Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States - Performance Watch

[FearlessRoar]

On November 15, 2022, Donald Trump declared his candidacy for the 2024 U.S. presidential election and initiated a fundraising effort. By March 2023, his campaign began allocating 10% of donations to his leadership PAC. By March 2024, the campaign had reportedly spent $100 million on legal expenses. In December 2023, the Colorado Supreme Court barred Trump from appearing in the state’s Republican primary, citing his alleged involvement in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. However, in March 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reversed this decision, ruling that Colorado could not enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to disqualify him.

As the 2024 election approached, Trump amplified claims of election interference and fraud, which he began emphasizing earlier and more frequently compared to his previous campaigns. Analysts noted that these claims had become a cornerstone of his strategy, described as "heads I win; tails you cheated." During his campaign, Trump made increasingly aggressive and authoritarian remarks, pledging to use federal agencies and the military against political opponents and intensifying anti-immigrant rhetoric. Historians and scholars labeled some of his statements as authoritarian and unprecedented in American political discourse. Concerns about his age and health also surfaced, with experts pointing to instances of rambling speech and erratic behavior.

Trump survived two assassination attempts during his campaign. On July 13, 2024, a bullet grazed his ear during a rally in Butler Township, Pennsylvania, and two months later, he was targeted again in Florida. Despite these incidents, Trump was officially nominated as the Republican presidential candidate alongside his running mate, Senator JD Vance, during the party’s convention.

In November 2024, Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election, securing 312 electoral votes against Harris's 226. This victory made Trump the second U.S. president, after Grover Cleveland, to serve nonconsecutive terms. He also won the popular vote with 49.8% compared to Harris’s 48.3%, marking one of the narrowest margins in modern U.S. electoral history.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Polls added

 

[FearlessRoar]

Donald Trump to sign 'close to 100 executive orders' - as he is set to become 47th US president​

Donald Trump will become the 47th president of the United States today - marking an astonishing return to the White House for the businessman and former reality TV star.

Today's inauguration comes after a tumultuous four years out of office that saw assassination attempts and several serious legal cases against the 78-year-old.

Mr Trump will be sworn in at the US Capitol Rotunda buildings rather than outdoors due to the cold weather in Washington DC - the first time this has happened in 40 years.

The Capital One Arena in Washington will host a live viewing of the ceremony - due to start at 5pm UK time - as well as the Presidential Parade.

Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and past presidents will attend the swearing-in ceremony - but notably Barack Obama's wife Michelle will be absent with no explanation offered.

Mr Trump has invited several world leaders, including China's Xi Jinping, Argentina's Javier Milei, and Italy's Giorgia Meloni, to his inauguration - the first president-elect to do so.

Several high-profile "tech bros" will also be in attendance including Mr Trump's close confidante Elon Musk, Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg, and TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew - fresh from the US ban which saw the app shut for several hours before the president-elect said he would stall the ban.

Mr Trump also promised to sign close to 100 executive orders on his first day in office and said he would ensure that "the curtain closes on four long years of American decline".

He added: "We're going to give them the best first day, the biggest first week and the most extraordinary first 100 days of any presidency in American history."

This evening will end with a series of inaugural balls across Washington DC.

Today's swearing-in ceremony will stand in stark contrast to Mr Biden's in 2021. Then, security was beefed up after the January 6 unrest around two weeks earlier, and the COVID-19 pandemic drastically limited crowd sizes.

US officials have said they are not anticipating any major disruptions or protests on inauguration day.

But they are operating in a "heightened threat environment" due to the New Year's terror attack in New Orleans.

The District of Columbia National Guard will deploy roughly 7,800 soldiers for security, which includes traffic control and patrolling underground stations.

Thousands of federal agents, police and other law enforcement officials will also be on hand.

Donald Trump to sign 'close to 100 executive orders' - as he is set to become 47th US president

Trump's return to the White House marks an extraordinary ascent to power as he is set to become the 47th president in a swearing-in ceremony later today.

news.sky.com

 

[FearlessRoar]

'TikTok is back': Trump makes an appeal to young voters at his pre-inauguration rally​

President-elect Donald Trump — the oldest man to win the presidency — offered himself Sunday as a champion of the youth, saying that decades from now, his youngest supporters would hail him as one of the greatest to call the White House home.

“Someday, 30 years from now, 40 years from now, 50 years from now, some of these young people are going to say, ‘I remember Donald Trump, he did a good job,’” Trump asserted here during a pre-inaugural rally at Capital One Arena.

Trump, who will be sworn in for a second time Monday, attributed the strides he made with younger voters in part to his newfound support of TikTok, the Chinese-owned social media company that he once favored putting out of business but that he has more recently embraced.

On Sunday, Trump announced that one of his first moves upon returning to office will be to sign an executive order that delays a ban the Supreme Court upheld last week. The announcement followed a brief interruption to TikTok’s availability in the United States.

“As of today, TikTok is back,” Trump said, drawing a huge cheer from the audience.

Trump’s rally was framed as a supersized victory lap. A parade of Trump-friendly figures took the stage before him, including Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, conservative media star Megyn Kelly and Stephen Miller, the anti-immigration firebrand and incoming White House deputy chief of staff.

Supporters filled all but the upper level of the arena, which seats 20,000 during sporting events and had hundreds more seats arranged on the floor. Campaign slogans — “Trump Will Fix It,” among others — scrolled across the scoreboards as warmup speakers took the stage.

“Tomorrow at noon closes on four long years of American decline, and we begin a grand new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity and pride,” Trump said.

Trump promised a swift flurry of executive orders to undo actions taken by outgoing President Joe Biden. He also alluded to how his return to power has accelerated a course correction among big tech and other business executives who once had treated him warily while they endorsed progressive corporate governance policies that drew ridicule among his MAGA base.

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg have in recent weeks made moves to align their companies and themselves more closely with Trump’s values. Both accepted invitations to attend Monday’s inauguration ceremony. From the stage, Trump name-dropped Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, with whom he recently met and, according to Trump, spoke with again Sunday.

“Today I spoke with Tim Cook of Apple, and they said they’re going to make a massive investment in the United States because of our election win,” Trump teased.

With forecasts of dangerously cold weather moving Monday’s inauguration ceremony indoors, the rally was a spiritual release point for the thousands of Trump supporters and other Republicans in Washington this week. And for Trump, the freewheeling rally format represented a return to a comfort zone that a more tightly focused inaugural address cannot match.

