Page 349 - Donald Trump

Harris raised $1 bn-plus in defeat; she's still sending appeals to donors

Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party's prodigious fundraising operation raised more than USD 1 billion in her loss to Donald Trump but the vice-president is still pushing donors for more money after the election. Democrats are sending persistent appeals to Harris supporters without expressly asking them to cover any potential debts, enticing would-be donors instead with other matters -- the Republican president-elect's picks for his upcoming administration and a handful of pending congressional contests where ballots are still being tallied. "The Harris campaign certainly spent more than they raised and is now busy trying to fundraise," said Adrian Hemond, a Democratic strategist from Michigan. He said he was asked by the campaign after its loss to Trump to help with fundraising. The party is flooding Harris' lucrative email donor list with near-daily appeals aimed at small-dollar donors -- those whose contributions are measured in the hundreds of dollars or less. But Hemond said

Trump attends UFC as Musk suggests public should weigh in on Treasury pick

President-elect Donald Trump is attending the UFC heavyweight championship clash at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, combining two things close to his heart -- fierce battles inside the octagon and New York City. After a year's delay, Stipe Miocic is getting his shot at a third heavyweight championship reign when he battles current champion Jon Jones at UFC 309. Trump is a longtime UFC enthusiast and frequent attendee of major fights. He made promoting hypermasculine tones a signature of his latest, successful campaign for the White House -- as he looked to further widen the gap among male voters between himself and his Democratic opponent, Vice-President Kamala Harris. The trip to New York, where Trump lived for decades before moving to his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, came after the president-elect announced his choice for energy secretary in his upcoming administration. And it also followed a key ally, billionaire Elon Musk, calling for more direct public inpu

Anxiety inside US justice dept after Trump taps Gaetz as attorney general

Donald Trump's choice of Matt Gaetz to be attorney general has many Justice Department employees reeling, worried not only about their own jobs but the future of the agency that the Trump loyalist has railed against. The president-elect's pick of the Florida Republican sent a shock throughout the Cabinet department, considering Gaetz's lack of experience in law enforcement and the fact that he was once the subject of a federal sex trafficking investigation. The names of well-regarded veteran lawyers had circulated as possible contenders for the job but Gaetz's selection was broadly interpreted as an indication of the premium that Trump places on personal loyalty and Trump's desire to have a disruptor lead a department that for years investigated and ultimately indicted him. Career lawyers at the department interviewed by AP, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity, described a widespread sense of being stunned by the nomination -- even outrage. They spoke of being flooded wit

Kerry expects Trump to give orders, hopes leaving Paris Agreement isn't one

With President-elect Donald Trump set to assume office soon, former US Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday suggested that he may issue "a series of executive orders" on day one itself, hoping that one of those will not be about pulling out of the Paris Agreement. During an interactive session at the HT Leadership Summit 2024 here, Kerry also said diplomacy requires a ripeness to be able to solve a problem, and given the circumstances, he thought Ukraine is a place where "things are ripe". Post the inauguration ceremony in January next year, Trump (78) will return to the White House for his second term after registering a resounding victory in the recently-held US presidential elections that paved the way for an extraordinary political comeback. "First of all, I think everybody in the world has learnt that it is very hard to predict anything about President Trump. There is no way to know with certainty exactly what will happen. And that unpredictability is something that he ...

Why Trump's Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth seen as potential 'insider threat'

Fox News personality and Army National Guard veteran Pete Heseth has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump as Defence Secretary, his association with military extremism raises concerns

Family of Israeli-American hostage asks Biden, Trump for captives' return

Over the past two weeks, the political landscape around the negotiations for a cease-fire in Gaza have undergone a dramatic transformation. The American elections, the firing of Israel's popular defense minister, Qatar's decision to suspend its mediation, and the ongoing war in Lebanon all seem to have pushed the possibility for a cease-fire in Gaza further away than it has been in more than a year of conflict. Still, some families of the dozens of hostages who remain captive in Gaza are desperately hoping the changes will reignite momentum to bring their loved ones home though the impact of Donald Trump returning to the White House and a hard-line new defense minister in Israel remains unknown. I think maybe there is new hope, said Varda Ben Baruch, the grandmother of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, 20, a soldier kidnapped from his base on the Gaza border during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Alexander's parents, Adi and Yael Alexander, who live in New Jersey, met

Muslims who voted for Donald Trump upset by his pro-Israel cabinet pick

Muslim support for Trump helped him win Michigan and may have factored into other swing state wins

Elon Musk's political ascendancy stirs hopes of redemption for X banks

Banks typically sell such loans to investors soon after the deal is done, but in the case of X, which Musk bought for $44 billion in 2022, they have been stuck holding the debt

China willing to be partners, friends with US, says Chinese envoy

China has no plan to surpass or replace the United States, Xie Feng said in a speech in Hong Kong on Friday, addressing Chinese officials and the US ambassador to China

'Democrats used human rights as political tool to win over Hindu-Americans'

Indian Americans are working to reach out to the new Trump administration and the Congress next year to seek action against the Bangladeshi regime, including imposing economic sanctions, an influential community leader has said. Encouraged by the recent statement of President-elect Donald Trump on Bangladesh, Dr Bharat Barai, an Indian American physician, exuded confidence that Trump would act against the South Asian nation over the persecution of the Hindu minority after he is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. He (Trump) has made a bold statement about the persecution of Bangladeshi Hindus and the desecration of Hindu temples, Barai told PTI in an interview. "He's a bold person who might consider economic sanctions if the situation doesn't improve," he added. In Washington to attend the annual Diwali celebrations at the US Capitol, which was attended by over two dozen US lawmakers and Indian Americans from across the country, Barai said community members are ...

