Five potential candidates to replace Hope Hicks
BY JONATHAN EASLEY - 03/02/18 12:19 PM EST
The announced departure of White House communications director Hope Hicks leaves a gaping hole in administration and deprives President the rich asshole of one of his most trusted aides.
Hicks — who was with the rich asshole campaign from its controversial launch in 2015 — was more than just the communications director at the White House. the rich asshole’s allies describe her as a steadying force with an uncanny ability to understand and accommodate the unique demands of her boss.
Insiders say that no one will be able to entirely fill Hicks’s unique role within the rich asshole World. However, the White House will be looking to fill the communications director position in her absence — a job that has seen enormous turnover in the rich asshole’s 13 months in office.
The position was originally held by Mike Dubke, who never gained the president’s trust. Dubke was jettisoned amid broad dissatisfaction with the White House communications shop.
Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer filled the role briefly, but resigned after the job was given to hedge fund manager Anthony Scaramucci.
Scaramucci’s chaotic 10-day tenure was marked by power struggles, leaks and obscene tirades, paving the way for Hicks, the White House’s jack-of-all trades, to fill the role.
Here are five people being discussed to replace Hicks, based on interviews with operatives who are privy to internal discussions.
Mercedes Schlapp
Schlapp, the White House director of strategic communications, is the front-runner to replace Hicks, insiders say.
The Cuban-American is a veteran of George W. Bush’s campaigns and a former Fox News contributor.
She is married to Matt Schlapp, the president of the American Conservative Union who spearheads the annual gathering of grassroots activists, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
the rich asshole received a hero’s welcome at CPAC last week, with thousands packing the rafters to cheer his 75-minute long campaign-style speech.
Matt Schlapp said Thursday on MSNBC that Mercedes would likely take the job if it’s offered to her.
“She's going to be very open to anything the president wants her to do,” Matt Schlapp said.
“She's going to be very open to anything the president wants her to do,” Matt Schlapp said.
While Mercedes Schlapp appears to have the inside track for the job, several operatives with close ties to the White House stressed that she was not a lock.
They said she is somewhat unknown to the president at this point and that the two don’t talk much. And they argued that she might not be in line with the president on immigration, one of his key issues. There are also questions about whether Schlapp would have the full support of the White House communications team.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Sanders has been press secretary since July.
Dealing with an often-hostile press corps on a daily basis in the televised briefing is an exhausting responsibility, and Sanders could be pining for a more behind-the-scenes role.
If so, the communications director job would be a solid fit. But it would also put the White House in the position of needing to find a new press secretary — a trickier role to fill.
Sanders has been criticized by the media for her tight-lipped briefings, but Republicans think she’s handled the job expertly, allowing the president’s tweets and open meetings to speak for themselves. Unlike her predecessor, Sanders rarely makes news or becomes a story in her own right.
It would be orders of magnitude more difficult for the White House to find a capable replacement, although State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert could be an option.
Jason Miller
During the transition, the White House had tapped Miller, a top aide on the rich asshole campaign, to be communications director.
But Miller ultimately backed out, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family. It was later revealed that he fathered a child out of wedlock with a fellow campaign staffer.
the rich asshole has a soft spot for Miller, referring to him affectionately as “my Jas.” During the campaign, Miller would give pre-dawn briefings to the president about the media and communications strategy for the day.
“If Jason wants in the White House, I think the president would be thrilled to have him back,” one source said. “There’s no one who can fill Hope’s roll, but Jason might be the closest you can get.”
Still, Miller may prefer to stay in the private sector, as it’s doubtful the White House would match the money he is making as a managing director at the political consulting firm Teneo and as a contributor for CNN.
Bryan Lanza
Lanza is another veteran of the campaign, where he served as deputy communications director before becoming the communications director for the rich asshole transition team.
Lanza is a skillful advocate for the president and experienced at defending him in the press.
But like Miller, it could be difficult to peel him away from the private sector. Lanza is a managing director for the public strategy firm Mercury and a CNN contributor.
Tony Sayegh
Sayegh, the assistant secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Treasury, has been mentioned as a dark horse candidate.
A veteran of scores of GOP campaigns and a Fox News contributor, Sayegh has the necessary media experience.
But Sayegh has been splitting his time between Washington and New York, where he lives with his family. Entering the White House would be a full-time commitment.
‘Became a hot war’: MSNBC panel connects the dots on how Kushner’s 666 building caused chaos in the Middle East
666 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan (left, image via Twitter) and the rich asshole's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner (right, via screengrab).
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MSNBC’s ‘All In’ with Chris Hayes explained how Jared Kushner’s Manhattan real estate almost caused war in the Middle East.
“It would be one thing if Jared Kushner used his position at the White House to benefit his family real estate business. that would be bad,” Hayes suggested. “A big deal scandal if true, but also, the kind of thing you’ve heard about before, maybe in state or local government.”