Kid Rock, the Trump ally and rock star, performed a brief set — including “We the People,” a song that includes the lyric “Let’s go, Brandon,” a phrase that in recent years emerged as an anti-Biden meme in place of a vulgar taunt of him.

Trump family members also addressed the audience. After Eric and Lara Trump led their two young children in the pledge of allegiance, Eric Trump offered some PG-13-rated fare.

'TikTok is back': Trump makes an appeal to young voters at his pre-inauguration rally

The president-elect rallied with supporters in Washington, previewing executive orders he plans to sign on Day 1 and dancing with the Village People.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[FearlessRoar]

Trump promises harsh immigration crackdown on inauguration eve​

Donald Trump told thousands of roaring supporters he would impose severe limits on immigration on his first day in office, vowing to swiftly fulfill the central promise of his presidential campaign at a rally on Sunday inside a packed Washington arena a day before he returns to power.

"By the time the sun sets tomorrow, the invasion of our country will have come to a halt," he said to cheers at a "Make America Great Again Victory Rally" at the Capital One Arena.

Trump repeated his campaign pledge to launch the largest deportation effort in U.S. history, which would remove millions of immigrants. An operation of that scale, however, would likely take years and be hugely costly.

The rally resembled the free-wheeling campaign speeches that have been a Trump staple since his first serious White House run in 2016, with the former and future president delivering a mix of boasts, false claims and sweeping promises to the delight of the crowd.

"This is the greatest political movement in American history, and 75 days ago, we achieved the most epic political victory our country has ever seen," he said. "Starting tomorrow, I will act with historic speed of strength and fix every single crisis facing our country."

The event marked his first major address in Washington since his speech on Jan. 6, 2021, that preceded the storming of the U.S. Capitol by an angry mob of his supporters. Trump has said he will pardon many of the more than 1,500 people convicted or charged in connection with the attack.

Trump's rally, along with his inaugural address on Monday, could preview the tone he plans to adopt during his second White House term. In recent weeks, Trump has bewildered foreign allies by musing aloud about taking over Greenland and the Panama Canal and turning Canada into a U.S. state.

He vowed to repeal "every radical and foolish executive order of the Biden administration" within hours of assuming the presidency at noon ET (1700 GMT).

A source familiar with the planning said Trump will take more than 200 executive actions on Monday.

Border security will figure prominently in Trump's first executive orders, another source said, including classifying drug cartels as "foreign terrorist organizations," declaring an emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and moving toward reinstatement of the "Remain in Mexico" policy that forces non-Mexican asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their U.S. court dates.

Trump's deportation plans have unsettled immigrants subject to removal, including some who immigrant advocates say are law-abiding, long-term residents with U.S.-citizen spouses and children.

Trump said he would "get radical woke ideologies the hell out of our military" and order the military to construct a missile defense shield over the U.S., though he has yet to offer details on how to carry it out.

He also pledged to release classified documents relating to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and his brother Senator Robert Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., both in 1968.

The indoor hockey and basketball venue will also host some of Monday's inauguration festivities after forecasts of bitter cold prompted officials to move the planned outdoor events inside.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-holds-victory-rally-washington-ahead-inauguration-2025-01-19/

 

[FearlessRoar]

Trump says Israel-Hamas ceasefire 'better hold'

Trump has claimed some credit for the ceasefire deal agreed between Israel and Hamas last week.

"This epic ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our historic victory in November," the incoming president wrote on social media following the agreement.

He was one of the first to say that the agreement was reached - and signalled in the lead up to the inauguration that he wanted to see a ceasefire agreed before taking office.

In December, Trump issued an apparent warning to Hamas to agree to a deal, writing: "There will be all hell to pay in the Middle East … Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied history of the United States of America."

Speaking to NBC News, Trump said Saturday that the deal "better hold".

BBC

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Trump returns defiant and determined to reshape the US in his image​

Four years ago, Donald Trump left Washington unwilling to accept his election defeat, impeached twice and facing the prospect of criminal investigations.

He returns defiant and determined to reshape the country in his image after his extraordinary political comeback.

Donald Trump’s second inauguration will follow tradition – first a prayer service at St John’s Church then tea at the White House with the Bidens, before being driven with the outgoing president to his swearing in.

It’s the first time in 40 years that the ceremony won’t take place outdoors on the Capitol steps, due to the extreme cold.

A smaller audience of roughly 600 guests will witness him taking the oath of office inside the Capitol Rotunda.

Meanwhile, crowds of his supporters are already queuing to get into an arena that Trump will visit later. He has said the theme of his inaugural address will be unity and success.

Trump doesn’t plan on wasting any time in reversing the course of the country – he’s vowed to sign immediately a flurry of executive orders - directives that do not require congressional approval - to push through his agenda and to undo Joe Biden’s.

Source: BBC

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Donald Trump will declare an emergency at the US-Mexico border as one of a host of executive orders the incoming president is expected to sign on Monday and in the coming days

Incoming White House officials have said the first wave of executive orders is said to cover a mix of campaign trail promises, reversals of outgoing President Joe Biden's policies and restructuring of the federal government workforce.

One of the most high-profile orders will be Mr Trump declaring a national emergency on the US-Mexico border as part of a wider crackdown on immigration and other cross-border crimes.

At a rally on Sunday, Mr Trump reportedly said: "You're going to see executive orders that are going to make [you] extremely happy, lots of them ... we have to set our country on the proper course.

Source: MSN

 

[Champ_Pal]

Trump is going to bring a lot of heart burn for haters and underminers of the greatest nation to ever exist.

 

[mazkhan]

Trump is going to bring a lot of heart burn for haters and underminers of the greatest nation to ever exist.

Lots of illegal indians , and caravans of India in Mexico are in his line of fire

 

[Champ_Pal]

What a speech by Trump.

 

[Champ_Pal]

Lots of illegal indians , and caravans of India in Mexico are in his line of fire

Deport and kick them out.

Only legal immigration with people having skills to contribute from Day-1 must be let in the country. No free loaders.

 

[hassan918]

Bezos, Zuckerberg, Pichai attend Trump's inauguration​

A parade of tech billionaires and key members of his orbit joined President-elect Donald Trump as he kicked off his inaugural celebrations, including a church service on Monday morning.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg, Apple leader Tim Cook, and Google chief Sundar Pichai were seen taking prime seats at St John's Church.

Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson were also spotted at the church.

Many of these executives were among the first business world critics of Trump during his first term, speaking out on issues such as climate change and immigration.

Several of the tech billionaires joined Trump at the Capitol rotunda, including SpaceX and Tesla boss Elon Musk, who spent several seconds staring up at the ornate ceiling.

Musk spent nearly $300m helping the president campaign and has stuck closely to his side ever since.

TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chou too is expected to attend the inauguration, as his company grapples with the fallout from a US ban, as well as Sam Altman of OpenAI and Dara Khosrowshahi of Uber.

It is a striking spectacle. The last public event in Washington to bring so many tech bosses together in the same room was a 2020 congressional hearing aimed at their companies.

Today, most of the firms still have serious outstanding matters before the US government, including anti-monopoly lawsuits, investigations, regulatory fights and tariffs.

Last week, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bennett, both Democrats, shared a letter addressed to the executives, which accused them of trying to "cozy up to the incoming Trump administration in an effort to avoid scrutiny, limit regulation and buy favor".

"Funny they never sent me one of these for contributing to Democrats," Mr Altman posted on social media in reply.

Source: BBC

 

[hassan918]

Trump to sign order proclaiming there are only two sexes​

Donald Trump's government is set to recognise only two genders, male and female.

The move will come as part of a swathe of executive orders the incoming president will sign on his first day back in the White House.

It is one of two branded as "common sense" orders and will end all federal funding or recognition of gender identities.

The definition of male and female will be based on whether people are born with eggs or sperm, rather than on their chromosomes.

Under the order, prisons and settings such as shelters for migrants and rape victims would be segregated by sex, based on this criteria.

Officials also said the order would impact federal documents including passports.

The order would also block requirements at government facilities and at workplaces that transgender people be referred to using the pronouns that align with their gender.

Mr Trump's team says those requirements violate the First Amendment's freedom of speech and religion.

The second "common sense" order targets diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and ends their federal funding.

As part of this, officials said there would be a monthly meeting of relevant agencies to assess any DEI programs and whether they should be shut down.

Source: SKY

 

[Champ_Pal]

Trump to sign order proclaiming there are only two sexes​

Donald Trump's government is set to recognise only two genders, male and female.

The move will come as part of a swathe of executive orders the incoming president will sign on his first day back in the White House.

It is one of two branded as "common sense" orders and will end all federal funding or recognition of gender identities.

The definition of male and female will be based on whether people are born with eggs or sperm, rather than on their chromosomes.

Under the order, prisons and settings such as shelters for migrants and rape victims would be segregated by sex, based on this criteria.

Officials also said the order would impact federal documents including passports.

The order would also block requirements at government facilities and at workplaces that transgender people be referred to using the pronouns that align with their gender.

Mr Trump's team says those requirements violate the First Amendment's freedom of speech and religion.

The second "common sense" order targets diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and ends their federal funding.

As part of this, officials said there would be a monthly meeting of relevant agencies to assess any DEI programs and whether they should be shut down.

Source: SKY

If if requires a Presidential order to proclaim that there are only 2 sexes, one can imagine how far left and woke the Democratic party has swung.
Hopefully this election has slapped them back to being center left.

 

[Farhan The Man]

Second coming of christ this.

We are privileged to be alive in these glorious times.

Libby snowflakes. Burn.

 

[hassan918]

Trump pledges to save America from 'decline,' vows swift immigration crackdown​

WASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - An emboldened Donald Trump declared that "America's decline is over" as he reclaimed the presidency on Monday, promising a crackdown on illegal immigration and portraying himself as a savior chosen by God to rescue a faltering nation.

"From this moment on, America's decline is over," Trump, 78, said inside the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, the symbol of U.S. democracy that was invaded on Jan. 6, 2021, by a mob of Trump supporters intent on reversing his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden.

The inauguration completes a triumphant return for a political disruptor who was twice impeached, survived two assassination attempts, was convicted in a criminal trial and faced charges for attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss.

He is the first president in more than a century to win a second term after losing the White House and the first felon to occupy the White House.

"I was saved by God to make America great again," Trump said on Monday, referring to a gunman's bullet that grazed his ear in July.

Trump outlined a series of sweeping executive orders, the first steps in enacting a far-reaching agenda to expand America's territory, curb immigration, boost fossil fuel production and roll back environmental regulations.

He faces an arduous task delivering on his stated promise of a "Golden Age of America" in the face of a closely split Congress, inevitable lawsuits and recalcitrant world leaders.

He did not take immediate action on the economy or inflation, two issues that helped him win reelection.

He said he would declare a national emergency at the southern border with Mexico, dispatch troops there and resume a policy forcing asylum-seeking migrants to wait in Mexico for their U.S. court hearings - all a prelude to what he described as an unprecedented operation to deport millions of immigrants. Republican colleagues applauded and Democrats sat stone-faced.

Shortly after the inauguration, U.S. border authorities said they had shut down a Biden program that allowed hundreds of thousands of migrants to enter the U.S. legally by scheduling an appointment on an app. Existing appointments were canceled.

While Trump sought to portray himself as a peacemaker and unifier during his half-hour speech, his tone was often sharply partisan. He repeated false claims from his campaign that other countries were emptying their prisons into America and voiced familiar grievances over his criminal prosecutions.

With Biden seated nearby, Trump issued a stinging indictment of his predecessor's policies from immigration to foreign affairs.

"We have a government that has given unlimited funding to the defense of foreign borders, but refuses to defend American borders, or more importantly, its own people," Trump said.

Numerous tech executives who have sought to curry favor with the incoming administration - including the three richest men in the world, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg - had prominent seats on stage, next to cabinet nominees and members of Trump's family.

Trump said he would send astronauts to Mars, prompting Musk - who has long talked about colonizing the planet - to raise his fists.

Trump vowed to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and repeated his intention to take back control of the Panama Canal, one of several foreign policy pronouncements that have caused consternation among U.S. allies.

Source: Reuters

 

[BouncerGuy]

Trump declares border emergency and scraps asylum app in immigration crackdown

From behind his desk in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders and decrees aimed at cracking down on immigration.

From an order tackling the definition of birthright citizenship, to an order declaring the illegal immigration at the border a national emergency, Trump swiftly made moves on his promises to tighten the US-Mexico border.

But some of those orders - particularly any order that aims to change the definition of birthright citizenship - are likely to face steep legal opposition.

