on promises to make permanent the cuts to corporate tax rates, which he slashed from 35 per cent to 21 per cent in his first term. And he has set about implementing a bold programme of financial services deregulation, particularly around cryptocurrency. But the flattery of Mr Trump has not had the anticipated effect. It was widely expected that antitrust lawsuits against Facebook, Google and Amazon would soon disappear. Yet Mr Trump has so far declined to intervene. Meanwhile, his relationship with Mr Cook appears to have soured after Mr Trump criticised the Apple billionaire for building factories in India. At the same time, the knock-on effects of Mr Trump's broader policy agenda have sent Silicon Valley reeling. Mr Musk said this week he was 'disappointed' with the president's 'big, beautiful' spending bill, warning that it 'undermines' the work of the Department for Government Efficiency (Doge) to bring down the deficit. Despite Mr Musk's comment, the pair apparently remain great friends, with the president presenting the billionaire with a golden key to the White House during a farewell press conference on Friday. However, Mr Musk's concerns were echoed by Chamath Palihapita, a former Facebook senior executive and host of the All In podcast, who warned that the financial markets would 'punish' the Trump administration for driving up national debt. Immigration, too, has proved a dividing line between Mr Trump's Maga base and his Silicon Valley allies, with Mr Musk pledging to 'go to war' over visas for skilled immigrants. Around 70 per cent of H-1B visa holders in the US are employed in the tech industry, and the SpaceX founder has likened the need to attract engineering talent from overseas to a professional sports team bringing in foreign players. The president's repeated attacks on universities have also set pulses racing in Silicon Valley, with the scientific research programmes that transformed America into a technology superpower facing billions of dollars in cuts. For decades, the US has stood unrivalled as the world's leader in scientific discovery and technological innovation thanks to government-backed projects that have created everything from the internet to mRNA vaccines. However, the amount of money disbursed in grants by the National Science Foundation, which funds much of the scientific research at American universities, has plummeted by 51 per cent this year so far, compared to the average over the past 10 years. 'There are a lot of people in Silicon Valley who worry this is going to kill the golden goose,' said Darrell West, a senior fellow in the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings Institution. 'A lot of America's competitive advantage has been in digital technologies, and we're now making it difficult to finance the next generation.' Mr Trump's tariffs agenda has triggered widespread alarm in the tech sector as well. Having successfully won an exemption from a 145 per cent tariff on iPhones assembled in China, Apple was caught off guard last week by Mr Trump threatening 25 per cent tariffs on all iPhones made outside the US. 'I don't want you building in India,' the president warned Mr Cook during his recent Middle East tour. Moreover, Mr Trump's moratorium on new clean energy projects risks driving up energy prices in California, where renewables account for 54 per cent of the state's total electricity generation. Data centres – sprawling warehouses full of computer servers that power AI – are reliant on cheap electricity to keep them running, with experts warning that even small increases in energy prices could have 'catastrophic' consequences. His plan to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act also spells bad news for California's world-leading energy storage industry by removing tax cuts that spurred investment in the technology. From the moment Mr Musk pranced on stage at a Trump rally in October wearing an 'Occupy Mars' T-shirt, some critics said the president and Silicon Valley made strange bedfellows. A far cry from the casual-dressing tech bros of San Francisco, whom Mr Trump recently called 'these internet people', the president is rarely seen without a suit and tie (when he's not on the golf course). 'Tech investors are not a logical fit for the grassroots Maga movement. It is more a relationship of convenience right now,' said Mr Wexler. A loveless marriage it may be. But a messy divorce could have devastating consequences for the future of Mr Trump's coalition. 'He's tacked his administration to tech billionaires. They're a very powerful group and very well connected,' said Mr West. 'If they start to turn on him, that's a political nightmare.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Huntley ‘Trump Truth' store hosts dueling rallies as owner vows to stay open
Outside of her Huntley brick-and-mortar 'Trump & Truth' memorabilia shop, owner Lisa Fleischmann met with about 100 supporters who gathered on Saturday to support for Fleischmann and her business's right to exist following recent clashes with village officials. Many of the supporters, who included a 12-year-old girl dressed as the president, donned pro-Trump t-shirts and other attire, waving American flags to catch the attention of passersby, some of whom slammed on their horns in solidarity. Tables set up just outside of the strip mall store were stocked with beverages, pizza and snacks to keep the crowd energized for the afternoon. Just a half-mile south of the store on Illinois Route 47, about 200 people gathered to protest the store along the roadside with its fair share of supportive honks from drivers passing the sea of protest signs amid cheers and noisemakers. The support rally came in response to news about the tussle between Fleischmann and the village over accusations that the pro-Trump store violated village sign ordinance and building codes with its inflatable dolls of President Trump and a banner hanging outside of the store. Fleischmann and her supporters believe the scrutiny is due to her support for Trump. Her landlord has also threatened eviction after facing several citations themselves in January, but attorney David Shestokas, of Orland Park, said the eviction threat is due to pressure from the village, adding her defense includes 'possible violations of First Amendment rights.' Trump-themed shop could be closed over code issues, but owner says it's political 'Some of the citations they've given, there are other businesses in the area that have had the same stuff like things in front of the businesses or on the sidewalk and they've not been bothered even slightly,' Shestokas said. We're putting together our defense with evidence on what appears to be unequal treatment.' Shestokas said he is 'extraordinarily optimistic that we'll reach a resolution that's favorable for Lisa.' Fleischmann appeared to be in high spirits Saturday, talking to customers nonstop as they perused and purchased the Trump merchandise that covered nearly every inch of the store near the intersection of Main Street and Illinois Route 47. She said that while weekends were usually busy for her, the energy on Saturday was different. 