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Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Trump wields influence over GOP and keeps potential successors vying for his favor
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Speaking with reporters following an executive order signing at the White House, Trump was asked if Vance were the 'heir apparent to MAGA.' Advertisement Q: "Do you agree that the heir apparent to MAGA is JD Vance?" President Trump: "It's too early, obviously, to talk about it but certainly he's doing a great job, and he would be probably favored at this point." — CSPAN (@cspan) 'I think most likely, in all fairness, he's the vice president,' Trump said. 'I think Marco is also somebody that maybe would get together with JD in some form. ... It's too early obviously, to talk about it, but certainly he's doing a great job and he would be, probably favorite at this point.' When Trump selected the then-39-year-old Vance over other more established Republicans — including Rubio — as his running mate last year, many theorized that Trump was planning for the future of his political movement, angling for a vice president who could carry MAGA forward. Advertisement Vance has embraced the role at every turn, doing the president's bidding on everything from his relationship with Ukraine to the fight over records related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking scandal. Trump, meanwhile, has not hesitated to give Vance high-visibility assignments. As the White House promotes mid-decade redistricting efforts in Texas — and acknowledges it would like the notion to expand to other states — Vance is expected Thursday to discuss redrawing district lines with Gov. Mike Braun during a trip to Indiana. While there, Vance will also headline a fundraiser for the Republican National Committee, which he serves as treasurer. In June he traveled to Los Angeles trip to tour a multiagency Federal Joint Operations Center and a mobile command center amid clashes between protesters and police and outbreaks of vandalism and looting following immigration raids across Southern California. And earlier this year, Vance was in swing congressional districts in his role as lead cheerleader for Trump's signature tax cut and spending law, an assortment of conservative priorities that Republicans dubbed the 'One Big, Beautiful Bill.' He also lobbied senators on Capitol Hill, working to swing GOP holdouts to support the legislation, and in July cast a tie-breaking vote to get the measure passed in the Senate. He's also taken on a robust role related to foreign policy, holding meetings of his own with world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a trip to New Delhi, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Rubio, who has described Vance as among his closest friends in politics, said on Fox News Channel on Sunday that he felt Vance 'would be a great nominee if he decides he wants to do that.' Advertisement Other Republicans mentioned as possible 2028 contenders are already making the rounds of early-voting states. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks at a GOP fundraiser in South Carolina this weekend, and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders headlines an event in that state later this month. Both have taken pains to stay in the president's good graces. Not every Republican contender has gone that route. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who lost the 2016 nomination to Trump, has been visiting early-voting states, too, but he voted against the president's signature legislative measure. And Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp — who has long harbored ambitions to run for president but has a complicated history with Trump — recently said he was sitting out of a Senate race in his state, a decision telegraphed by some as an indication Kemp might be eyeing the 2028 White House race.
