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Tag: melania trump
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.

'Discredited' Supreme Court Issues 'Traitorous' Writ In Trump Immunity Case

'Discredited' Supreme Court Issues 'Traitorous' Writ In Trump Immunity Case

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) announced Wednesday it would hear former President Donald Trump's argument claiming absolute broad immunity from federal prosecution, which is being viewed as a gift to Trump in his efforts to delay a trial until after the November election.

According to CNN legal analyst Joan Biskupic, SCOTUS won't hear oral arguments in the immunity case until April 22. And as Politico legal correspondent Kyle Cheney tweeted, the Court "could tee up his trial for August or September" assuming it doesn't take too long to issue a ruling after the late April hearing. However, he added "the trial is unlikely to come much earlier than that, given [US District Judge] Chutkan's promise to ensure he has another few months of prep."

Following the Court's issuing of a writ of certiorari on Wednesday, numerous legal experts and journalists blasted SCOTUS on social media for what they viewed as a decision in Trump's favor.

"[SCOTUS] will prematurely hear a completely frivolous claim that if sustained, would allow any POTUS to commit crimes with almost unbridled immunity," tweeted Richard Signorelli, a former assistant US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. "This will delay his federal 1/6 trial indefinitely. A political and traitorous decision from a totally discredited SCOTUS."

The announcement to take up Trump's immunity case was unexpected, given that a DC Circuit Court of Appeals panel issued a scathing ruling earlier this month ripping apart the ex-president's argument that he should enjoy permanent immunity from any and all criminal acts as a former head of state. Vanity Fair special correspondent Molly Jong-Fast made a Beatles reference, tweeting Trump "gets by with a little help from his friends... On the Supreme Court." And when looping in the immunity question with other Trump-related cases SCOTUS is currently weighing, law professor Anthony Michael Kreis called the current SCOTUS term "the most important... since Reconstruction." Others observed that it wasn't out of the question for the 6-3 conservative majority to rule in Trump's favor, thus eliminating his two federal indictments in one fell swoop.

"I don't think it's sunk in with people that Trump is asking the Dobbs Court to rule that he's literally above the law and they apparently might do it," tweeted journalist Matthew Yglesias, defining the Court by the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. Mississippi-based journalist Ashton Pittman piled on the Court, writing that Wednesday's decision could "help Trump potentially avoid having to go to trial in the January 6th case before the election—or ever, possibly."

Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti tweeted that the likelihood of Trump's election interference trial happening before the November election was slim, and noted that "the only criminal case likely to go to trial before the election is the Manhattan DA case next month, which takes on a heightened significance as a result."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Perfect Together: History's Worst President And His Wretched First Lady

Perfect Together: History's Worst President And His Wretched First Lady

Melania Trump hasn’t been associating with her husband, Donald, on his retribution tour across America. She hasn’t been at his side during his trials for fraud or for defaming a woman he sexually assaulted in a dressing room. She didn’t even show up for her spouse’s New Year's Eve party. That level of dedicated absence may lead to suggestions that the Einstein visa-winning former nude model doesn’t really care for her ketchup-hurling husband.

But over the weekend, there was more evidence that the pair are perfect for each other. They may not be a match made in heaven, but in whatever spiritual sweatshop cranks out rich-old-guy-and-much-younger-trophy-wife relationships, these two are a chef’s kiss.

That fresh evidence starts with Fox News fuming over the latest presidential rankings from a survey of political scholars who specialize in presidential history. Those rankings once again have Abraham Lincoln in the top spot. It’s also no surprise who is riding in the historical caboose. Not only is Trump ranked dead last, he’s last by a huge margin. It’s bad. Like, way behind James Buchanan bad.

And to really get MAGA fans grinding their molars: Both Barack Obama and Joe Biden are in the top 15.

The survey notes that since the last survey of political professors in 2018, Obama’s star has risen significantly, bringing him up nine slots, No. 16 to No. 7. Biden has entered the list at a more-than-respectable No. 14.

Trump is reliably at the end of the line, picking up so few votes that it’s genuinely amazing. Just three points separate the top three spots on the list, making the difference between fans of Lincoln, FDR, and Washington. But Trump is six points behind Buchanan—the biggest difference between two slots on the whole list. It certainly gives the impression that, no matter how many names are added in future surveys, Trump will have no problem defending his territory.

But how does this make him perfect for his disinterested import?

As a weekend article in The New York Times shows, Melania isn’t just disinterested in Donald; she’s disinterested in everything. Especially anything that looks like work.