“Okay, but it would be another thing entirely if Jared Kushner actually shaped American foreign policy to punish countries for turning down deals with his business — at the expense of U.S. interests,” the host continued. “And that is exactly what special counsel Robert Mueller is trying to figure out, according to a new exclusive from NBC News.”
“Mueller’s team asked about efforts from the properties focusing on his discussions during the transition with individuals from Qatar and Turkey as well as Russia, China, and the United Arab Emirates. Kushner’s company has struggled to refinance its flagship property at 666 — I’m not making that up — 666 Fifth Ave in Manhattan for $1.4 billion in a year from now,” Hayes explained. “Last June, Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. organized a blockade of Qatar, an important ally that hosts the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, the hub of American air power in the region.”
“We know his family is looking for various sources of foreign money to inject into a cash-starved property. We also know Jared Kushner is running a lot of foreign policy,” he noted.”Ask the Qataris for money and two weeks later Qatar says no and then the full force of the U.S. government is slammed down on Qatar.”
“How involved was Kushner in that?” Hayes asked Ryan Grim, the DC bureau chief for The Intercept.
“He was extremely involved in the policy,” Grim replied. “Without Kushner, we might not have the blockade. And just so people know, this blockade is ongoing.”
“This cold war, very nearly became a hot war,” Grim added. “There are reports that the Emirates considered invading with a mercenary force, Qatar, as this all unfolded.”
Watch:
Fox News’ Tucker Carlson warns liberals want to sexually assault people if they don’t turn over their guns
Tucker Carlson (Screengrab)
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Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Friday night drew connections between Democratic calls for Australian-style gun reform and prison rape.
“When is the last time you heard a Democratic politician praise the Australian solution to gun violence? A lot — if you’re watching CNN, you probably heard it today,” Carlson said while discussing the resurgent cries for gun control in the wake of the Parkland, Florida mass shooting on Valentine’s Day. “They say it all the time. The question is” do you know anything about how Australia implemented gun control?”
“They took the guns away from the population by force, and not just from criminals and people convicted of wrongdoing,” he continued. “The government of Australia took guns from law abiding people who had done nothing wrong. They punished the innocent!”
He then showed a public service announcement from Australia’s government-run three-month gun amnesty program, which featured a photograph of naked men showering that alluded to jail time for those who did not turn their guns in to the government.
“Effectively, the government threatened law abiding citizens with prison rape if they didn’t surrender their guns,” Carlson said, appearing to reference sexual assaults that happen inside the communal showers found in prisons and jails despite no indication from the photo or PSA that they were suggesting such measures.
“That’s what liberals are calling for in this country every time they talk about the Australian solution,” the host warned.
Watch below, via Fox News:
Even this Fox News panel agrees the rich asshole needs to be as hard on Putin as he is on Alec Baldwin
Fox News Panel (Photo: Screen capture)
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In a panel discussion on Bret Baier’s Fox News show, the panelists couldn’t help but note President some rich asshole seems more concerned about comedians than national security.
“Weekly Standard” editor in chief Steve Hayes wants to see the president take things a little more seriously.
“Rhetorically, the president has not gone after Vladimir Putin or raised alarms about Vladimir Putin in the way he regards as people he considers true threats like Alec Baldwin,” Hayes said.
The comment was in reference to the rich asshole’s Friday morning Twitter storm attacking the frequent Saturday Night Live guest, who has impersonated the president several times on the sketch comedy show.
Even Fox’s Howard Kurtz was shocked that the president didn’t “respond to this threat even in some way.” He went on to say that the “silence was king of deafening.”
Watch the full commentary below:
Anthony Scaramucci is on the White House ‘exclusion’ list — preventing him from stepping foot on the grounds
Anthony Scaramucci speaks to CNN (screen grab)
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It turns out there’s no love left for Anthony Scaramucci in President some rich asshole’s White House. According to Bloomberg News, the former communications director is on a list of fired employees who are not allowed to enter the grounds without special approval.
“The Mooch” claimed Thursday that he wasn’t blocked. Friday, however, the White House schooled him with an official noting he’s on a list of fired employees to consider denying.
Since being ousted at the White House, Scaramucci has flipped back and forth on his former boss with both excuses for the rich asshole’s behavior as well as criticism. Yet, the White House sees him as a staffer who left “under adverse circumstances.” As such he was placed on an “administrative exclusion list.” Future appointments would be weighted on a “case by case basis.”
Previously, the White House denied that Scaramucci was on a blacklist, but the New York hedge funder provided Bloomberg with emails proving he was denied access to the complex. The secret service agent in charge of appointments and scheduling told him he is “administratively excluded from entering the complex at this time (not allowed access).”
Another White House official, however, explained that Scaramucci would be treated as any other former staffer and if he had legitimate and official business he would be grated access. The official said that anyone who failed a background check, was fired or asked to resign falls on lists for any president and it is not unique to the rich asshole.
