Tag: melania trump
Donald Trump

At Trump's Fumbling Inauguration, The Vibes Were Very Weird

Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president on Monday, and as is often the case with Trump, things were not normal. Here are just a few of the strange things the entire world saw as Trump took the oath of office.

Trump didn’t put his hand on the Bible

When Trump took the oath, he never placed his hand on the Bible held by his wife Melania Trump. By contrast, when Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama took the oath, they put their hands on the Bible.

Trump in the dumps?

On his way in to take his oath, Trump didn’t look particularly happy to be there. He slowly walked in with a demeanor more appropriate for a funeral than a triumphant political victory.

Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)

Trump misses his kiss with Melania

The customary kiss for the presidential spouse was also a misfire. Perhaps due to the gigantic size of her hat, Trump gave his wife, Melania Trump, a mere air kiss instead of the real thing.

Oligarchs up front

Instead of congressional leaders, the people with the closest seats to Trump’s ceremony were billionaires who have bent the knee to him. They included co-president Elon Musk (the richest person in the world), Amazon and Washington Post head Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg (fresh off of unleashing hate speech across his sites), and Apple head Tim Cook.

Elon Musk investigates the ceiling

Elon Musk gave a close inspection of the ceiling of the Capitol, instead of keeping his eyes on the ceremony.

Chesty singing

Opera singer Christopher Macchio sang as JD Vance entered the Capitol rotunda to be sworn in. Macchio appeared to have left his tie at home and shared his bare chest with the world.

The last time Trump occupied the White House for for years, it was an endless cavalcade of weirdness that turned out deadly for thousands of people. In his first day in office, it is clear the weirdness has returned.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Melania Absent As Trump And Far-Right Agitator Laura Loomer 'Cozy Up'

Melania Absent As Trump And Far-Right Agitator Laura Loomer 'Cozy Up'

Miami New Times reporter Naomi Feinstein mapped out the last known whereabouts of Melania Trump after photos and videos surfaced of Donald Trump embracing far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer — with the former first lady nowhere to be found.

In an article entitled, “Laura Loomer and Trump Sitting in a Tree, K I S S I N G,” Feinstein noted “the former first lady has been largely absent” as her husband hits the campaign trail for the third time as the Republican candidate for president.

“When Trump and his entourage arrived in Philadelphia for the presidential debate, Melania was nowhere to be seen,” Feinstein reported, noting Loomer, “Florida's own far-right provocateur and one-time Republican congressional candidate,” was by the former president’s side instead.

“[Loomer] was later seen backstage at the September 10 debate, in the spin room with Trump immediately after, and then by his side in New York City and Pennsylvania for September 11 remembrance ceremonies,” Feinstein added.


The Miami-based reporter, quoting Internet personality Mike Sington, noted Trump has been seen “hanging out with” Loomer. The "Internet personality" also included a video “with their hands all over each other at Mar-a-Lago.”

"Loomer has been traveling with Trump all week for reasons that remain unclear,” journalist Aaron Rupar wrote in a separate tweet.

Feinstein and other journalists are hardly the only members of the media taking note of the connection between Trump and Loomer. The Drudge Report on Friday featured a photo of the pair with the headline “ Loomer MAGA Love.

“Has [Trump] found his soulmate?” The Drudge Report asked.

Still, it’s not a match made in heaven for everyone in Trump’s corner. Far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on Thursday called out Loomer over an “extremely racist” tweet that claimed if Vice President Kamala Harris wins in 2024, “the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center.”

“This does not represent President Trump,” Greene wrote on X.

But that misrepresentation doesn’t appear to bother Trump, who on Friday defended his connection to Loomer, calling her “a supporter of mine.”

“I don’t control Laura,” Trump said at a news conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. “Laura has to say what she wants. She’s a free spirit.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Melania Trump

Melania Irked By Hush-Money Trial and Trump's Birthday 'Celebration'

Friday marked former First Lady Melania Trump's 54th birthday, which was made more awkward by the fact that she spent it without her husband — who was in court defending himself from allegations that he covered up payments to women to keep quiet about extramarital affairs with him.

Stephanie Grisham, who was chief of staff to the former president's wife during her time in the White House's East Wing, said during a Friday interview on CNN that Melania's absence from the trial proceedings is likely not a coincidence.

"I'm sure she's not happy about it," Grisham said. "It's not fun to hear these details."

Grisham told CNN that because the details Pecker revealed on the stand were not previously known to the public, they were also not previously known to Melania Trump. She added that the video Trump posted to social media celebrating his wife's birthday and showing footage of her at the White House was a purely performative gesture that Melania likely saw right through.

"I rolled my eyes when he did that. It was so beyond inappropriate," Grisham said.

"[Melania] and I talked before about how they actually weren't really birthday people, that that wasn't actually a big deal to either of them... and so that was a performance for voters. That was not to her. Same with this video. That is a performance to try and get voters," she continued.

"It didn't surprise me at all. I'm sure she rolled her eyes too, because it was just so typical, selfish Donald Trump," she added.

The first week of former President Donald Trump's first criminal trial featured the testimony of David Pecker, who was the CEO of American Media Inc. — the parent company of the National Enquirer tabloid newspaper — at the time of the 2016 presidential election. Pecker testified on the stand that while Trump had previously been concerned about how his wife would react to negative stories about him in the press, his main concern after he launched his campaign was about how negative coverage would impact his presidential ambitions.

Pecker's main point of contact was Michael Cohen, who was Trump's longtime personal lawyer and fixer. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's central argument in his 34-count felony indictment of the ex-president is that Cohen facilitated payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal — both of whom claimed to have had affairs with Trump — in order to buy their silence so voters wouldn't have the chance to be influenced by their stories. Those payments were then allegedly labeled as legal fees, though Cohen maintains there was no legal retainer involved in those payments. Trump continues to deny Daniels' and McDougal's allegations.

During one exchange, Pecker said on the stand that he had conversations with former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and White House Communications Director Hope Hicks — who is expected to testify during Trump's trial — about possibly extending McDougal's contract to keep her silent.

"Both of them said that they thought it was a good idea," Pecker said on Thursday.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

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