Trump had previously vowed that the "destructive" policies of the Biden White House would be gone "within five minutes".

Hours earlier, thousands of would-be migrants had their immigration appointments cancelled after the new administration scrapped CBP One, an app used to book appearances at ports of entry at the border.

In his inaugural address, Trump vowed that "all illegal entry will be halted" and that millions of "criminal aliens" will be deported.

He also signed an order declaring Mexican drug cartels terrorist organisations.

At a previous event at Washington's Capital One Arena, Trump formally revoked nearly 80 executive actions - which he described as "radical" - from the Biden administration.

"I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions," Trump said in his inaugural address at the US Capitol earlier in the day.

As part of the broader plan, Trump administration officials said the president would direct the Department of Defense to "seal the border" and devote additional resources and personnel, including counter-drone capabilities.

Earlier, incoming Trump administration officials said that the moves amounted to the creation of "common sense immigration policy".

Although the details of the order are not yet known, officials have said that Trump plans to end birthright citizenship, meaning that the children of undocumented migrants living in the US will no longer automatically be considered US citizens.

Birthright citizenship, however, is enshrined in the US constitution and would require a two-thirds vote in both chambers of Congress to change. The official provided no further detail on how Trump plans to accomplish this.

The new administration also moved to swiftly scrap CBP One, a mobile application used by migrants to book appointments to appear at a port of entry.

Biden administration officials had credited the app with helping reduce the number of detentions at the border since it was first introduced in January 2023. It was the only legal pathway to request asylum at the US-Mexico border.

Now, the Customs and Border Protection website notes that the app is "no longer available".

App users also now are shown a message noting that "existing appointments scheduled through CBP One are no longer valid".

According to CBS, the BBC's US partner, the Biden administration had scheduled roughly 30,000 appointments via CBP One for migrants to enter the US in the next three weeks.

Other estimates had suggested that as many as 270,000 migrants were in Mexico waiting for an opportunity to enter the US using CBP One.

In the Mexican border city of Tijuana, some migrants reported feeling defeated and deflated after learning of CBP One's demise.

"I hope God touches his [Trump's] heart," said Oralia, a Mexican woman who fled cartel violence in her home state along with her epileptic son. "We really do need the help."

She had been waiting for an appointment through CBP One for seven months.

The CBP One app stopped working shortly after Trump became president.

The new administration's decision to scrap CBP One was immediately met with a legal challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed court documents requesting an immediate status conference on the matter.

Immigration advocacy groups have also reacted furiously to Trump's immigration orders.

In a statement, Jennie Murray, the president and CEO of the National Immigration Forum, said that the orders are "disappointing but not surprising".

"The expected orders would separate families and weaken our economy," Ms Murray said. "They do not uphold American values."

Greisa Martinez Rosas, the executive director of United We Dream - a national immigrant youth organisation - said that the orders show that the administration "will spend the next four years actively trying to destroy our lives".

"Trump's pledges to carry out mass raids and deportations will have devastating consequences on communities nationwide, leaving millions of families and individuals in disarray if immediate action is not taken by our elected officials to publicly fight back," she added.

BBC

 

[adi_62941]

Trump is a new establishment of US now. He is about to take some very historic decisions which can backfire.
He is aggressive and very open.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

So far everything that he has said has resonated with a global audience.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Second coming of christ this.

We are privileged to be alive in these glorious times.

Libby snowflakes. Burn.

USA is a divided nation, the right and left, not much in the middle.

Trump has far better policies than Biden but its too late for the Yanks. The debt will soon be out of control ,causing a financial crash meaning nations will leave the US $.

His biggest challenge is Ukraine, lets see if he can stop this and if he does, he deserves huge credit as this is the biggest risk to global security.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

So far everything that he has said has resonated with a global audience.

Not sure his threat to double tarriffs is resonating with global audiences, I know UK govt is sweating for one.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Not sure his threat to double tarriffs is resonating with global audiences, I know UK govt is sweating for one.

We will be exempt from any tariffs. The US loves talking down to the UK, but the ties are quite deep, plus they won't want to push us back in the direction of the EU.

 

[hassan918]

 

[hassan918]

From an order tackling the definition of birthright citizenship, to an order declaring the illegal immigration at the border a national emergency, Trump swiftly made moves on his promises to tighten the US-Mexico border.

But some of those orders - particularly any order that aims to change the definition of birthright citizenship - are likely to face steep legal opposition.

New Jersey leads effort to challenge Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship​

Eighteen states, plus the District of Columbia and San Francisco sued in federal court to block Trump’s order.

New Jersey Democratic Attorney General Matt Platkin said Tuesday the president cannot undo a right written into the Constitution with a stroke of his pen.

“Presidents have broad power but they are not kings,” Platkin said.

Not long after Trump signed the order, immigrant rights groups filed suit to stop it.

Chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts along with other immigrant rights advocates filed a suit in New Hampshire federal court.

The suit asks the court to find the order to be unconstitutional. It highlights the case of a woman identified as “Carmen,” who is pregnant but is not a citizen. The lawsuit says she has lived in the United States for more than 15 years and has a pending visa application that could lead to permanent status. She has no other immigration status, and the father of her expected child has no immigration status either, the suit says.

“Stripping children of the ‘priceless treasure’ of citizenship is a grave injury,” the suit said. “It denies them the full membership in U.S. society to which they are entitled.”

In addition to New Jersey and the two cities, California, Massachusetts, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin joined the lawsuit to stop the order.

Source: AP News

 

[BouncerGuy]

Trump considers 10% tariff on China from February

US President Donald Trump has said he is considering imposing a 10% tariff on imports of Chinese-made goods as soon as 1 February.

Trump said discussions with his administration were "based on the fact that they're sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada."

It followed threats by Trump to levy import taxes of 25% on Mexico and Canada, accusing them of allowing undocumented migrants and drugs to come into the US.

In a press conference in Washington on Tuesday, Trump also vowed to hit the European Union with tariffs.

"China is an abuser, but the European Union is is very, very bad to us," he said.

"They treat us very, very badly. So they're going to be in for tariffs. It's the only way you're going to get back. It's the only way you're going to get fairness."

Shortly after he was sworn in on Monday, the new president also instructed federal agencies to conduct a review of existing trade deals and identify unfair practices by US trading partners.

