Trump news - live: Trump ‘shocked’ by Tucker Carlson’s exit as E Jean Carroll rape trial gets underway

Donald Trump has said he is “shocked” by the sudden ouster of Tucker Carlson from Fox News.

Trump, who gave an interview to Carlson earlier this month, told Newsmax that he was “a very good person, a very good man and very talented”.

“I don’t know if it was voluntary or was it somebody fired, but I think Tucker has been terrific. Especially over the last year or so he’s terrific to me,” he said.

It comes ahead of the start of Mr Trump’s civil trial for defamation and rape brought by E Jean Carroll.

Jury selection in the lawsuit filed by the columnist and author is scheduled to begin later today (Tuesday).

Ms Carroll has claimed that Trump raped her in the dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the 1990s.

Meanwhile, the former president celebrated Don Lemon’s release from CNN, calling it “Good news.”

Key Points

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• Who is E Jean Carroll the woman suing Donald Trump?

Trump reacts to Biden 2024 announcement by reading his own statement from hours earlier

19:30 , Ariana Baio

Donald Trump aggressively attacked President Joe Biden and called him “the most corrupt president in American history” and making false claims in a statement and video after Mr Biden announced his 2024 re-election bid

Mr Biden officially launched his re-election campaign for president on Tuesday 25 April, where he called on Americans to help him “finish the job.”

Just ahead of his announcement on Monday evening, Mr Trump released a lengthy press release making multiple false claims about himself and Mr Biden.

Hours later on Tuesday, Mr Trump appeared in a video where he read his statement word-for-word.

Mr Trump accused Mr Biden of leading the US “to the very brink of World War III” as well as allowing “millions of illegal aliens” who Mr Trump claimed are “coming in from mental institutions and prisons” to attribute a lack of security to the president.

Read more:

Trump reacts to Biden 2024 announcement by reading his statement from hours earlier

Will Mr Trump attend the trial?

19:00 , Andrew Feinberg

In a court filing last week, Mr Trump said he shouldn’t attend the trial as he doesn’t want to “burden” New York City.

In a letter to Manhattan federal court Judge Lewis Kaplan on Wednesday, Mr Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina said that the former president “wishes” to attend the civil trial beginning next week – but is concerned about the “logistical and financial burdens” of his attendance on “the courthouse and New York City”.

Ms Carroll meanwhile plans to attend the trial.

Judge Kaplan rejected Trump’s last-minute delay bid

18:30 , Andrew Feinberg

After Mr Trump’s lawyers made an 11th-hour attempt to once again postpone his long-delayed civil defamation and rape trial on the grounds that publicity surrounding his recent indictment necessitated a “cooling-off” period to ensure an impartial jury, Judge Kaplan said the one-month delay Mr Trump’s attorneys had asked for would have no impact on the potential jury pool in the case, which will be tried in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

“There is no reason to assume that a sufficient number of fair and impartial jurors cannot be found on April 25, 2023 or that it would be materially easier to find such jurors on May 23, 2023,” he said.

Carroll is also suing Trump for the alleged rape itself

18:00 , Andrew Feinberg

Last year, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the Adult Survivors Act, which created a one-year suspension of statutes of limitations for rape and other civil claims arising from allegations of sexual misconduct.

The law allows sexual assault survivors to sue their attackers regardless of when the alleged assault may have taken place.

In November 2022, shortly after the bill signing, Ms Carroll filed a second lawsuit against Mr Trump for rape.

The new case accuses him of battery – and also adds a new defamation claim based on recent posts in which he called her a “con job”.

Both lawsuits are seeking monetary damages from the ex-president.

Will Trump testify in the E Jean Carroll civil rape trial? He faces ‘huge’ legal risk either way, experts say

17:30 , Bevan Hurley

A jury in New York on Tuesday will begin hearing allegations that E Jean Carroll was raped by Donald Trump in the changing rooms of a Manhattan department store nearly three decades ago.

The former president has been accused of sexual assault by more than two dozen women, but this is the first time a jury will be asked to determine the claims in court.

Legal experts told The Independent that Mr Trump’s likely non-appearance in the civil battery and defamation trial in the US District Courthouse in lower Manhattan was a major gamble.

“The risk for Trump if he doesn’t testify is huge,” Jennifer Keller, who represented Kevin Spacey when he was found not liable of sexual battery by a jury in 2022, told The Independent.

“The jury will hear only one side of the story — the plaintiff’s. And the jurors may well conclude he’s afraid of showing up because he knows the allegations are true.”

Read more:

Donald Trump’s ‘huge’ legal risk in E Jean Carroll civil rape trial

Justice Department involvement delayed the defamation suit

17:00 , Andrew Feinberg

Although a Clinton-era Supreme Court case, Jones v Clinton, allows presidents to be sued for conduct which occurred before the start of their time in the White House, Mr Trump’s legal team asked the Department of Justice to aid in his defence of the 2019 case.

The department filed papers seeking to shield him from liability on the grounds that he was acting in an official capacity as president when he made the allegedly defamatory statements about Ms Carroll. But Judge Kaplan rejected those arguments and said the suit could proceed. An attempt by Mr Trump to appeal that decision failed in September 2021 as well.

His legal team took up another approach in February of last year, when they moved to countersue Ms Carroll.

But Judge Kaplan blocked that bid in a scathing decision on 11 March 2022, in which he slammed Mr Trump’s continuing attempts to delay the case as “futile” and in “bad faith”.

“The defendant’s litigation tactics, whatever their intent, have delayed the case to an extent that readily could have been far less,” Judge Kaplan wrote.

“Granting leave to amend without considering the futility of the proposed amendment needlessly would make a regrettable situation worse by opening new avenues for significant further delay”.

Letting Mr Trump countersue “would make a regrettable situation worse,” the judge added.

Who is E Jean Carroll? The advice columnist, author and TV talkshow host taking on Donald Trump

16:30 , Bevan Hurley

E Jean Carroll has been a trailblazing figure of New York’s journalism, entertainment and literary scenes for decades.

Born in Detroit and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the one-time Miss Indiana University beauty queen began pitching her ideas to magazines at the age of 12.

After graduating from college, she got her breakthrough by landing her first published article in Esquire, a “witty literary quiz she concocted” about Ernest Hemingway and F Scott Fitzgerald.

From there, writing assignments at Rolling Stone and Playboy began to “trickle in”, she told Indianapolis Monthly in 1996.

While living in Montana with her first husband Steve Byers and their dog, she came to New York City in 1983 to interview Fran Leibowitz for a cover article in Outside magazine.

Read more:

E Jean Carroll: The author and TV talkshow host who took on Donald Trump

What Carroll said about the alleged dressing room rape

16:00 , Andrew Feinberg

The allegations against Mr Trump were first laid out in an excerpt from her book What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal, that ran in New York magazine in June 2019.

In the book excerpt, she said she was shopping at the Bergdorf-Goodman department store in New York when Mr Trump approached her and struck up a conversation, with him asking her for help picking out a gift for a woman.

She then alleged that he took her to the lingerie section of the store and asked her to try on an item for him in a dressing room before pinning her up against a wall and sexually assaulting her for three minutes.

At the time, Ms Carroll said the emergence of the #MeToo movement in late 2017 motivated her to tell her story publicly.

Mr Trump addressed the allegations days later when pressed on them by reporters at the White House.

He claimed he had “never met her” and denied raping her by telling the White House press corps that Ms Carrol was “not [his] type”.

He also accused her of lying to boost sales of her memoir.

“She is trying to sell a new book – that should indicate her motivation,” the then-president said, adding that her book “should be sold in the fiction section”.

Ms Carroll pushed back on his claims, sharing a photo of herself and Mr Trump together with his then-wife Ivana Trump and her then-husband John Johnson at an NBC party in 1987 to show they had met.

