Trump news – live: Speech to Jewish group doesn’t mention Kanye and Nick Fuentes dinner as NFT cards ridiculed

Former president Donald Trump’s “major announcement” of a line of digital trading cards featuring himself depicted as a superhero, among other characters, was met with widespread ridicule, including from his allies and supporters, as well as President Joe Biden.

A post on his Truth Social account on 15 December announced “limited edition cards” featuring “amazing ART” from his “life and career” in the form of NFTs.

A day after his announcement, he boasted to a conference of Orthodox Jews that he is “the best ally you’ve ever had” though he didn’t mention his dinner with virulent antisemites Kanye West and Nick Fuentes, whom the former president still has not condemned.

He told the crowd “we must confront this hatred ... very strongly” after appearing to refuse to do exactly that.

Meanwhile, the House select committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol fuelled by his ongoing election lies will hold a hearing on Monday to vote on criminal referrals to the US Department of Justice. Committee members have indicated that they believe Mr Trump is guilty of obstruction, among other potential crimes.

Key points

• Trump launches NFTs with bizarre claim he was better president than Lincoln and Washington

• Biden mocks Trump’s trading cards announcement by listing achievements

• Bannon and Flynn want to fire whoever made Trump make trading cards

• Trump boasts to Orthodox Jewish conference but fails to mention dinner with antisemites

• Trump approval rating hits lowest point in seven years, poll finds

Trump pledges to battle antisemitism to Orthodox Jewish conference. He still hasn’t condemned Kanye or Nick Fuentes

20:10 , Alex Woodward

The former president addressed a conference of Orthodox Jews on Friday, boasting himself as the “best ally” to Jewish people and committing himself to battling the “vile poison” of antisemitism.

But he has still refused to explicitly condemn the virulently antisemitic beliefs of Kanye West and white nationalist Nick Fuentes, with whom Mr Trump ate dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort. The rapper later went on to explicitly praise Adolf Hitler and Nazism and falsely suggest the Holocaust didn’t happen.

“We must never ignore the vile poison of antisemitism or those who spread its venomous creed,” Mr Trump said, reading from his own remarks, according to the Associated Press. “With one voice we must confront this hatred; we must confront it everywhere; we must confront it very, very strongly.”

Trump slams Mitch McConnell over government funding bill: ‘total betrayal'

19:20 , Alex Woodward

Once again reviving his feud with Mitch McConnell, Trump says the Republican Senate Minority Leader is “giving it all away” to congressional Democrats after the upper chamber of Congress approved a government spending bill to avert a partial shutdown.

“Why would he do that?” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The ‘Omnibus’ they’re working on is a total disaster for our Country, and will further destory our economy.”

He said Senate passage of a government spending bill, which gives lawmakers another week to negotiate and pass legislation to fully fund federal agencies through the fiscal year, is “another total betrayal of the great voters of America.”

What will happen after the House committee’s final meeting?

18:45 , Alex Woodward

On Monday, the committee investigating the events surrounding the attack on the US Capitol will hold its final meeting and vote on criminal referrals it intends to make to federal law enforcement agencies.

The committee’s final report is expected to include hundreds of pages of evidence alleging former President Donald Trump attempted to subvert the transfer of power and undermine the nation’s democratic process.

Committee chair Bennie Thompson has not made clear how many criminal referrals the committee will send to the US Department of Justice, nor has he made clear who will be referred.

Once referrals are made to the Justice Department, federal prosecutors will review the evidence and determine whether they will proceed with charges.

What happens after final meeting of Capitol riot committee?

Federal investigators access Eastman, other Trump ally emails

18:20 , Alex Woodward

Federal investigators have access to several email accounts and other writings from Republican US Rep Scott Perry, Trump’s former attorney John Eastman, and Trump-era Justice Department officials, accotding to an released order in the DC District Court.

The unsealed order issued on Thursday reveals the wide net cast by federal prosecutors as they investigate a sprawling criminal probe into the events surrounding 6 January, 2021 and the former president’s efforts to subvert the ouctome of the 2020 presidential election.

Filings include 130,000 documents and an autobiography outline from former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark about his experience in 2020 and early 2021.

Giuliani violated ethics rules with his 2020 election claims,

18:15 , Alex Woodward

Rudy Giuliani violated ethics rules with his false election fraud claims on Donald Trump’s behalf and should be disciplined, according to a panel in Washingtno DC.

A reccomendation from the hearing committee for the DC Bar’s Board on Professional Responsibility is preliminary and non-binding. The DC local court of appeals will finally decide on whether Mr Giuliani should be sanctioned.

The committee could recommend that Mr Giuliani is disbarred, has his law licence suspended in DC or be formally censured.

Rudy Giuliani violated ethics rules by pushing Trump’s election lies, review finds

New York Post editorial calls Trump a ‘con artist’ for NFT stunt

17:15 , Alex Woodward

The Ruper Murdoch-owned New York Post criticised former president Donald Trump’s announcement of digital “trading cards” NFTs in a newspaper editorial on Thursday, branding the former president a “con artist.”

Echoing othe right-wing critics, the Post’s editorial lambasted the announcement, noting how many people thought it would be related to the race for speaker of the House in Congress or that he had he finally found evidence of voter fraud that he continues to falsely claim manipulated the 2020 election.

“But no, it was a digital card collection of Trump dressed up like a superhero,” the editorial said. “In other words, another money grab. For those still inundated with Trump’s pleas for donations, which arrive three or four times a day with ALL CAPS emails and efforts to shame you into ‘not letting him down,’ this is no surprise. Trump used to be in the business of hotels, golf courses, wine, and dubious universities. Now he specializes in political fundraising.”

