Trump news - live: Judge rules Trump can be questioned in lawsuit as DOJ moves to force Pence to testify

A judge ruled on Thursday that former president Donald Trump will have to answer questions from attorneys representing two former FBI employees who are seeking redress for what they characterise as unfair retaliation against them for having investigated alleged ties between Mr Trump’s 2016 campaign and the Russian government.

In a short, 277 word ruling issued through the US District Court for the District of Columbia’s electronic filing system, Judge Amy Berman Jackson said attorneys for former FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok and ex-FBI attorney Lisa Page can depose Mr Trump and FBI Director Christopher Wray under oath and declined to grant Department of Justice motions to quash subpoenas for testimony from both the FBI director and the twice-impeached ex-president.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department has officially moved to ask a federal judge to force former Vice President Mike Pence to submit testimony for the agency’s probe into January 6 and Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election.

Mr Trump spent the day Wednesday visiting the site of the Ohio train derailment in East Palestine on Wednesday, meeting with local officials and members of the community and assuring them they would not be “forgotten” while attacking the Biden administration’s “indifferent” response to the disastrous chemical spill in their town.

Key Points

• Trump visits East Palestine and assures residents they will not be ‘forgotten’

• Ex-president rebukes Biden for ‘indifference’ towards disaster

• Special counsel subpoenas Ivanka and Jared Kushner

• DoJ moves to force Mike Pence to testify

• Judge orders Trump to testify in case brought by two ex-FBI agents

Biden attacks, McDonald's and gaffes galore: Inside Trump’s tour of Ohio’s tragic derailment site

22:35 , John Bowden

Here’s Andrew Feinberg’s account of Wednesday’s events, from an inevitable trip to McDonald’s during a solemn visit to a disaster site to the former commander-in-chief handing out branded minerla water bottles from the springs of Mar-a-Lago.

Biden attacks, McDonald’s and gaffes: Trump tours Ohio’s tragic train derailment site

Biden approval rating climbs as Trump sees falling support, poll finds

22:05 , John Bowden

The president’s approval rating is the highest it has been in almost a year while Mr Trump is falling in the estimation of Republicans, a new poll has found.

The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll was conducted last week following Joe Biden’s State of the Union address and included more than 1,300 people.

The survey reveals not just Mr Biden’s improved performance but also that a majority of potential GOP primary voters would prefer someone other than Mr Trump as their nominee, so far only Nikki Haley has confirmed she will run but Florida governor Ron DeSantis is thought to be waiting in the wings.

Here’s more from Gustaf Kilander.

Biden approval rating climbs as Trump sees falling support, poll finds

Judge rules Trump must offer testimony in case brought by Peter Strzok and Lisa Page

21:26 , John Bowden

Former president Donald Trump will have to answer questions from attorneys representing two former FBI employees who are seeking redress for what they characterise as unfair retaliation against them for having investigated alleged ties between Mr Trump’s 2016 campaign and the Russian government.

In a short, 277 word ruling issued through the US District Court for the District of Columbia’s electronic filing system, Judge Amy Berman Jackson said attorneys for former FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok and ex-FBI attorney Lisa Page can depose Mr Trump and FBI Director Christopher Wray under oath and declined to grant Department of Justice motions to quash subpoenas for testimony from both the FBI director and the twice-impeached ex-president.

Follow along with The Independent for more updates.

Trump ordered to give evidence in lawsuit by ex-FBI figures he targeted

Trump returns to Rust Belt to fire up his 2024 battle plan

21:05 , John Bowden

The growing conservatism of Rust Belt America, the heartland of the country’s manufacturing power, has often been overlooked as an important factor explaining Mr Trump’s election win in 2016, with liberal analysts more inclined to dwell on Hillary Clinton’s failings or the role of Russian election meddling, both of which no doubt also played their part.

But it was here where progressives and MAGA Republicans diagnosed the same problem: an entire region, spurned once too often by the shuttering of massive plants and the resulting regional economic collapses that followed, had turned towards the only politician unwilling to dismiss them as “flyover country” – Donald Trump.

Here’s John Bowden on the former president’s latest attempt to revive the old fervour.

At the site of the Ohio train derailment, Trump fires up his 2024 battle plan

Special counsel subpoenas Ivanka and Jared Kushner

20:35 , John Bowden

We’ll come back to Ohio in a moment but yesterday’s other big news from Trumpworld was that Mr Trump’s favourite daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, have been subpoenaed by special counsel Jack Smith investigating the events of 6 January 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters raided the US Capitol wrongly believing the 2020 election to have been rigged against the Republican.

Eric Garcia has the latest on this one too.

Special counsel subpoenas Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump

Trump vows that East Palestine residents will not be ‘forgotten'

20:04 , John Bowden

Former president Donald Trump visited the site of the train derailment in East Palestine near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border on Wednesday, meeting with local officials and members of the community and assuring them they would not be “forgotten”.

Mr Trump also donated thousands of gallons of cleaning supplies and water to support the cleanup effort and bought a McDonald’s lunch for firefighters

Here’s a recap from IndyTV.