In her 2019 defamation suit against Mr Trump, she alleged his denials had caused her “to suffer reputational, emotional, and professional harm” and said she was suing “to obtain redress for those injuries and to demonstrate that even a man as powerful as Trump can be held accountable under the rule of law”.

VOICES: Do not let Donald Trump run for president after the rape trial

15:30 , Lucy Anna Gray

Donald Trump will be the focus of a civil rape trial in New York this week.

Journalist and author E Jean Carroll accused the former president of raping her in a dressing room at a department store in Manhattan in the mid-1990s. Trump has denied the allegation, infamously claiming that Carroll “was not [his] type” (someone ‘not being your type’ as a defence for rape lives in the same sphere as ‘well, what was she wearing?’). However, Trump’s bizarre protestation has even more holes in it. When shown a picture of Carroll from the 1990s – the same woman who was apparently ‘not his type’ – Trump said: “That’s my wife,” confusing her with his ex-wife Marla Maples.

It is thought that Carroll will not be alone in claiming Donald Trump assaulted her. Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff are expected to testify during the trial, saying that the one-term president sexually assaulted them. Leeds has alleged that Trump grabbed her breast and tried to reach up her skirt on a flight to New York.

Read more:

Do not let Trump run for president after the rape trial | Voices

PHOTOS: E Jean Carroll arrives at New York federal court as Trump stays away

15:16 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump says ‘I know what happened’ with Tucker Carlson after Fox News firing

15:06 , Gustaf Kilander

Second lawsuit makes it to court

15:00 , Andrew Feinberg

The magazine columnist spoke out about the allegations for the first time in 2019 when Mr Trump was president.

After he denied the allegations and accused her of lying in a bid to bolster sales of her forthcoming book, she filed a defamation lawsuit against him in November 2019.

That suit stalled in the courts for years and is yet to make it to trial.

Then, last year, New York lawmakers passed the state’s Adult Survivors Act, giving sexual abuse victims a one-year window to sue attackers for assaults that took place years ago.

That law paved the way for Ms Carroll to file a second lawsuit against the former president in November accusing him of both raping her and then defaming her years later by denying the assault took place.

That second lawsuit – seeking damages and a retraction of his denial – is now scheduled to play out in a New York court this week.

Law professor says ‘pieces are arranged for’ Trump ‘to be absolutely shellacked'

14:49 , Gustaf Kilander

Law professor Harry Litman wrote on Twitter on Tuesday that “Trump’s biggest date yet with accountability is the E Jean Carroll trial that begins in NY federal court today. The pieces are arranged for him to be absolutely shellacked. And to come off as a liar, bully, and sexual predator”.

Trump on trial: What to know about the E Jean Carroll rape case

14:30 , Andrew Feinberg

Decades after she was allegedly raped by a New York real estate mogul who would go on to be the 45th President of the United States, E Jean Carroll is getting her day in court.

Ms Carroll, a writer and former advice columnist for Elle magazine, is the plaintiff in a pair of civil lawsuits against former president Donald Trump.

One of those lawsuits will now be presented in a New York City federal courtroom starting Tuesday 25 April, when a jury will be chosen under the supervision of US District Judge Lewis Kaplan.

Those jurors, who will remain anonymous on Judge Kaplan’s orders due to the risk of threats, intimidation or outright violence against anyone seen as an enemy by Mr Trump and his supporters, will hear evidence of allegations made by Ms Carroll against the twice-impeached and indicted ex-president.

Ms Carroll has claimed that Mr Trump raped her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the mid-1990s.

Read more:

Trump on trial: What to know about the E Jean Carroll rape case

What are the allegations in E Jean Carroll’s rape case against Donald Trump?

14:00 , Ariana Baio

Jury selection in E Jean Carroll‘s civil suit against former president Donald Trump begins today.

Here’s what you need to know about the allegations in the rape case before trial begins.

Bevan Hurley reports:

What are the allegations at the centre of E Jean Carroll’s rape case against Trump?

Biden expected to launch new campaign via video announcement

13:30 , Shweta Sharma

Joe Biden is expected to launch his re-election bid today, exactly four years after his first successful campaign launch.

The president will launch his campaign with a video which is expected to look a lot like his messaging and policy moves from the past few months, reported The Associated Press.

This will include playing up accomplishments from his first two years, drawing a sharp contrast with Republican policies he deems extreme.

On Monday, the president said to reporters: “I told you I’m planning on running.

“I’ll let you know real soon.”

Unlike his previous election bid, Mr Biden will have to juggle the challenge of running for office with the demands of running the country.

“The single best thing Joe Biden can do for his reelection is to continue to be president of United States, and, when he’s out there barnstorming the country, talking about what he’s delivered and what he wants to do,” Eric Schultz, a Democratic operative and spokesperson for former president Barack Obama was quoted as saying.

“That’s exactly what he’s been doing.”

According to the president’s aides, he will ramp up fundraising in the coming weeks both for himself and the party.

Aides said Mr Biden intends to follow a roadmap similar to Mr Obama, who launched his reelection campaign in April 2011 but waited 13 months to hold his first official reelection campaign rally in May 2012.

Trump says DeSantis should undergo an ‘emergency personality transplant’

13:00 , Ariana Baio

Donald Trump continues to troll Ron DeSantis by claiming the Florida governor is being sent to Walter Reed Army Medical Center for an “emergency personality transplant”.

The former president took to Truth Social on Sunday night for his latest attack on the man believed to be his biggest Republican threat in the 2024 presidential race.

Calling him by his favourite nickname of “Ron DeSanctimonious”, Mr Trump once again took credit for “put[-ting]” Mr DeSantis in his current position as governor of Florida.

“The Globalist, China hawking and RINO infiltrated Club For No Growth, which now wants to give up backing Ron DeSanctimonious because they realize there is no personality or people skills there, are beside themselves, and just don’t know what to do,” he ranted.

“Florida has the Sun & the Ocean, and was GREAT long before I put Ron there. The semi-elite “No Growthers” are considering sending Ron to the great Walter Reed Medical Center for an emergency personality transplant. His poll numbers are crashing!”

Donald Trump to follow in Joe Biden’s footsteps and visit Ireland next month

12:30 , Shweta Sharma

Former US president Donald Trump is to visit Ireland next month.

It will come just weeks after his successor Joe Biden took part in a four-day visit to the island of Ireland.

There is speculation the two men who went head to head in the 2020 US presidential election could again be candidates in 2024.

Bill Clinton, another former US president, is also a recent visitor to Northern Ireland, where he took part in a major conference to mark the 25 anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

Donald Trump to follow in Joe Biden’s footsteps and visit Ireland next month

A timeline of Trump’s marriages and sexual assault allegations ahead of E Jean Carroll trial

12:00 , Ariana Baio

Ahead of a trial involving E Jean Carroll, who accused the former president of sexual assault, this is a timeline of his marriages and the sexual misconduct allegations he’s faced.

Chelsea Ritschel reports:

A timeline of Trump’s marriages and sexual assault allegations

Jury selection set to start in rape lawsuit against Trump

11:30 , Shweta Sharma

For decades, former president Donald Trump has seemed to shake off allegations, investigations and even impeachments. Now his “Teflon Don” reputation is about to face a new test: a jury of average citizens in a lawsuit accusing him of rape.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday in a trial over former advice columnist’s E Jean Carroll’s claim that Mr Trump raped her nearly three decades ago in a department store dressing room. He denies it.

The trial is in a federal civil court, meaning that no matter the outcome, Mr Trump isn’t in danger of going to jail. He isn’t required to be in court, either, and his lawyers have indicated he most likely won’t testify. But the trial, which comes as Mr Trump is again running for president, still has the potential to be politically damaging for the Republicans.

The jury is poised to hear a reprisal of stories of sexual misconduct that rocked his 2016 presidential campaign, allegations he claimed were falsehoods spun up to try to stop him from winning.