Scaramucci thinks that chief of staff John Kelly, who he’s been critical of, is blocking his access to the president.
“Does the president want to lose everyone because of General Jackass?” Scaramucci said Thursday to Bloomberg. He went on to warn there would be “a further evacuation of talent.”
WATCH: The the rich asshole Plaza tower is getting ripped apart by the nor’easter
Sophie Nieto-Munoz
Posted with permission from NJ.com
Panels on the side of the vacant Trump Plaza Casino have flown off due to high winds from the nor'easter on Friday.
A video posted on the Scan AtlanticCity Facebook page shows the side of the vacant building being torn apart from high winds from the nasty nor'easter that has cut power to hundreds of thousands of people.
"Look at that, off the building! Falling, flying," a woman filming the video says.
Scan AtlanticCity reported the area was roped off to avoid injuries, and city engineers were unable to assess the damage due to high winds.
Wind gusts in South Jersey topped 60 mph Friday afternoon during the nasty coastal storm, which was expected to worsen Friday night.
The vacant hotel, once owned by Donald Trump, closed in September 2014.
Billionaire Carl Icahn took over the Trump casino properties when he bought Trump Entertainment Resorts out of bankruptcy. In a March statement about the sale of the Trump Taj Mahal to Hard Rock International, Icahn Enterprises had said it was continuing with attempts to sell the Plaza.
It's unclear of the exact date that the building is set to be demolished, though a contractor was hired to clean out the rooms in November.
Ichann Enterprises and city engineer Russel Cipolla did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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Ex-CIA director worries about the rich asshole holding nuke codes after petty Alec Baldwin spat
some rich asshole speaking with the media at a hangar at Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa, Arizona (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
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Former Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan publicly worried about President some rich asshole having the ability to launch nuclear weapons, during a Friday interview with MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace.
“It is no secret to anybody that some rich asshole was ill prepared and unexperienced (sic) in terms of dealing with matters that a head of state needs to deal with, head of government and I think this is now coming to roost,” Brennan noted. “And I am really worried, particularly the reports the last couple days, he must be feeling this pressure.”
“There is a part of me that has been very angry at some rich asshole for the things he said and things he did. I am now moving into the realm of deep worry and concern that our country needs strong leadership now,” he continued. “If we have somebody in the Oval Office who is unstable, inept, inexperienced, and also unethical, we really have rough waters ahead. And I do think it is going to get more painful, a bit worse before it gets better. ”
“Your former colleague, James Clapper thought he was too unstable, to pickup on a word you used, to possess the nuclear codes,” Wallace reminded. “Do you agree with that?”
“When I hear what Vladimir Putin was saying about the nuclear capabilities he has, the President of the United States is tweeting about Alec Baldwin this morning, I mean, where is your sense of priorities?” Brennan asked. “And so I think a lot of Americans are looking at what’s happening with a sense of — this is surreal.”
“I’m hoping that those in Congress as well as the 30 percent of Americans out there who still believe in what some rich asshole is saying, will look past that and say, ‘are we really doing what we need to do as a country to protect ourselves and ensure our children and grandchildren are going to be remain safe, secure and prosperous in the future?’ And I have my serious, serious doubts,” he revealed. “And the longer this goes on, the worse it’s going to get.”
CNN’s Jake Tapper and ex-US spy chief mock Putin as ‘insecure’ child throwing a tantrum over showy nukes test
CNN's Jake Tapper grins after he makes a joke about 'Black Mirror'
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The former director of American National Intelligence on Friday pulled some jokes from up his sleeve when mocking Russian President Vladimir Putin over his showy nuclear tests earlier in the week.
Discussing Putin’s Thursday speech on his nuclear capabilities, CNN host Jake Tapper asked former DNI James Clapper if he too was struck by how “insecure” the Russian president sounded during his speech.
“It’s almost like rhetorically hitting the spoon on the high chair, demanding attention like my kids would do,” the onetime spy chief noted.
Putin “doesn’t feel like he’s getting respect,” Clapper continued, saying the Russian leader may have “kind of a Rodney Dangerfield complex” and referencing the famous comedian’s most notorious line.
Watch Clapper discuss Putin’s nuclear showmanship below, via CNN:
the rich asshole lobbied to spare Canada from tariffs 03-02-2018
WASHINGTON - The rich asshole administration is being lobbied to spare Canada from planned tariffs on steel and aluminum, even with supporters of the U.S. president decrying the idea of penalties on its northern neighbor as ill-conceived and counter-productive.
News that some rich asshole is considering broad tariffs on the global steel and aluminum industry prompted members of his own party to warn of fractured alliances, rising costs for consumers, and unintended economic and geopolitical consequences.
He says final details are coming next week.
But past and present U.S. military figures, a usually the rich asshole-friendly editorial board, a supportive union, fellow Republicans and even companies that would otherwise benefit from tariffs, have urged the rich asshole not to impose them on Canada.