Ukraine's Zelenskyy says Donald Trump could end war with Russia sooner

The Ukrainian leader shared his belief that the conflict could end sooner under Trump's leadership

G20 set to back climate goals, global trade in message to Donald Trump

Leaders of the world's biggest economies will reaffirm a strong commitment to multilateralism, especially in the light of the progress made under the Paris Agreement

Trump promised to kill US steel deal to Nippon Steel; what will happen now?

The president-elect remains mum on the deal just as a top Nippon Steel executive readies a trip to Pittsburgh to persuade rank-and-file union members and politicians

Donald Trump names young Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary

US President-elect Donald Trump on Friday named Karoline Leavitt as White House Press Secretary. Leavitt, 27, would replace Karine Jean-Pierre as the White House Press Secretary on January 20, 2025 when Trump takes oath as the 47th President of the United States. She was the Trump Campaign's National Press Secretary and has previously served in the Trump White House as Assistant Press Secretary. Announcing her nomination, Trump said, "Leavitt did a phenomenal job as the National Press Secretary on my Historic Campaign, and I am pleased to announce she will serve as White House Press Secretary." "Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator," the president-elect said. "I have the utmost confidence she will excel at the podium, and help deliver our message to the American People as we, Make America Great Again," he added. Among other nominations announced by Trump, Steven Cheung will return to the White House as Assistant to the President and Direct

Iranian official meets Musk in a possible step to ease tensions with Trump

Iran successfully sought a meeting with Elon Musk, according to a US official, one in a series of steps that appeared aimed at easing tensions with President-elect Donald Trump. Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani met with Musk a Trump ally named this week to advise his administration on ways to cut the federal government on Monday in New York, according to a US official briefed on the meeting by a foreign colleague. The official said he had been informed that the discussion covered a variety of topics, most notably Iran's nuclear program, its support for anti-Israel groups throughout the Middle East and prospects for improved relations with the United States. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a non-US governmental meeting, said no immediate decisions were taken by either side. The official said the Iranians sought the meeting with Musk, the world's richest man, and that it did not take place at the Iranian mission to the UN. The Trump transition te

China to retaliate if Donald Trump boosts tariff, says ex-PBOC official

Tariffs will affect the exchange rate, it will affect China's capital flow, and also will affect how much China will buy US Treasury bills, said Zhu

Xi's dream of 'powerful currency' likely to be challenged by Trump's return

The yuan risks years of downward pressure during the second Trump presidency, and the threat of another trade war is already fueling bets against the currency

Trump's Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth was flagged as possible 'Insider Threat'

Pete Hegseth, the Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defense, was flagged as a possible Insider Threat by a fellow service member due to a tattoo on his bicep that's associated with white supremacist groups. Hegseth, who has downplayed the role of military members and veterans in the January 6, 2021, attack and railed against the Pentagon's subsequent efforts to address extremism in the ranks, has said he was pulled by his District of Columbia National Guard unit from guarding Joe Biden's January 2021 inauguration. He's said he was unfairly identified as an extremist due to a cross tattoo on his chest. This week, however, a fellow Guard member who was the unit's security manager and on an anti-terrorism team at the time, shared with The Associated Press an email he sent to the unit's leadership flagging a different tattoo reading Deus Vult that's been used by white supremacists, concerned it was an indication of an Inside

Trump builds White House staff with Cheung as communications director

US President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that Steven Cheung will serve as his White House communications director and Sergio Gor will run the personnel office. Both have been advisers to the president-elect since his 2016 campaign, Trump said. Both positions could be influential in the new administration, helping to develop its public messaging and internal workforce. Cheung led communications for Trump's latest campaign, where he gained a reputation for combative and insulting attacks on the Republican's opponents. A native of Sacramento, California, he worked in Republican politics and for the Ultimate Fighting Championship before joining Trump's team in 2016. Gor ran Winning Team Publishing, which he started with Donald Trump Jr. The company has published books by Trump and his allies. Gor also led the super PAC Right for America. The Presidential Personnel Office will likely be a focal point of Trump's efforts to shape his administration's staff with loyalists. Trump .

Trump's pick to lead Defence Department accused of sexual assault in 2017

Pete Hegseth, a popular Fox News host who is Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Defence, was accused of sexual assault in 2017 after a speaking appearance at a Republican women's event in Monterey, California, according to a statement released by the city. No charges were filed in the case. Hegseth's attorney, Timothy Parlatore, told The Associated Press the allegations were completely false. This was investigated by the police at the time and they found no evidence, Parlatore said. Monterey City officials declined to release a police report that documented the accusations and instead issued a brief statement Thursday night in response to press inquiries. According to that statement, Monterey Police were contacted in October 2017 to investigate a sexual assault that allegedly took place several days earlier at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Monterey and involved Hegseth. The person who reported the assault - whose name, age and sex were not released - had bruises on the