As the Times put it, Melania spent “spent four years flouting many of the expectations about what a modern first lady should be.” Especially, it seems, when those expectations are visible, engaged, and giving a damn about the nation.

“For months, Mrs. Trump had taken to walking around the Executive Residence in hotel-style terry cloth robes,” insiders told the Times.

Throughout her husband’s presidency, she often perched on the bed in his room to listen to or join his calls with advisers and allies, Stephanie Grisham, Melania’s former press secretary, said in an interview. By the time her White House tenure came to an end, Melania was described as “checked out” and “exhausted,” but there’s not much evidence that she ever really checked in.

Between “Who gives a fuck about Christmas?” and wearing a jacket stamped with "I really don't care, do you?" on her way to a detention center for migrant children, Melania never seemed to even make a gesture in the direction of being concerned about the institution of first lady, the White House, or the nation.

Her office in the East Wing was so rarely used, that it was converted into a space for wrapping gifts. Whether those gifts were for fucking Christmas or some other occasion isn’t clear.

There was one thing that Trump’s wife did seem to like about her time at the White House: how much she got to murder the aesthetics. Whether that was the “evisceration” of the Rose Garden or the hallways of nightmare trees, Melania loved the changes she had made to the White House. And she loved to arrange photo albums of those changes.

“All she cared about was those photo albums,” Grisham said. Though Grisham apparently tossed in an expletive that the Times chose not to print.

The Times also has a perfect description of how Melania spent her days leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection.

In the days before the attack on the Capitol, Mrs. Trump had been cataloging the contents of her swag room, including the small mementos and gifts that she would hand out to friends and allies of the Trump family. An aide traveled back and forth to the Executive Residence with a binder listing the current inventory, according to two former Trump White House officials.

In the middle of the assault on the Capitol, as Grisham was trying to get Melania to issue a statement against the violence, the first lady turned her down. Instead, Melania spent Jan. 6 taking pictures of herself with a new rug she had selected for the White House residence. More pictures for her photo albums. Because that was her priority.

Could we please get a fresh ranking of first ladies? It’s safe to say that Eleanor Roosevelt’s spot really isn’t in doubt. But if there was a new list, it seems a pretty good bet that Melania Trump could take the badge of dishonor with the same laziness and disdain she has displayed toward everything else.

Because she and her husband may hate each other, but they are also perfect for each other.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Donald Trump

Trump Camp Suddenly Realizes 'Dictator' Platform Is A Political Fail (VIDEO)

As mainstream reporters hone in on Donald Trump's fascist fantasies for a second term, his campaign and allies are discovering that a dictatorship platform might not be a winning message next year.

The Trump campaign itself is responsible for this message they are beginning to see as problematic. As Trump kicked off his 2024 bid, the signature line he pushed at every rally was, "I am your retribution," stoking the image of a mighty strongman who would mete out justice on his own terms

The journey from that to Trump's admission this week of being a dictator "on day one" of a second term has been filled with rhetoric plucked out of the playbook of the Nazis and other fascist regimes. But Trump's cheeky “dictator” dodge, implying that he wouldn't be a dictator "except for on day one" has drawn renewed scrutiny from reporters and opposing candidates alike.

The Biden campaign's rapid response X (formerly Twitter) account has been feasting on the topic, tweeting out clips like this one from Axios co-founder and CEO Jim VandeHei.

Trump's wife, Melania, VandeHei says, is pushing for former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to be Trump's vice president. Stephen Miller, architect of Trump's Muslim ban, could be attorney general and has talked about implementing "detainment camps" and "mass deportation[s]." And Kash Patel, who has talked about using the "machinery of government" to target Trump's political enemies, could end up as CIA director, for instance, says VandeHei.

The Trump campaign and some of its allies are starting to pick up on the fact that the broad and pervasive push toward an authoritarian-style government might not be the best campaign theme. While "Fascism for All" has a ring to it, it's likely not a winner in a country where people can still cast meaningful votes for their leadership. The Washington Post writes:

[I]n recent days, the former president and his allies have been pushing back more forcefully on comments from historians, policy experts and political opponents that a second Trump term would be more extreme and autocratic than his first. Two Trump advisers, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk more candidly, said recent stories about his plans for a second term are not viewed as helpful for the general election.

Fox News' media reporter Howard Kurtz, for instance, suggested the coverage was a smear campaign, saying, "It's not that [Trump] shouldn't be held accountable for his own rhetoric and social-media posts, but I have never seen anything like this in my professional lifetime."

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.