NY Post editorial calls Trump ‘con artist’ for trading card stunt

Madison Cawthorn hit with $193k lawsuit for unpaid legal fees

16:50 , Alex Woodward

A conservative law firm in Indiana has sued outgoing far-right congressman Madison Cawthorn for unpaid legal fees related to a legal challenge to get him off the ballot.

The Bopp Law Firm, which is led by prominent right-wing lawyerJim Bopp, filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Southern District of Indiana earlier this month.

Mr Cawthorn reportedly retained the Bopp Law Firm in relation to a lawsuit from North Carolina voters that sought to disqualify the freshman congressman from appearing on the ballot in the May primary. A federal judge ultimately blocked the effort to prevent Mr Cawthorn from being up for election bbecause of his connection to the attack on the US Captiol.

Madison Cawthorn sued for $193k over unpaid legal fees

QAnon proponent who chased after Capitol officer sentenced to five years in prison

16:30 , Alex Woodward

Doug Jensen – who was captured in a widely shared image wearing a QAnon T-shirt while facing off against police in the Capitol, then chased after Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman – was sentenced to five years behind bars on 16 December.

He was convicted in September of five felonies and two misdemeanours.

Prosecutors argued he was a “ringleader” for the mob, scaling a “20-plus-foot wall so that he could be one of the very first rioters to break into the building and disrupt the proceedings in Congress.”

Once inside, he led a group of armed rioters in a “menacing pursuit” of Officer Goodman, who led a mob up stairs away from the US Senate chamber.

A sentencing memo said Jensen arrived in Washington DC as a “walking advertisement for QAnon” and was “overwhelmed by conspiracy theories” that fuelled the attack.

“He believed that he had the support of the former president and fully expected the perceived wrong was going to be corrected,” according to the memo. “He was wrong.”

40 House Democrats introduce bill to ban Trump from holding office

16:15 , Alex Woodward

A group of 40 House Democrats have introduced legislation that would seek to ban Donald Trump from holding federal office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

Section 3 of the US Constitution’s amendment reads that “no person shall ... hold any office, civil or military, under the United States … who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States … to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”

Democratic US Rep David Cicilline said in a statement that the former president, who recently launched his bid for the 2024 Republican nomination, “very clearly engaged in an insurrection” on 6 January, 2021 “with the intention of overturning the lawful and fair results of the 2020 election.”

“You don’t get to lead a government you tried to destroy,” he added.

The bill likely has no chance of surviving Congress but comes as the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot prepares to make criminal referalls to the US Department of Justice.

Federal investigators are also pursuing separate criminal probes into the president’s role on 6 January as well as his handling of White House documents at Mar-a-Lago after leaving office.

White House responds to revelation of text from GOP lawmaker to Mark Meadows: ‘A disgusting affront’

16:00 , Alex Woodward

Three days before President Joe Biden’s inauguration, Republican US Rep Ralph Norman texted then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to urge Donald Trump to “declare marshall [sic] law” in an apparent attempt to keep him in office.

The message, obtained by Talking Points Memo, is among dozens reviewed by the political news outlet between Mr Meadows and GOP lawmakers planning to subvert the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

“Plotting against the rule of law and to subvert the will of the people is a disgusting affront to our deepest principles as a country,” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement. “We all, regardless of party, need to stand up for mainstream values and the Constitution, against dangerous, ultra MAGA conspiracy theories and violent rhetoric.”

White House responds to ‘disgusting’ text from GOP lawmaker to Mark Meadows

ICYMI: Hundreds of people on leaked Oath Keepers member list worked for Homeland Security, report finds

15:35 , Alex Woodward

A membership list for a far-right anti-government militia group, whose leader and several members have been convicted of seditious conspiracy against the US, includes current or former employees of the US Department of Homeland Security, the federal agency tasked with defending the nation against extremist groups.

A report from the Project on Government Oversight and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project discovered more than 300 people previously or currently employed by the DHS listed on a membership list for the Oath Keepers.

Hundreds of people on leaked Oath Keepers member list worked for DHS, report finds

House committee report finds Trump dangerously downplayed intelligence warnings on Covid-19

15:15 , Alex Woodward

In late January 2020, US ntelligence agencies warned Tump administration officials that the novel coronavirus spreading in China threatened to grow into a global pandemic and upend economies.

Over the next two months, then-President Trump “did not reflect the increasingly stark warnings coursing through intelligence channels” available to him and his aides, according to a new report from the House Intelligence Committee.

In May 2020, Trump falsely claimed that his intelligence community “only spoke of the Virus in a very non-threatening, or matter of fact, manner,” a statement that “simply does not match the record of intelligence analysis published in late January and February,” according to the report.

Far-right troll Baked Alaska: 'I can’t believe I’m going to jail for an NFT salesman’

14:50 , Alex Woodward

Tim Gionet, better known by his online persona Baked Alaska, pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January, 2021, when he livestreamed himself and his crew ransacking congressional offices.

Gionet, who was among far-right users previously banned from Twitter for hateful conduct but allowed to return under Elon Musk’s ownership, appears to be having some regrets.

“I can’t believe I’m going to jail for an NFT salesman,” he wrote, $99 digital NFT cards depicting himself as a series of characters including an astronaut and Superman.

Capitol rioter slams Trump: ‘I can’t believe I’m going to jail for an NFT salesman’

Steve Bannon hammers Trump trading cards announcement: ‘I can’t do this anymore’

14:24 , Alex Woodward

Far-right former advisers Michael Flynn and Steve Bannon have joined widespread criticism from the right against former president Trump’s “major announcement” of a line of digital cards featuring illustrations of himself.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Mr Bannon.

