Latest news with #TheCelebrityApprentice
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Donald Trump says 'nobody's asked' him to pardon Sean Combs yet: 'He used to really like me a lot'
Donald Trump, who once called Sean "Diddy" Combs a "good friend," weighed in on whether he would pardon the embattled record producer should he be convicted in his ongoing sex trafficking and racketeering trial. "Well, nobody's asked, but I know people are thinking about," the president told an inquiring reporter at the White House on Friday. "I know some people are close to asking. First of all, I'd look at what's happening. And I haven't been watching it too closely, although it's certainly getting a lot of coverage." Trump said he hasn't "seen" or "spoken" to Diddy in years," adding, "He used to really like me a lot. I think when I ran for politics, that relationship busted up, from what I read. I don't know. He didn't tell me that [personally], but...." He added that he "would certainly look at the facts if I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don't like me, it wouldn't have any impact on me." Trump previously praised Diddy as a "good friend" and "good guy" on a 2012 episode of The Celebrity Apprentice, after season 5 contestant Aubrey O'Day, a former member of the girl group Danity Kane, said working under the record producer trained her to be a "very strict, focused businesswoman." When Trump asked O'Day if Diddy was, in fact, a good guy, she notably remarked, "I don't want to answer that question." More than 70 lawsuits have been filed against the Bad Boy Records mogul since November 2023, alleging sexual assault and sex trafficking. His highly publicized federal trial, based on charges that also include racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution, began in New York on May 12. Combs, who has denied all of the allegations against him, has pleaded not guilty. He could face life in prison if convicted. Trump has pardoned a number of celebrities since taking office, including rappers Kodak Black and Lil Wayne, both of whom were convicted on federal weapon charges. The president also recently pardoned incarcerated reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion in 2022. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Trump reacts to question on pardoning Diddy, says he would certainly look at the facts
Trump reacts to a question of pardoning Sean Diddy who is facing trial in sex trafficking case. President Donald Trump in his Oval Office press conference Friday said Diddy used to like him a lot when he was asked whether he would consider pardoning Diddy. "I would certainly look af the facts. I haven't been watching it too closely. I haven;t spoken to him in years," Trump said adding that if somebody was mistreated, "whether they like me or don't like me, it wouldn't have any impact". "Nobody asked, but I know people are thinking about it I think people have been very close to asking," Trump said. Diddy's trial is now in its third week as the rapper faces federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. Diddy's ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura testified over four days about a decade-long abusive relationship with Combs, alleging physical assaults, rape, and coerced participation in "freak offs." She described incidents requiring stitches and bruising, including a 2015 assault on a private jet and a beating at Prince's house where security intervened Rapper Kid Cudi testified on May 22 about Combs breaking into his home in 2011 after learning of his brief relationship with Ventura. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like At 82, she dances, dresses as she wishes and dismisses her 'old-fashioned' critics CNA Read More Undo Weeks later, Cudi's car was set on fire, which prosecutors link to Combs. Will Diddy seek pardon from Trump? Since Trump's election in November 2024, Combs' longtime associates have reportedly been reaching out to Trump administration officials to lay the groundwork for a potential pardon or commutation banking on their decades-long acquaintance and Trump's past praise of Combs as a 'good friend' on a 2012 episode of The Celebrity Apprentice. A source close to Combs told Rolling Stone that he is 'willing to do anything to get out of jail,' despite previously distancing himself from Trump politically.