Boston Globe
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Trump and Hulk Hogan forged a decadeslong bond based on wrestling, reality stardom, and politics
Advertisement Hogan said he was motivated by the attempted assassination of Trump days earlier at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'What happened last week, when they took a shot at my hero, and they tried to kill the next president of the United States, enough was enough, and I said: 'Let Trumpamania run wild brother. Let Trumpamania rule again, let Trumpamania make America great again,' Hogan said. "Let Trumpamania Run Wild, Brother!" — CSPAN (@cspan) On Thursday, Trump mourned his 'strong, tough, smart' friend, who died of a heart attack in Clearwater, Florida. He was 71. 'We lost a great friend today, the 'Hulkster.' Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way — Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart,' Trump wrote on his social media site, using the acronym for his 'Make America Great Again' campaign slogan. Advertisement 'He gave an absolutely electric speech at the Republican National Convention, that was one of the highlights of the entire week,' Trump said. 'He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive.' Trump offered warm best wishes and love to Hogan's widow, Sky, and said he 'will be greatly missed.' The official White House account on X shared a photo of a suited Trump and Hogan, wearing a Trump-Vance campaign T-shirt with the sleeves cut off, with their arms clasped as if they were wrestling. The caption said, 'Hulk Hogan will be greatly missed!' and included a red heart emoji. Trump went on to enjoy a long association with professional wrestling and some of its top officials, including the husband and wife duo of Vince and Linda McMahon, the founders of World Wrestling Entertainment. Linda McMahon served Trump in both of his administrations and is currently education secretary after heading up the Small Business Administration in his first term. In 2013, Trump was inducted into the celebrity wing of WWE's Hall of Fame. In Milwaukee, Hogan said he had known Trump for more than 35 years and talked about how he won wrestling's world title as the future president sat ringside during a WrestleMania event at Trump Plaza hotel and casino in Atlantic City. 'I was bleeding like a pig and I won the world title right in front of Donald J. Trump and, you know something, he's going to win in November,' Hogan said at the convention. Hogan also addressed thousands at a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden last October. After Trump was reelected, Hogan was among thousands of supporters who went to Trump's victory rally at a Washington sports arena on the eve of the presidential inauguration in January. Advertisement
Boston Globe
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Trump rehashes years-old grievances on Russia investigation after new intelligence report
President Trump on DNI report on 2016 Russian interference claims: "The leader of the gang was President Obama. Barack Hussein Obama, have you heard of him?...He's guilty. It's not a question. You know, I like to say let's give it time. It's there. He's guilty. This was treason." — CSPAN (@cspan) The backward-looking inquiries are taking place even as the Republican administration's national security agencies are confronting global threats. But they have served as a rallying cry for Trump, who is trying to unify a political base at odds over the Jeffrey Epstein case, with some allies pushing to disclose more information despite the president's push to turn the page. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Trump's attack prompted a rare response from Obama's post-presidential office. Advertisement 'Our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,' said Patrick Rodenbush, an Obama spokesman. 'But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.' Gabbard's new report on the Russia investigation Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, arrives for a closed-door hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. ERIC LEE/NYT Trump's tirade, a detour from his official business as he hosted the leader of the Philippines, unfolded against the backdrop of a new report from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that represented his administration's latest attempt to rewrite the history of the Russia investigation, which has infuriated him for years. Advertisement The report, released Friday, downplayed the extent of Russian interference in the 2016 election by highlighting Obama administration emails showing officials had concluded before and after the presidential race that Moscow had not hacked state election systems to manipulate votes in Trump's favor. But Obama's Democratic administration never suggested otherwise, even as it exposed other means by which Russia interfered in the election, including through a massive hack-and-leak operation of Democratic emails by intelligence operatives working with WikiLeaks. Also, a covert foreign influence campaign aimed at swaying public opinion and sowing discord through fake social media posts. Gabbard's report appears to suggest the absence of manipulation of state election systems is a basis to call into question more general Russian interference. Democrats swiftly decried the report as factually flawed and politically motivated. 'It is sadly not surprising that DNI Gabbard, who promised to depoliticize the intelligence community, is once again weaponizing her position to amplify the president's election conspiracy theories,' wrote Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Several investigations found Russian interference in 2016 Russia's broad interference in 2016 has been established through a series of investigations, including special counsel Robert Mueller's report, which concluded that the Trump campaign welcomed the Kremlin's help but also found insufficient evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy. A House Intelligence Committee report also documented Russia's meddling, as did the Senate Intelligence Committee, which concluded its work at a time when the panel was led by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who's now Trump's secretary of state. A different special counsel appointed by the Trump Justice Department to hunt for problems in the origins of the Russia investigation, John Durham, did find flaws, but not related to what Gabbard sought to highlight in her report. Advertisement 'Few episodes in our nation's history have been investigated as thoroughly as the Intelligence