“Whoever, what business partner and anybody on the comms team and anybody at Mar-a-Lago, and I love the folks down there, but we’re at war. They oughta be fired today,” he added.

Mr Flynn said: “Whoever advised him on that, I’d fire them immediately.”

Steve Bannon hammers Trump trading cards announcement: ‘I can’t do this anymore’

Georgia, NH latest states to ban TikTok from state computers

14:00 , The Associated Press

Govs. Brian Kemp of Georgia and Chris Sununu of New Hampshire on Thursday immediately banned the use of TikTok and popular messaging applications from all computer devices controlled by their state governments, saying the Chinese government may be able to access users’ personal information.

Both Republican governors banned the messaging app WeChat and other apps owned by Chinese firm Tencent. Sununu went further, banning apps owned by Chinese firm Alibaba and telecommunications hardware and smartphones made by Chinese firms including Huawei and ZTE.

Kemp also banned Telegram, saying its Russian control poses similar risks.

Read more:

Georgia, NH latest states to ban TikTok from state computers

Former President Donald Trump issued blanket orders against Chinese tech companies that sought to block new users from downloading WeChat and TikTok in 2020, but lost in court. President Joe Biden has taken a narrower approach, ordering a Commerce Department review of security concerns. U.S. officials and the company are now in talks over a possible agreement that would resolve American security concerns.

Biden says he plans to visit sub-Saharan Africa soon

13:00 , The Associated Press

President Joe Biden on Thursday said he will soon make a visit to sub-Saharan Africa, announcing bare details of his travel plans as he wrapped up a U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit stressing that he’s serious about increasing U.S. attention on the growing continent.

Biden said he will also be dispatching many of his top advisers to Africa including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellinand Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

“I’m looking forward to seeing you in your home countries,” Biden said.

The visit will be Biden’s first to sub-Saharan Africa of his presidency. He made a brief stop in November in Egypt--which spans across the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia-- for an international climate summit. The president did not detail which countries he will visit or exactly when the trip will happen.

In the first two years of his presidency, Biden’s international travel has focused on Asia and Europe, as he sought to recalibrate his foreign policy to put greater focus on the Indo-Pacific. He has also had to deal with the fallout of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Biden’s Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, did not make it to Africa during his COVID-19-shadowed presidency in which he made no foreign visits during his final 11 months. Trump was the first since Ronald Reagan not to visit the continent during his presidency.

Read more:

Biden says he plans to visit sub-Saharan Africa soon

VIDEO: Rep Adam Kinzinger says Trump is ‘guilty of a crime’ ahead of Jan 6 criminal referrals

12:00 , Gustaf Kilander

‘Trump wanted to be wheeled out of Walter Reed in a Superman shirt'

11:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Following Donald Trump’s announcement that he’s selling digital trading cards, Maggie Haberman of The New York Times tweeted that “Trump wanted to be wheeled out of Walter Reed in a Superman shirt under his actual shirt. Aides talked him out of it (and then Meadows devoted several lines in his book to claiming it hadn’t happened). So instead he does it virtually and tries to make money off it”.

Mr Trump was admitted to Walter Reed hospital with Covid-19 during the 2020 campaign.

Trump attacks ‘LameStream media’ for polls that found his approval rating had dropped to lowest level since 2015

10:26 , Johanna Chisholm

Donald Trump took to Truth Social late Thursday night to go on a tear against the so-called “LameStream media” after several news outlets reported on recent national polling that found his approval rating had dropped to a seven-year low.

“This is the McLaughlin & Associates POLL that just came out and which got it right in 2016 & 2020 (with margins for theft and cheating), unlike The WSJ, NBC Fake News, ABC Fake News, Fake Polling FOX NEWS, the dying and very sickly USA Today, and most others in the LameStream Media. In other words, it is REAL POLLING,” posted the former president while sharing a screenshot of the results from a poll conducted by McLaughlin & Associates that was apparently sourced by his own leadership PAC, Save America, based on the image’s footnote.

“As you can see, we are leading by a lot, despite the never ending Communist (Democrat) WEAPONIZED ATTACKS on me and the GREAT PATRIOTS OF MAGA. More to come!!!” added the ex-president.

VIDEO: Donald Trump Unveils NFT Trading Cards Collection

10:00 , The Independent

Capitol rioter who boasted about attacking ‘rookie cop’ jailed for 14 months

09:00 , Graig Graziosi

A man who admitted to attacking a “rookie cop” during the Capitol riot has been sentenced to 14 months in prison, according to the Department of Justice.

Troy Sargent, 38, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced to 14 months in prison by a District of Columbia court on Monday.

He was convicted on felony charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers during the attack on the Capitol, as well as civil disorder and four related misdemeanours, according to the Justice Department.

Sargent pleaded guilty to the charges on 27 June 2022.

Sargent’s attorney asked for him to be given six months followed by two years of supervised release, according to court documents.

“Troy Sargent has clearly acknowledged the harm he caused, both to the Court and to his family,” his lawyer said in a sentencing memo. “He has truly accepted responsibility by making significant changes in his behavior.”

Federal prosecutors had asked for a 27-month sentence.

According to court documents, Sargent was among the rioters who attempted to disrupt Congress on 6 January 2021. Around 2.30pm that day, he reportedly stepped out of a crowd of protesters and slapped a US Capitol Police Officer.

Read more:

Biden mocks Trump’s ‘major announcement’ on trading cards by listing his recent achievements

08:00 , Abe Asher

President Joe Biden mocked former President Donald Trump’s “major announcement” that he is launching a line of NFT trading cards on Thursday with a list of his own recent major announcements.