Meanwhile, a top Chinese official spoke out against protectionism at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

China's Vice Premier, Ding Xuexiang, called for "win-win" solutions to trade disputes without mentioning the US.

On the campaign trail Trump had promised to place tariffs as high as 60% on Chinese goods.

The Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to fight back.

"If the [US] president does choose to proceed with tariffs, Canada will respond - and everything is on the table," Trudeau said.

Ottawa is preparing counter-tariffs in response to the threat, reportedly worth billions of dollars.

Canada, China and Mexico are the top US trading partners.

Tariffs are an important part of Trump's economic plans. The president believes they can boost growth, protect jobs and raise tax revenue.

But many economists say such measures could lead to higher prices for Americans and harm companies hit by foreign retaliation.

BBC

 

[FearlessRoar]

Trump puts all US government diversity staff on paid leave 'immediately'​

President Donald Trump has ordered that all US government staff working on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) schemes be put on immediate paid administrative leave.

In an executive order late on Tuesday, he called for an end to the "dangerous, demeaning and immoral" programmes.

The White House confirmed that all federal DEI staff had to be put on leave by 17:00 EST (22:00 GMT) on Wednesday, before the offices and programmes in question were shut down.

Since re-taking office on Monday, Trump has acted swiftly on a number of key pledges through a raft of unilateral actions. He repeatedly attacked DEI practices on the campaign trail, arguing that they were discriminatory.

DEI programmes aim to promote participation in workplaces by people from a range of backgrounds.

Their backers say they address historical underrepresentation and discrimination against certain groups including racial minorities, but critics say such programmes can themselves be discriminatory.

In his inaugural address on Monday, Trump pledged to "forge a society that is colour-blind and merit-based".

Tuesday's executive order took aim at what it called the "illegal" policies of DEI and DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility), framing them as being in opposition to US law.

It said these policies had the capability to "violate" important underlying civil rights laws that protect Americans from discrimination.

The order further asserted that DEI programmes "undermine our national unity" as they denied "traditional" values in favour of an "identity-based spoils system".

In a social media post, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said she could "gladly confirm" reporting by the BBC's US partner, CBS News, that all federal employees in DEI roles will be put on paid leave by Wednesday's end of work day.

Ms Leavitt said the move "is another win for Americans of all races, religions, and creeds", and fulfils a campaign promise made by Trump.

The memo seen by CBS was sent from the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to heads of government agencies. As well as instructing them to place DEI employees on leave, it made a number of requests including the removal of public websites for DEIA offices.

It also orders that federal hiring, promotions and performance reviews "reward individual initiative" rather than "DEI-related factors", and revokes a 1965 executive order signed by former President Lyndon B Johnson that makes it illegal for federal contractors to discriminate on the basis of "race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin" in their hiring.

By Thursday, federal agencies must compile a list of DEI offices and workers, the order declares. By 31 January, agencies must submit "a written plan" for executing lay-offs in DEI offices.

The order also requires the attorney general to submit, within 120 days, recommendations "to encourage the private sector" to end similar diversity efforts.

Tuesday's order comes on the heels of another one that pledged to put to an end programmes deemed "radical and wasteful" by Trump.

That one, signed on Monday, declares that all DEI offices, positions and programmes be terminated within 60 days, "to the maximum extent allowed by law".

It is unclear how many government employees would be affected by these orders.

Several large US companies have ended or scaled back their DEI programmes in recent weeks, including McDonald's, Walmart and Facebook parent company Meta.

Others, like Apple and retailers Target and Costco, have publicly defended their DEI programmes.

Trump puts all US government DEI staff on paid leave 'immediately'

A new executive order signed on Tuesday calls for an end to DEI practices in the federal government.

www.bbc.com

 

[Human786]

Felon as Prez - expect chaos & disaster !!!

 

[hassan918]

Trump administration to criminally probe officials who resist immigration actions​

WASHINGTON, Jan 22 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration has directed U.S. prosecutors to criminally investigate state and local officials who attempt to resist its immigration enforcement efforts, according to a memo to Justice Department staff seen by Reuters.

"Federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing or otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands and requests," reads the memo, authored by Emil Bove, the acting deputy attorney general, a Trump appointee who most recently served on Trump's legal defense team.

The memo, dated on Tuesday and made public on Wednesday, signals an aggressive stance on Trump's hardline immigration policies by the Justice Department and raises the prospect of criminal charges for those who may interfere.

It said that state and local officials who resist or obstruct immigration enforcement could be charged under federal laws barring defrauding the United States or harboring immigrants who are in the United States unlawfully.

If prosecutors opt not to bring criminal charges following such investigations, they would be required to alert Justice Department leadership, according to the memo.

The Republican president in his first day in office declared illegal immigration a national emergency, tasking the U.S. military with aiding border security, issuing a broad ban on asylum and taking steps to restrict citizenship for children born on American soil.

The memo also reinstated a policy dating back to Trump's first administration under former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
"Prosecutors should charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offenses," it said. "The most serious offenses are those punishable by death ... and offenses with the most significant mandatory minimum sentences."

Tuesday's memo came a day after the Trump administration abruptly fired four of the department's senior career immigration officials from the Executive Office of Immigration Review - the office that runs the immigration courts, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Those removed included the office's former director Mary Cheng and Chief Immigration Judge Sheila McNulty, who was previously listed as a target on a so-called "bureaucrat watch list" operated by the conservative American Accountability Foundation, the sources said.

Source: Reuters

 

[hassan918]

Trump comes out swinging in fast start to presidency​

It's been three days since President Donald Trump took office. And he has come out swinging.

On the 2024 campaign trail, he promised to bring rapid and sweeping change to American government and society if he were re-elected.

Some of his policies and reforms will take time – and congressional legislation – to enact. Other moves might be blocked by the courts.

In the first days of his presidency, however, Trump has already made waves with dozens of unilateral orders and actions that represent a substantial expansion of White House power.

For many of his supporters - so far - it looks like he has delivered on his promises.

"He signed all the executive orders that he told us he was going to do," said 68-year-old Rick Frazier, a loyal Trump supporter from Ohio who has attended more than 80 of his rallies. "I'm satisfied with all that."

That has been cause for concern among some. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, publicly asked Trump during a prayer service on Tuesday at the National Cathedral, to "have mercy upon people in our country who are scared now".

Nowhere has this display of presidential authority been more prominent than on the topic of immigration, which polls suggest was a significant concern for many voters.