Newsweek
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
All of Donald Trump's 'Real Housewives' Connections Explained
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. After President Donald Trump appointed Real Housewives alum Siggy Flicker to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's board of trustees, his connection to the television show has been further analyzed. Trump has been linked to several stars of the reality TV franchise before and during his time in office. Why It Matters Trump has appointed many of his business connections and donors during his presidency, with some Americans feeling the appointees were unqualified or misaligned with the government roles for which they were chosen. President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter in the Oval Office at the White House on May 5 in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter in the Oval Office at the White House on May 5 in Washington, To Know Here's a list of the Real Housewives franchise stars linked to the president, including Flicker from Real Housewives of New Jersey, as well as Lisa Rinna and Joe Giudice: Siggy Flicker Flicker this month was appointed to the board of the Holocaust museum, which works to fight antisemitism with its exhibitions, training programs and education. All council members appointed by the president serve a five-year term. Flicker, who is Jewish, was born in Israel and has made her support for Israel known on social media in recent months. Her father, Mordecai Paldiel, escaped Nazi-occupied Belgium at just 3 years old. Flicker has been publicly supportive of Trump in recent years, saying she voted Republican for the first time in the 2016 election. Flicker first met Trump after he became president through her friend and Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba. 'The Celebrity Apprentice' Connections Lisa Rinna Rinna, actress and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, was on Trump's The Celebrity Apprentice show. Nene Leakes and Brandi Glanville, of Real Housewives of Atlanta and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fame, respectively, also had their own appearances on Trump's show, which featured stars competing for money to help their favorite charities. Another Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, Kyle Richards, was seen on The New Celebrity Apprentice show in 2017. Joe Giudice Giudice, a notable Real Housewives of New Jersey star, asked Trump for help in gaining U.S. citizenship in January. The entrepreneur said he was hopeful Trump's reelection would help him get back to the U.S., where he's lived his whole life. His wife Teresa appeared on The Celebrity Apprentice in 2012. "When I met Trump, I mean, he was very nice to me," Giudice said, as reported by People. "I was very nice to him when we were on his show over there. I don't know. I mean, I think he should get me back." Giudice and his wife Teresa were indicted on federal fraud charges in 2013, and the former TV star was deported back to his birthplace of Italy in 2019. But Teresa called Trump "broke" on Watch What Happens Live. Host Andy Cohen later revealed that Trump called afterward and was "furious." "He was like, 'You need to do a retraction!' It was a whole thing," Cohen said, as reported by Yahoo. Cohen said Teresa "wound up posting a retraction or something" about Trump, who ran in the same circles as she and her husband. What People Are Saying Flicker wrote in a May 5 Instagram post: "President Trump... Thank you for the privilege (and) honor to represent and NEVER FORGET." Trump wrote in a May 6 post on Truth Social about his appointments: "They are all strong supporters of Israel, and will ensure we, NEVER FORGET. Congratulations to all!" What Happens Next Trump has continued bringing in several appointees for government positions. His new head of Social Security, Frank Bisignano, has pledged to overhaul the Social Security Administration's operations by using private-sector efficiency. During his Senate confirmation hearing, Bisignano described the agency's overpayment rate of 1 percent as "five decimal places too high" and emphasized his intention to reduce improper payments through technology upgrades and artificial intelligence tools. "At the end of the day, we need to evaluate the ability to pay back and work it out. ... I'm going to make sure we recover all the money we should recover, but on the other hand, we need to be humans in the process too," Bisignano added. Linda McMahon, appointed as education secretary, is making major changes to the Department of Education, causing millions of federal student loan borrowers to see higher monthly payments.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump and Musk constructed an alternate reality and now we're all living in it
'My fellow Americans, this is Liberation Day,' President Donald Trump said from the White House Rose Garden, using a term of his own making as he unveiled a sweeping tariff plan against all U.S. trading partners. The day will 'forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America's destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to make America wealthy again,' the president said. Wednesday's fanfare stood in the face of advice from droves of experts, who warned about the 'catastrophic' effects these taxes would pose on U.S. consumers. One day after 'Liberation Day,' global stock markets plummeted and world leaders vowed to retaliate. In his inaugural address, the president said 'like never before' five times and the tariffs plan is just the latest example of his ability to construct an alternate version of reality. 