In a tweet from his campaign account, Mr Biden wrote “I had some MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS the last couple of weeks, too...” Those announcements include the Respect for Marriage Act, the prisoner swap that brought Brittney Griner home from incarceration in Russia, and falling gas prices.

Mr Biden did not announce his own line of trading cards, which is what Mr Trump did on Thursday morning after teasing a “major announcement” that had political observers speculating about various possibilities related to his bid to reclaim the White House in 2024.

The trading cards, which are priced at $99, are available at collecttrumpcards.com. They depict the former president as a superhero, a racecar driver, a golfer, a law enforcement agent on ranch, and an astronaut.

Read more:

Biden mocks Trump’s ‘major announcement’ on NFT cards by listing recent achievements

Republican tries to defend Trump’s ‘sense of humour’

07:00 , Sravasti Dasgupta

A Republican colleague of former president Donald Trump has jumped to his defence after the one-time president was widely mocked for hyping up a “major announcement” that involved selling digital trading cards of himself.

Appearing on Fox Business, Republican Kentucky congressman James Comer said: “Well, the president is one of the world’s greatest marketers.”

“He has a huge sense of humour. I know nothing about digital trading cards, but I’m pretty sure they’ll be very popular back home in Kentucky.”

Read more:

Republican tries to defend Trump’s ‘sense of humour’ after ‘major announcement’ flop

Kinzinger slams fellow Republicans in farewell speech

06:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Retiring anti-Trump Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois used the occasion of his farewell address from Congress to slam his fellow Republicans for sheltering “the ignorant, the racist.”

“Our leaders today belittle and in some cases justify attacks on the US Capitol as ‘legitimate political discourse.’ The once-great party of Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Reagan has turned its back on the ideals of liberty and self-governance,” Mr Kinzinger said. “Instead, it has embraced lies and deceit.”

Abe Asher reports:

Adam Kinzinger slams fellow Republicans in farewell speech

Democrats and former Republicans mock Trump digital trading cards announcement

06:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Both Democrats and former Republicans mocked Mr Trump’s digital trading cards announcement on Thursday.

California Democrat Ted Lieu tweeted: Dear MAGA folks: Hope it’s clear to you by now that Donald Trump disrespects you and thinks you are suckers.

“Stop. We can only laugh so much,” The Lincoln Project, headed up by several former GOP strategists, tweeted.

ICYMI: Trump shares bizarre video teasing ‘major announcement’

05:31 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Donald Trump shared a bizarre video depicting himself as a “superhero” on his social media platform Truth Social in which he teased a “major announcement”.

On Thursday, Mr Trump revealed that he is selling digital trading cards of himself.

Read more:

Trump shares bizarre video teasing ‘major announcement’

Jan. 6 committee to vote Monday on riot criminal referrals

05:00 , The Associated Press

The House committee investigating the Capitol riot will hold its final meeting Monday, wrapping up its year-and-a-half-long inquiry by asking the Justice Department to investigate potential crimes.

The committee of seven Democrats and two Republicans has interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses, held nearly a dozen hearings and collected millions of documents as it worked to create the most comprehensive record of the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.

The chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., has said the committee will make criminal referrals to the Justice Department recommending prosecution, but has not disclosed who the targets would be or whether former President Donald Trump would be among them. The committee has focused squarely on Trump and efforts by the-then president in the weeks before the attack to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

It would fall to federal prosecutors to decide whether to pursue any referrals for prosecution. Lawmakers have suggested charges against Trump could include conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress. Recommendations by the committee would add to the political pressure on the Justice Department as it investigates Trump’s actions.

The committee on Wednesday is expected to release its final report, which could include hundreds of pages of findings about the attack and Trump’s efforts to subvert democracy. Committee members will review the highlights of their findings at the Monday meeting.

Read more:

Jan. 6 committee to vote Monday on riot criminal referrals

‘The Trump Train is at the last stop’: Twitter users blast former president after trading cards announcement

04:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Twitter users were quick to mock the former president after he announced that he was selling digital trading cards.

“Donald Trump’s major announcement was that he’s selling digital superhero trading cards. I can’t believe that pathetic putz was ever president,” one Twitter user said.

“The Trump Train is at the last stop. Donald Trump reached the end of the line & is now a runaway train rolling into oblivion. He made a ‘major announcement’ that he’s now selling $99 digital trading cards of himself. The transition from surreal to absurd to pitiful is complete,” Shannon Fisher added.

“The best thing about this is that the MAGA ecosystem went into overdrive yesterday when he teased a ‘big announcement.’ His VP pick? Speaker of the House? A new lawsuit? Teaming up with Musk? Nope, Trump superhero trading cards,” lawyer Ron Filipkowski wrote.

In a video announcement of the trading cards, Mr Trump said he was “hopefully your favourite president of all time – better than Lincoln, better than Washington”.

EXPLAINER: Will immigration surge as asylum rule ends?

03:00 , The Associated Press

Since the pandemic began, the United States has been using a public health rule designed to limit the spread of disease to expel asylum-seekers on the southern border.

Title 42, as it’s called, has been used more than 2.5 million times to expel migrants since March 2020, although that number includes people who repeatedly attempted to cross the border.

But because of a judge’s ruling, starting next Wednesday immigration authorities can no longer use Title 42 to quickly expel prospective asylum-seekers. The change comes as surging numbers of people are seeking to enter the country through the southern border, and with Republicans intent on making immigration a key issue when they take control of the House in January.

A look at Title 42 and the potential impact of the ruling:

HOW IT STARTED

In March 2020, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an order limiting migration across the southern and northern borders, saying it was necessary to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The virus was ravaging the U.S., schools were shutting down and hospitals filling up, and President Donald Trump was trying numerous ways to limit migration, his signature political issue.