Justice Department asks judge to force Mike Pence to give evidence in Trump probe

19:18 , John Bowden

The DoJ on Thursday moved to ask a judge to compel former Vice President Mike Pence to testify before a grand jury impaneled in Washington DC to hear evidence related to the January 6 attack and the effort by Donald Trump to overturn the 2020 election.

Mr Pence has indicated that he will resist requests for his testimony, citing his privilege as president of the Senate, one of the roles of the former vice president. The Justice Department has for months been collecting evidence related to the White House’s role in January 6 and recently appointed a special counsel to determine if Mr Trump, who is once again running for president, will face any criminal charges.

Read more in The Independent:

Justice Department asks judge to force Mike Pence to give evidence in Trump probe

Sarah Palin tells DeSantis not to run as Trump allies grow concerned over 2024 rival

18:05 , John Bowden

Florida governor Ron DeSantis is widely seen as the top Republican contender to take on Donald Trump for the party’s 2024 nomination, but another high-profile GOP state leader is advising Mr DeSantis to hold off for now.

Former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin says Mr DeSantis should wait “a bit longer” and stay out of the 2024 race.

It’s a sign of the growing panic among allies of Donald Trump who fear that Ron DeSantis will be able to do what Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich failed to do in 2016: Defeat Donald Turmp in a GOP primary.

Read more:

Sarah Palin tells DeSantis not to run in 2024 as Trump camp wobbles

Steve Bannon sued by own lawyers over unpaid legal fees

17:37 , John Bowden

Steven Bannon, the former Trump White House strategist turned convicted felon and conservative podcaster, has been sued by the law firm that represented him in numerous state and federal proceedings over the last few years over unpaid legal fees totaling more than $480,000.

Mr Bannon was accused in a civil complaint filed last week of only paying $375,000 of the $855,487.87 in legal fees he racked up while defending himself from fraud charges stemming from a privately-funded campaign to build stretches of border fencing along the US-Mexico border. The case was dismissed upon Mr Bannon’s last-minute pardon by Donald Trump.

Read more from Andrew Feinberg:

Steve Bannon sued by own lawyers over unpaid legal fees

DeSantis campaign cash war chest could give him boost over Trump

17:06 , John Bowden

The massive war chest Florida Governor Ron DeSantis hoarded during his successful bid for reelection last year would catapult him into a significant fundraising lead were he to announce his candidacy for president in the coming weeks.

The Florida governor reportedly has roughly $75m squirreled away in a bank account belonging to his state-level campaign committee, according to HuffPost.

That number is far more than two potential rivals for the GOP nomination, ex-South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

It could even be a sum with the power to challenge the fundraising juggernaut that Donald Trump amassed between 2016-2020 and has maintained since leaving office.

Read more:

DeSantis campaign cash war chest could give him boost over Trump

New questions raised about Herschel Walker’s fundraising

16:35 , John Bowden

The Daily Beast reported on Thursday that Trump-endorsed failed Senate candidate Herschel Walker may have violated the law by soliciting campaign donations for a recount effort that never took place.

Mr Walker was propped up by the former president throughout 2022 despite it being clear that he had little understanding of political issues and his troubled past, which included abuse allegations.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

‘Pure political theater’: Lincoln Project overshadow Trump’s Ohio visit with video highlighting rail safety hypocrisy

16:05 , John Bowden

The conservative anti-Trump group Lincoln Project hit Donald Trump over his administration’s record on freigh rail safety this week as the former president attempted to capitalise on growing calls for Joe Biden or other top administration officials to visit the site of a major train derailment in Ohio.

“Donald Trump spent four years demolishing rail safety protections at the expense of the health and safety of average Americans. His trip to East Palestine, Ohio today is pure political theatre & a sad attempt to mask his failures as a President. We won’t let him,” the group wrote in the video’s caption.

Watch the ad below, and read more about the former president’s visit to Ohio in The Independent:

Lincoln Project overshadow Trump Ohio visit with video on rail safety hypocrisy

Inside the Trump grand jury that probed election meddling

15:28 , John Bowden

The members of a grand jury impaneled to investigate Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia new early on that their case was “a big freaking deal”.

Dive in to the behind-the-scenes and read this exclusive interview with Emily Kohrs, the grand jury foreperson:

Inside the Trump grand jury that probed election meddling

Biden approval rating climbs as Trump sees falling support, poll finds

14:15 , Joe Sommerlad

The president’s approval rating is the highest it has been in almost a year while Mr Trump is falling in the estimation of Republicans, a new poll has found.

The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll was conducted last week following Joe Biden’s State of the Union address and included more than 1,300 people.

The survey reveals not just Mr Biden’s improved performance but also that a majority of potential GOP primary voters would prefer someone other than Mr Trump as their nominee, so far only Nikki Haley has confirmed she will run but Florida governor Ron DeSantis is thought to be waiting in the wings.

Here’s more from Gustaf Kilander.