Just hours after taking office, Trump declared an emergency at the US-Mexico border, allowing him to deploy more US military personnel to the area.

He effectively closed the country to all new asylum-seekers and suspended already approved resettlement flights for refugees.

Mr Frazier's daughter died of a heroin overdose last year. He told the BBC that the southern border was his top issue in the 2024 election.

"In my opinion had the border been closed, my daughter would not have had access to the compound that killed her," he said.

Trump has also ordered authorities to stop granting automatic citizenship to the children of undocumented migrants born on American soil – setting up a lengthy legal battle over what had previously been viewed by courts as a constitutional guarantee.

One step that Trump repeatedly promised – but has yet to show signs of implementing – is mass deportations of migrants who crossed illegally into the US, something he said would start on day one of his presidency.

While some Trump officials have said the deportation process has begun, there have been no signs yet of the kind of law-enforcement raids or other expansive actions that would be necessary to detain and remove the millions of undocumented migrants who currently reside in the US.

Bryan Lanza, who previously served as a senior adviser to Trump, told the BBC's Americast podcast that the total number of deportations is less important than the message it sends.

"It's never about a number," he said. "It's more about the PR."

If you deport a million undocumented migrants, he said, than the rest will start wondering if they're next – and take steps to return to their home countries.

"Illegals aren't welcomed here," he said. "Every other country is allowed to say that. Why shouldn't we?"

Trump comes out swinging in fast start to presidency

He has made waves with dozens of actions that represent a substantial expansion of White House power, writes Anthony Zurcher.

www.bbc.com

 

[BouncerGuy]

‘Very minor incidents’: Trump defends January 6 pardons in first interview since inauguration

Donald Trump has described attacks on police officers at the US Capitol on January 6 2021 as “very minor incidents” as he sought to defend his decision to pardon the insurrectionists.

The US president hinted that those who put him through “four years of hell” via criminal prosecutions should themselves be investigated, adding ominously that his predecessor Joe Biden made a mistake by not pardoning himself.

Trump was giving the first televised interview of his second term to Sean Hannity, a longtime friend and Fox News host, in the Oval Office at the White House on Wednesday.

Among the topics was Trump’s move on Monday to pardon, commute the prison sentences or dismiss the cases of all of the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes in the effort to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Hannity asked why people who were violent towards police were included.

Trump claimed that they had suffered unduly harsh prison conditions then falsely claimed that the 2020 election was stolen despite courts, officials and his own attorney general finding otherwise. “They were protesting the vote because they knew the election was rigged and they were protesting the vote and you should be allowed to protest the vote,” he said.

Often criticised as a Trump sycophant and propagandist, Hannity nevertheless objected that protesters should not be able to invade the Capitol building.

The president responded: “Most of the people were absolutely innocent. OK. But forgetting all about that, these people have served, horribly, a long time. It would be very, very cumbersome to go and look – you know how many people we’re talking about? 1,500 people.”

Vice-president JD Vance has previously stated that those who committed violence on January 6 “obviously” should not receive pardons. But media accounts suggest that Trump lost patience with the idea of going through the cases individually and wanted maximum impact on his first day in office. The Axios website reported: “Trump just said: ‘F--k it: Release ’em all,’” an adviser familiar with the discussions said.”

Those pardoned include more than 250 people who were convicted of assault charges, some having attacked police with makeshift weapons such as flagpoles, a hockey stick and a crutch. Many of the attacks were captured on surveillance or body camera footage that showed rioters engaging in hand-to-hand combat with police as officers desperately fought to beat back the angry crowd.

Yet in his interview with Hannity, Trump claimed: “Some of those people with the police – true – but they were very minor incidents, OK, you know, they get built up by that couple of fake guys that are on CNN all the time. They were very minor incidents and it was time.”

He then pivoted without providing context to assert: “You have murderers in Philadelphia. You have murderers in Los Angeles that don’t even get any time. They don’t even collect them and they know they’re there to be collected. And then they go on television and act holier than thou about this one or that one. You had 1,500 people that suffered. That’s a lot of people.”

Trump’s sweeping pardons have provided an early loyalty test for the Republican party. While a handful of senators including former leader Mitch McConnell have condemned the move, most have backed the president or performed verbal contortions. Two major police unions said they are “deeply discouraged” by the pardons and commutations.

On Wednesday night the president went on: “This was a political hoax. And you know what? Those people – and I’m not saying in every single case – but there was a lot of patriotism with those people.”

Trump then boasted that he provided a voiceover for “Justice for All”, a version of the Star-Spangled Banner sung by a group of January 6 defendants over a prison phone line. “It was the number one selling song, number one on Billboard, number one on everything for so long. People get it. They wanted to see those people.”

Hannity tried to move on to questions about the economy but Trump was not done. He criticised Biden for issuing, in his final hours as president, a flurry of preemptive pardons to Gen Mark Milley, Dr Anthony Fauci and members of Congress who served on the committee investigating the January 6 attack.

Hannity asked if Congress or the attorney general should investigate. Trump, who has long vowed retribution against his political enemies, replied: “You know, I was always against that with presidents and Hillary Clinton. I could have had Hillary Clinton – a big number done on her.”

The host interjected: “Have you changed your mind?”

Trump, who faced multiple criminal cases and was convicted in one of them, said: “Well, I went through four years of hell by this scum that we had to deal with. I went through four years of hell. I spent millions of dollars in legal fees, And I won. But I did it the hard way. It’s really hard to say that they shouldn’t have to go through it all.”

Biden had received bad advice, Trump added darkly. “Joe Biden has very bad advisers. Somebody advised Joe Biden to give pardons to everybody but him … Joe Biden had very bad advice.”

Trump also used the prime-time interview to discuss his barrage of executive orders, dismiss security concerns over Chinese-owned app TikTok (“Is it that important for China to be spying on young people, on young kids watching crazy videos?”) and discuss the possibility of cutting off federal funds to so-called “sanctuary cities” that shield undocumented immigrants from federal detention requests.

The president also floated the idea of ending federal disaster relief and leaving states to fend for themselves during emergencies. With Los Angeles scorched by wildfires and the eastern US still recovering from two devastating hurricanes, Trump falsely accused the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) of turning its back on victims.

“Fema has not done their job for the last four years. You know, I had Fema working really well. We had hurricanes in Florida, we had Alabama tornadoes. But unless you have certain types of leadership, it gets in the way. And Fema is going to be a whole big discussion very shortly, because I’d rather see the states take care of their own problems.”

