Trump news – live: E Jean Carroll filing new Trump lawsuit as ex-president seethes over campaign launch flop

Author E Jean Carroll, who claims Donald Trump raped her in a New York department store in the 1990s, is bringing another lawsuit against the former president accusing him of battery.

Ms Carroll is bringing her case under a New York law that allows adult survivors of sexual assault a chance to file civil suits even after the statue of limitations on an alleged crime has expired. Her new lawsuit also accuses Mr Trump of defaming her with recent social media posts in which he called her a “con job”.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump has been frantically “retruthing” endorsements from far-right followers and fringe conservative figures after his announcement of another presidential campaign met with a lukewarm reception.

Mr Trump gave an uncharacteristically downbeat speech on Tuesday, delivered as more Republicans than ever are calling for their party to move on from him after last Tuesday’s midterms.

Former Vice President Mike Pence has made clear he will not support a Trump return to the White House in 2024, saying he believed the US wanted “leadership to unite” the country.

Key points

• Trump officially launches 2024 campaign filing statement of candidacy with FEC

• ‘Much of this blame is correct’: Trump admits Republicans underperformed in midterm elections

• Fox News and CNN cut off ‘low energy’ Trump mid-speech as he announces 2024 bid

• Pence says Trump ‘endangered me and my family’ on Jan 6

• Trump Organization CFO Weisselberg chokes up on witness stand at company trial

Herschel Walker tells bizarre story about vampires and werewolves to make point about ‘faith’ in politics

11:45 , Shweta Sharma

Herschel Walker veered into a strange and seemingly inexplicable tangent about vampires, werewolves and faith while the Republican Senate candidate rallied in Georgia ahead of his runoff election in December against Sen Raphael Warnock.

The former professional football player delivered the bizarre commentary while standing at the pulpit at an event held in McDonough, Georgia on Wednesday, as he and other GOP members mount a campaign to stave off Democrats from securing an even stronger majority in the upper chamber by winning a 50th Senate seat on 6 December.

Read Johanna Chislom’s report.

Herschel Walker references vampires and werewolves in bizarre speech

Did The Simpsons president Trump’s 2024 run? In 2015?

11:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A mini-episode ofThe Simpsons foreshadowed Donald Trump’s announcement that he was to run for president in 2024.

The former president launched a new campaign on 15 November, despite losing the last election to Joe Biden.

In the 2015 short called “Trumptastic Voyage”, filmed before Trump was elected for his first term, Homer has a “close encounter” with his hairpiece.

As he floats through strands of hair, a sign saying “Trump 2024” can be seen.

The Simpsons has previously correctly predicted several moments in history.

The Simpsons predicts Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential run in 2015 clip

Los Angeles elects Karen Bass first ever female mayor

10:45 , Shweta Sharma

US representative Karen Bass defeated developer Rick Caruso Wednesday to become the next mayor of Los Angeles, as voters elevated the first Black woman to hold the post as City Hall contends with multiple scandals that have shaken trust in government, an out-of-control homeless crisis and rising crime rates.

With 70 per cent of the vote tallied, Bass had amassed an insurmountable lead of nearly 47,000 votes.

Bass — a Democrat who was on President-elect Joe Biden‘s short list for vice president — overcame more than $100 million in spending by the billionaire Caruso’s campaign while arguing that she would be a coalition builder who could heal a troubled city of nearly 4 million.

Los Angeles elects first ever female mayor

The many investigations facing Donald Trump

10:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump is under several congressional, civil and criminal investigations, which range from his business interests and allegations of tax fraud to his efforts to undermine the 2020 presidential election and fuel violence at the US Capitol.

The former president, his family business, real estate interests and political allies are under scrutiny from federal investigators, state attorneys and members of Congress.

Here is a partial list of the key probes involving Mr Trump and where they currently stand, as the former president formally announced his 2024 White House bid on 15 November.