Read more:

EXPLAINER: Will immigration surge as asylum rule ends?

VOICES: Trump’s superhero narrative is clearly laughable – but there is a sinister side to it too

02:00 , Noah Berlatsky

“MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT!” former President Donald Trump blared from his social network Truth Social on Thursday morning. Trump then announced that he was releasing a Donald Trump Digital Trading Card collection (collect them all!) The cards depict Trump as a superhero. In one he stands in a Trump wrestling ring wearing a skintight costume, with flag cape, giant “T” on his chest, and rippling abs.

The superhero imagery and the crass cash grab have both provoked a wave of mockery, as you’d expect. Reporter Maggie Haberman noted that Trump at one point had wanted to be wheeled out of Walter Reed hospital with a Superman shirt under his outfit which he could pull open to reveal his good health at an opportune moment. MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough laughed out loud at the cards. “We are in third grade!” he exclaimed.

Read more:

There is a sinister side to Trump’s much mocked superhero narrative

Trump supporters share their dismay at former president’s trading card scheme

01:15 , Gustaf Kilander

Former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis shared her lack of enthusiasm at the announcement that Mr Trump is now selling digital trading cards.

Mr Trump said buyers could win “golf with you and a group of your friends at one of my beautiful golf courses and they are beautiful. I’m also doing zoom calls, a one on one meeting, autographs and memorabilia, and so much more. We’re doing a lot”.

“My official Trump digital trading cards are $99 which doesn’t sound like very much for what you’re getting,” he claimed in the announcement video.

The anonymous pro-Trump account with more than a million followers known as “Catturd” wrote that “my 3 guesses of Trump’s big announcement today were ... 1) Getting back on Twitter. 2) Picked a VP. 3) Leaving the worthless Republican Party to form a 3rd party- patriot party. Introducing Donald Trump digital playing cards wasn’t even on my bingo card”.

“Please tell me this is [a] troll and the real major announcement will come later today,” the account added.

‘He’s done his time’: GOP governor says party is ‘moving on’ from Trump

00:30 , Gustaf Kilander

The Republican Governor of New Hampshire, Chris Sununu, has said that the party is “moving on” from Donald Trump.

“He’s done his time. He’s done his service. We’re moving on,” Mr Sununu told CNN.

He added that it’s “un-American” to “be a country where the best opportunity for our future leadership is the leadership of yesterday”.

“There’s an argument to be made that someone like DeSantis could beat him in a primary today,” Mr Sununu said.

“Ron would be a good president,” he added regarding the Florida governor.

‘Has Trump lost his mind’: MAGA supporters blast ‘major’ trading cards announcement

Thursday 15 December 2022 23:45 , Gustaf Kilander

Supporters of Donald Trump appear to be souring on the former president as his “major announcement” that he’s selling digital trading cards flops within parts of the MAGA movement.

In a video announcement of the trading cards, Mr Trump said he was “hopefully your favourite president of all time – better than Lincoln, better than Washington”.

“I’m doing my first official Donald J Trump NFT collection right here and right now. They’re called Trump digital trading cards,” Mr Trump said, adding that the cards would feature “really incredible artwork pertaining to my life and my career. It’s been very exciting. You can collect your Trump digital cards, just like a baseball card, or other collectables”.

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro sarcastically tweeted: “Thank God, the digital trading cards are here. It was indeed a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT.”

The former president said “one of the best parts” is that “each card comes with an automatic chance to win amazing prizes like dinner with me. I don’t know if that’s an amazing prize, but it’s what we have”.

Read more:

‘Has Trump lost his mind’: MAGA supporters blast ‘major’ trading cards announcement

VIDEO: The Trump Organization Was Fined Thousands for Contempt Secretly This Past Summer

Thursday 15 December 2022 23:00 , The Independent

Trump says he would ban government from calling domestic speech ‘misinformation’ or ‘disinformation'

Thursday 15 December 2022 22:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Mr Trump has said that he would ban the government from labelling a domestic speech as misinformation or disinformation if he retakes the White House.

In a video shared with the New York Post, Mr Trump said “I will sign an executive order banning any federal department or agency from colluding with any organization, business or person to censor, limit, categorize or impede the lawful speech of American citizens. I will then ban federal money from being used to label domestic speech as mis- or disinformation”.

He added that he would fire any federal staff that appears to have taken part in censorship.

“Directly or indirectly, whether they are the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services, the FBI, the DOJ, no matter who they are,” he said.

“If any US university is discovered to have engaged in censorship activities or election interferences in the past, such as flagging social media content for removal or blacklisting, those universities should lose federal research dollars and federal student loan support for a period of five years, and maybe more,” he added.

Trump ridiculed for ‘major announcement’ that he’s selling digital trading cards

Thursday 15 December 2022 22:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Former President Donald Trump is being mocked over his “major announcement” that he’s selling digital trading cards featuring himself depicted as a superhero, among other characters.

“MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT! My official Donald Trump Digital Trading Card collection is here!” Mr Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social on Thursday.

“These limited edition cards feature amazing ART of my Life & Career! Collect all of your favorite Trump Digital Trading Cards, very much like a baseball card, but hopefully much more exciting,” he added. “GET YOUR CARDS NOW! Only $99 each! Would make a great Christmas gift. Don’t Wait. They will be gone, I believe, very quickly!”

Twitter users were quick to mock the announcement.

“OH MY F***ING GOD TRUMP’S MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT IS *DIGITAL* TRADING CARDS FEATURING HIS OWN BIG DUMB STUPID PUMPKIN FACE and holy s**t he’s selling them for a hundred bucks I s**t you not. I wish I was making this up. And the rubes are going to eat this s**t right up,” Jeff Tiedrich wrote.