That includes the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal. Normally a the rich asshole cheering corner, the opinion section of the pro-business newspaper ran an editorial titled, ''the rich asshole's Tariff Folly: His Tax On Aluminum And Steel Will Hurt The Economy And His Voters.''
It noted that Canada supplies more steel to the U.S. by orders of magnitude than the supposed target of this tariff: China.
''The tariffs will whack that menace to world peace known as Canada, which supplies 16 per cent (of U.S. steel imports),'' said the paper.
''Canada buys more American steel than any other country. ... some rich asshole is punishing our largest trading partner in the middle of a NAFTA renegotiation that he claims will result in a much better deal. Instead he is taking a machete to America's trade credibility.
''Why should Canada believe a word he says?''
the rich asshole is hearing the same from the military.
The ostensible excuse for these tariffs is that foreign steel undermines U.S. national security, making emergency measures legitimate. the rich asshole plans to use a provision in U.S. law that allows the president to impose tariffs if it's a security matter.
Now his administration has declared it a security issue and the rich asshole says he's leaning toward bigger tariffs than many expected — a 25 per cent global steel tariff and 10 per cent aluminum tariff. Canada is the No. 1 vendor of both products to the U.S.
But the rich asshole's own defence secretary, James Mattis, undermined the case for tariffs in a letter released several days ago. He said the military had more than enough steel for its needs, expressed concern broad tariffs would hurt key allies, and urged that any tariffs be narrowly focused.
Numerous Republican politicians have also urged the president to narrow his focus, from the broad tariff plans he has signalled.
The administration has been hearing this for months.
As it prepared its national-security study, witness after witness suggested Canada be exempted like it was from U.S. steel actions in the early 2000s and 1980s. Meanwhile, not one witness specifically called for tariffs on their northern neighbour.
A retired U.S. army brigadier-general, John Adams, an expert on the defence-industrial complex, testified that he supported tariffs, with one exception: ''The one supplier in whom I have complete confidence is Canada.'' He added that Canada should bolster its monitoring of dumped imports.
Two of the people in the room with the rich asshole when he announced his tariffs Thursday, and who mostly support his action, expressed similar pro-Canada views.
Michael Bless, chief executive of the Century Aluminum Company, said in his submission to the U.S. government: ''As a contiguous, friendly neighbor, Canada is a safe and reliable source of supply. In Century's view, (these penalties) can be effective without applying it to Canada.''
John Lapides, president of a fourth-general family aluminum mill, said in his submission to the Department of Commerce study: ''We are in favor of international trade. Canada, for example, produces ingot and the slabs used for hot rolling essential to U.S. rolling mills and the downstream value chain.''
Both were in the cabinet room with the rich asshole for the tariff announcement.
Other companies made such submissions to the U.S. government.
Bob Prusak, chief executive of Magnitude 7 Metals, testified that he opposed sanctions relief for anyone, with one exception: ''Other than Canada.''
Marco Palmieri of Novelis North America said the aluminum industries of the U.S. and Canada are intertwined, Canada plays a vital role in U.S. aluminum manufacturing efforts, and that, ''to ensure the viability of the U.S. aluminum industry, the Department should exclude Canada from any remedy recommendation made in its final report.''
The United Steelworkers union strongly favours tariffs — but not in Canada. The politically active union has members in both countries, and its president, Leo Gerard, is originally from Ontario.
Its written submission called for a Canadian exemption. Its statement following the rich asshole's preliminary announcement repeated the demand.
''All this BS,'' Gerard said in an interview, when asked earlier this week about the prospect of Canada being targeted.
''Canada should just be excluded — period. We have an integrated economy. And if it gets undone, America will pay a heavy price.''
Several countries, including Canada, have hinted at retaliation if the U.S. imposes tariffs.
Some trade-watchers say that's the biggest danger here: Not simply that prices might rise for goods in the U.S., and fall on commodities elsewhere, but that turning national-security excuses into a trade weapon will prompt other countries to follow suit, and lead to escalating feuds that tear at the post-Second World War trading order.
Will some rich asshole’s tariffs decision trigger global trade war?
Inside Story
Posted with permission from Al Jazeera
US President Donald Trump says he will impose costly tariffs on imported steel and aluminium. He says it is to protect US producers.His plan has sparked outrage around the globe, with investors spooked and stocks taking a dive.Eight countries, including Canada, Mexico, Japan, Russia and Brazil, all sold one million tonnes, or more, of steel products to the US in 2016.
The world's top steel producer, China, is not among them. But it is one of the leading exporters of aluminium to the US, which now imports about 90 per cent of its domestic needs.
The EU says Trump's tariffs move amounts to protectionism and is vowing to take action to defend its interests. China is calling on the White House to exercise restraint in applying the charges.