Ms Carroll is expected to testify about a chance encounter with Trump in late 1995 or early 1996 that she says turned violent.

Most Americans don’t want Trump or Biden to run again, poll finds

11:00 , Ariana Baio

A recent Hart Research poll commissioned by NBC News found a significant majority of Americans would prefer that Donald Trump nor Joe Biden run for president in 2024.

A full 70 per cent of Americans — including a bare 51 per cent majority of self-identified Democrats surveyed — said Mr Biden shouldn’t run for another term, while 60 per cent of respondents, including 33 per cent of Republicans contacted, said Mr Trump should step aside as well.

Andrew Feinberg reports:

Most Americans don’t want Trump or Biden to run again, poll finds

How Joe Biden is preparing for a potential rematch with Trump in 2024

10:30 , Shweta Sharma

President Joe Biden’s anticipated announcement of his 2024 re-election campaign couldn’t come at a better — or worse — time for the 46th President of the United States.

Mr Biden is widely expected to unveil his fourth and final campaign for the presidency in a video to be released on Tuesday, the fourth anniversary of when he launched the successful 2020 campaign that put him in the White House after four years of Donald Trump.

The announcement, which a person close to Mr Biden said is still not “100 per cent finalised”, has been widely expected for months now.

On multiple occasions, the president has said he intends to run for re-election, but until now he has refrained from formally declaring himself a candidate. Aides have attributed the delay to Mr Biden’s natural reticence when it comes to making big decisions, as well as the lack of significant opposition in his own party and the general dysfunction on the Republican side, which appears to be leading to a rematch between Mr Biden and Mr Trump.

Andrew Feinberg and John Bowden have all the details in their full story.

Biden 2024: The polls, the politics and why he needs Trump

Donald Trump mourns ‘very good man’ Tucker Carlson after shock departure of Fox’s MAGA mouthpiece

09:30 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump said he was stunned by the surprise exit of ally Tucker Carlson in his first reaction to the departure of Fox News’s prime-time host who had the dubious honour as a (Make America Great Again) MAGA propagandist.

“I was shocked,” Mr Trump said in an interview with Newsmax that aired late on Monday.

Read our full report.

Donald Trump mourns ‘very good man’ Tucker Carlson after shock Fox departure

Voices: Do not let Donald Trump run for president after the rape trial

09:00 , Ariana Baio

VOICES: “Simply put, Donald Trump should not be allowed to run for president. The setting of brazen precedents is a dangerous path to go down.”

Lucy Gray writes:

Do not let Trump run for president after the rape trial | Voices

Trump claims without evidence that Biden is ‘most corrupt president in US history’

08:30 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump has called Joe Biden the “most corrupt president in American history”, launching into a largely unfounded verbal assault on his Democrat rival as Mr Biden is expected to announce his 2024 re-election bid.

In a blistering statement, Mr Trump said: “You could take the five worst presidents in American history, and put them together, and they would not have done the damage Joe Biden has done to our Nation in just a few short years. Not even close.”

He slammed Mr Biden for “the worst inflation in half a century”, “failing” banks, the US currency crashing and a fall of real wages.

“Under my leadership, we had the most secure border in US history, by far. Never had a border like this. Under Biden, the Southern Border has been abolished—and millions of illegal aliens have been released into our communities. What’s happening now is beyond belief,” he said.

He said Mr Biden has “totally humiliated our Nation on the world stage”, calling the withdrawal from Afghanistan a disaster.

“I’m not predicting World War III, but I will say this: we’re very close and they’re only talking about nuclear weapons,” he said referring to the invasion of Ukraine.

Longtime Trump ally jumps ship for DeSantis

08:00 , Ariana Baio

Adam Laxalt, the former Nevada attorney general and longtime ally of Donald Trump, appears to be throwing his weight behind rival Ron DeSantis in the 2024 race.

Mr Laxalt will help lead the Never Back Down super PAC encouraging Mr DeSantis to take on Mr Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, the PAC announced Saturday.

Mr Laxalt and Mr DeSantis have a long history, having roomed together at the Naval Justice School years back.

But despite their long friendship, the move to support Mr DeSantis will likely anger Mr Trump, whose campaign Mr Laxalt chaired in Nevada in 2020.

Everything you need to know about the E Jean Carroll case

07:00 , Shweta Sharma

Decades after she was allegedly raped by former President Donald Trump, columnist E Jean Carroll is getting her day in court.

One of those lawsuits will now be presented in a New York City federal courtroom starting today, 25 April, when a jury will be chosen under the supervision of US District Judge Lewis Kaplan.

Andrew Feinberg reports:

Trump on trial: What to know about the E Jean Carroll rape case

Trump boasts new book is number one on Amazon

06:00 , Ariana Baio

On Truth Social, former president Donald Trump bragged about his new book, Letters to Trump, going number one.

“Amazing! Letters to Trump just went to #1 on Amazon! A great book, get your copy today!” Mr Trump wrote.

Trump says US is in the ‘most dangerous place it has ever been’

05:00 , Ariana Baio

Former president Donald Trump said the US is in the most dangerous place it has ever been because of the leadership.

“We are at, in my opinion, because of the power of weaponry, mostly nuclear but other things also, we are in the most dangerous position that we have ever been in as a nation,” he told Fox News.

He continued: “We have a leader that doesn’t know what is going on. This country might not exist, we may not exist anymore. ... it is a very scary time for the country because of the leadership.”

Donald Trump says he is ‘shocked’ by Tucker Carlson’s exit

04:23 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump has said he is “shocked” by the sudden ouster of Tucker Carlson from Fox News. Trump, who gave an interview to Carlson earlier this month, told Newsmax that he was “a very good person, a very good man and very talented”.

“I don’t know if it was voluntary or was it somebody fired, but I think Tucker has been terrific. Especially over the last year or so he’s terrific to me,” he said.

Trump’s spokesperson reacted on Twitter hinting at a conspiracy behind his ouster.

“Fox News is controlled opposition,” she wrote.

Trump touts his efforts to restrict abortion rights

04:00 , Ariana Baio

Donald Trump, stinging from a rebuke by the nation’s leading anti-abortion group, used a speech Saturday before influential evangelicals in Iowa to spotlight his actions as president to try to restrict abortion rights.

“Those justices delivered a landmark victory for protecting innocent life. Nobody thought it was going to happen,” Mr Trump said, appearing via video to a gathering of the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition.

“They thought it would be another 50 years. Because Republicans had been trying to do it for exactly that period of time, 50 years.”

Mr Trump won applause noting he was the first president to attend the annual March for Life abortion opposition rally.

Thomas Beaumont and Michelle L. Price report:

Trump touts his efforts to restrict abortion rights after attack from pro-life group

Trump to publish letters from King Charles without permission

03:00 , Ariana Baio

Donald Trump is publishing a book of his private correspondence on Tuesday that will include his letters with King Charles.

Letters To Trump features Mr Trump’s conversation with several notable figures including former presidents and world leaders.

But according to The Daily Telegraph, Buckingham Palace did not give consent to Mr Trump to publish his private letters with the King.

Matt Mathers reports:

Trump to publish King Charles letters without permission

Fulton County DA will reveal Trump charges this summer

02:00 , Ariana Baio

Fani Willis, the Fulton County District Attorney, revealed that she will announce this summer whether former president Donald Trump and his allies will be charged with crimes related to election interference.

In a letter to local law enforcement, obtained by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Ms Willis said she could announce possible criminal indictments between 11 July and 1 September.

She requested law enforcement be prepared for “heightened security and preparedness” as the announcement “may provoke a significant public reaction.”

Mr Trump and his allies like Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell are being investigated by Ms Willis for election interference in Georgia in 2020.

ICYMI: Tucker Carlson and Fox News ‘part ways’

01:00 , Ariana Baio

ICYMI: Tucker Carlson has parted ways with Fox News, the network that hosted his widely popular and controversial show Tucker Carlson Tonight.