Trump is set to make his first presidential trip on Friday to view storm damage in North Carolina after last year’s Hurricane Helene, and then on to Los Angeles to view the response to ongoing wildfires.

SOURCE: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...rview-january-6-pardons-inauguration-fox-news

 

[Bhaijaan]

Trump is making America great again. That country has reunited under his leadership and with the stroke of a pen his executive orders have already brought more change in a day most democratic countries leaders can only dream of during their entire tenure. Onus is on other nations to join hands with the right leader in this time because America is going to be winning this decade and this century now that the patriots have taken over.

Burning from inside as a Bharatiya how we can’t replicate this kind of a dramatic shift in the nation’s mood and mentality like that. We really created a lethargic democracy that will always gonna stay crippled and hinder us in our attempt to achieve our true potential. Modi ji can only do as much.

 

[JaDed]

The policies seem all over the place, but have to say the way he asked Sam Altman to explain more on AI at yesterday’s AI conference, definitely is more sane than majority of the politicians.

Most of his policies are a combination of Obama 2008- and Reagan for now, will be interesting how it progresses.

 

[sweep_shot]

I am not a Trump supporter but I admit a few good things happened ever since he won presidency.

1) Gaza ceasefire.

2) Stopping birthright citizenship (I think it is kind of justifiable because people were abusing it).

3) Trump is trying to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

 

[hassan918]

Trump calls for $1 trillion Saudi investment, lower oil prices​

Jan 23 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he will demand Saudi Arabia and OPEC bring down the cost of oil and will ask Riyadh to increase a planned U.S. investment package to $1 trillion from an initial reported $600 billion.

His remarks come one day after Trump and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed what the White House called the kingdom's "international economic ambitions" as well as trade issues.

Earlier on Thursday, the Saudi State news agency said the kingdom wants to put $600 billion into expanded investment and trade with the U.S. over the next four years.

"But I'll be asking the Crown Prince, who's a fantastic guy, to round it out to around $1 trillion," Trump told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "I think they'll do that because we've been very good to them."

He also called on the Gulf nation to cut oil prices, saying that could help end Russia's war in Ukraine.

"If the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately. Right now, the price is high enough that that war will continue - you got to bring down the oil price," Trump said, speaking remotely by video link.

"They should have done it long ago. They're very responsible, actually, to a certain extent, for what's taking place," Trump added.

The Saudi government communications office did not immediately return a request for comment on Trump's remarks at the forum.

Source: Reuters

 

[hassan918]

I am not a Trump supporter but I admit a few good things happened ever since he won presidency.

1) Gaza ceasefire.

2) Stopping birthright citizenship (I think it is kind of justifiable because people were abusing it).

3) Trump is trying to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

A federal judge in Seattle on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump's administration from implementing an executive order curtailing the right to automatic birthright citizenship in the United States, calling it "blatantly unconstitutional."

U.S. District Judge John Coughenour at the urging of four Democratic-led states issued a temporary restraining order preventing the administration from enforcing the order, which the Republican president signed on Monday during his first day on office.

REUTERS

 

[sweep_shot]

Trump orders administration to evaluate potential for 'national digital asset stockpile'​

The price of bitcoin briefly soared on the president's directive, but it appeared to fall short of crypto advocates' expectations.

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that his administration will evaluate whether to create a "national digital asset stockpile" — making good on a promise to support the use of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin.

However, his executive order fell short of creating a strategic bitcoin reserve outright, as some crypto advocates had hoped.


The price of bitcoin briefly surged on the news, but fell back to daily lows as traders took stock of the move.

The idea of a strategic reserve of digital tokens like bitcoin has long been floated in cryptocurrency circles, but gained traction this summer, when both Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary, discussed it at the annual Bitcoin conference.

Trump reaffirmed his intention to create a reserve in a CNBC interview in December, stating it was incumbent upon the United States to be a leader in cryptocurrency technology, especially relative to China.

Advocates have called for the creation of a reserve on the grounds that bitcoin is the new "digital gold." Just as the United States holds gold reserves, crypto advocates say, it should own bitcoin, as well.

“I think the world is moving to a bitcoin standard for money,” Brian Armstrong, the CEO of the crypto group Coinbase, said this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, according to Yahoo News. “Any government who holds gold should also hold bitcoin as a reserve.”

Hours before Trump's order on Thursday, Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., a longtime bitcoin advocate, released a statement upon her appointment as chair of the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Digital Assets calling for the creation of a strategic bitcoin reserve, which she said would "strengthen the U.S. dollar" and maintain the United States' status as a financial innovator.

During his presidential campaign, Trump heavily courted the crypto community, which eventually became his largest donor group.

Along the way, he promised to make the United States "the crypto capital of the world," and on the campaign trail said he would undo Biden-era restrictions and constraints on crypto activity.

Just before Trump took office, questions arose about the extent to which he intended to directly benefit from pro-crypto measures. Last Friday, he launched his own digital token, $TRUMP. Although the token has no intrinsic value as a "memecoin," its price was rapidly bid up as investors quickly viewed it as a means for tracking the success of the Trump administration. Yet less than 48 hours later, first lady Melania Trump issued her own coin, causing a substantial number of people in the cryptocurrency community, including previous Trump supporters, to criticize the launches as a means of personally benefiting from their positions.

When it comes to conflicts of interest, Trump is in largely unchartered territory. It is not clear if he owns any bitcoin directly — though Vice President JD Vance owned $250,000 to $500,000 worth, according to disclosure forms. Trump voluntarily released an ethics document just before taking office that said he would limit his involvement in the Trump Organization while in office.

Also in Thursday's order, Trump reversed a Biden administration directive to research a U.S. digital currency, often called a central bank digital currency, or CBDC. Such currencies been adopted and researched by some governments around the world, but they have also been viewed with scrutiny and skepticism by some who cite privacy and surveillance concerns.

Trump's order, which said CBDCs "threaten the stability of the financial system, individual privacy, and the sovereignty of the United States," prohibits the establishing, issuing or circulating a CBDC in the United States.

Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/ma...e-strategic-reserve-cryptocurrency-rcna188921.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

I really hate the idea of presidential pardon like Joe Biden and Donald Trump have recently given their family members and supporters. It seems completely against the concept of justice being blind and independence of court and state, concepts that American impose on other parts of the world by force.