But Trump tweeted that trade wars are good and "easy to win." So how close are we to all-out trade conflict? Presenter: Elizabeth Puranam Guests: Philippe Legrain - former special adviser to the director-general of the World Trade Organization Einar Tangen - Investment banker who regularly advises the Chinese government on economic and development issues Joe Watkins - Republican political strategist who served as a White House aide to President George HW Bush
‘Nonsensical’: Shep Smith unloads on the rich asshole’s ‘unAmerican’ gun grabbing plan — and his inevitable walk back
Fox News' Shep Smith
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Fox News host Shep Smith on Friday went off on some rich asshole over the president’s suggestion we should “take guns” from some Americans before carrying out due process, calling the “nonsensical” idea “as un-American as imaginable.”
“The President of the United States said if you see somebody that doesn’t seem right, take their guns and worry about the consequences later,” Smith said, recalling the rich asshole’s stunning bipartisan meeting on Wednesday, during which the president seemed to lend his support for strict gun control measures.
“That is as un-American as imaginable,” Smith explained. “Is there anyone there who is able to discern what has happened and why these things keep coming out in these ways that really end up getting walked back and are bordering on nonsensical?”
“I’m going to take away some of the adjectives that you said, those are your options not mine,” Fox News host Chris Wallace said. But, I certainly agree there’s disarray in the staff.
“There seems to be a feeling, and we’ve seen this before with this president, that he gets fed up with his staff, he gets fed up with them all trying to manage him and control him and he acts out,” Wallace offered “When he does, hold on to your hats.”
Watch below:
the rich asshole defends tariff plan, says ‘trade wars are good’ as markets drop
President some rich asshole on Friday defended his controversial plan to slap huge tariffs on imported steel and aluminum amid intense GOP criticism and a growing global backlash, saying "trade wars are good, and easy to win" as international markets braced for more losses.
“When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win,” the rich asshole tweeted early Friday. “Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don’t trade anymore — we win big. It’s easy!”
A short time later, he returned to add, “We must protect our country and our workers.”
“Our steel industry is in bad shape. IF YOU DON’T HAVE STEEL, YOU DON’T HAVE A COUNTRY!” he said.
Joe: US consumers will get crushed by tariffs 5:37
the rich asshole’s morning tweets were in reference to his announcement Thursday that the U.S. would levy tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on imported aluminum — a move that prompted fierce criticism from Republicans in Congress and dire warnings of retaliation from the country's trading partners, as well as led markets to tank.
Key players on Capitol Hill, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the Senate Finance Committee chairman, were not given any heads up about the rich asshole’s tariff announcement, and many broke ranks with the rich asshole in an unprecedented way, with one after another coming forward during the day to caution about the dangers of tariffs and plead with the rich asshole to hold off on any action.
Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., slammed the rich asshole's concept of a "good" trade war in a statement Friday, and said fighting one would only lead to "so much losing."
"Trade wars are never won. Trade wars are lost by both sides. Kooky 18th century protectionism will jack up prices on American families — and will prompt retaliation from other countries," Sasse said. "Make no mistake: If the president goes through with this, it will kill American jobs — that's what every trade war ultimately does. So much losing."
Canada, a close U.S. ally and large trading partner, said Thursday that it viewed "any trade restrictions on Canadian steel and aluminum as absolutely unacceptable." The nation’s minister of foreign affairs warned that her country could “take responsive measures to defend its trade interests and workers."
the rich asshole rattles markets with talk of trade war 10:00
The prospects of a trade war pushed the Dow down over 400 points at the close of trading on Thursday — and the decline continued into Friday’s session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by more than 300 points, or 1.2 percent, in morning trading, before rallying to end the day down 0.3 percent. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite indexes both closed the day in positive territory after suffering losses earlier.
the rich asshole's decision, however, earned praise from at least one corner.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who has been a proponent of tariffs and helped engineer the meeting that led to the rich asshole's surprise announcement on the actions, told CNBC that the controversy surrounding the tariffs was just "hysteria" and "a lot to do about nothing."
In an unusual interview with the network that involved props, Ross, holding up at one point a can of Campbell's Soup and at another point a can of Coca-Cola, claimed that the potential price increases on consumer products that could result from the steel and aluminum tariffs would be "no big deal."
"Well I just bought this can today at a 7-Eleven down here, and the price was $1.99, so who in the world is going to be too bothered by six-tenths of a cent?" he said, holding up the Campbell's can.
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in brief comments to reporters Friday morning, acknowledged that some details still "needed to be finalized" on the plan, but said the rich asshole remained "pretty committed" to his announcement.
When asked about the rich asshole's supporting the idea of a trade war on Twitter, Sanders replied that the "president is still focused on long-term economic fundamentals" and "incredibly focused on the American worker and feels like both the steel and aluminum industry are both the backbone of this country."
She also dismissed reports that Gary Cohn, the White House’s top economic adviser, could leave his position in protest of the administration's tariff plan.
“I don’t have any reason to think otherwise right now,” she said, when asked whether Cohn would leave.