The announcement comes as a surprise for many as Fox News recently settled a multi-million dollar defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems.

Carlson, a known supporter and advocate of Mr Trump, had been enthralled in controversy after several of his communications in the aftermath of the 2020 election were revealed during discovery in the lawsuit.

In his communications, Carlson questioned statements and facts made on Fox News about the former president’s call for election fraud.

Bevan Hurley reports:

Tucker Carlson abruptly axed by Fox in direct order from Rupert Murdoch

Here’s who is running for president in 2024

Tuesday 25 April 2023 00:00 , Ariana Baio

It seems every week another individual is throwing their hat into the ring of candidates running for president in 2024.

On Monday, Corey Stapleton, former Secretary of State of Montana, announced he was making a bid for the GOP nomination for president.

Mr Stapleton is the fifth Republican candidate to announce their intent to run for president. Others include former president Donald Trump, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Here’s what else you need to know about the people running for president this year.

More from The Independent:

Who is running for president in 2024?

A charging decision in the Georgia Trump investigation is imminent

Monday 24 April 2023 23:54 , Josh Marcus

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis says that her office will announce whether Donald Trump or members of his legal team will face criminal charges related to his efforts to overturn the state’s election results in the upcoming summer months.

Ms Willis’s pre-announcement came on Monday afternoon, along with a request for law enforcement agencies in the state and elsewhere to take extra steps to prepare for the risk of violence. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported the news, which came in the form of a notification from Ms Willis’s office to the county sheriff.

The decision will drop between 11 July and 1 September, according to the DA. And while she officially gave no indication of which way her office was leaning, Ms Willis asked that local law enforcement practice “heightened security and preparedness” as the announcement “may provoke a significant public reaction”.

“Please accept this correspondence as notice to allow you sufficient time to prepare the Sheriff’s Office and coordinate with local, state and federal agencies to ensure that our law enforcement community is ready to protect the public,” she wrote.

John Bowden has the all the details in his full story.

Trump will find out if he faces criminal charges in Georgia this summer

Hunter Biden calls for investigation into Marjorie Taylor Greene

Monday 24 April 2023 23:00 , Ariana Baio

Hunter Biden’s lawyer is calling for Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene to be investigated for what the president’s son has called “unmoored verbal abuses”.

Abbe Lowell, the lawyer for President Joe Biden’s son, sent a letter to the Office of Congressional Ethics asking for an investigation.

“Representative Greene’s unethical conduct arises from her continuous verbal attacks, defamatory statements, publication of personal photos and data, and promotion of conspiracy theories about and against Robert Hunter Biden,” the letter said. “None of these could possibly be deemed to be part of any legitimate legislative activity, as is clear from both the content of her statements and actions, and the forums she uses to spew her often unhinged rhetoric.”

Eric Garcia reports:

Hunter Biden wants investigation of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s ‘unmoored verbal abuse’

Who is E Jean Carroll

Monday 24 April 2023 22:30 , Ariana Baio

Tomorrow, jury selection begins in E Jean Carroll’s civil suit against former president Donald Trump.

Ms Carroll, a former columnist for Elle magazine, author and journalist, is suing Mr Trump for battery and one count of defamation.

She alleges that the former president sexually assaulted her in the dressing room of a department store in the mid-1990s. Mr Trump denies the claim.

But before the trial between Mr Trump and Ms Carroll begins, it’s important to know who Ms Carroll is and what she is alleging.

Bevan Hurley reports:

E Jean Carroll: The author and TV talkshow host who took on Donald Trump

What's behind sexual assault lawsuit against Donald Trump?

Monday 24 April 2023 22:00 , Ariana Baio

As Donald Trump ran for and served as president, over a dozen women publicly accused him of sexual assault and harassment. Most of those claims — all denied by Trump — were never taken to court. None has gone to trial. But that is about to change.

Jury selection starts tomorrow in E Jean Carroll’s rape lawsuit in a New York federal court. The former columnist alleges that Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.

Ms Carroll’s civil case comes as Trump is seeking to return to the White House and battling a roster of legal problems, including his recent indictment on charges of doctoring his business’ records to conceal hush-money payments to a porn star.

More from The Independent:

What's behind sexual assault lawsuit against Donald Trump?

Trump celebrates Don Lemon exit from CNN but mum on ally Tucker Carlson leaving Fox

Monday 24 April 2023 21:30 , Ariana Baio

Former president Donald Trump celebrated journalist Don Lemon’s exit from CNN but noticeably remained silent on Tucker Carlson’s from Fox News.

Ariana Baio reports:

Trump celebrates Don Lemon exit from CNN but mum on ally Tucker Carlson leaving Fox

All the embarrassing things Tucker Carlson has said about Trump

Monday 24 April 2023 21:00 , Ariana Baio

Fox News star host Tucker Carlson has left the popular right-wing cable news network. Fox announced Carlson’s shocking departure in a brief statement on Monday 24 April, saying both sides had “agreed to part ways”.

While the exact reason for Carlson’s departure is not yet clear, Carlson’s name had cropped up in court filings by Dominion Voting Systems, the company that launched a massive defamation suit against Fox News.

The filings showed Mr Carlson bemoaning the criticism he has personally received from viewers over the network’s correct decision to call Arizona for Joe Biden on election night 2020 and calling Trump lawyer and regular guest Sidney Powell a “f***ing b****” and accusing her of lying.

Joe Sommerlad reports:

What has Tucker Carlson said about Trump?

Voices: Do not let Donald Trump run for president after the rape trial

Monday 24 April 2023 20:30 , Ariana Baio

Voices: “It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of ranking the ‘badness’ of allegations, but this misses the point entirely. You cannot compare the impact of rape to those of ineffective international policies. Suggesting that a president paying off a woman to keep them quiet about an affair is incomparable to a woefully incompetent withdrawal from Afghanistan may be true, but is not the conclusion I strive for when suggesting people don’t care enough about this civil rape trial.”

Lucy Gray writes:

Do not let Trump run for president after the rape trial | Voices

Texas pastor takes on Trump

Monday 24 April 2023 20:00 , ariana.baio

Texas pastor and businessman Ryan Binkley announced that he is seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2024, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Mr Binkley, who holds no elected office and has little political experience, is the latest candidate to throw their hat in the ring for the GOP nomination.

Among others in the running is the former president, former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.

In addition, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina announced an exploratory committee for a 2024 bid earlier this month.

Eric Garcia reports:

Texas pastor takes on Trump as he becomes latest long-shot GOP presidential candidate

Trump complains about DeSantis’ visit to Japan

Monday 24 April 2023 19:15 , ariana.baio

Former president Donald Trump complained about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ recent visit to Japan, claiming so-called “consultants” are forcing him to go as he prepares to announce his campaign for president.

On Truth Social, Mr Trump ranted about Mr DeSantis’ visit to Japan on Monday, saying he was forced on an “emergency” tour of “US representative population countries” to “up his game.”

“The ‘Consultants’ are sending DeSanctus, and demanding he go immediately, on an emergency Round the World tour of US representative population countries, like South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Israel, in order to up his game and see if he can remove the stain from his failing campaign,” Mr Trump wrote.

He added, “Bad poll numbers! Perhaps he can, and perhaps he can’t, who really knows, but he’ll have plenty of time to think as he sits alone, on his tax payer funded airplane, riding it out and thinking, WHY???”

Mr DeSantis, who was once polling ahead of Mr Trump as a favorable Republican candidate, has been trailing behind the former president lately.

Rumours are swirling that Mr DeSantis is preparing to announce his campaign for president soon, though on the trip the Florida Governor did not respond to a question about polling behind Mr Trump.

Mr DeSantis told a reporter, “I am not a candidate so we’ll see if it when that changes.”

