Inside Renée Zellweger's Bridget Jones curse: How unlucky-in-love star annulled her first marriage after just four months before a string of failed A-lister romances - as it's revealed she's 'living apart' from British toyboy

It's fair to say that Renée Zellweger has struggled to find her Mr Darcy - with her first marriage to Kenny Chesney annulled after just four months.
But loyal fans of the 56-year-old Oscar winner had hoped she had finally broken her so-called Bridget Jones 'curse' after falling in love with British TV host Ant Anstead, who is ten years her junior.
However, DailyMail.com reported today that the Wheeler Dealers host and the A-lister have been living apart for the past year, after he was spotted staying overnight at the Laguna Beach home of divorcee and spin instructor Julia French, 36, while Renee filmed in New York.
Anstead, who is facing bankruptcy for his car company and has seemingly been selling off his assets, has since pushed back against the speculation.
'Mr. Anstead is working mostly in the UK, and he has spent some of his limited time back in [Orange County] at his friend's home,' the TV presenter's representative told Page Six on Thursday.
'His friend Jules has a separate, detached guest house, and the suggestion that their relationship is anything other than platonic is unacceptable and untrue,' they added, before confirming that 'Mr. Anstead and Ms. Zellweger are still together.'
The couple, who began dating in 2021 and are notoriously private about their relationship, have not been seen together in public since early March when they were snapped supporting Anstead's young son at a football game.
If Renée's relationship is turning sour, it wouldn't be the first time that she's been unlucky in love, with the American actress mirroring her famous British character when it comes to both having frequent romantic struggles.
Read below to explore the star's relationship history - from Bradley Cooper to Jim Carrey.
Jim Carrey (1999-2000)
Sparks flew between the actress and her co-star Jim Carrey on the set of their 1999 movie Me, Myself and Irene.
After wrapping filming on the comedy, the pair began dating and attended the 2000 Golden Globes together.
Despite the brief length of their relationship, he described her as the 'great love of' his life in his 2020 semi-fictional book, Memoirs and Misinformation.
Two decades after calling it quits on their whirlwind romance, he also referred to his ex as someone 'very special' to him. 'I think she's lovely,' he said on The Howard Stern Show.
While their film's director, Bobby Farrelly said that Carrey 'flipped for her immediately', she was hesitant to mix business and pleasure.
At the time, she told CNN: 'I liked him, a lot, but you're not going (to the set) for the love connection... When the picture wrapped, we'd spoken a couple of times on the phone and then all those rumours came out that I was dating him. I was so mad.'
After denying the rumours, she joked about getting home and thinking: 'God, I do miss him.'
Ahead of their breakup, Renée proudly called their relationship 'a very unexpected, wonderful thing.'
In the same interview with Entertainment Weekly, he gushed: 'She's a very connected person. She thinks having a good time is renting a U-Haul and taking furniture to Texas. She's real in that way and I absolutely love it.'
Speaking about their relationship, Renée told The Guardian: 'We have business associates in common and a couple of mutual friends, so I'd known about him and said hello and things for a long time, and then met him a couple of years ago at a dinner party. So I'd known him for a while.'
Despite speculation they were engaged during their one-year romance, she denied the claims to Cosmopolitan in 2003.
'I'd only been dating him for three months. As if I would consider marriage after only three months!' she mused.
Jim was married to Melissa Womer from 1987 to 1995, and Lauren Holly for a year in 1996, and also dated Jenny McCarthy for five years until 2010.
Jack White (2003-2004)
Three years later, the native Texan found love on set again, this time while shooting the 2003 civil war epic Cold Mountain, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Her fateful meeting with rocker Jack White, who is six years her junior, led to them dating for a year and a half.
Jack had been commissioned to write music for the movie, and had a small role playing her husband.
Although the couple rarely spoke about their relationship, they made a public appearance together at the 2004 Oscars.
During their relationship, he infamously got into a physical altercation with his bandmate, Jason Stollsteimer, which he pled guilty to, according to Rolling Stone.
He was fined $500 and sentenced to court-appointed anger management classes for his assault and battery charge.
Upon announcing their breakup, the actress' spokesman said in a statement: 'They remain good friends. There's no scandal and no new relationships.'
Kenny Chesney (2005)
Renée and country music singer Kenny Chesney experienced a meet-cute worthy of a rom-com, after both attending NBC's Concert of Hope tsunami aid telethon in January 2005.