Number two GOP senator nails the rich asshole for hosting a ‘reality TV show at the White House’
President some rich asshole (left, via Creative Commons) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX, right, via Twitter).
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Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) on Friday called President some rich asshole out without using his name during a Friday press conference in Austin.
“You may have noticed the reality TV show going on at the White House,” Cornyn told reporters, as documented by Texas Capital Tonight reporter Max Gorden.
Cornyn also referenced the rich asshole’s statement on Twitter earlier in the day, when he claimed “trade wars are good, and easy to win” while defending his newly-imposed steel and aluminum tariffs.
“I don’t think trade wars are good,” Cornyn told reporters.
Cornyn was among a group of bipartisan lawmakers assembled Wednesday to discuss gun and school safety measures in a White House meeting. During that meeting, the rich asshole suggested he’d like police to “take the guns first” and “do due process later,” a policy Cornyn rebuked yesterday.
“I don’t think it would stand up to judicial scrutiny,” Cornyn said during a weekly call, as per The Dallas Morning News. “That’s why I call it a brainstorming session. I think some of these were literally ideas off the top of the president’s head that do need to be further scrutinized for constitutionality and just practicality. That’s the job of Congress.”
EU targets Harley Davidson, Levi’s in the rich asshole trade war
Harley Davidson could be among the US brands to face EU retaliatory measures if US President some rich asshole goes ahead with tariffs on steel and aluminium AFP/File / PATRIK STOLLARZ
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The EU is drawing up retaliatory measures against leading US brands such as Levi’s and Harley Davidson after US President some rich asshole threatened a trade war with plans for tariffs on steel and aluminium, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said Friday.
But a top EU trade official said the rich asshole still has a small chance to avoid a damaging global trade war and asked the US leader to reconsider his aims before he signed them into effect next week.
“We will not sit idly when European industry and jobs are threatened,” European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said on the sidelines of a conference in Hamburg, Germany.
“The EU is preparing import duties for US products including Harley-Davidson, Bourbon and Levi’s jeans,” his spokeswoman quoted him as saying on Twitter.
The threat appeared to fall on deaf ears as the rich asshole on Friday welcomed the prospect of a trade war, remaining defiant in the face of the global uproar sparked by his raft of fresh tariffs.
With global stock markets tumbling and allies riled, the president greeted the negative reaction by raising the stakes and vowing even more sweeping trade attacks in a series of angry tweets.
Despite the rich asshole’s reaction, European Commission vice president Jyrki Katainen told AFP “there is a little window of opportunity still open” and that Europe was not a danger to the US.
“That means that the president of the US has not yet signed the proposals. So we do hope that he will reconsider his aims,” the former Finnish prime minister said.
“We are very close to a fast spreading trade war and in this kind of war there are only victims, not winners,” Katainen said.
– ‘Medicine not right’ –
Katainen, who handles trade policy for the EU with trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom, said he understood that the US was seeking to take a stand against China, which has flooded the globe with cheap steel.
“I understand the frustration but the medicine the US administration is willing to use is not right,” he said.
A “global trade war… means in concrete terms unemployment, less economic growth, and worse relations between trading partners,” he said.
“At a time when we have just come out of the most severe economic crisis in decades, nobody should do anything in order to harm the stability we have achieved,” he added.
The EU would “form a coalition of like-minded countries and potentially take the US to the WTO court together,” Katainen said in reference to the World Trade Organization tribunal in Geneva.
These countries could include Japan, Canada, Turkey and Mexico, he said.
The EU’s targeting of bourbon whiskey and motorcycles had been expected and matches similar moves in 2003 during a “steel war” unleashed by the administration of George W. Bush.
At the time, the list included not just steel products but also orange juice, apples, sunglasses, photocopiers and other goods.
The United States backed down before the EU carried out its threat to impose the retaliatory measures.
Jon Stone, Shehab Khan
The Independent 2 March 2018
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker told German television that the EU would not “put our head in the sand” after Mr the rich asshole announced the introduction of a 25 per cent “America First” import tariff on steel and 10 percent on aluminum.
“We will put tariffs on Harley-Davidson, on bourbon and on blue jeans – Levis,” Mr Juncker said on Friday speaking on German television.
“We are here and they will get to know us. We would like a reasonable relationship to the United States, but we cannot simply put our head in the sand.”
The European Commission said last night that it would formally announce details of policies targeting the US “in the next few days” to “rebalance” the global trade playing field after Mr the rich asshole’s move.
It also said it would raise a dispute over Mr the rich asshole’s new policy at the World Trade Organisation in Geneva.
Mr the rich asshole tweeted today that trade wars were “good, and easy to win”, before turning his attention to attacking actor Alec Baldwin for his impersonation of the US president on a popular US late-night TV show.
Returning to the subject of trade later in the day, he added: “We must protect our country and our workers. Our steel industry is in bad shape. IF YOU DON’T HAVE STEEL, YOU DON’T HAVE A COUNTRY!”