'We really haven't seen anything like this,' Chapman Rackaway, a political science professor at Radford University, told The Independent. He called this level of reality-bending 'unprecedented' in modern U.S. history. Trump has always done this. In April 2011, The Celebrity Apprentice host Donald Trump told his network colleague Meredith Vieira he had 'real doubts' that President Barack Obama was born in the United States. The interview revived the racist 'birther' conspiracy, which had first emerged during Obama's 2008 presidential run, and helped Trump lay the ground for a political reality where facts were irrelevant — which he has now built two presidencies upon. Now, however, he has the backing of another fan of a distorted truth: Elon Musk. The tech billionaire and now presidential advisor bought Twitter and then fired its content moderators, reinstated suspended accounts, including QAnon supporters, and has even personally amplified other fringe theories like 'Pizzagate.' Together Trump and Musk have fused a new political landscape, one where the president declares himself a 'king,' and the Constitution is ignored. In this reality, there are only two genders, Canada can be the 51st state, and Greenland can be bought. This may be partially due to Trump and Musk's histories in the world of business. Trump overcame six bankruptcies to become the wealthiest president in the nation's history and Musk, founder of Tesla and Space X, now finds himself advising a president. They've entered the White House with the norms of business leaders, rather than ones typically adhered to by presidents and their advisers, like following checks and balances and the rule of law, In business, 'you pretty much do what you want and what you feel like, and the ultimate measure of success there is profit,' Rackaway said. For example, they've been calling to impeach judges who rule against the Trump administration because they don't like the decisions, not for reasons 'based in constitutional principles or the established norms over the last 230 years,' Rackaway added. Throwing out the typical slow bureaucratic process, Trump and Musk, through the Department of Government Efficiency, have moved swiftly but not cautiously. As a result, the government has tried to rehire critical workers after "accidentally" firing them, has sowed chaos and confusion, and has been accused of 'likely violating' the Constitution in one of many legal battles it now faces. Steve Hanson, a government professor at the College of William & Mary, believes Trump is running the government like a 'family business.' Using a term coined by German sociologist Max Weber, Hanson described Trump as a 'patrimonial' leader, who exercises power based on personal loyalty. 'Patrimonial leaders, including not only Trump but also politicians like Vladimir Putin in Russia, Viktor Orban in Hungary, and Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, treat the state as their own personal property and run it like a 'family business' of sorts,' Hanson said in an email. That moment Trump posed next to a red Tesla on the White House lawn, amid the electric vehicle manufacturer's crumbling stock, was a return to pre-modern times, when 'the use of the state to promote the economic interests of the ruler and his 'extended household,'' Hanson argued. Patrimonial leaders rule as they see fit, he said: 'For this reason, they see independent sources of expertise and professionalism as a threat, and aim to undermine them as forcefully as possible.' The president has questioned journalists, judges, and prosecutors. Trump even barred a reporter at the Associated Press from attending events at the Oval Office after the news agency refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America — another reality-bending move in and of itself. 'There were clues' into his rhetorical style long before he took office, Rackaway said, pointing to Trump's time on The Apprentice. 'Everything is about there being an enemy…There was always a good guys versus bad guys kind of approach [on the show. Trump tends to personally attack those who disagree with him because 'it increases this loyalty from his supporters that feel he is not only right, but being persecuted for being right,' Rackaway said. Musk himself has become a misinformation machine. In just the three months between Musk endorsed Trump and the November 2024 election, his 'false or misleading' posts garnered 2 billion views, according to a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate. It's not just X, though. Meta announced it was scrapping its fact-checkers on Instagram and Facebook in favor of a system similar to X's 'community notes' weeks before Trump returned to office. Truth Social, a social media platform majority-owned by Trump, aims to 'create a free speech haven' and encourages 'unencumbered free expression.' The president uses this platform equally to fire off tariff threats, announce cabinet appointments and share a bizarre AI-generated video of the Gaza strip if it were to follow Trump's vision and become 'the Riviera of the Middle East.' The influence they've built is akin to a religious following — making whatever they say the 'truth' to those who believe them, regardless of how factual it is. 'One should not underestimate President Trump's genuine emotional connection to his followers, many of whom see him as a leader chosen by God to save the nation,' Hanson said. 'And even Musk has followers who see him as a uniquely brilliant entrepreneur, able to break old bureaucracies that were previously thought of as untouchable.' Five years after his interview with Vieira, Trump acknowledged Obama was born in the United States — a fragile admission that hinged on another alternate version of reality. 'Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy,' Trump said, without evidence, in September 2016. 'I finished it.'