After reportedly hoping to meet him at the event, and pass him a flirty note, a source told People that once the 'broadcast wrapped' he approached Renée and said: 'I hear you are trying to pass me a note - don't let the principal find out.'
Two years prior, he listed her as one of the three sexiest people on earth in 2002 during a chat with The Tennesseean, alongside, Charlize Theron and Janet Jackson.
'Here's a country girl who's still down to earth,' the singer said. 'That makes her really, really sexy. Plus she seems like the kind of girl who could fit in and be at home anywhere.'
Months after discovering their mutual crush on each other, Renée confirmed they were a couple by bringing him a margarita and sharing a kiss with him on stage at one of his concerts.
After three months of dating, they wed on the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
But to the world's shock, just four months later, in September 2005, she filed to annul their marriage, citing 'fraud' as the reason.
Neither has provided any further information on their split, but she said that it made her 'said' to see widespread speculation that their marriage failed because Kenny was 'gay'.
'It made me sad that somehow people were using that as a way to be cruel and calling someone gay as a pejorative, which has fateful consequences,' she told The Advocate in 2016.
As for why she remained silent as the allegations swirled, the performer responded that she wasn't in the habit of pouring her heart out to the tabloids.
'I'd said all I needed to say on that subject. I'm an old-fashioned gal who doesn't feel it's appropriate to hang out your laundry on the lawn,' she told the publication.
'I feel you devalue yourself as a human being when you share very personal things with a bajillion strangers who are making fun of you. I just don't see that there's any dignity in that.'
She did go on to acknowledge, though, that 'sometimes it is difficult to just let something be what it is, especially when it's unnecessary ugliness.'
In 2007, Kenny shut down the rumours and said they were simply 'not true.' 'I didn't have to prove to anybody that I wasn't. I didn't feel like I really did,' he said in a 60 Minutes interview
Bradley Cooper (2009-2011)
Like several of her high-profile relationships, the Judy star fell hard for another handsome co-star after meeting Bradley Cooper on set of their film Case 39 in 2009.
While they both stayed tight-lipped about their time together, Bradley couldn't help but sing her praises in one interview.
'I just love her. I [loved] coming to work. I love acting with her. I can learn so much from her,' he told ET in 2010.
She told the outlet that he is 'a great, great actor' and admitted to being 'so excited' to get to 'work with him.'
They went on to move in together that same year, but parted ways in 2011.
Following the death of his father, Charles Cooper, she skipped the Golden Globes to be with him, according to People, who reported she was 'close to Cooper's mom, Gloria.'
Both were coming off of brief marriages at the time of their relationship since Cooper was married to actress Jennifer Esposito in 2007 for a four-month frame.
An insider told US Weekly in 2011 that the Hollywood relationship crumbled under the weight of Cooper's burgeoning career.
'If I had to pick any possible mistress it would be Brad's career. He worked really hard to get into leading man status' while 'Renee had to take a backseat' and even 'traveled with him to make it work.'
The source noted that Renée, at the time, had 'accomplished a lot of her professional goals' and 'took some time out to be a great girlfriend and see if this is what it took to make a relationship work.'
Eventually, the source said that Renée 'stopped fighting' to keep it working. 'It was just not working out,' the source added.
However, the pair were reunited in 2020 at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, where they were pictured enjoying a brief chat with one another.
Doyle Bramhall II (2012- 2019)
Renee and Doyle Bramhall, 55, who is now in a relationship with supermodel Elle Macpherson, dated for seven years before it was revealed in 2019 they had parted ways.
The former couple met when they were just students at the University of Texas in the early nineties. In 2012, two years after Doyle ended his marriage, they decided to give dating a try.
Though they never considered a romantic relationship during their college days, the two made up for lost time as they stuck by each other's sides from 2012 to 2019.
Upon speaking about their romance in 2015, she gushed: 'Isn't he cute? He's a very sweet man. I'm very, very happy right now,' the star told People.
According to documents, obtained by E! News, he lived for free with her and she paid his credit card bills in the midst of his separation from his former spouse, Susannah Melvoin.
The site reports that Renee had been subbing the credit card fees which varied between $4,000 to $5,000 a month, with the court documents detailing that this was a loan and a repayment was expected.
Renee was also said to have paid for Doyle's expenses in 2015 that added up to nearly $60,000.
During a hearing in Doyle's divorce from ex Susannah Melvoin, the judge ruled that Renee's income should not have any bearing on what the musician pays in spousal and child support to his estranged wife.