Community's warning in 2016 that Russia was interfering in the election,' said Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. He added that every legitimate investigation, including the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee probe, 'found no evidence of politicization and endorsed the findings of the 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment.' Gabbard's document was released weeks after a CIA report that reexamined a 2017 intelligence community assessment on Russian interference. That new review, ordered by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, did not dispute Russia had interfered but suggested officials were rushed in the intelligence assessment they produced. Seeking investigations of former officials Ratcliffe has since referred former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey to the Justice Department for investigation. The department appeared to acknowledge an open investigation into both former officials in an unusual statement earlier this month, but the status or contours of such inquiries are unclear. Besides Obama, Trump on Tuesday rattled off a list of people he accused of acting criminally 'at the highest level,' including Comey, his 2016 Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton and former national intelligence director James Clapper. He accused Obama, without evidence, of being the 'ringleader' of a conspiracy to get him. Obama has never been accused of any wrongdoing as part of the Russia investigation, and, in any event, a landmark Supreme Court opinion from last year shields former presidents from prosecution for official acts conducted in office. Advertisement Trump launched his tirade when asked about the Justice Department's effort to speak with Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of Epstein, who was convicted of helping the financier sexually abuse underage girls. 'I don't really follow that too much,' he said. 'It's sort of a witch hunt, a continuation of the witch hunt.' Trump is under pressure from conspiracy-minded segments of his political base to release more about the Epstein case. Democrats say Trump is resisting because of his past association with Epstein. Trump has denied knowledge of or involvement with Epstein's crimes and said he ended their friendship years ago.
Boston Globe
16-07-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Trump hosts Gulf leaders at White House as new violence raises questions about progress toward peace
The Republican president has lavished attention on the Gulf, a wealthy region where members of his family have extensive business relationships. He has already visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on the first foreign policy trip of his second term. With little progress to share on the region's most intractable problems, including the war in Gaza, Trump was more focused Wednesday on promoting diplomatic ties as a vehicle for economic growth. Advertisement 'Anything they needed, we helped them,' Trump said in the Oval Office while meeting with Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. 'And anything we needed, they helped us.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Meeting with Bahrain's crown prince Bahrain is a longtime ally that hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, which operates in the Middle East. Like other Arab leaders, Al Khalifa was eager to highlight the lucrative potential of diplomatic ties with the U.S., including $17 billion of investments. President Trump opens meeting with Bahraini Crown Prince: "I think we have over $16 trillion of investment coming in, which is a record, and we're only a little bit into the year." — CSPAN (@cspan) 'And this is real,' he said. 'It's real money. These aren't fake deals.' According to the White House, the agreements include purchasing American airplanes, jet engines and computer servers. More investments could be made in aluminum production and artificial intelligence. Bahrain's king, the crown prince's father, is expected to visit Washington before the end of the year. An important part of the relationship will be an agreement, signed on Wednesday, to advance cooperation on civilian nuclear energy. Advertisement Dinner with Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the prime minister of Qatar and a member of the country's ruling family, is scheduled to attend a private dinner with Trump on Wednesday evening. Trump visited Qatar during his trip to the region, marveling at its palaces and stopping at the Al Udeid Air Base, a key U.S. military facility. The base was targeted by Iran after the U.S. bombed the country's nuclear facilities. One ballistic missile made impact, while others were intercepted. Trump wants to use a luxurious Boeing 747 donated by Qatar as his Air Force One because he's tired of waiting for Boeing to finish new planes. However, the arrangement has stirred concerns about security and the ethics of accepting a gift from a foreign government. Aaron David Miller, who served as an adviser on Middle East issues to Democratic and Republican administrations, said 'the Gulf represents everything that Trump believes is right about the Middle East.' 'It's rich, it's stable, it's populated by authoritarians with whom the president feels very comfortable,' he said. Fighting in Syria The fighting in Syria began with clashes between Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze factions in the country's south. Government forces intervened, raising alarms in Israel, where the Druze are a politically influential religious minority. On Wednesday, Israel launched strikes in the Syrian capital of Damascus. A ceasefire was later announced, but it was unclear if it would hold. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was in the Oval Office for Trump's meeting with the crown prince of Bahrain, said the fighting was the result of 'an unfortunate situation and a misunderstanding.' He said 'we think we're on our way to a real de-escalation' that would allow Syria to 'get back on track' to rebuilding after years of civil war. Advertisement Despite an international outcry over its punishing military operations in Gaza, Israel has successfully weakened its enemies around the region, including Hezbollah and Iran. 'There's a growing concern that Israel been a bigger sense of unpredictability,' Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said. He also warned that 'there's still no game plan to deal with the loose ends of Iran's nuclear program and its other activities in the region,' such as support for the Houthis.