Jan 6, Mar-a-Lago and a golf course: The investigations Donald Trump is facing

Oath Keepers' Jan 6 sedition case moves to closing arguments

09:30 , Shweta Sharma

Federal prosecutors are expected to make their final pitch to jurors on Friday in the high-stakes seditious conspiracy case against Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and four associates charged in the 6 January, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

Closing arguments will begin in Washington federal court after the final pieces of evidence were presented in the trial alleging Mr Rhodes and his band of antigovernment extremists plotted for weeks to interrupt the peaceful transfer of power from Republican Donald Trump to Democrat Joe Biden.

Evidence presented by prosecutors shows Mr Rhodes and his co-defendants discussing the prospect of violence and the need to keep Biden out of the White House in the weeks leading up to Jan. 6, before stashing a massive cache of weapons referred to as a “quick reaction force” at a Virginia hotel.

Read full report.

Oath Keepers Jan. 6 sedition case moves to closing arguments

Pence admits he was ‘angered’ by Trump’s Jan 6 tweet

09:00 , Shweta Sharma

Speaking at a CNN town hall, former vice-president Mike Pence admitted he was “angered” by a provocative tweet aimed at him by Donald Trump on January 6, 2021, as rioters – some of them chanting “Hang Mike Pence” – descended on the Capitol.

Graeme Massie has the story.

Pence says he was 'angered' by Trump's Jan 6 tweet

Trump Organisation’s longtime CFO chokes up, says he betrayed trust

08:30 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump’s longtime finance chief choked up on the witness stand on Thursday, saying he betrayed the Trump family’s trust by scheming to dodge taxes on $1.7mn in company-paid perks, including a Manhattan apartment and luxury cars.

Allen Weisselberg, a senior adviser and ex-chief financial officer at the former president’s Trump Organisation, said he conspired with a subordinate to hide more than a decade’s worth of extras from his taxable income, but that neither Trump nor his family was involved in the scheme.

The Trump Organisation is now on trial, accused of helping Mr Weisselberg and other executives avoid paying income taxes on compensation in addition to their salaries. Prosecutors argue the company is liable because Weisselberg was a “high managerial agent” entrusted to act on its behalf.

“It was my own personal greed that led to this case,” said Mr Weisselberg, who pleaded guilty to tax crimes and agreed to testify against the company in exchange for a five-month jail sentence.

Asked if he was embarrassed by what he did, a somber Mr Weisselberg said: “More than you can imagine.”

Voices: The reaction to Trump’s announcement wasn’t what he’d hoped... at all. What a shame.

08:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Elise Seyfried writes:

Thanks for hanging in, Donald, and remember — a dwindling percentage of the American public is rooting for you!

The reaction to Trump’s announcement wasn’t what he’d hoped — at all. What a shame

Barack Obama warns that democracy is ‘currently under assault’ across globe

07:30 , Shweta Sharma

Barack Obama has warned that democracy is “currently under assault” around the world during a speech at his foundation’s Democracy Forum in New York.

The former US president also told an audience that the attack had “nothing to do with traditional partisan lines or policy preferences.”

“Democratic ideas are currently under assault around the world,” Mr Obama said. “We see a manifestation of it in the unjustified and brutal war in Ukraine, we see it in the back sliding that’s taking place in what were well-established democracies.

Barack Obama warns that democracy is ‘under assault’ across globe

Pelosi takes subtle dig at Donald Trump in leadership farewell speech

07:00 , Shweta Sharma

Outgoing House speaker Nancy Pelosi included a dig at former president Donald Trump during her leadership farewell address on the floor of the House on Thursday morning.

“It’s been my privilege to play a part in forging extraordinary progress for the American people,” Ms Pelosi said. “I have enjoyed working with three presidents.”

Ms Pelosi then highlighted her work on investing in clean energy with president George Bush, passing the Affordable Care Act alongside President Barack Obama, and taking action on infrastructure, health care, and climate action with President Joe Biden.

Ms Pelosi did not mention Mr Trump, who she frequently clashed with as Democratic leader during his four tumultuous years in the White House.

Editor’s letters: Will Trump and DeSantis end up destroying each other?