What do you think?

 

[sweep_shot]

I really hate the idea of presidential pardon like Joe Biden and Donald Trump have recently given their family members and supporters. It seems completely against the concept of justice being blind and independence of court and state, concepts that American impose on other parts of the world by force.

What do you think?

I agree with you.

Sadly, presidential pardon is a thing and it is legal. It can be used unethically, however.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Trump pardons anti-abortion activists ahead of rally​

US President Donald Trump has pardoned 23 anti-abortion activists, including some convicted of blockading a reproductive health clinic and intimidating staff and patients.

The pardons were part of a round of executive orders signed by Trump on Thursday, one of several in the first week of his presidency.

Trump described the convictions as "ridiculous", but abortion rights campaigners said the move was evidence of his opposition to abortion access.

The orders came a day before anti-abortion protesters were due to come to Washington DC for the annual March for Life, which the president is due to address by videolink.

In 2020, Trump became the first sitting president to attend the rally in person, though George W Bush and Ronald Reagan have also addressed it remotely.

Vice President J D Vance will attend in person this time.

The rally has been held in the US capital every year since 1974, a year after abortion was legalised by the Supreme Court in Roe v Wade.

Abortion rights have been a key issue in recent presidential races and the court overturned the ruling in 2022.

Signing the pardons, Trump said of the activists: "They should not have been prosecuted. Many of them are elderly people... This is a great honour to sign this. They'll be very happy."

US media report that one of those pardoned is Lauren Handy, leader of the group Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU).

The group was convicted of conspiring in 2020 to storm a Washington reproductive health clinic and block access to intimidate patients and staff. Members forced their way into the Surgi-Clinic, injuring a nurse, and spent several hours inside.

Handy was found guilty in August 2023 and sentenced in May 2024.

Her supporters have hailed the pardons, saying that the convictions were political.

The president of Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America, Marjorie Dannenfelser, said the protesters were targeted by Joe Biden's Department of Justice and she thanked Trump for "immediately delivering on his promise" to pardon them.

But abortion rights activists said the pardons confirmed their belief that Trump was anti-abortion, despite him declaring during his presidential campaign that it was up to individual states to decide whether to allow the practice.

Ryan Stitzlein of the national abortion rights organisation Reproductive Freedom for All told AP news agency: "Donald Trump on the campaign trail tried to have it both ways - bragging about his role in overturning Roe v Wade while saying he wasn't going to take action on abortion.

"We never believed that that was true, and this shows us that we were right."

Trump pardons anti-abortion activists ahead of rally

The president will address the anti-abortion March for Life in Washington DC by videolink.

www.bbc.com

 

[hassan918]

Trump revokes security protection for Covid adviser Fauci​

President Donald Trump has revoked security protection for former top US health official Anthony Fauci, who has faced death threats since leading the country's Covid-19 response.

"You can't have a security detail for the rest of your life because you work for government," Trump told reporters, when asked about the decision on Friday. "It's very standard."

This week, Trump also revoked security protections for his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, his former National Security Adviser John Bolton and former envoy Brian Hook, who all faced threats from Iran.

Dr Fauci has now hired his own private security team that he will pay for himself, US media report.

Asked whether he felt responsible for the officials' safety, Trump said on Friday: "They all made a lot of money. They can hire their own security too."

Dr Fauci was previously protected by federal marshals, and then a private security company, which was paid for by the government, according to the New York Times.

One of Dr Fauci's most vocal Republican critics, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, had called for his security to be revoked.

He wrote in a post on X on Thursday that he had "sent supporting information to end the 24 hr a day limo and security detail for Fauci".

"I wish him nothing but peace but he needs to pay for his own limos," he said.

Trump has also revoked the security clearances of 51 intelligence officials who had claimed that Hunter Biden's laptop had "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation."

Under US protocol, former presidents and their spouses are granted security protection for life. But protection for other US officials is decided based on the threat assessment from the intelligence community.

As the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr Fauci faced death threats during and after the coronavirus pandemic, as well as criticism from Republicans over mask mandates and other Covid restrictions.

He led the institute for 40 years, including during Trump's first term. Trump had also awarded presidential commendations to Dr Fauci who served on the Operation Warp Speed task force during the pandemic.

Before leaving office, then-President Joe Biden issued a preemptive pardon for Dr Fauci.

The doctor told US media that he "truly appreciated" Biden for taking action, adding that the possibility of prosecution had created "immeasurable and intolerable distress" on his family.

"Let me be perfectly clear, I have committed no crime and there are no possible grounds for any allegation or threat of criminal investigation or prosecution of me," he said.

Source: BBC

 

[FearlessRoar]

Pete Hegseth confirmed as Donald Trump's defence secretary after JD Vance casts tie-breaking vote​

Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's controversial choice for US defence secretary, has been confirmed for the job.

The 44-year-old ex-veteran and former Fox News host narrowly secured the top Pentagon post with vice president JD Vance casting the 51-50 tie-breaking vote.

Three Republican senators - Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky - joined Democrats to oppose his nomination.

It is the second time in history a vice president has broken a tie for a cabinet nominee. In 2017, then vice president Mike Pence was called in to break a tie to confirm Mr Trump's previous pick of Betsy DeVos as education secretary.

Mr Trump praised Mr Hegseth shortly after the vote, saying he would make a "great secretary of defence" in a post on Truth Social.

However, during the confirmation hearing, which was disrupted by three protesters, Mr Hegseth was accused of lacking the competence for the job.

Hours before the vote, Democrat after Democrat took to the Senate floor to object.

Senator Chris Murphy said during the debate there are few Trump nominees as "dangerously and woefully unqualified as Hegseth".

Mr Hegseth is the most divisive candidate to clinch the US military's top job.

He is a controversial choice because of past statements and actions, including allegations of sexual assault - which he has denied - excessive drinking, and derisive views about women in military combat roles.

But most Senate Republicans fell into line to defend Mr Hegseth.

Senate majority leader John Thune said Mr Hegseth, as a veteran of the Army National Guard who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, "will bring a warrior's perspective" to the post.

Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the armed services committee, however, said in a statement he would watch the new defence secretary "like a hawk" and "demand accountability".

Pete Hegseth confirmed as Donald Trump's defence secretary after JD Vance casts tie-breaking vote

Pete Hegseth takes over as secretary of defence as the Trump administration launches a crackdown on immigration - including mass deportations.

news.sky.com