During his presidential campaign Mr the rich asshole claimed foreign countries were “dumping vast amounts of steel all over the United States, which essentially is killing our steelworkers and steel companies”.
Mr the rich asshole’s trade war threats also hampered any hopes of substantial progress in current talks with Canada and Mexico to rework the North American Free Trade Agreement
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said any tariffs on steel and aluminum imports would be “absolutely unacceptable” and vowed to continue to engage with US officials on the issue.
Many economists have said that instead of increasing employment, price increases for consumers of steel and aluminum such as the auto and oil industries would destroy more US jobs than they create.
The International Monetary Fund also expressed concern about the proposed tariffs and said they likely would damage the US economy as well as the economies of other nations.
Mr the rich asshole has a history of criticising EU trade policy and in January of this year he said had “a lot of problems” with how the trade bloc behaves.
Last month Mr the rich asshole also slapped “America First” tariffs on imported washing machines and solar panels, moves that most heavily affected China and South Korea.
China has warned that Mr the rich asshole’s vow to impose high tariffs on steel and aluminum would have a “huge impact” on the global trading order and said Beijing would work with other nations to protect its interests.
A Commerce Ministry official said late on Friday the plan would “seriously damage multilateral trade mechanisms represented by the World Trade Organisation and will surely have huge impact on normal international trade order.”
“If the final measures of the United States hurt Chinese interests, China will work with other affected countries in taking measures to safeguard its own rights and interests”, Wang Hejun, head of the ministry’s trade remedy and investigation bureau, said in a statement on the ministry’s website.
the rich asshole confidant dumped millions in steel-related stock last week
Carl Icahn has impeccable timing.
Billionaire investor and longtime the rich asshole confidant Carl Icahn dumped $31.3 million of stock in a company heavily dependent on steel last week, just days before the rich asshole announced plans to impose steep tariffs on steel imports.
In a little-noticed SEC filing submitted on February 22, 2018, Icahn disclosed that he systematically sold off nearly 1 million shares of Manitowoc Company Inc. Manitowoc is a “is a leading global manufacturer of cranes and lifting solutions” and, therefore, heavily dependent on steel to make its products.
The filing came just seven days before a White House event where the rich asshole announced his intention to impose a 25 percent tariff on steel imports.
the rich asshole’s announcement rattled the markets, with steel-dependent stocks hardest hit. Manitowoc stock plunged, losing about 6 percent of its value. Reuters attributed the drop to the fact that Manitowoc is a “major consumer of steel.” As of 10:20 a.m. Friday, the stock had lost an additional 6 percent, trading at $26.21.
Icahn was required to make the disclosure because of the large volume of his sale. The filing reveals that he began systematically selling the stock on February 12, when he was able to sell the stock for $32 to $34.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross publicly released a report on February 16 calling for a 24 percent tariff. But, as the chart in the SEC filing indicates, Icahn started selling his Manitowoc stock on February 12, prior to the public release of that report. Moreover, the sharp drop in steel-related stocks did not occur until the rich asshole announced he would accept the Commerce Department’s recommendations.
Before February, Icahn was not actively trading Manitowoc stock. According to regulatory filings, he did not buy or sell any shares of Manitowoc between January 17, 2015 and February 11, 2018. The February 22 filing was required because his ownership stake dropped below 5 percent. Now that he owns less than 5 percent of the company, he is not required to make another disclosure about his holdings until May. So while the latest filing shows him still retaining some stock in Manitowoc, Icahn could have continued selling the stock. If Manitowoc is not listed on the eventual May filing — called a Schedule 13F — that would mean he has liquidated all his holdings.
Icahn, a billionaire investor with far-flung holdings, is a close associate of the rich asshole — who invoked Icahn’s name repeatedly on the campaign trail. Once in office, the rich asshole installed Icahn as a “special adviser,” although Icahn did not not unwind his business entanglements before accepting the position.
Icahn resigned in August, in advance of a New Yorker article which detailed how he used his position in the White House and his connection to the rich asshole to protect his investments:
One day in August, 2016, the financier Carl Icahn made an urgent phone call to the Environmental Protection Agency. Icahn is one of the richest men on Wall Street, and he has thrived, in no small measure, because of a capacity to intimidate. A Texas-based oil refiner in which he had a major stake was losing money because of an obscure environmental rule that Icahn regarded as unduly onerous. Icahn is a voluble critic of any government regulation that constrains his companies. So he wanted to speak with the person in charge of enforcing the policy: a senior official at the E.P.A. named Janet McCabe.
In his resignation letter, Icahn acknowledged discussing regulation of the refining industry with the rich asshole, although he denied seeking to benefit any of his specific holdings. Icahn claimed that, despite being named an adviser, he “had no duties whatsoever.”
In an interview on CNBC on Thursday, Icahn appeared to acknowledge at least occasional ongoing conversations with the rich asshole, saying the two had not had “much” interaction in the last four to five months.