Doyle, who also dated Sheryl Crow, was married to Susannah from 1997 to 2010 and they have two daughters together.
According to Radar Online, his jealousy contributed to the end of their longtime relationship.
'She and Doyle built a happy home life together and they even discussed adopting a baby together,' a source told the outlet in 2016.
Ultimately, they 'drifted apart emotionally when they were separated for weeks at a time' and weren't 'able to rekindle the spark.'
The insider added: 'Renee hit her breaking point over the jealousy issues.'
But in May 2024, the pair appeared to be the friendliest of exes as the Bridget Jones star showed her support at his Royal Albert Hall gig in the British capital.
Renee was pictured catching up with her old flame as they proved they are still on great terms following their split.
The duo appeared delighted to see each other as they sweetly embraced inside the London venue.
Ant Anstead (2021-present)
Ant and Renée initially met while filming an episode of his series Celebrity IOU Joyride in April of 2021.
But the couple have not been seen together in public since early March when they were snapped supporting Anstead's young son at a football game.
DailyMail.com reported that the pair have been living apart for the past year amid Ant's financial trouble.
In recent years, he owned a multi-million-dollar house in the exclusive town of Laguna Beach, California, and was pictured in 2022 moving in with Renée in her $30,000-per-month clifftop home across the street.
But for the past year he had downgraded to a modest, 832sqft, two-bed rental listed at $4,250 per month.
Ant's spokeswoman told DailyMail.com the small house he left over a month ago 'was rented solely by Mr. Anstead'. His landlord confirmed Renée was not on the lease.
The Bridget Jones's Diary star, meanwhile, is currently in New York City filming a new season of popular Hulu show, Only Murders in the Building, while Ant was believed to be spending time in his home country, the UK, in recent weeks before returning to Laguna.
His rep told DailyMail.com he 'continues to remain private about his cherished personal relationship.' Renee's rep declined to comment.
Meanwhile, a source close to the Bridget Jones star told DailyMail.com they are still dating, despite living apart.
But last week, Ant was spotted staying overnight at the home of wealthy 36-year-old Laguna woman Julia French, who goes by 'Jules'.
Jules, who has worked as a certified spin instructor at Rhythm Ride Laguna Beach according to her Facebook page, is currently divorcing her hedge fund founder husband, James Hanna III, the father of her two young children.
A keen-eyed observer told DailyMail.com that in recent months Ant was even spotted meeting Jules on the beach for a sunset rendezvous, a romantic setting in the sought-after Southern California coastal town.
However, the pair have never been seen engaging in any non-platonic behaviour.
A source close to Ant claimed he had been staying in the apartment on the property since he moved out of his modest rented house around April.
'One of her kids goes to the same school as Hudson. When Ant's working late or needs childcare, Hudson goes back with Jules' kids. Then in the evening Ant picks Hudson up,' the source said.
The French family are well-known in Laguna and own several properties around the elite seaside town.
Her beachfront, five-bed home is worth an estimated $8million according to real estate site Redfin, and has a separate two-bed unit.
A friend of French who helps manage her properties told DailyMail.com last week that Ant had not been living at French's home.
But the TV presenter was spotted returning to the clifftop mansion after watching his son Hudson's football game last Tuesday, the evening of May 20, his car was in the driveway at 7am the following morning, and he was later spotted emerging from the property for a coffee run with a male friend, suggesting he had slept over at the property that night.
A source close to Renée said the actress is wary of having him move in with her, even after four years of dating.
'Renée currently has a rental in Laguna. When Ant lost his rental, the obvious thing would have been for him to move into the rental with Renée. But she doesn't want them cohabiting, so he has to find his own place to stay,' the source said. 'That's kind of how the relationship works.'
Rumours have been swirling of the couple's potentially rocky relationship status as his financial woes mount.
This month, Ant's supercar company Radford Motors filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Delaware court, which usually results in the liquidation of a firm.
Ant even posted a video on Instagram saying he was selling his prized Land Rover Defender – though he revealed in the post that he had a 'new car incoming'.
Responding further to DailyMail.com's story today, Anstead's rep responded that 'Mr. Anstead and Miss Zelwegger (sic) are still together.'
The rep added: 'Mr. Anstead is working mostly in the UK, and he has spent some of his limited time back in OC at his friend's home.
'His friend Jules has a separate, detached guest house and the suggestion that their relationship is anything other than platonic is unacceptable.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Daily Mail​