Trump praises CNN for ousting Don Lemon

Monday 24 April 2023 18:45 , Ariana Baio

Donald Trump praised CNN for ousting anchor Don Lemon but did not comment on Fox News stepping away from host Tucker Carlson.

“Good News: ‘The dumbest man on television,’ Don Lemon, has finally been fired from Fake News CNN. My only question is, WHAT TOOK THEM SO LONG?” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday.

Mr Trump, who has vocally expressed his disapproval with CNN, was quick to comment on Lemon’s departure but did not mention Carlson’s.

Trump children respond to Tucker Carlson leaving Fox News

Monday 24 April 2023 18:07 , Ariana Baio

Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host who is a strong advocate of former president Donald Trump, will be parting ways with the network, according to Fox News.

On Twitter, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr responded to the news in shock.

“OMG,” Donald Jr wrote.

“… What is happening to Fox?” Eric tweeted.

On Monday, Fox News announced that Mr Carlson would be stepping away after approximately seven years of hosting his show Tucker Carlson Tonight and serving as a contributor to the network.

Mr Carlson was known for advocating for Mr Trump throughout the years he was president and beyond. Mr Carlson defend Mr Trump during the January 6th attack on the Capitol and more recently, when Mr Trump was indicted by the Manhattan DA.

Trump accuses China of the ‘rape of America’

Monday 24 April 2023 18:00 , Ariana Baio

Former president Donald Trump defended the trade war he established against China during his presidency, insisting he was preventing “the rape of America” by standing up to the rival superpower.

During his presidency, Mr Trump struck a combative note in his dealings with Beijing, kicking off an economic face-off that saw each side slap retaliatory import tariffs on billions of dollars worth of each others’ goods.

Memorably, during an address to reporters from the South Lawn of the White House in August 2019, Mr Trump looked to the heavens and pronounced himself “the chosen one”, suggesting he had been anointed by God to tackle Chinese economic dominance.

“This isn’t my trade war, this is a trade war that should have taken place a long time ago,” he told the assembled journalists. “Somebody had to do it, so I’m taking on China on trade. And you know what? We’re winning.”

Joe Sommerlad reports:

Trump accuses China of the ‘rape of America’

Fox News host mocked for fawning over Trump

Monday 24 April 2023 17:15 , Ariana Baio

Fox News’ host Mark Levin has been mocked for fawning over Donald Trump during a sit-down interview to promote the former president’s new $100 book.

In the interview which aired on Sunday night, Mr Levin showered Mr Trump in compliments, calling him “remarkable” and saying that talking to him is the “most impressive conversation I’ve had”.

“Let me just say this, Mr President. I’ve talked to a lot of important people: Supreme Court justices, presidents, presidential candidates, brilliant people,” he said.

Mr Trump sat down with the Fox News host to promote his new book “Letters to Trump” – a collection of private letters sent to him by world leaders and famous figures, including a letter from King Charles which is set to be published without Buckingham Palace’s permission.

Breaking: Tucker Carlson and Fox News ‘part ways’ days after network settles major defamation suit

Monday 24 April 2023 16:41 , Ariana Baio

Fox News says it has agreed to part ways with its top-rating host Tucker Carlson days after the network agreed to pay $787.5m to settle a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems.

The network said in a statement to Axios that Mr Carlson’s last show was Friday.

Most Americans don’t want Trump or Biden to run again

Monday 24 April 2023 16:30 , Ariana Baio

The idea of another 2020 presidential election does not sit well with most Americans apparently.

A recent poll from Hart Research found that a majority of Americans would prefer neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden run for president in 2024.

According to the poll, commissioned by NBC News, 70 per cent of Americans, said Mr Biden should not run for another term while 60 per cent said Mr Trump should step aside as well.

Of the respondents who do not want Mr Biden seeking a second term, 48 per cent said the President’s age is a “major” factor in their desire to see him step aside.

But even the Democrats who would prefer other options said they will stand behind Mr Biden. 88 per cent of Democratic respondents said they would “definitely” or “probably” vote to re-elect Mr Biden.

Andrew Feinberg reports:

Most Americans don’t want Trump or Biden to run again, poll finds

Trump offers fans a slice of pizza - after taking a massive bite out of it

Monday 24 April 2023 16:00 , Ariana Baio

Donald Trump offered supporters a bite of his partially-eaten pizza as he visited a Florida restaurant after giving a speech.

Video from the former president’s trip to Downtown House of Pizza in Fort Myers on Friday night showed him biting a slice before asking, “Does anybody want a piece that I’ve eaten?”

Graeme Massie reports:

Trump offers fans a slice of pizza - after taking a massive bite out of it

Jury to hear closing arguments in Proud Boys leaders' trial

Monday 24 April 2023 15:30 , Ariana Baio

A federal jury in Washington DC is scheduled to begin hearing closing arguments in the case against the former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio and four lieutenants.

Prosecutors and defense lawyers set to make their final appeals to jurors before they decide the fate of the extremist group’s leaders, charged with plotting to use force to keep then-President Donald Trump in power.

Mr Tarrio is one of the top targets of the Justice Department’s investigation of the riot that erupted at the Capitol on 6 January 2021, as Congress prepared to certify Joe Biden’s presidential election victory over Trump.

Although Mr Tarrio wasn’t in DC that day, he is accused of orchestrating an attack from afar.

The Independent reports:

Jury to hear closing arguments in Proud Boys leaders' trial

Ron DeSantis responds to questions about his polling

Monday 24 April 2023 15:00 , Ariana Baio

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis responded to questions about falling behind former president Donald Trump in polling about the 2024 presidential candidates.

“Governor the polls show you falling behind Trump. Any thoughts on that?” A reporter asked Mr DeSantis.

For months, rumours have been spreading that the Florida governor will run for president and challenge Mr Trump. Recently, Mr Trump has launched several attacks on Mr DeSantis to undermine his credibility.

Mr DeSantis responded wide-eyed, “I am not a candidate so we’ll see if it when that changes.

Trump to publish letters from King Charles

Monday 24 April 2023 14:30 , Ariana Baio

Donald Trump will be releasing a new book of letters that share his correspondence with other world leaders, public figures and celebrities, including King Charles.

The book called Letters to Trump will feature a letter from King Charles written in the 1990s when he was Prince of Wales.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the letter is from King Charles thanking Mr Trump for offering him an honorary membership to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

It will apparently be published without consent from Buckingham Palace.

Matt Mathers reports:

Trump to publish King Charles letters without permission

Trump trolls DeSantis by claiming he is going to Walter Reed for an ‘emergency personality transplant’

Monday 24 April 2023 14:00 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump continues to troll Ron DeDSantis by claiming the Florida governor is being sent to Walter Reed Army Medical Center for an “emergency personality transplant”.

The former president took to Truth Social on Sunday night for his latest attack on the man believed to be his biggest Republican threat in the 2024 presidential race.

Calling him by his favourite nickname of “Ron DeSanctimonious”, Mr Trump once again took credit for “put[-ting]” Mr DeSantis in his current position as governor of Florida.

Read the full story here:

Trump claims DeSantis is going to Walter Reed for ‘emergency personality transplant’

Trump claims Nixon is like him – only without the support of ‘great Jim Jordan’

Monday 24 April 2023 13:30 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump has claimed that former president Richard Nixon is like him – only without the support of “great Jim Jordan”.

The former president compared his own impeachment and ongoing legal battles to the former president when he faced the Watergate scandal in the 1970s, claiming that Mr Nixon’s “biggest regret” was that he “didn’t fight” the scandal.

“I’ll never forget: when that happened, we had such great support. Nixon had no support. You know, he just didn’t have support,” he said.

“He was very, very tough with people. I get along with people. I mean, I have great Jim Jordan and all these congressmen are great. They’re really incredible people.”

He continued: “Nixon didn’t get along with the people in Congress. He didn’t get along with the senators. But the fact is, we have some great people in the Republican Party, but I get along with them, and they stuck together.”

