Trump claims US is global ‘laughing stock’ as he plans ‘victory rally’ day before inauguration: Live updates
President-elect rages on Truth Social after violence in New Orleans and Las Vegas, blaming opposition for indicting him rather than focusing on national security
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has raged on Truth Social that the US is “a disaster, a laughing stock all over the World!” in response to Wednesday’s suspected terror attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas, the second of which saw one of his friend Elon Musk’s TeslaCybertruck’s blown up outside a Trump-owned luxury hotel in the Nevada city.
“This is what happens when you have OPEN BORDERS, with weak, ineffective, and virtually nonexistent leadership,” the president-elect declared.
“The DOJ, FBI, and Democrat state and local prosecutors have not done their job.
“They are incompetent and corrupt, having spent all of their waking hours unlawfully attacking their political opponent, ME, rather than focusing on protecting Americans from the outside and inside violent SCUM that has infiltrated all aspects of our government, and our Nation itself.”
He continued: “The USA is breaking down - A violent erosion of Safety, National Security, and Democracy is taking place all across our Nation.”
Trump is meanwhile reportedly planning to hold a “victory day” rally at Washington DC’s Capital One Arena on the Sunday prior to his inauguration ceremony at the US Capitol.
‘We’re going to rip your face off’ in visa fight, Steve Bannon warns Elon Musk
What do we know about the Cybertruck explosion outside Trump’s Vegas hotel?
Deadly Cybertruck explosion at Trump Tower in Vegas being investigated as possible terrorism, officials say
What are H-1B visas and what has Trump said about them in the past?
ICYMI: Trump hires ‘garbage truck’ campaign staffer reportedly involved in Arlington National Cemetery event
Justin Caporale — one of the Trump campaign staffers who reportedly verbally abused staff at Arlington National Cemetery this summer — has been hired by the president-elect for his “external operation” as “Executive Producer for Major Events and Public Appearances.”
Caporale “has been with me right from the beginning of a very incredible journey, helping to produce our Historic Rallies and Events, including the Republican National Convention, Madison Square Garden, McDonalds commercial, and even my seriously viral ‘Garbage Truck ride,’” Trump announced Tuesday.
“Once he finishes what will be our magnificent Inauguration presentation, Justin will continue to serve my external operation as Executive Producer for Major Events and Public Appearances,” Trump added. “Congratulations Justin. Keep up the GREAT work!”
A bromance for the ages: The timeline of Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s tumultuous relationship
With rumors swirling of a potential end to the honeymoon period between Trump and Musk — sources report that Trump is already becoming “annoyed” with his wealthy friend — Mike Bedigan takes a look back at their often tumultuous relationship:
A timeline of Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s tumultuous relationship
Though the tech billionaire has quickly risen to the (self-titled) position of ‘first buddy,’ the relationship between two of the world’s most powerful men has not always been roses writes Mike Bedigan
Donald Jr isn’t excited about New Year’s Eve at Mar-a-Lago
Happy birthday Donald Trump Jr? The president-elect’s oldest son said ringing in the New Year at his father’s Mar-a-Lago compound will be “a little rough.”
“My birthday is New Year’s Eve,” he said on his Triggered podcast this week. “I get older ... I was a kid, New Year’s Eve was a lot better because it was like, there’s always something to do. There’s always a party.”
Now, he says, “it’s sort of like amateur night.”
“I get to be around a thousand drunk people giving me their political opinions that I don’t necessarily want to hear,” he said. “While I love Mar-a-Lago, it’s sort of like, you know, the, you know, by about midnight when everyone’s like, you know, 12 beers deep or whatever it is they’re drinking, you know, the close talking opinions.”
Is the honeymoon over? Trump is reportedly growing annoying with his ‘first buddy’ Elon Musk
Trump is allegedly “100 percent” annoyed with Elon Musk and the ubiquity and media attention that follows the world’s wealthiest man.
“There’s a Chinese saying,” one person close to the president’s campaign said, “‘two tigers cannot live on one mountaintop.’”
Honeymoon over? Trump is reportedly ‘annoyed’ by best buddy Elon Musk’s antics
Trump’s alleged frustration with the world’s richest person arrives as Musk publicly feuds with MAGA allies over H1B visas
Chief Justice John Roberts condemns political violence and threats to defy court rulings in year-end report
In his annual year-end report, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts condemned the “illegitimate activity” aimed at undermining the independence of the judiciary.
The court — which has faced an avalanche of criticism for rulings that threaten federal agencies, upended reproductive healthcare access and got Trump off the hook for criminal charges — is under intense scrutiny as Trump enters office with a 6-3 conservative majority on the bench.
Roberts says the number of violent threats facing the judiciary has more than tripled over the last decade.
“These tragic events highlight the vulnerability of judges who sign their names to the decisions they render each day and return home each night to communities, where they remain involved as neighbors, volunteers, and concerned citizens,” Roberts said.
He said violence, intimidation, disinformation and threats to defy court judgments “undermine our Republic, and are wholly unacceptable.”
ICYMI: Trump loses appeal of E Jean Carroll verdict finding him liable for sexual abuse and defamation
A federal appeals court upheld a ruling against Donald Trump after he challenged a jury’s verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming a former magazine writer.
What you need to know about E. Jean Carroll’s case against the former president, and what’s next:
Appeals court upholds Trump verdict for sexual abuse and defamation
A jury awarded the former Elle columnist $5m in her first defamation trial against the former president
Flashback: Trump’s Medicare pick Dr. Oz once said uninsured have no ‘right to health’
TV doctor Mehmet Oz, Trump’s nominee to lead the agencies overseeing federal healthcare programs, once said uninsured Americans have “no right to health,” in 10-year-old remarks that have resurfaced since his nomination to the incoming administration.
During a 2013 address to the National Governor’s Association, Oz told attendees that uninsured people should be given “a way of crawling back out of the abyss of darkness, of fear, over not having the health they need” in a “festival-like setting” with physicians.
“Because they don’t have the right to health, but they have the right to access a chance to get that health,” he added.
Trump’s Medicare pick Dr. Oz once said uninsured have no ‘right to health’
The TV personality has repeatedly peddled dubious medical claims
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