22 minutes ago

• Daily Mail​

EXCLUSIVE The reason Brooklyn Beckham has decided to set up home in LA with wife Nicola Peltz is revealed as couple's £11m Hollywood mansion exposes new twist in family feud

The real reason behind Brooklyn Beckham 's decision to give up his life in London and buy an £11 million mansion in LA has been revealed, exposing a shocking new twist in the family feud. The aspiring chef, 26, and his actress wife Nicola Peltz are in the midst of a heart-breaking rift with his parents, which led to them shunning David's epic 50th birthday celebrations. It has been claimed that Brooklyn's decision to purchase a new home in LA and put down roots in the American city was tied to him wanting to create permanent distance from his parents and their base in London and the Cotswolds. However, an insider has revealed to MailOnline that the decision was made because Brooklyn simply feels more at-home in LA after spending much of his childhood living in the US, and it has always been home to his American wife. The source shared: 'This house has nothing to do with family dynamics. David and Victoria also own property in the US, this is no different. 'Both Nicola and Brooklyn's careers are based in Los Angeles, and Brooklyn spent part of his childhood there while his father played for LA Galaxy. 'During that time, he attended school in LA for several years and built a life and friendships in the city. LA has always felt like home to him.' These revelations came as it's reported that the financial aspect of Brooklyn's new home that has sparked some tensions between his parents, and Nicola's father, billionaire Nelson Peltz. The Sun are reporting that Brooklyn does not entirely own the five-bedroom mansion, with a majority of the property owned by Nicola. Sources are now claiming that David and Victoria now feel their son is 'trapped,' especially after he signed an iron-clad prenup before he and Nicola married in 2022. However, the Peltzs have accused the Beckhams of being 'tight' and failing to support their son. It's thought that Brooklyn and Nicola's new home was largely paid for using her trust fund money, but as the creator of the fund, Nelson had to sign off releasing the funds, and the couple also contributed work savings when buying the property. Referencing David and Victoria, a source said: 'When it came to buying this house, of course they weren't just going to hand their son millions of pounds — what sort of message does that send? 'Nelson Peltz, on the other hand, is a billionaire investor and he and his wife Claudia regard Nicola, their little girl, as the apple of their eye. 'Understandably, they want to indulge her and ensure she never struggles — they expected the Beckhams, worth half a billion themselves, might match them penny for penny. Or, at least, chip in with financials as and when. 'That hasn't always happened, so they are annoyed and telling people it's a bit tight, which would utterly enrage David and Vic if they knew.' A source close to David and Victoria has disputed this, branding it 'nonsense.' And another close to Brooklyn has also hit back at claims by his parents that his 'trapped' by the arrangement They told MailOnline: 'It's disappointing—and frankly absurd—that anyone would try to twist Nicola and Brooklyn's marriage, and this meaningful milestone of home ownership, into something toxic. 'Their relationship is grounded in love, respect, and commitment. 'The suggestion that Brooklyn is 'trapped' isn't just false—it's a deliberately cruel and baseless narrative aimed at undermining a strong, loving marriage.' MailOnline has contacted representatives for Brooklyn Beckham, and David and Victoria Beckham for further comment. It comes after Brooklyn appeared to fail to publicly acknowledge Father's Day, despite his parents publicly reaching out. David had told his children: 'I will always be there, no matter what' in an emotional Father's Day Instagram post. He shared pictures of Victoria and their four children Brooklyn, 26, Romeo, 22, Cruz, 20, and Harper, 13, laughing and looking cheery in happier times. Subtly reaching out to his eldest son, David insisted he will always be around to support all his children, even if times get tough. He wrote: 'My most important & favourite job in life is being a dad... I'm so proud of all of you and like daddy ( sorry boys ) tells you every single day I will always be here for you no matter what... 'Mummy thank you for doing the most important part and making me a father there is no greater gift in life than making me a dad... Happy Father's Day... I love you kiddies more than you could imagine.. @victoriabeckham @brooklynpeltzbeckham @romeobeckham @cruzbeckham #HarperSeven @tedbeckhamdavid.' David continued marking the day by sharing throwback snaps of his children to his Instagram stories, including Brooklyn, and tagged him in each individual capture. Brooklyn's brother Romeo's ex-girlfriend Kim Turnbull had been at the centre of the row after Nicola reportedly claimed that she felt uncomfortable around her, with sources close to the US heiress saying that Kim had dated Brooklyn when they were teenagers, which she has now denied in a statement. Sharing a statement on her Instagram page on Monday, Kim said: 'I've avoided speaking on this topic to prevent adding fuel to the fire, however it's come to a point where I feel the need to address it so I can move on. 'I will not continue to receive harassment or be embarrassed on the basis of lies, to fit a certain narrative. 'I have never been romantically involved in ANY capacity at ANY point with the person in question. David and Victoria reportedly feel their son is 'trapped,' but Nelson has reportedly accused Brooklyn's parents of being 'tight' (Nicola pictured with her father and mother Claudia) 'Nothing between us has occurred further than a school friendship at age 16. I would like to remove myself from the ongoing conversation & set the record straight for the sake of everyone involved.' Things came to a head when Brooklyn and Nicola were no shows at any of David's 50th birthday celebrations last month, with The Mail revealing that Kim has been made the 'scapegoat' in the feud. They failed to attend any of football legend David's five celebrations to mark his milestone birthday, including celebrations in Miami, London, Paris the Cotswolds and a boys fishing trip to Scotland. Brooklyn then seemed to fail to publicly acknowledge his father's Knighthood for his services to sport and charity as part of the King's Birthday Honours list. David, 50, said over the weekend: 'It's been an emotional week I must admit. For me and for my family. It's obviously very special. 'It's a huge honour, but one that has been shared with myself and my family and so, it's been emotional.'