Maggie Haberman of The New York Times tweeted that “Trump wanted to be wheeled out of Walter Reed in a Superman shirt under his actual shirt. Aides talked him out of it (and then Meadows devoted several lines in his book to claiming it hadn’t happened). So instead he does it virtually and tries to make money off it”.

VIDEO: GOP Support for Trump 2024 Presidential Run Is Declining, Poll Shows

Thursday 15 December 2022 21:30 , The Independent

DHS says more migrants may enter the US as Trump-era rules end

Thursday 15 December 2022 21:00 , The Associated Press

The Department of Homeland Security said more migrants may be released into the United States to pursue immigration cases when Trump-era asylum restrictions end next week, when a Texas congressman says some border officials estimate about 50,000 migrants could be waiting to cross into the U.S.

In one of its most detailed assessments ahead of the major policy shift, the department reported faster processing for migrants in custody on the border, more temporary detention tents, staffing surges and increased criminal prosecutions of smugglers, noting progress on a plan announced in April.

But the seven-page document dated Tuesday included no major structural changes amid unusually large numbers of migrants entering the country. More are expected with the end of Title 42 authority, under which migrants have been denied rights to seek asylum more than 2.5 million times on grounds of preventing spread of COVID-19.

A federal judge in Washington ordered Title 42 to end Dec. 21 but Republican-led states asked an appeals court to keep it in place. The Biden administration has also challenged some aspects of the ruling, though it doesn’t oppose letting the rule lapse next week. The legal back-and-forth could go down to the wire.

Biden mocks Trump’s trading cards announcement by listing achievements

Thursday 15 December 2022 20:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump launches NFTs with bizarre claim he was better president than Lincoln and Washington

Thursday 15 December 2022 20:00 , OIiver Browning

Donald Trump bizarrely claimed he was a “better” president than Abraham Lincoln and George Washington as he announced his own collection of NFTs on Thursday.

Mr Trump had teased a “major announcement” earlier this week, with a video that depicted himself as a superhero.

“Hello everyone, this is Donald Trump, hopefully your favourite president of all time - better than Lincoln, better than Washington,” he said, announcing his NFTs.

The tokens appear to depict different digital portraits of Mr Trump, including one of him holding the Statue of Liberty’s torch.

Evangelicals may be turning away from Trump, but Christian nationalism isn’t going anywhere

Thursday 15 December 2022 19:25 , Johanna Chisholm

Since the heady days of Donald Trump’s first presidential campaign, Caleb Campbell’s congregation has been split in two. The pastor of an evangelical church in the northern suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona, he has watched his flock both energised and repulsed by the real estate tycoon’s political rise.

“When Trump would come to town, we had members of our congregation inside the building for the rally and some outside the building protesting,” he tells The Independent. “I was naive. I remember thinking that obviously people see right through this. I was shocked to discover that most people really earnestly supported not only his policies, but also his cruel and dehumanising rhetoric.”

Evangelical support for Trump was crucial to his 2016 presidential victory and has remained stubbornly high despite his consistent proximity to scandal. Pastor Campbell, who grew up as a John McCain Republican, was not one of those supporters. He has spent much of his time since that first victory trying to guide his fellow evangelicals away from Trump and the MAGA movement, often to little avail.

Now, six years later, he believes cracks are beginning to show.

Richard Hall reports on how Pastor Caleb Campbell spoke out against Mr Trump and how he’s now warning evengelicals away from Christian nationalism.

Evangelicals may be turning away from Trump, but Christian nationalism is on the rise

Trump approval rating hits lowest point in seven years, poll finds

Thursday 15 December 2022 19:05 , Johanna Chisholm

Fewer Americans hold a favourable view of former president Donald Trump than at any point since he launched his first presidential campaign, a new poll from Quinnipiac University has found.

The survey found just 31 per cent of respondents view the twice-impeached ex-president favourably, just one month after Mr Trump officially declared himself a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

By contrast, the man who defeated him in the 2020 election — President Joe Biden — appears to be gaining ground with voters as he considers whether to mount a bid for a second term in 2024.

My colleague Andrew Feinberg breaks down more of the survey’s results here.

Trump approval rating hits lowest point in seven years, poll finds

Sen Marco Rubio appears on Tucker Carlson to defend legislation banning TikTok in the US

Thursday 15 December 2022 18:45 , Johanna Chisholm

Sen Marco Rubio joined Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Thursday night to discuss his bipartisan piece of legislation that seeks to ban TikTok from operating in the US.

Named the Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party Act (ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act), Sen Rubio argues in the legislation, which was introduced alongside a companion piece in Congress, that it would protect Americans by blocking and prohibiting all transactions from any social media company in, or under the influence of, China, Russia, and any other foreign country of concern.

“People say to me, ‘What do we care if the Chinese government has access to the data on the phone of a 16-year-old teenager somewhere in America?’ It’s not about the 16-year-old teenager. It’s about millions of 16-year-olds, 17-year-olds, 30-year-olds, people that are on [TikTok], dumping all kinds of data that the government of China gets access to—your location, your pictures, your texts, your consumer behavior, what the algorithm is learning from you,” said the Florida senator.

Watch a full clip of the interview below.

Trump claims he’s ‘better than Lincoln, better than Washington’ in new video introducing NFTs

Thursday 15 December 2022 18:25 , Johanna Chisholm

In a video introducing Donald Trump’s recently launched digital trading cards, the former president begins by boldly introducing himself as “hopefully your favourite president of all time” who is “better than Lincoln, better than Washington.”