A timeline of Trump’s marriages and sexual assault allegations ahead of E Jean Carroll trial

Monday 24 April 2023 13:00 , Rachel Sharp

Prior to his marriage to Melania Trump, Donald Trump was married two other times, with the media mogul marrying his first wife, Ivana, in 1977.

The real estate mogul and former president would then go on to marry his second wife, Marla Maples, in 1993, after the pair were rumoured to have engaged in an affair during his first marriage.

In 1998, Donald met his current wife, Melania, with the pair going on to tie the knot in 2005. However, throughout his three marriages, the 76-year-old is said to have engaged in a number of rumoured affairs, while he has also faced numerous sexual misconduct accusations.

Read a timeline about Trump’s marriages and sexual assault allegations ahead of E Jean Carroll trial:

A timeline of Trump’s marriages and sexual assault allegations

Texas pastor takes on Trump as he becomes latest Republican presidential candidate

Monday 24 April 2023 12:30 , Rachel Sharp

A Texas pastor is taking on Donald Trump as he becomes the latest Republican to announce a 2024 White House bid.

Ryan Binkley, a businessman and pastor who cofounded a church, announced that he is entering the race to become the next president.

“Texas is a Red state, it’s a Republican state, but yet the message that we carried as the Republican Party wasn’t enough to win Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin,” he said, according to The Dallas Morning News.

“So we need to have our message be a little more clear and reach all the segments of our society, and I think we can do that.”

Who is E Jean Carroll? The advice columnist, author and TV talkshow host taking on Donald Trump

Monday 24 April 2023 12:00 , Rachel Sharp

E Jean Carroll has been a trailblazing figure of New York’s journalism, entertainment and literary scenes for decades.

Born in Detroit and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the one-time Miss Indiana University beauty queen began pitching her ideas to magazines at the age of 12.

After graduating from college, she got her breakthrough by landing her first published article in Esquire, a “witty literary quiz she concocted” about Ernest Hemingway and F Scott Fitzgerald.

The Independent’s Bevan Hurley reports on the woman taking Trump to trial this week:

E Jean Carroll: The author and TV talkshow host who took on Donald Trump

Fox News host fawns over Trump: 'The best conversation I've ever had'

Monday 24 April 2023 11:30 , Rachel Sharp

Fox News’ host Mark Levin fawned over Donald Trump in his interview on Sunday night.

In the interview plugging the former president’s new book, Mr Levin showered Mr Trump in compliments claiming talking to him is the “most impressive conversation I’ve had”.

“Let me just say this, Mr President. I’ve talked to a lot of important people: Supreme Court justices, presidents, presidential candidates, brilliant people,” he said Levin.

“And talking with you is really the most impressive conversation I’ve had.”

He continued to gush: “Number one, there’s very few people who could sit there and speak the way you do from subject to subject to subject to subject. If people would let you speak and actually listen to you.

“While you have the enormous pressure on your shoulders of these grand juries and other things going on and you still are able to do it. That is absolutely remarkable.”

Trump accuses China of the ‘rape of America'

Monday 24 April 2023 11:00 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump accused China of “the rape of America” during a Fox News interview plugging his new $100 book – days before the start of his civil rape trial against E Jean Carroll.

The former president told Mark Levin that he was “very close to” President Xi Jinping – but got “one of the best trade deals” from China.

“I was stopping the rampage. It was the rape of America… that’s what it was,” he said.

What are the allegations at the centre of E Jean Carroll’s rape trial?

Monday 24 April 2023 10:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The encounter, as recalled by E Jean Carroll, was friendly at first.

Ms Carroll, then a magazine feature writer and TV host, bumped into Donald Trump in the upmarket New York department store Bergdorf Goodman.

As Ms Carroll wrote in her 2019 memoir What Do We Need Men For?, he recognised her as “that advice lady”. She knew him as “that real-estate tycoon”.

Mr Trump supposedly told her that he was there to buy a gift for “a girl”, and asked for help choosing an appropriate item.

She placed the incident in either late 1995 or early 1996, when the future president was married to Marla Maples.

Bevan Hurley has more.

What are the allegations at the centre of E Jean Carroll’s rape trial against Trump?

When is E Jean Carroll rape and defamation trial against Trump?

Monday 24 April 2023 10:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Donald Trump faces the latest of his numerous legal woes when goes on trial accused of raping and defaming E Jean Carroll in New York on 25 April.

Mr Trump is accused of sexually assaulting Ms Carroll, an author and former magazine columnist, in the dressing room of a Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan sometime in 1995 or 1996.

Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president in 2019 and again in 2022 alleging in separate civil lawsuits for defamation and battery, and is seeking unspecified damages.

Bevan Hurley reports.

When is the E Jean Carroll rape and defamation trial against Donald Trump?

AOC says Marjorie Taylor Greene is the real House GOP leader

Monday 24 April 2023 09:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez declared Marjorie Taylor Greene the real leader of the House Republican caucus as she painted Kevin McCarthy as a puppet.

The New York congresswoman sat down with former White House press secretary Jen Psaki on her MSNBC programme on Sunday morning.

Asked whether she thinks Mr McCarthy is “actually running” the House Republican caucus, Ms Ocasio-Cortez did not mince her words.

“He’s not,” she said. “I think you’ve got Marjorie Taylor Greene running the caucus.

“I mean, and she makes very common public statements to that effect. Every time something irks her, she communicates that McCarthy is doing her bidding. And I think that this is something that is quite clear.”

Read more:

AOC says Marjorie Taylor Greene is pulling Kevin McCarthy’s strings

Mike Pence makes excuses for shootings of Ralph Yarl and Kaylin Gillis

Monday 24 April 2023 09:00 , Io Dodds

Former US vice president Mike Pence has declined to condemn a spate of recent gun attacks on innocent bystanders, suggesting they were a consequence of rising crime rates.

In an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation programme on Sunday, Mr Pence said the shooting of unarmed civilians by legal firearm owners should not require Americans to forfeit their gun rights.

The interviewer appeared to be referencing three recent incidents in which people who approached the wrong house or car were fired upon by the occupant, despite posing no threat.

Kaylin Gillis, 20, was shot dead in rural New York after pulling into the wrong driveway, while Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager in Missouri, survived being shot by a white homeowner because he rang the wrong doorbell. Two cheerleaders in Texas were also shot when one of them mistakenly tried to enter the wrong car in a parking lot.

Asked what could be done to stem the fear and violence, Mr Pence said: “Well, our- our hearts go out to the families of lost loved ones in the incidents in- in Kansas City, and in upstate New York. I just can’t imagine the pain that they’re enduring in that tragedy.”

“But,” he continued, “tragedy should not require us to forfeit our liberty. And the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms is enshrined in the Constitution of the United States.

“I don’t know the facts of those cases, I’m confident that local law enforcement will move forward and apply the law in a proper way. But I can’t help but suspect that this recent spate of tragedies is evidence of the fear that so many Americans are feeling about the crime wave besetting this country.”

Read more:

Mike Pence makes excuses for shootings of Ralph Yarl and Kaylin Gillis

Trump touts edited video of Michael Moore satirically praising him

Monday 24 April 2023 08:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Donald Trump is once again touting a supposed endorsement by left-wing filmmaker Michael Moore – without mentioning that the video is satirical.

The former president posted a clip from Mr Moore’s 2016 documentary Michael Moore in TrumpLand on his Truth Social website on Saturday. The clip was deceptively edited to cut off the portions where Mr Moore criticises him.

In the video, the firebrand documentarian predicts Mr Trump will surf to victory in the 2016 presidential election on a tide of popular fury against American elites, but that those who voted for him will soon regret it.

Io Dodds reports.

Donald Trump touts deceptively edited video of Michael Moore satirically praising him

Trump says US is in the ‘most dangerous place it has ever been’

Monday 24 April 2023 08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Former president Donald Trump said the US is in the most dangerous place it has ever been because of the leadership.