Times

23 minutes ago

• Times

Trump's taking Maga fire over ‘forever wars', but the real battle awaits

'I'm the one that decides,' declared President Trump last week when asked by a reporter who gets to say what 'America First' really means. Faced with a backlash from parts of his base over the prospect of the US supporting Israel in military action in Iran, the president said his word is final — 'after all, I'm the one that developed America First' — adding that 'the term wasn't used until I came along'. In fact, the phrase dates back to the First World War when Woodrow Wilson used the slogan to appeal to voters who wanted America to stay out of the conflict. (They didn't get their wish.) The America First Committee was founded in 1940 to protest against US involvement in the Second World War, but gained notoriety after high-profile members such as the aviator Charles Lindbergh and the automotive tycoon Henry Ford led to a perception that it had antisemitic and pro-fascist sympathies. However, since Trump launched his first bid for president ten years ago, it has taken on a new meaning. 'He has driven the term back into usage,' says Julian Zelizer, the Princeton University historian and author of The Presidency of Donald J Trump: A First Historical Assessment. 'He has the most power to shape what it actually includes.' Now it represents a whole movement, extending from foreign policy to trade to immigration. No more forever wars. No more favours for other countries out of the goodness of Uncle Sam's heart. But in a week where parts of Trump's base came out and criticised the president directly, the question is being asked in Washington: is Trump still in control of the agenda — or is it the base that decides? There are certainly plenty of figures in Washington who have distinct views on what America First ought to mean in practice. Last week, the row over Iran has seen a US version of blue on blue: Maga on Maga. As the alt-right influencer Jack Posobiec put it: 'I'm just thankful the neocons are here to tell us who is REAL MAGA.' Trump has distanced himself from certain members of his cabinet, saying that his head of intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is 'wrong' on her intelligence assessment of Iran. But in his second term, Trump has had ultimate authority over his cabinet. Learning from the first term, he picked them for loyalty and deference. As a figure with close ties to the administration says: 'It's a football team. He's the manager, they're the players, they listen to the manager and that's all there is to it.' It is why the voices he needs to worry more about may be the ones on the outside. Enter the Maga-verse — the network of former advisers, informal advisers and influencers free to speak, exerting varying degrees of influence on the president. One figure close to the White House says: 'There are a bunch of people that we look to to see how things are landing.' Indeed, the administration last week reached out to key figures as they tried to control the narrative. There are different spheres of influence. Steve Bannon, Trump's former adviser, is widely regarded as the godfather of Maga. While he no longer has a place in the White House, he is seen as a temperature check on the movement by keeping the government in touch with the grassroots through his media and bringing up the next generation of Maga — several of whom have gone on to take jobs in the administration. 'Everybody just folds to whatever big corporate interest there is and this administration is only slightly different to that,' explains an insider. 'Steve keeps a check on it.' Bannon's War Room podcast regularly ranks among the top ten in the US, and has more than 200,000 followers on X. The former executive chairman of the alt-right news website Breitbart had lunch with the president last week — just before Trump's spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt announced a two-week window to make a decision on his next steps in Iran. Next, Tucker Carlson — the former Fox News host — who last week accused Trump of taking America on the wrong path. This led to Trump saying: 'I don't know what Tucker Carlson is saying. Let him go get a television network and say it so that people listen.' 'He's definitely relevant,' says one Maga figure. 