“These cards feature some of the really incredible artwork pertaining to my life and my career,” the former president says while talking into the camera and simultaneously images of the digital trading cards appear alongside him - including an animation of himself dressed in an astronaut suit and one where he is posing on a red carpet.

“Here’s one of the best parts, each card comes with an automatic chance to win amazing prizes like dinner with me. I don’t know if that’s an amazing prize, but it’s what we have,” jokes Mr Trump at one point.

Rep Adam Kinzinger says he believes Trump is ‘guilty of a crime’ ahead of Jan 6 criminal referrals

Thursday 15 December 2022 18:05 , Johanna Chisholm

Outgoing Republican Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger has said that he thinks former President Donald Trump is “guilty of a crime” as the House Select Committee investigating January 6 prepares to reveal its crime referrals and full report.

Appearing on CNN on Wednesday, Mr Kinzinger said that “we have presented ... a very compelling story over the summer, which is, it is not just the day of January 6 that mattered. What mattered is what led to it, and frankly, the fact that not much has really changed since”.

Regarding the full report, Mr Kinzinger said “we will go into some more detail”.

Rep Adam Kinzinger says he believes Trump is ‘guilty of a crime’

Online backlash against Trump’s digital trading cards: ‘My guy has totally lost it'

Thursday 15 December 2022 17:46 , Johanna Chisholm

Within minutes of Donald Trump announcing that he plans to begin NFTs, nearly all of which appear to feature the ex-president dressed in ornate costumes or posing in front of patriotic symbols, the Twittersphere began reacting to the news - with very few seeming enthused about the money-lining project.

“If Donald Trump loses the GOP Primary (a pretty big if), we might want to look at the moment where he responded to Ron DeSantis’s surge in the polls by releasing a set of weird NFTs to line his pockets,” tweeted Pod Save America co-host Dan Pfeiffer, while New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman quipped: “The speculation from other Rs and even some Dems was rampant that the “major announcement” would be about his campaign or McCarthy. But, instead it’s a quick money-making opportunity trussed up with a meme.”

“Failed business. Failed university. Failed water. Failed steaks. Failed hotel. Failed casino. Failed social media company. Failed presidency. And, I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but he will soon have failed digital trading cards. Everything Trump touches dies,” tweeted Democratic activist Victor Shi.

Former Trump lawyer says he’s ‘sure’ his former client will be criminally referred over Jan 6

Thursday 15 December 2022 17:25 , Johanna Chisholm

A former Trump attorney confirmed to CNN on Wednesday night that he suspects that his former client, Donald Trump, will be criminally referred to the Justice Department when the House Select committee investigating the Capitol riot submits their referrals next week.

“Do you have any doubt that the committee will have a criminal referral for Trump himself?” asked CNN host Erin Burnett to Ty Cobb, a former lawyer of the ex-president.

“I do not,” said Mr Cobb. “I think they started out with that as a goal. And I think they certainly have put forth evidence which would justify, even in the absence of cross-examination, which I think is an unfortunate product of the committee’s constitution. But even without cross-examination, clearly the evidence that they have put forward justifies them to make criminal referral,” said Mr Cobb, just days ahead of when the panel is expected to announce their decision on criminal referrals to the Department of Justice.

“Their referral is largely symbolic, of course,” Mr Cobb added. “The Justice Department is not required to do anything in response to it. But, yes, I’m sure they will for the former president.”

Elaine Chao says she won’t respond to Trump’s racist attack on her

Thursday 15 December 2022 17:05 , Johanna Chisholm

Former Trump administration Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao has said she won’t respond to the racist name-calling the former president engaged in during a rant aimed at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Graig Graziosi reports.

Trump’s transport secretary says she won’t respond to his racist attack on her

Trump’s ‘guarantees’ tickets to attend Gala Dinner with former president with digital trading card promo

Thursday 15 December 2022 16:50 , Johanna Chisholm

Included in the digital trading card release announced by Donald Trump on Thursday were several sweepstakes offers, including one where customers who buy 45 digital trading cards would reportedly be “guaranteed ticket to attend the Gala Dinner with Trump in South Florida”.

“Purchase 45 Digital Trading Cards today and get a guaranteed ticket to attend the Gala Dinner with Trump in South Florida. You will also receive 45 entries into the sweepstakes and 45 Digital Trading Cards. Subject to the Terms & Conditions and Official Sweepstakes Rules,” wrote the promotion on Mr Trump’s recently launched website for the NFTs.

Some of the “rare” digital trading cards that individuals can purchase include animated pictures of the 45th president posing in front of the Hollywood sign, wearing a cowboy hat while holstering a gun, posing in front of the Statue of Liberty while giving a thumbs up and one where the ex-president is swinging a golf club while adorned in a red MAGA hat.

Critics pan Trump for digital trading cards unveiling

Thursday 15 December 2022 16:30 , Johanna Chisholm

The feedback to Donald Trump’s announcement on Thursday being that he plans to start selling digital trading cards was greatly anticipated when audiences were unaware of what he was teeing up. Now that the cat is out of the Truth Social bag, they were equally quick to begin venting their frustrations that the “major announcement” was none other than a money grab.

“OH MY F***ING GOD TRUMP’S MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT IS *DIGITAL* TRADING CARDS FEATURING HIS OWN BIG DUMB STUPID PUMPKIN FACE and holy shit he’s selling them for a hundred bucks I shit you not. I wish I was making this up. And the rubes are going to eat this s**t right up,” Jeff Tiedrich wrote.

New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, the author of the book Confidence Man, which profiles the former president and his rise to power, contextualised the ex-president’s announcement by explaining how he’d once wanted to wear a Superman shirt while being wheeled out of a hospital after being treated for a few days for fatigue.