Biden approval rating climbs as Trump sees falling support, poll finds

Georgia grand jury foreperson laughs when told Trump claims he’s been ‘exonerated’

13:45 , Joe Sommerlad

I think that headline speaks volumes but here’s Maroosha Muzaffar with the details.

Asked about the former president’s exoneration claims by CNN, Emily Kohrs answered: “Did he really say that? Oh, that’s fantastic. That’s phenomenal. I love it.”

Georgia grand jury foreperson laughs when told Trump claims he’s been ‘exonerated’

The Donald brags about bringing ‘Trump water’ to families affected by derailment disaster

13:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Burger expertise was not all he was boasting about in East Palestine.

Here’s John Bowden on a man who has never knowingly missed an opportunity for self-publicity.

Trump brags about bringing ‘Trump water’ to families affected by Ohio derailment

Trump boasts about his knowledge of McDonald’s menu on Ohio tour

12:45 , Joe Sommerlad

President Trump was no stranger to feeding professional athletes Big Macs during his time at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and he was at it again in Ohio on Wednesday.

Here’s Shweta Sharma on his cure for all ills.

Trump boasts about his knowledge of the McDonald’s menu on Ohio tour

Trump returns to Rust Belt to fire up his 2024 battle plan

12:15 , Joe Sommerlad

The growing conservatism of Rust Belt America, the heartland of the country’s manufacturing power, has often been overlooked as an important factor explaining Mr Trump’s election win in 2016, with liberal analysts more inclined to dwell on Hillary Clinton’s failings or the role of Russian election meddling, both of which no doubt also played their part.

But it was here where progressives and MAGA Republicans diagnosed the same problem: an entire region, spurned once too often by the shuttering of massive plants and the resulting regional economic collapses that followed, had turned towards the only politician unwilling to dismiss them as “flyover country” – Donald Trump.

Here’s John Bowden on the former president’s latest attempt to revive the old fervour.

At the site of the Ohio train derailment, Trump fires up his 2024 battle plan

Should Joe Biden be worried by Trump’s trip to Ohio?

11:45 , Joe Sommerlad

For Indy Voices, Andrew Buncombe says that the current occupant of the Oval Office should indeed have been looking on with concern.

“A day after Biden earned widespread plaudits for covertly travelling to Kyiv and appearing with Ukraine’s wartime leader ahead of the anniversary of Russia’s invasion, he and Democrats were reminded again both of Mr Trump’s opportunism and his skills as a pugilistic on-the-ground campaigner.”

Why Joe Biden should be worried about Trump’s trip to Ohio

Biden attacks, McDonald's and gaffes galore: Inside Trump’s tour of Ohio’s tragic derailment site

11:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s Andrew Feinberg’s account of Wednesday’s events, from an inevitable trip to McDonald’s during a solemn visit to a disaster site to the former commander-in-chief handing out branded minerla water bottles from the springs of Mar-a-Lago.

Biden attacks, McDonald’s and gaffes: Trump tours Ohio’s tragic train derailment site

Special counsel subpoenas Ivanka and Jared Kushner

10:45 , Joe Sommerlad

We’ll come back to Ohio in a moment but yesterday’s other big news from Trumpworld was that Mr Trump’s favourite daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, have been subpoenaed by special counsel Jack Smith investigating the events of 6 January 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters raided the US Capitol wrongly believing the 2020 election to have been rigged against the Republican.

Eric Garcia has the latest on this one too.

Special counsel subpoenas Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump

Trump accused of ‘feigning concern’ for residents

10:15 , Joe Sommerlad

For all his efforts, Mr Trump himself was accused of “feigning concern” for the East Palestine locals by Sara Chieffo of the League of Conservative Voters, who called his arrival the “height of hypocrisy” after years of “openly mocking and rolling back environmental safeguards.”

His appearance was also derided as “pure political theatre” by the anti-Trump Republican collective the Lincoln Project.

Here’s Eric Garcia on the latter’s efforts to undermine Mr Trump.

Lincoln Project overshadow Trump Ohio visit with video on rail safety hypocrisy

Ex-president rebukes Biden for ‘indifference’ towards disaster

09:45 , Joe Sommerlad

The former president could not resist launching an attack on his successor in the White House, of course, calling on Joe Biden to “get over here” and said his failure to do so since the accident took place on 3 February had been a sign of “indifference” and “a betrayal”.

You can watch Mr Trump’s speech below.

Trump meets with East Palentine residents impacted by Ohio train derailment

Trump visits East Palestine and assures residents they will not be ‘forgotten’

09:25 , Joe Sommerlad

Former president Donald Trump visited the site of the train derailment in East Palestine near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border on Wednesday, meeting with local officials and members of the community and assuring them they would not be “forgotten”.

Mr Trump also donated thousands of gallons of cleaning supplies and water to support the cleanup effort and bought a McDonald’s lunch for firefighters

Here’s a recap from IndyTV.

Trump accuses government of ‘indifference’ and ‘betrayal’ after Ohio train derailment

09:04 , Joe Sommerlad

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of US presidential candidate Donald Trump, plotting a return to the White House in 2024.