World
Fury as Trump reposts AI Taylor Swift ‘endorsement’: Live updates
Donald Trump has stoked controversy by turning to artificial intelligence to push a bogus “Swifties for Trump” campaign, falsely claiming that the hugely popular singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, a Democrat, is backing his presidential run.
Meanwhile, the disgraced former New York Republican congressman and Trump ally George Santos, ousted amid a series of scandals, is reportedly set to accept a plea deal in his federal criminal case on Monday in order to avoid a trial.
On Sunday, Trump was warned by MAGA ally Lindsey Graham that he could lose November’s presidential election to Kamala Harris if he continues to indulge his “provocateur” instincts by making personal attacks on his Democratic rival, rather than offering substantive policy critiques.
Trump has so far shown little capacity for change, declaring that he was “better looking” than Harris during a rally in Wilkes-Barr, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night while again insisting she has “the laugh of a crazy person”.
His running mate, JD Vance, meanwhile made a bizarre comparison between Harris and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a smear certain to backfire given that Trump once praised Epstein as a “terrific guy” and has been photographed in his company.
What are Trumpworld’s DNC counter-programming plans?
Republicans will join the swathes of Democrats descending on Chicago this week as Trumpworld tries to find a way to blunt Kamala Harris‘s momentum.
As the four-day Democratic National Convention gets under way in the Windy City, Donald Trump and his allies are making plans for counter-programming to the event.
Trump’s Chicago hotel will become the epicenter of the Republican world as his allies including Florida Senator Rick Scott and his colleague in the House, Byron Donalds, are among those who will lead the GOP’s efforts to counter-program the convention.
Oliver O’Connell19 August 2024 17:45
Dems taunt Trump with messages on his Chicago hotel as DNC kicks off
Oliver O’Connell19 August 2024 17:15
Fake electors still donating to Trump despite some facing criminal charges in scheme to overturn 2020 election
A number of fake electors who attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election have donated to Donald Trump as recently as this year, financial records show.
Oliver O’Connell19 August 2024 16:45
Watch: Trump attempts to clarify medal of freedom remarks by repeating original point
Here’s Andrew Feinberg’s report on Trump’s original comments:
Oliver O’Connell19 August 2024 16:15
Trump vows to stop violent crime in all-caps Truth Social post
Convicted felon Donald Trump says dealing with crime will be his top priority if he is re-elected (along with four other top priorities), calling Chicago a “war zone” over the number of shootings that take place in the city and blaming “weak, liberal politicians”.
Here’s his latest shouty, all-caps post from Truth Social:
CRIME IN AMERICA IS OUT OF CONTROL. I AM GOING TO MAKE IT, ALONG WITH THE ECONOMY, INFLATION, STRONG BORDERS, AND ENERGY DOMINANCE, MY TOP PRIORITY. THE DEMOCRATS ARE HOLDING THEIR CONVENTION IN CHICAGO IN ORDER TO SHOWCASE IT, AND YET 117 PEOPLE WERE SHOT, 17 KILLED, ON THE FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND, AND 40 WERE SHOT THIS WEEKEND. THAT IS A WAR ZONE, AND WILL BE HANDLED ACCORDINGLY. I WILL BRING CRIME IN AMERICA DOWN TO A TINY FRACTION OF WHAT IT IS TODAY. MOTHERS WILL NO LONGER BE LOSING THEIR CHILDREN BECAUSE WEAK, LIBERAL POLITICIANS HAVE GIVEN UP ON SECURING A CRIME FREE USA!!! I WILL STOP VIOLENT CRIME IN AMERICA!!!
Crime is actually falling per the latest data from the FBI.
Oliver O’Connell19 August 2024 15:45
Tammy Duckworth slams Trump’s ‘despicable’ comments about military veterans
Senator and Army National Guard veteran Tammy Duckworth has slammed Trump, calling him “despicable” for his degrading comments about military veterans and for suggesting the highest civilian award is more prestigious than the Medal of Honor awarded to service members who have demonstrated “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity.”
Joe Sommerlad19 August 2024 15:15
Trump attacks ‘Comrade Kamala Harris’ as ‘Marxist trained’ in bizarre Truth Social post
After a torrent of video posts on Truth Social over the weekend, Donald Trump hammered out his latest attack on Kamala Harris on today, calling her “Marxist trained” and “Comrade”.
Here’s what was on the former president’s mind this morning:
The Radical Left protesters in Chicago are going after the Democrat Party because the know they are weak and ready to break into a full blown party of Socialism or, if they really do their job, and with a little bit of luck, the Communist Party of the United States of America. They are already very close and, having a Marxist trained and believing President whose father is a Marxist professor, Comrade Kamala Harris, stranger things have happened! November 5th, 2024, will be the most important day in the history of our Country. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
Oliver O’Connell19 August 2024 14:45
Willie Brown threatens to sue Trump over ‘fake’ helicopter story
Former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown has threatened to sue Trump after the former president told a seemingly completely fictious story about him.
During a lie-filled press conference at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month, the former president recounted what now appears to be a tall tale about a helicopter ride he claims he once took with Brown, in which the latter allegedly told him scurrilous stories about Kamala Harris, whom he had dated.
Brown has since denied ever being in a chopper with Trump and says he supports Harris “religiously”.
Here’s more from James Liddell and Graig Graziosi.
Joe Sommerlad19 August 2024 14:15
Harris campaign slams Trump for rally in town with long ties to KKK
Kamala Harris’s campaign has slammed Trump for planning a rally in a Michigan town with long ties to the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and white supremacists.
Trump’s campaign announced his return to Michigan this upcoming Tuesday with an event in Howell, a city of roughly 10,000 residents with long, storied links to the racist mob, which openly held events north of the town throughout the 1970s and even sporadically into the present era.
Pro-KKK graffiti was reportedly found in Howell as recently as 2021 – and white supremacists staged a rally there just last month.
Here’s more from John Bowden.
Joe Sommerlad19 August 2024 13:45
Trump posts AI-generated image of Harris speaking at DNC with communist flags
Here’s James Liddell with more adventures in artifice from Trump, further evidence that he’s lost his knack as a poster.
Joe Sommerlad19 August 2024 13:15