'But it's a much younger, less-likely-to-vote demographic that he now appeals to. It's a much lower propensity voter. I don't think he would take that as an insult. He lives in a cabin in the woods in Maine.' After the barrage of words, Trump later said he shared a phone call with Carlson who apologised for going too far. Then there's Laura Loomer — the right-wing conspiracy theorist — who regularly leads the news in DC with her social media and investigations. A Republican insider says: 'She's probably the best opposition researcher in Republican politics nationwide and she's devastatingly destructive to people. Some people might walk around with their chest puffed out and go, 'Oh, I'm not scared of Laura Loomer.' They're all scared of Laura Loomer.' Last week, Loomer and Carlson have clashed on Iran, while Bannon warned against the US getting too embroiled in any conflict. The changing media landscape is giving these figures greater prominence. Matt Boyle, the Washington bureau chief at Breitbart, says: 'We live in impassioned times, especially in the podcast era and new media.' It's not gone unnoticed in Maga world that last week streaming overtook cable and broadcast as the most-watched form of TV in the US. Yet the base is insistent there is no civil war. 'We're not a monolith, we're not the left, they don't tolerate dissent, right?' says one Maga figure. 'One part of the coalition is holding the other part of the coalition accountable.' Boyle, who was recently spotted dining with both Bannon and the Democrat senator John Fetterman, says: 'I do think that when the president makes his decision that the movement is gonna fall in line very quickly. He is the leader of the America First movement. He built this movement.' Yet Trump has never been a perfect fit for some of the views within it. In 2016, he said of America First that he wanted to make decision-making more 'unpredictable'. 'We won't be isolationists — I don't want to go there because I don't believe in that,' Trump said. 'But we're not going to be ripped off any more by all of these countries.' The historian Victor Davis Hanson, of the Hoover Institution think tank at Stanford University, says: 'Trump is neither an isolationist nor an interventionist, but rather transactional. The media fails to grasp that, so it is confused why tough-guy Trump is hesitant to jump into Iran, or contrarily why a noninterventionist Trump would even consider using bunker busters against Iran. 'The common thread again is his perception of what benefits the US middle class — economically, militarily, politically and culturally.' But internal debates go beyond foreign affairs. The other main Maga priorities are bringing jobs back to the US — through tariffs — and cracking down on immigration. Tensions have bubbled on all of these: last week Trump exempted the farm and hospitality industries from the immigration raids, only for Maga activists to raise alarm. The president then changed it back. Raheem Kassam, who is a close ally of Bannon, a co-owner of the Butterworths restaurant in Washington — a Maga hotspot — and a former adviser to Nigel Farage, says: 'It's definitely become more complex and thoughtful and flexible. 'There's now a depth where you can't necessarily fit all of Maga policy on a banner held up at a rally. You used to be able to say it was 'build the wall', 'drain the swamp'. It's developed more, it's deeper, it's denser and that's kind of what the establishment is really upset about this time. It's like, 'Oh, these guys have actually developed an element of political sophistication.'' For now, most agree — at least publicly — that Trump is king. Yet privately what is making the base so jumpy is this idea that Trump is being forced by the deep state into the default establishment policy position. If it happens to Trump, what chance does his successor have? Hanson says: 'Trump decides — in the sense of le Maga état, c'est moi. Almost everyone who tried to redefine Maga or take on Trump has mostly lost rather than gained influence. 'The key question is whether Maga continues after 2029, given Trump's unique willingness to take on the left rhetorically and concretely in a way that far exceeds the Reagan revolution, and in truth, any prior Republican. Trump's bellicosity, volatility, and resilience — his willingness to win ugly rather than lose nobly — ensure him credibility and goodwill among the base that in turn allows him greater latitude and patience.' Or as a recent visitor to the White House puts it: 'A lot of them want a Maga ideology whereas Trump is happy with it just being about him.' Kassam adds: 'Trump does largely get to decide what America First means. But the point is, there's a whole movement behind it that will want to keep the America First agenda even after Trump.' The real fight to define America First is likely to come when Trump exits the stage.