Boston Globe
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Liberians confused and angry after Trump's ‘condescending' praise for Boakai's ‘beautiful English'
'Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?' he continued, as Boakai murmured a response. 'Where were you educated? Where? In Liberia?' President Trump to Liberian President Joseph Boakai: "Thank you and such good English, such beautiful. Where did you learn to speak so beautifully, where? Were you educated, where? In Liberia?" — CSPAN (@cspan) The exchange took place during a meeting in the White House between Trump and five West African leaders on Wednesday, amid a pivot from aid to trade in the U.S. foreign policy. Liberia has had deep ties with the United States for centuries. The country was first established with the aim of relocating freed slaves from the United States. Advertisement Foday Massaquio, chairman of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change-Council of Patriots, a Liberian political group, said that while the remarks were typical of Trump's engagement with foreign leaders, what some saw as a 'condescending' tone was amplified by the fact that the leaders were African. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'As a matter of fact, it also proves that the West is not taking us seriously as Africans,' he said. 'President Trump was condescending, he was very disrespectful to the African leader.' Kula Fofana, spokesperson for Boakai's office, told The Associated Press: 'I believe that as journalists, it is important to focus on the substantive discussions at the summit.' Close relationship in the past Trump's comments added to the sense of betrayal which became palpable in Liberia in recent months. Earlier this month, U.S. authorities dissolved the U.S. Agency for International Development and said it was no longer following what they called 'a charity-based foreign aid model.' Advertisement That decision sent shockwaves across Liberia, where American support made up almost 2.6% of the gross national income, the highest percentage anywhere in the world, according to the Center for Global Development. Liberians thought they would be spared from Trump's cuts because of the countries' close relationship. Their political system is modeled on that of the U.S., along with its flag. Liberians often refer to the U.S. as their 'big brother.' Liberia was one of the first countries to receive USAID support, starting in 1961. The street signs, taxis and school buses resemble those in New York. 'In the first place, Liberia is a long standing friend of the USA, therefore Trump should have understood that we speak English as an official language,' said Moses Dennis, 37, a businessman from Monrovia. He added that Boakai did not go to Washington for 'an English speaking competition.' 'Condescending and ridiculing' His views were echoed by Siokin Civicus Barsi-Giah, a leadership expert and a close associate of former President George Weah. 'Liberia is an English speaking country,' he said. 'Former slaves and slave owners decided to organize themselves to let go of many people who were in slavery in the United States of America, and they landed on these shores now called the Republic of Liberia.' For him, the exchange was 'condescending and ridiculing.' He added: 'Joseph Boakai was not praised. He was mocked by the greatest president in the world, who is leading the greatest country in the world.' Some however said that given Trump's personal style, Wednesday's remarks were meant as a praise. Advertisement 'To some, the comment may carry a whiff of condescension, echoing a long-standing Western tendency to express surprise when African leaders display intellectual fluency,' said Abraham Julian Wennah the director of Research at the African Methodist Episcopal University. 'In postcolonial contexts, language has long been weaponized to question legitimacy and competence.' But if one looks at 'Trump's rhetorical style,' these remarks were 'an acknowledgment of Boakai's polish, intellect, and readiness for global engagement,' he said.