'Everybody is so great, and people coming from all over to support me means so much,' Fleischmann said. 'It's been so fun.' Mercedes Beard said it's 'very unfair and wrong' for Fleischmann to have to deal with the village 'trying to intimidate her.' At the counter-protest, organizer Vivian Lenski, of Huntley, said her event was in part to organize against Trump and his agenda but also to show that business owners 'can't do whatever they want.' 'It's not against (Fleischmann) or her store specifically, anybody can open a store, though it's kind of an eyesore, but if she's not following the rules, it's not right,' Lenski said. 'She's got to follow the law just like everyone else.' The groups, for the most part, did not appear to interact with one another aside from a brief exchange between a lone anti-Trump protester who stood across the road from Fleischmann's store and one of her supporters who crossed the road the meet him. Tina Zucker, of St. Charles, and her daughter Lee Zucker, of DeKalb, protest and said it was important to them to be at the counterprotest, though neither of them lives in Huntley. 'We've been to similar protests in the past and the goal is always to show up and get seen by people, especially the ones who can make change happen like our senators,' Lee Zucker said. She also brought along her 6-year-old daughter, who alternated between cheering with her mom and grandma and playing in the grass. 'She doesn't understand a lot of what's going on, but she knows that we should be treating people well and be kind, and I think that's enough,' Lee Zucker said. Back at Fleischmann's store, supporters echoed their belief that pressure against the business was political. David and Mercedes Beard drove about 40 minutes from Sycamore to show their support for the store. Their first visit was about a week ago, and they knew they had to return for the rally. 'People are trying to shut her down however they can,' David Beard said. 'It's a political move. For me, I don't care whether you're a Democrat or Republican, you still have the right to be here and run your business.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Zachary Levi's Cryptic Comment About Secret Donald Trump Supporters In Hollywood
is stirring the pot with some cryptic comments that have Hollywood buzzing. The "Shazam!" star recently hinted that far more celebrities voted for than the public might think, but they're keeping quiet about it. Without naming names, Zachary Levi claims that many in the industry supported the current president but are just "afraid" to go public. Levi initially sparked controversy back in October when he took to Instagram Live, calling on 'closeted conservatives' and 'closeted Trump voters' within the entertainment industry to speak out. Now, months after the election, Levi claims multiple figures within the entertainment industry have privately reached out to express their appreciation after he shifted his support to Donald Trump, following the departure of his initial 2024 choice, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The 44-year-old actor also claimed the messages came quietly, suggesting a broader undercurrent of hidden support within Hollywood. "I know it to be true because I've gotten messages from lots of people who I won't name but who were very grateful to me for taking the stand that I took," he told Variety. "And also they would tell me, 'I want to do that, but I'm so afraid.' And I would tell them, 'Listen, you're on your journey. I'm on my journey. You've got to keep trusting God.'" He later added that those who "feel compelled to step out in that way" need to "do it boldly and know that you're going to be OK. And if you don't feel that conviction yet, then don't. It's all good." He also acknowledged that his political views have already led to lost job opportunities. "I know that there are people that would prefer not to work with me now because of my opinions. My team has let me know," Levi said of his recent experiences with work. "They haven't given me any specific names, but there are people who prefer not to work with me at this time. And it's unfortunate. I knew that was probably going to happen. I didn't make this decision blindly or casually." During the Presidential election, Levi famously made headlines after he publicly threw his support behind Donald Trump during a passionate speech at the Reclaim America Tour in Michigan. The 44-year-old actor, who previously backed Robert F. Kennedy Jr., told the crowd that he could no longer sit on the sidelines in what he called a 'broken' country. During the event, Levi spoke candidly about his political journey, sharing that he was raised by parents who were 'Kennedy Democrats turned Reagan Republicans,' a background that instilled in him a 'healthy distrust' of both government and unchecked corporate power. He kicked off his speech by asking attendees to turn to one another and say, 'I'm really glad that you're alive and you're here right now,' calling the moment one of 'love and unity.' 'We're here for unity, right? We're here to make sure that we value every single person,' Levi said. 'Whether you're a Democrat, whether you're a Republican, whether you're a Libertarian, an Independent, every single one of us is a child of God.' While he initially supported Kennedy's presidential bid, Levi explained why he ultimately shifted his endorsement. 'In a perfect world, perhaps I would have voted for Bobby,' he admitted. 'But we don't live in a perfect world. We live in a very broken one… And so I stand with Bobby and I stand with everyone else who is standing with President Trump.' Levi isn't the only one who publicly endorsed Trump. made headlines when he publicly endorsed the current President just minutes after he survived an assassination attempt, writing on social media, 'I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.' Country star also threw his support behind Trump earlier this year, sharing a photo of the two together along with the caption, 'I stand here with former U.S. President Donald J. Trump as a proud AMERICAN. Mr. Trump is the 6th U.S. President I've met and I felt like Mr. Corey Comperatore was right there with us.'