06:30 , Oliver O'Connell

It seems clear to almost everyone except the former president that Ron DeSantis will run in 2024 and will likely win the Republican nomination, writes Holly Baxter.

Will Trump and DeSantis end up destroying each other?

‘Shut the f*** up’: Far-right figures lay into Trump after 2024 campaign launch

05:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Some of former president Donald Trump’s most vocal — and most infamous — supporters are making clear they are decidedly not on board with his decision to launch a third presidential campaign after he announced his candidacy for president at his Palm Beach, Florida residence on Tuesday.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Far-right figures lay into Trump after 2024 campaign launch: ‘Shut the f*** up’

Trump 2024: New York Post applauded for ‘Florida man’ coverage

04:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump is running for another shot at the presidency in 2024, but you may not have known that if you read the latest edition of the New York Post.

At a time when media companies could choose to use the former president’s foray back into electoral politics as a money faucet, the New York Post barely even mentioned Mr Trump’s return.

On Wednesday morning, the paper included a thin blue banner along the bottom of its front page teasing that “Florida Man Makes Announcement” — all the way back on page 26.

Graig Graziosi reports.

New York Post applauded for ‘Florida man’ coverage of Trump’s 2024 announcement

Even as a 2024 candidate, Trump criminal probes will proceed

03:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump‘s early announcement of his third White House bid won’t shield the former president from the criminal investigations already confronting him as an ordinary citizen, leaving him legally and politically exposed as he seeks the 2024 Republican nomination.

The Justice Department is pushing ahead with its probes. And with the midterm elections now mostly complete and the 2024 presidential campaign months away from beginning in earnest, federal prosecutors have plenty of time to continue their work even as Trump hits the campaign trail.

Read more:

Trump criminal probes will proceed -- even as he's candidate

Leading Republicans try to ignore Trump campaign launch

02:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Leading Republican officials on Wednesday sought to ignore Donald Trump‘s formal step into the 2024 presidential contest, insisting there were more pressing priorities as GOP leaders grappled with the fallout of a major midterm disappointment.

Leading Republicans try to ignore Trump campaign launch

Time for ‘new generation of leaders’ says GOP megadonor

01:00 , Oliver O'Connell

An influential conservative donor announced on Tuesday that he was not supporting Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, a stance that shows just how deep the fractures within the GOP may run after last week’s midterms.

Stephen Schwarzman, CEO of Blackstone, made the announcement in a statement to Axios.

“America does better when its leaders are rooted in today and tomorrow, not today and yesterday,” he told the news outlet.

Ouch.

GOP megadonor splits with Trump: Time for ‘new generation of leaders’

Who went to Trump’s 2024 announcement? And who stayed away?

00:00 , Oliver O'Connell

White House run on Tuesday night in a low-energy, dark, uninspiring speech that included few surprises.

The campaign announcement was criticised even before it began for its poor timing, so close to a heavily disappointing midterm election for Republicans, and ahead of a runoff election in Georgia that sees Trump-backed Herschel Walker face off against Senator Raphael Warnock in early December.

While most of the Trump family was in attendance, there was a distinct absence of Republican political leaders and sitting lawmakers, only a smattering of former administration figures, and — in a room of supposedly ardent fans — people were seen trying to leave before the former president concluded with longwinded remarks.

While an enthusiastic crowd did gather at Mr Trump’s Palm Beach home, where the FBI uncovered a trove of 11,000 illegally taken government documents, not everyone you’d expect was there.

Here’s who showed up in the ballroom at Mar-a-Lago, and who did not.

Who was at Mar-a-Lago for Trump’s 2024 announcement, and who steered clear?

Four big lies that Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

Thursday 17 November 2022 23:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump announced his third run for the White House in as many election cycles on Tuesday evening at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida.

The former president has told extensive and numerous lies throughout both his existence as a fixture in the New York City tabloids, a presidential contender, and then as an occupier of the White House. He continued that tradition on Tuesday evening even as he had a more pallid and restrained delivery than his usual mode of communication at raucous rallies.

Here are four major lies that he peddled during his presidential announcement.