“We are at, in my opinion, because of the power of weaponry, mostly nuclear but other things also, we are in the most dangerous position that we have ever been in as a nation,” he told Fox News.

He continued: “We have a leader that doesn’t know what is going on.“This country might not exist, we may not exist anymore. ... it is a very scary time for the country because of the leadership.”

Trump compares himself to Nixon

Monday 24 April 2023 07:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Donald Trump compared himself to Richard Nixon, suggesting that he is his “own worst enemy” much like the disgraced Republican.

“He was a very tough guy, he was, I guess some people would say this about me too, he was his own worst enemy,” Mr Trump said in an interview with Mark Levin.

“I could say that a little bit about myself. Much less so than people think I would say.”

Mr Trump, however, added that he has support in Congress and within his Republican party which president Nixon lacked.

“I’ll never forget: when that happened, we had such great support. Nixon had no support.

“You know, he just didn’t have support. He was very, very tough with people. I get along with people. I mean, I have great Jim Jordan and all these congressmen are great. They’re really incredible people,” Mr Trump continued.

“Nixon didn’t get along with the people in Congress. He didn’t get along with the senators. But the fact is, we have some great people in the Republican Party, but I get along with them, and they stuck together.”

GOP presidential candidates upstaged by Trump video at Iowa event

Monday 24 April 2023 07:00 , Megan Sheets

Donald Trump’s pre-recorded video appearance at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition event on Saturday night upstaged GOP presidential candidates who actually showed up in person, according to the New York Times.

Eight candidates vying for the Republican nomination turned out for the event, including former vice president Mike Pence, radio personality Larry Elder, former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.

But it was Mr Trump’s poorly taped remarks - with audio and video mismatched - that drew the most raucous applause at the end of the night, the Times reported.

Read more here.

Trump says Putin got ‘a little more ambition’ after US Afghanistan withdrawal

Monday 24 April 2023 06:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Donald Trump has suggested that Russian president Vladimir Putin got “a little more ambition” after Washington’s hasty and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

“I think it was the most embarrassing period, the way we withdrew – not the fact that we withdrew – the way we withdrew from Afghanistan,” he told Fox News host Mark Levin in an interview that aired last night.

“And I think Putin actually saw that and he probably got a little more ambition, frankly.”

Mr Trump suggested that General Mark Milley, the joint chief of staff, should be “court-martialed” over the withdrawal.

“When I was gone, they did the withdrawal. Milley should be court-martialed. They did a withdrawal … where the soldiers came out first. If you asked a five-year-old child [for] strategy, the soldiers come out last,” Mr Trump said.

Trump to publish letter from King Charles without permission - report

Monday 24 April 2023 06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Donald Trump has included a personal letter from King Charles III in his new book without the monarch’s permission, according to a report.

The letter, which was written in 1995 when the King was Prince of Wales, thanks Mr Trump for offering honorary membership to the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, The Telegraph reported.

It wishes Mr Trump success in his new private members’ club, which the former president opened after purchasing the mansion.

In another letter sent days before her death, Diana, Princess of Wales thanked “Donald” for the flowers he sent her on her birthday.

“They truly are quite magnificent, and I am deeply touched that you have thought of me in this special way,” she reportedly wrote in the letter dated 3 July 1997.

Donald Trump is releasing a new book

Monday 24 April 2023 05:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Former president Donald Trump is releasing a new book featuring 150 private letters sent to him by politicians, royals and celebrities.

The list of names reportedly includes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, media mogul Oprah Winfrey and King Charles III of England.

Titled “Letters to Trump” the book captures “the incredible, and oftentimes private correspondence, between president Donald J Trump and some of the biggest names in history,” according to the book’s publisher Winning Team.

Trump says he used to exchange letters with Clinton

Monday 24 April 2023 04:50 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Donald Trump has claimed that he used to share a cordial relationship with his political rival Hillary Clinton and her husband former president Bill Clinton.

The 45th president said that he used to frequently exchange letters with Mr Clinton. “They came to my wedding,” Mr Trump told Fox News host Mark Levin in an interview that aired Sunday night.

The Republican leader said Mr Clinton used to play regularly at Trump National Golf Club Westchester.

“He loved that course. He was there a lot. He just loved it. He loves playing golf, and he was... better [at golf] than people think… He’s got a certain athleticism, actually,” he added.

Mr Trump claimed that it was a missed opportunity to not use Mr Clinton’spolitical acumen “when I went against Hillary” in the 2016 presidential elections.

“I think that they had this unbelievable weapon known as Bill Clinton, who was a natural politician.”

Mr Trump added that Ms Clinton had declined to visit Wisconsin during the 2016 race, purportedly considering it in-the-bag for her column.

When does the rape and defamation case against Trump begin?

Monday 24 April 2023 04:00 , Ariana Baio

Former president Donald Trump will face the latest in his string of legal woes this week when E Jean Carroll’s case against him begins.

The case is expected to begin on 25 April in New York.

Ms Carroll, a columnist and author, is suing the former president for defamation and battery.

She alleges that Mr Trump sexually assaulted her in the dressing room of a department store in the 1990s. After going public with the accusations in her book in 2019, Mr Trump denied them and said he had “never met” Ms Carroll nor was she his “type.”

Bevan Hurley reports:

When is the E Jean Carroll rape and defamation trial against Donald Trump?

Trump touts his efforts to restrict abortion rights after attack from pro-life group

Monday 24 April 2023 01:00 , Associated Press

Donald Trump, stinging from a rebuke by the nation’s leading anti-abortion group, used a speech Saturday before influential evangelicals in Iowa to spotlight his actions as president to try to restrict abortion rights.

Chief among the accomplishments Mr Trump listed were his nominations of three conservative judges to the US Supreme Court. The appointments paved the way for the overturning last year of the landmark Roe v Wade ruling, which had affirmed a federal right to abortion.

“Those justices delivered a landmark victory for protecting innocent life. Nobody thought it was going to happen,” Mr Trump said, appearing via video to a gathering of the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition. “They thought it would be another 50 years. Because Republicans had been trying to do it for exactly that period of time, 50 years.”

Mr Trump has often avoided talking about abortion as he campaigns again for the White House, sidestepping the issue less than a year after the court overturned Roe.

But his position that abortion restrictions should be left up to the states, not the federal government, drew a sharp rebuke Thursday from the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America group, which called it a “morally indefensible position for a self-proclaimed pro-life presidential candidate.”

Read more from the Associated Press:

Trump touts his efforts to restrict abortion rights after attack from pro-life group

Trump shares doctored Michael Moore ‘endorsement' video

Sunday 23 April 2023 23:30 , Megan Sheets

Donald Trump took to Twitter on Sunday morning to reshare a video of Michael Moore praising him.

It’s unclear whether the former president understood that the video - doctored to appear as though the filmmaker was endorsing him - was actually recorded in 2016, when Mr Moore delivered a satirical endorsement of the then-presidential candidate.

According to the Palmer Report, the original video featured Mr Moore pretending to make a case for Mr Trump before explaining why he would make a terrible president.

Trump vows to ‘bring God back’ in Iowa speech

Sunday 23 April 2023 22:00 , Megan Sheets

Donald Trump leaned into religion in his speech before the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition on Saturday night.

“Under my leadership, we will bring back God to our schools and our public squares and that will happen very quickly,” he said in his pre-recorded address.

Some critics sounding off on social media pointed out the apparent disconnect between Mr Trump’s words and the fact that he is two days away from facing trial against E Jean Carroll, who claims Mr Trump raped her in the 1990s.

Read more about the case from The Independent’s Bevan Hurley:

What are the allegations at the centre of E Jean Carroll’s rape trial against Trump?