Daily Mail​

24 minutes ago

• Daily Mail​

WNBA rookie Paige Bueckers' romance with UConn star Azzi Fudd seemingly confirmed

UConn basketball star Azzi Fudd has appeared to confirm her relationship with ex-teammate Paige Bueckers in a new social media post. Fans have long speculated that the close friends - who spent four seasons playing together for the Huskies - were romantically involved, as Fudd accompanied Bueckers to the WNBA Draft this spring. And Fudd has given the strongest indication yet that the basketball players are indeed an item, as she showed off an extremely telling phone case. Fudd posted a mirror selfie of her getting her hair styled, and fans realized that her phone case read: 'paige bueckers' girlfriend.' Fudd is smiling wide in the Instagram story, though no other explicit mention to Bueckers is made in the post. The pair previously 'hard launched' their relationship in the eyes of some fans after Fudd posted a TikTok of her getting the 'princess treatment' with Bueckers in May. In the short clip, Fudd can be seen mouthing the words, 'How much was it?' after being treated to a $200 meal. Bueckers jokingly crossed her arms in dismay when Fudd said 'that's not bad', after learning the price of the meal. And Fudd captioned the clip: 'Princess treatment every time I'm with her #spoiled.' Fans went wild on social media in response to Fudd's most recent post featuring her Bueckers-themed phone case. 'GOOD F******G MORNING TO ME,' one wrote on X. 'she got tired of being called best friend,' another said. 'and she made sure that IT SHOWS,' a third added. And a fourth said: 'HAPPY PRIDE MONTH.' The incoming fifth-year senior made the trip to New York for Bueckers WNBA Draft Day in May, as she was selected No. 1 overall by the Dallas Wings. And the pair shared an emotional hug after Bueckers heard her name called at The Shed on April 15. Just nine days before, the pair helped lead UConn to an emphatic national championship win over South Carolina, defeating their opponents 82-59. Fudd was extremely impressive in the win, scoring 24 points and hauling in five rebounds, while Bueckers added 17 points and six boards in the win. The 23-year-old is thriving in her debut season in the WNBA as she's averaged 18 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 10 games thus far. Her Wings will face the Washington Mystics on Sunday.