Four big lies that Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

Photo of Pelosi schooling Trump goes viral as she calls for more women in power

Thursday 17 November 2022 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

As Nancy Pelosi announced she will step down from the Democratic Party leadership, a photo of schooling former President Donald Trump went viral again.

Ms Pelosi also made a point of not mentioning Mr Trump in her remarks.

Inspiring photo of Pelosi goes viral as she calls for more women in power

Voices: Trump’s 2024 announcement proves it — he’s the weakest and most desperate he’s ever been

Thursday 17 November 2022 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Ahmed Baba writes:

After spending a lifetime exploiting people and discarding them like trash when he no longer needs them, Trump is panicking as the same thing is beginning to happen to him.

Trump’s 2024 announcement proves it — he’s the most desperate he’s ever been

Man carrying knife enters New York Times building and asks to see ‘politics section'

Thursday 17 November 2022 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A man carrying a knife entered The New York Times building in Manhattan on Thursday and asked to see the newspaper’s “politics section,” a New York Police Department spokesperson said.

The man, who was also carrying a stuffed animal, had the knife confiscated by security personnel at the building shortly after entering around 12:15 pm. No one was hurt in the episode, which The New York Post reported did not include a fight.

Man enters New York Times building with knife asking for ‘politics section,’ cops say

Despite his endorsement, Kristi Noem says Trump isn’t ‘best chance’ for GOP in 2024

Thursday 17 November 2022 21:30 , Oliver O'Connell

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has joined a growing list of figures in the Republican establishment who have said that former President Donald Trump may not be the party’s “best chance” in the 2024 presidential election.

Gov Noem made the comments to The New York Times shortly after Mr Trump announced his campaign to return to the White House.

“If we narrow our focus there, then we’re not talking to every single American. Our job is not just to talk to people who love Trump or hate Trump. Our job is to talk to every single American,” she said.

Gov Noem has her own presidential ambitions for 2024 and made the remarks in an interview with her political adviser, Corey Lewandowski, present.

Mr Lewandowski served as campaign manager in the early part of Mr Trump’s 2016 bid.

Pelosi takes subtle dig at Donald Trump in leadership farewell speech

Thursday 17 November 2022 21:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Outgoing House speaker Nancy Pelosi included a dig at former President Donald Trump during her leadership farewell address on the floor of the House on Thursday morning.

“It’s been my privilege to play a part in forging extraordinary progress for the American people,” Ms Pelosi said. “I have enjoyed working with three presidents.”

Ms Pelosi was speaker during four administrations...

Abe Asher reports.

Pelosi takes subtle dig at Donald Trump in leadership farewell speech

Trump Organization CFO Weisselberg chokes up on witness stand

Thursday 17 November 2022 20:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s longtime finance chief choked up on the witness stand Thursday, saying he betrayed the Trump family’s trust by scheming to dodge taxes on $1.7m in company-paid perks, including a Manhattan apartment and luxury cars.

Allen Weisselberg, a senior adviser and ex-chief financial officer at the former president’s Trump Organization, said he conspired with a subordinate to hide more than a decade’s worth of extras from his taxable income, but that neither Trump nor his family were involved in the scheme.

Read more from today in court:

Trump Org.'s longtime CFO chokes up, says he betrayed trust

Kari Lake received standing ovation at Mar-a-Lago America First lunch, report says

Thursday 17 November 2022 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Per The Washington Post:

Kari Lake, who was projected Monday to lose her race for governor of Arizona, traveled Thursday to former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida, according to two people familiar with the activity.

One of the people said she received a standing ovation when she entered a luncheon hosted by the America First Policy Institute, a think tank founded last year by Trump allies and former members of his administration. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private events.

Ms Lake has not yet conceded defeat in the Arizona gubernatorial race but seems set on maintaining a presence within the Trump-aligned portion of the Republican Party when she does. As a staunch loyalist to the former president, she has also been floated as a potential running mate for Mr Trump.