68% of Republicans stand behind Trump after indictment, new poll shows

Sunday 23 April 2023 19:00 , Megan Sheets

Nearly 70 per cent of Republican voters say that they still support Donald Trump following his indictment in New York, according to a new poll.

The NBC News poll, conducted between 14 and 18 April, asked voters to pick one of two statements that characterise their view on the various investigations into Mr Trump and the Republican presidential nomination.

The first statement reads: “They are a politically motivated attempt to stop Trump. No other candidate is like him, we must support him.”

The second reads: “It is important to nominate a candidate who will not be distracted and can beat Joe Biden.”

Of 292 Republican voters who responded, 68 per cent picked the first answer and 26 per cent picked the second.

Many Americans ‘exhausted’ by idea of Trump-Biden rematch in 2024, poll shows

Sunday 23 April 2023 17:25 , Megan Sheets

A significant number of Americans do not want to see a Donald Trump - Joe Biden rematch in the 2024 presidential election.

In a new poll from Yahoo News/YouGov, a 38 per cent plurality of respondents said they feel “exhaustion” at the prospect of a rematch.

Other response options included “fear” (29 per cent), “sadness and fear” (23 per cent), “hope” (23 per cent), “pride” (8 per cent) and “gratitude” (7 per cent).

Among Democratic voters, only 43 per cent said they want Mr Biden to be the 2024 nominee, while 39 per cent said they want someone else and 18 per cent said they are not sure.

Among Republicans, 49 per cent said they want Mr Trump to be the nominee, while 39 per cent said they want someone else and 11 per cent said they are not sure.

Asked who they would vote for if the election was held today, 46 per cent of respondents said Mr Biden and 42 per cent said Mr Trump.

New Hampshire governor calls Trump a ‘four-time loser’

Sunday 23 April 2023 16:10 , Megan Sheets

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu gave Donald Trump a blistering new label in discussing the 2024 presidential race: “Four-time loser.”

Mr Sununu made the scathing remark in an appearance on Meet the Press on Sunday.

“Donald Trump is positioning himself to be a four-time loser in 2024,” he said. “We need candidates that can win.”

It comes two months after the Republican confidently predicted that Mr Trump would not win the GOP nomination.

“We’re just moving on as a party as a country,” he said in February. “He’s not going to be the nominee. That’s just not going to happen. Here’s the good news. I’m going to give you the good news. Ready? … you’re dead wrong. He’s not going to be the nominee.”

Trump praises Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade

Sunday 23 April 2023 14:00 , Megan Sheets

Donald Trump applauded the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v Wade in a video address to the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition on Saturday night.

Mr Trump appeared to give himself credit for the ruling last summer - which removed national protections for abortion - by citing the three conservative justices he appointed during his presidency: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

“Those justices delivered a landmark victory for protecting innocent life. Nobody thought it was going to happen,” he said.

The former president said he himself took “historic action to protect the unborn” as he touted his work on behalf of Iowans.

“Together we achieved more for our values than any other administration in the history of our country, and it is not even close,“ he said.

Longtime Trump ally jumps ship for DeSantis

Sunday 23 April 2023 12:00 , Megan Sheets

Adam Laxalt, the former Nevada attorney general and longtime ally of Donald Trump, appears to be throwing his weight behind rival Ron DeSantis in the 2024 race.

Mr Laxalt will help lead the Never Back Down super PAC encouraging Mr DeSantis to take on Mr Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, the PAC announced Saturday.

Mr Laxalt and Mr DeSantis have a long history, having roomed together at the Naval Justice School years back.

But despite their long friendship, the move to support Mr DeSantis will likely anger Mr Trump, whose campaign Mr Laxalt chaired in Nevada in 2020.

Read more from the Associated Press:

Longtime Trump ally Laxalt joins PAC supporting DeSantis

Texts reveal Trump operatives’ plan to use breached Georgia voter data

Sunday 23 April 2023 10:00 , Graeme Massie

Leaked text messages reveal that operatives for Donald Trump allegedly discussed using breached voter data in Georgia to overturn the 2020 presidential election, according to new a report.

Two men working for the former president in January 2021 also allegedly talked about the possibility of the data being used in an attempt to decertify the state’s pivotal Senate runoffs, according to CNN.

Republicans lost control of the US Senate to the Democrats when Jon Ossoff beat Republican David Perdue, which left the upper chamber of Congress tied at 50 votes each giving vice president Kamala Harris the vote to break all ties.

The news network reports that the messages were exchanged two weeks after the operatives allegedly breached the voting machine in Georgia’s Coffee County.

“Here’s the plan. Let’s keep this close hold,” wrote Jim Penrose, a former NSA official working with Trump lawyer Sidney Powell to access voting machines in Georgia, CNN reports.

Read more:

Texts reveal Trump operatives’ plan to use breached Georgia voter data

Who is E Jean Carroll, the woman suing Donald Trump?

Sunday 23 April 2023 07:00 , Ariana Baio

E Jean Carroll released a memoir in 2019 which contained a list of men she encountered and a bombshell accusation: that she had been raped by the then-president of the United States 30 years earlier.

Not only did the accusation skyrocket her to mainstream media fame, but it sparked several civil lawsuits against Donald Trump.

Next week, Ms Carroll will take on Mr Trump’s attorneys representing him for defamation and rape.

But who is the pioneering advice columnist, author and TV talk show host who took on Mr Trump?

Bevan Hurley reports:

E Jean Carroll: The author and TV talkshow host who took on Donald Trump

Trump to follow in Biden’s footsteps with Ireland visit

Sunday 23 April 2023 03:00 , Megan Sheets

Former president Donald Trump is to visit Ireland next month - just weeks after his successor Joe Biden took part in a four-day visit to the island.

Mr Trump has owned the Trump International Hotel & Golf Links on the outskirts of Doonbeg in Co Clare since 2014.

It has been indicated the resort expects the 76-year-old to land at Shannon Airport on May 3 for a stay. The last time the former president visited Ireland in 2019 he was still in office.

There were some protests during that visit, but Mr Trump and his sons Eric and Donald junior also received a warm welcome in Doonbeg.

Read more:

Donald Trump to follow in Joe Biden’s footsteps and visit Ireland next month

New wave of GOP candidates look to take on Trump and DeSantis

Sunday 23 April 2023 01:00 , Associated Press

The opening phase of the Republican presidential primary has largely centered on former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ‘ escalating collision.

But a new wave of GOP White House hopefuls will begin entering the race as soon as next week following a months’-long lull. They include former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who will formally launch his campaign Wednesday.

Former Vice President Mike Pence has said he will finalize his plans in “weeks, not months.” He has kept a busy schedule of early state visits and policy speeches as aides have discussed details of an announcement including dates as early as May, but more likely in June. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who has formed a presidential exploratory committee, is expected to join the race in a similar time frame.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, meanwhile, has been meeting with former aides and returned to New Hampshire this week, where he told the first-in-the-nation primary state that, “Tonight is the beginning of the case against Donald Trump.” He has said he will make a decision “in the next couple of weeks.”

The contenders will enter the race at a critical moment as DeSantis, who hasn’t officially announced a campaign, has struggled to live up to sky-high expectations among some early backers.

Read more from the Associated Press:

New wave of GOP candidates to challenge Trump, DeSantis

Trump offers fans a slice of pizza - after taking a massive bite out of it

Saturday 22 April 2023 23:00 , Megan Sheets

Donald Trump offered supporters a bite of his left-over pizza as he visited a Florida restaurant after giving a speech.

Video from the former president’s trip to Downtown House of Pizza in Fort Myers on Friday night showed him biting a slice before asking, “Does anybody want a piece that I’ve eaten?”

No one took him up on the offer as the enthused crowd chanted: “Trump! Trump! Trump!”

Viewers sounding off on social media expressed their horror at the idea of sharing a half-eaten slice.

The Independent’s Graeme Massie reports:

Trump offers fans a slice of pizza - after taking a massive bite out of it