“Trump wanted to be wheeled out of Walter Reed in a Superman shirt under his actual shirt. Aides talked him out of it (and then Meadows devoted several lines in his book to claiming it hadn’t happened). So instead he does it virtually and tries to make money off it,” tweeted Ms Haberman upon learning of his plans to start selling virtual baseball cards of himself adorned in the DC hero’s costume.

Gustaf Kilander has more details here.

Trump ridiculed for ‘major announcement’ that he’s selling digital trading cards

Trump panned for ‘major announcement’ being that he plans to sell digital trading cards

Thursday 15 December 2022 16:09 , Johanna Chisholm

With all the hype and anticipation, many seemed to be let down by Donald Trump finally unveiling on Thursday morning his “major announcement” was that he plans to begin selling digital trading cards.

“MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT! My official Donald Trump Digital Trading Card collection is here! These limited edition cards feature amazing ART of my Life & Career! Collect all of your favorite Trump Digital Trading Cards, very much like a baseball card, but hopefully much more exciting,” posted the former president on Truth Social. “GET YOUR CARDS NOW! Only $99 each! Would make a great Christmas gift. Don’t Wait. They will be gone, I believe, very quickly!”

David Taintor has more here.

Trump finally makes ‘major announcement’ – and it has nothing to do with his campaign

Sen John Kennedy mocked for adoring praise of Elon Musk

Thursday 15 December 2022 16:05 , Johanna Chisholm

GOP Senator John Kennedy has been widely mocked for praising Elon Musk as having “oranges the size of beachballs”.

The Louisana Republican appeared to mix his metaphors while contrasting the Twitter CEO with Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during an interview with Fox News on Wednesday.

Upset at a new climate change-themed documentary, To The End, in which Ms Ocasio-Cortez appears, Mr Kennedy said the movie had made him “appreciate Elon Musk that much more”.

Mr Musk had taken a “very corouageous stand on the First Amendment” since his $44bn purchase of Twitter, he told Fox News.

For that, detractors were “beating on him like he stole Christmas”, Mr Kennedy said.

“He’s tough as a pine knot. He’s got oranges the size of beachballs. Thanks to Elon Musk, we’re going to have to get some new conspiracy theories because the old ones turned out to be true.”

My colleague Bevan Hurley has more details here.

Senator mocked for praise of Elon Musk: ‘He’s got oranges the size of beachballs’

Jan 6 committee chairman says criminal referrals are ‘done'

Thursday 15 December 2022 15:46 , Johanna Chisholm

Rep Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection, told a group of reporters on Thursday that criminal referrals are “done” and that the panel is working to get their report to the printers by noon today ahead of its 21 December release to the public.

“A @January6thCmte update, courtesy of @BennieGThompson, who tells reporters they’re trying to get their report to the printer by noon today, referrals are “done” and we’ll get just about everything on Monday - just probably not transcripts, etc.,” tweeted NBC News reporter Garrett Haake.

A day earlier, the committee said that it was planning to hold its final public meeting on Monday, as the pressure mounts on the panel to file its findings before the year is out as Republicans are expected to dissolve the committee when they take over the chamber in the next Congress.

Donald Trump shares his own polls as national ones reveal 7-year low approval ratings

Thursday 15 December 2022 15:23 , Johanna Chisholm

A national poll released Wednesday found that Donald Trump’s favourability rating has dropped to its lowest level since 2015, marking a seven-year low for the former president who just last month launched his bid for 2024.

In an effort to perhaps pushback on that headline grabbing survey, alongside one from the Wall Street Journal that found that that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is outpacing the one-term president among likely GOP primary voters in a hypothetical 2024 matchup, Mr Trump began sharing his own polling results on Truth Social which painted an entirely different picture.

The survey asked 480 people, according to the screenshot of the results, if the Republican primary were held today, how they would vote between the two candidates, Gov DeSantis and Mr Trump. Mr Trump’s polling found that 58 per cent of GOP voters would cast their ballot for the former president in the Republican primary while 36 per cent would give their support to the Florida governor.

In other results from the poll, it asked people surveyed if Donald Trump were the Republican candidate in 2024, would voters strongly support his candidacy or strongly oppose.

Watch: Donald Trump shares bizarre ‘superhero’ video teasing next announcement

Thursday 15 December 2022 15:05 , Johanna Chisholm

ICYMI: Trump Organization trial juror lifts lid on deliberations and reveals why panel voted to convict

Thursday 15 December 2022 14:45 , Johanna Chisholm

A New Yorker who sat on the jury that found two Trump Organization companies guilty of criminal tax fraud has revealed how the panel referred to the former president as “Joe Smith” during deliberations.

The unnamed jurist told the Daily Beast that they had coined the pseudonym to avoid feelings of bias against Donald Trump.

“I constantly fought my knee-jerk belief that of course anything with the name Trump on it is crooked,” the juror told the Daily Beast.

After a six-week trial in Manhattan, the jury took just two days to convict the Trump Corporation, the Trump Payroll Corporation, and the Trump Organization’s long-time chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, of a 15-year scheme to defraud tax atuhorities by failing to report payroll taxes for top executives.

Bevan Hurley has the full report here.

Trump Organization trial juror reveals why panel voted to convict

Trump labels the US a ‘mess’ ahead of surprise announcement

Thursday 15 December 2022 14:25 , Johanna Chisholm

Donald Trump posted on his preferred social media platform of choice, Truth Social, on Thursday morning ahead of what he’s described as his “major announcement”.

“This country is a MESS,” wrote the former president, while re-truthing a post from days before that incorrectly claimed that the 2020 election was stolen.