ICYMI: Former Trump loyalists pan 2024 campaign announcement

Thursday 17 November 2022 19:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump-era officials were among a slew of high-profile Republicans criticising the former president’s announcement of a third bid for the White House in 2024.

Andrew Feinberg reports on what they said.

Former loyalists pan Trump’s 2024 rollout: ‘He’s the only Republican who could lose’

Voices: Trump did get the reaction his 2024 announcement he wanted — what a shame

Thursday 17 November 2022 19:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Elise Seyfried writes:

So here we are: you, “Florida Man” (as the New York Post mockingly called you this morning), have made your “big announcement,” and it’s probably too late to say “Just kidding!”

The reaction to Trump’s announcement wasn’t what he’d hoped — at all. What a shame

Pence admits he was ‘angered’ by Trump tweet on Jan 6

Thursday 17 November 2022 18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Speaking at a CNN town hall, former vice-president Mike Pence admitted he was “angered” by a provocative tweet aimed at him by Donald Trump on January 6, 2021, as rioters – some of them chanting “Hang Mike Pence” – descended on the Capitol.

Graema Massie reports.

Pence says he was 'angered' by Trump's Jan 6 tweet

Melania Trump has optimistic view of what return to White House would mean

Thursday 17 November 2022 18:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Former first lady Melania Trump hailed her husband’s bid to run for the president’s office in 2024, suggesting that his return to the White House would lead to “success and prosperity”.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports.

Melania predicts what Trump’s return to White House would look like in three words

Pelosi slights Trump as she announces her retirement from Democratic leadership

Thursday 17 November 2022 17:37 , Oliver O'Connell

Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has announced that she will not seek reelection to the party’s leadership in Congress. She will continue to represent the people of San Francisco.

In her remarks she noted how she enjoyed working with three different presidents: on clean energy with George W Bush; on healthcare reform with Barack Obama; and on building the future with Joe Biden.

There were four presidents during her two separate tenures as Speaker of the House.

She did not mention Donald Trump.

Nancy Pelosi announces her exit from Democratic leadership after losing House

Jan 6 rioter charged with murder in Illinois

Thursday 17 November 2022 17:30 , Andrew Naughtie

A central Illinois man who pleaded guilty to felony charges for his role in the Jan 6 riot at the US Capitol was charged with first-degree murder Wednesday in the death of a woman killed in a wrong-way car collision on November 8, officials said.

According to the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s office, Shane Jason Woods of Auburn was driving north in the southbound lanes on Interstate 55 in Springfield when his pickup truck slammed into a car driven by 35-year-old Lauren Wegner of Clayton, North Carolina.

Wegner died from multiple blunt force injuries, according to the county coroner’s office.

Read more from Claire Savage:

Jan 6 rioter charged with murder

Why Trump still can’t use Facebook

Thursday 17 November 2022 17:00 , Andrew Naughtie

Donald Trump may be running for president, but he still can’t use Facebook.

The social media platform has no plans to reinstate Trump’s account following the former president’s announcement on Tuesday that he will seek a second term in the White House, the company confirmed Wednesday.

Trump was kicked off Facebook following the Jan 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

Trump may not have to wait long to get back on the site, however. His suspension from Facebook is set to be reconsidered in January, two years after it was first imposed.

David Klepper reports.

Trump may be running for president — but he still can’t use Facebook

Trumpists in charge: the “crazy caucus” prepares for power

Thursday 17 November 2022 16:30 , Andrew Naughtie

How bad could things get for the US now that Republicans – as expected – will take control of the House of Representatives in January after the midterm elections?

According to President Joe Biden, pretty bad. Speaking from the Roosevelt Room at the White House recently, the president warned that “The Republican leadership in Congress has made it clear they will crash the economy next year by threatening the full faith and credit of the United States for the first time in our history, putting the United States in default unless — unless we yield to their demand to cut Social Security and Medicare.”

The reason for this is not just that the Republican Party has taken over the House, but that its tiny majority empowers an extremist faction of Trump-style bomb-throwers to bend the leadership to its will.