The Independent
06-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Trump and Musk constructed an alternate reality and now we're all living in it
'My fellow Americans, this is Liberation Day,' President Donald Trump said from the White House Rose Garden, using a term of his own making as he unveiled a sweeping tariff plan against all U.S. trading partners. The day will 'forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America's destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to make America wealthy again,' the president said. Wednesday's fanfare stood in the face of advice from droves of experts, who warned about the 'catastrophic' effects these taxes would pose on U.S. consumers. One day after 'Liberation Day,' global stock markets plummeted and world leaders vowed to retaliate. In his inaugural address, the president said 'like never before' five times and the tariffs plan is just the latest example of his ability to construct an alternate version of reality. 'We really haven't seen anything like this,' Chapman Rackaway, a political science professor at Radford University, told The Independent. He called this level of reality-bending 'unprecedented' in modern U.S. history. Trump has always done this. In April 2011, The Celebrity Apprentice host Donald Trump told his network colleague Meredith Vieira he had 'real doubts' that President Barack Obama was born in the United States. The interview revived the racist 'birther' conspiracy, which had first emerged during Obama's 2008 presidential run, and helped Trump lay the ground for a political reality where facts were irrelevant — which he has now built two presidencies upon. Now, however, he has the backing of another fan of a distorted truth: Elon Musk. The tech billionaire and now presidential advisor bought Twitter and then fired its content moderators, reinstated suspended accounts, including QAnon supporters, and has even personally amplified other fringe theories like 'Pizzagate.' Together Trump and Musk have fused a new political landscape, one where the president declares himself a 'king,' and the Constitution is ignored. In this reality, there are only two genders, Canada can be the 51st state, and Greenland can be bought. This may be partially due to Trump and Musk's histories in the world of business. Trump overcame six bankruptcies to become the wealthiest president in the nation's history and Musk, founder of Tesla and Space X, now finds himself advising a president. They've entered the White House with the norms of business leaders, rather than ones typically adhered to by presidents and their advisers, like following checks and balances and the rule of law, In business, 'you pretty much do what you want and what you feel like, and the ultimate measure of success there is profit,' Rackaway said. For example, they've been calling to impeach judges who rule against the Trump administration because they don't like the decisions, not for reasons 'based in constitutional principles or the established norms over the last 230 years,' Rackaway added. Throwing out the typical slow bureaucratic process, Trump and Musk, through the Department of Government Efficiency, have moved swiftly but not cautiously. As a result, the government has tried to rehire critical workers after "accidentally" firing them, has sowed chaos and confusion, and has been accused of 'likely violating' the Constitution in one of many legal battles it now faces. Steve Hanson, a government professor at the College of William & Mary, believes Trump is running the government like a 'family business.' Using a term coined by German sociologist Max Weber, Hanson described Trump as a 'patrimonial' leader, who exercises power based on personal loyalty. 'Patrimonial leaders, including not only Trump but also politicians like Vladimir Putin in Russia, Viktor Orban in Hungary, and Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, treat the state as their own personal property and run it like a 'family business' of sorts,' Hanson said in an email. That moment Trump posed next to a red Tesla on the White House lawn, amid the electric vehicle manufacturer's crumbling stock, was a return to pre-modern times, when 'the use of the state to promote the economic interests of the ruler and his 'extended household,'' Hanson argued. Patrimonial leaders rule as they see fit, he said: 'For this reason, they see independent sources of expertise and professionalism as a threat, and aim to undermine them as forcefully as possible.' The president has questioned journalists, judges, and prosecutors. Trump even barred a reporter at the Associated Press from attending events at the Oval Office after the news agency refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America — another reality-bending move in and of itself. 'There were clues' into his rhetorical style long before he took office, Rackaway said, pointing to Trump's time on The Apprentice. 'Everything is about there being an enemy…There was always a good guys versus bad guys kind of approach [on the show. Trump tends to personally attack those who disagree with him because 'it increases this loyalty from his supporters that feel he is not only right, but being persecuted for being right,' Rackaway said. Musk himself has become a misinformation machine. In just the three months between Musk endorsed Trump and the November 2024 election, his 'false or misleading' posts garnered 2 billion views, according to a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate. It's not just X, though. Meta announced it was scrapping its fact-checkers on Instagram and Facebook in favor of a system similar to X's 'community notes' weeks before Trump returned to office. Truth Social, a social media platform majority-owned by Trump, aims to 'create a free speech haven ' and encourages 'unencumbered free expression.' The president uses this platform equally to fire off tariff threats, announce cabinet appointments and share a bizarre AI-generated video of the Gaza strip if it were to follow Trump's vision and become 'the Riviera of the Middle East.' The influence they've built is akin to a religious following — making whatever they say the 'truth' to those who believe them, regardless of how factual it is. 'One should not underestimate President Trump's genuine emotional connection to his followers, many of whom see him as a leader chosen by God to save the nation,' Hanson said. 'And even Musk has followers who see him as a uniquely brilliant entrepreneur, able to break old bureaucracies that were previously thought of as untouchable.' Five years after his interview with Vieira, Trump acknowledged Obama was born in the United States — a fragile admission that hinged on another alternate version of reality. 'Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy,' Trump said, without evidence, in September 2016. 'I finished it.'