Andrew Feinberg talks to Republicans about the myriad ways a GOP-majority House could upend the country out of spite.

All the ways the GOP could upend America now that they’ve won the House

Madison Cawthorn endorses Trump

Thursday 17 November 2022 16:00 , Andrew Naughtie

Having lost a primary this year after a litany of increasingly dark and embarrassing scandals, one-term North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn is preparing for a life on the political fringe – or is he?

Despite his having only weeks to go in Congress and no known plan to aim higher, he appeared this week to support Donald Trump as he announced another presidential run. And now, he has offered a full-throated endorsement:

Trump manages another legal faceplant

Thursday 17 November 2022 15:30 , Andrew Naughtie

Donald Trump’s crusade against New York Attorney General Letitia James continues as she sues him and his company for alleged fraud – but his latest attempt to thwart or at least stall the case has ended in failure:

Another time the Simpsons predicted a Trump return...

Thursday 17 November 2022 15:00 , Andrew Naughtie

The Simpsons’ eerie predictions of Donald Trump’s political career are well-documented – and now he’s running again, another example is doing the rounds.

In the 2015 short called “Trumptastic Voyage”, filmed before Trump was elected for his first term, Homer has a “close encounter” with his hairpiece.

As he floats through strands of hair, a sign saying “Trump 2024” can be seen.

The investigations Trump faces

Thursday 17 November 2022 14:30 , Andrew Naughtie

Donald Trump is under several congressional, civil and criminal investigations, which range from his business interests and allegations of tax fraud to his efforts to undermine the 2020 presidential election and fuel violence at the US Capitol.

The former president, his family business, real estate interests and political allies are under scrutiny from federal investigators, state attorneys and members of Congress.

Courtesy of Alex Woodward, here is a partial list of the key probes involving Mr Trump and where they currently stand, as the former president formally announced his 2024 White House bid on 15 November.

Jan 6, Mar-a-Lago and a golf course: The investigations Donald Trump is facing

Pence on why he campaigned with election deniers: “I’m a Republican"

Thursday 17 November 2022 14:00 , Andrew Naughtie

Mike Pence’s CNN town hall last night saw him asked to explain why, given the events of January 6 2021, he had taken to the midterm campaign trail alongside election-denying candidates endorsed by Donald Trump (both of whom lost their supposedly winnable races).

Here’s his response:

A sample of Trump’s endorsements so far

Thursday 17 November 2022 13:30 , Andrew Naughtie

Donald Trump is gathering early endorsements for his nascent presidential campaign, but is so far struggling to pull in heavy hitters and non-extremists. Among the few members of Congress to have jumped straight on the bandwagon are Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar, both of whom were censured by the House for calling for violence against their colleagues:

Kinzinger on Jan 6 panel’s work

Thursday 17 November 2022 13:00 , Andrew Naughtie

Adam Kinzinger, the retiring Republican congressman who sits on the January 6 committee, appeared on MSNBC last night to discuss the achievements of his panel and the prospects that its work will inform future Justice Department action against Donald Trump and others.

“We’re going to probably look at criminal referrals,” Mr Kinzinger said, “even though I’ll be very clear those are pointless, but I think it sends a very important message if we do ‘em...DOJ now, they have the torch. DOJ and the American people.”

Mike Pence confirms he won’t testify to Jan 6 committee

Thursday 17 November 2022 12:30 , Andrew Naughtie

As he does the rounds promoting his memoir of time spent in the Trump administration, Mike Pence has described the experience of being one of the top targets of the January 6 riot – and also made clear that he has no intention of testifying to the committee investigating the incident:

Committee chairs Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney responded caustically to Mr Pence’s remarks in a statement. “The Select Committee has proceeded respectfully and responsibly in our engagement with Vice President Pence,” they said, “so it is disappointing that he is misrepresenting the nature of our investigation while giving interviews to promote his new book.”

It’s worth noting that the committee has heard both public and private testimony from many of the people closest to Mr Pence in the closing months of the Trump administration, many of whom have described meetings involving the then-vice president and his boss right up until the last phase of the election subversion effort.