The White House and a representative for Icahn did not immediately respond to request for comment.
This story has been updated with more information from regulatory filings.
WH walks back the rich asshole support for universal gun background checks
BY JORDAN FABIAN - 03/02/18 09:12 AM EST
The White House on Friday walked back President the rich asshole’s apparent support for universal background checks for gun purchases.
Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the rich asshole supports “not necessarily universal background checks, but certainly improving the background check system.”
“He wants to see what that legislation, the final piece of it looks like,” she told reporters at the White House. “Universal means something different to a lot of people. He certainly wants to focus and improve on the background check system.”
The comments come after the rich asshole stunned many in Washington by voicing support for many gun control proposals during a meeting with lawmakers that aired live on television.
During the Wednesday meeting, the rich asshole appeared to agree with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who said that “Americans want universal background checks.”
“You have a different president now,” the rich asshole told the senator. “You went through a lot of presidents and you didn't get it done. You have a different president. And I think, maybe, you have a different attitude, too. I think people want to get it done.”
The president has previously supported a more modest proposal written by Murphy and Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) designed to bolster the existing background check system, but not expand it.
Sanders’s comments come one night after the rich asshole met with representatives from the National Rifle Association (NRA), a group that the rich asshole urged lawmakers to defy on guns even though he long supported it.
She said the president promised the NRA “only that he'll continue to support the Second Amendment.”
the rich asshole tweeted Thursday that he had a “Good (Great) meeting in the Oval Office tonight with the NRA!”
White House's Sanders doesn't believe Cohn will resign over tariffs
BY JORDAN FABIAN - 03/02/18 08:57 AM EST
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday she does not believe Gary Cohn plans to resign as President the rich asshole’s top economic adviser over a disagreement about tariffs.
"Gary was here yesterday afternoon, I talked to him in my office several times, so I don't have any reason to think otherwise,” Sanders told reporters when asked if Cohn will stay at the White House.
the rich asshole’s decision to announce new tariffs on steel and aluminum was a rebuke to Cohn, who argued for more than a year that the measures could hurt the U.S. economy and spark a trade war.
Multiple media reports said the president’s decision to forge ahead on tariffs could force Cohn to resign.
The former Goldman Sachs president has been rumored to be eyeing the exits on multiple occasions, only to stay at his post.
Cohn was said to have drafted a resignation letter after the rich asshole blamed “both sides” last summer for violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., but eventually changed his mind.
Many believed Cohn might also leave after Congress passed the GOP’s tax overhaul, which was one of his top projects.
Reports of Cohn's possible White House departure comes as speculation swirls over the future of other the rich asshole administration officials, including national security adviser H.R. McMaster and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
the rich asshole reignited his criticism of Sessions this week, blasting him as "disgraceful" on Wednesday for opening an inspector general probe into the president's allegations that members of his campaign team were illegally surveilled by members of the Obama administration, rather than using Justice Department lawyers for the task.
Sanders has pushed back on that speculation, saying on Thursday that she knows of no plans by the rich asshole to fire Sessions.
She also pushed back on an NBC News report that White House chief of staff John Kelly and Defense Secretary James Mattis are working on a plan to replace McMaster.
"Look, Gen. McMaster's not going anywhere," Sanders said on "Fox & Friends" Friday morning.
By
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March 2, 2018
Echoing right-wing media, a CNN panelist attacked the Parkland teens. But two gun owners immediately shut down the NRA-style smear.
The conservative media smear campaign against the teenage survivors of the Parkland school shooting showed up during a CNN panel on gun violence — and was quickly shut down by a pair of gun owners.
In the CNN panel, gun owner and the rich asshole supporter Jacob Engels echoed the smear campaign talking points, saying, “You have kids that should be grieving right now, and instead adults are putting them on national television,” and arguing the teenagers had been “compromised.”
Brooke Baldwin, the CNN anchor leading the panel, broke in: “I’ve never seen more motivated people come to a camera and want to tell their story about what they demand now.”
Scott Pappalardo, who starred in a viral video destroying his AR-15 after the Parkland shooting, then spoke up.
“They’re not compromised, they’re tired,” Pappalardo said, adding, “They watched their friends die, and you’re going to bash on them?”
Amanda Meyer, another panelist and gun owner, called out the attack as well, noting, “Being dismissive doesn’t solve the problem.”
Since the shooting, right-wing outlets have tried to minimize the impact of the teenagers by attacking them as their statements in favor of gun laws continue to resonate across the U.S.
The right-wing media, NRA, and figures like the rich asshole have pushed a destructive message as they find their position in favor of gun violence in the minority in America.
But those cynical actions are not being allowed to flourish. Even gun owners like Pappalardo and Meyer are disgusted by them, immediately calling out the smears while arguing in favor of protecting rights and keeping the country safe.
Wilbur Ross snuck industry execs into White House to manipulate ‘unglued’ the rich asshole into tariff decision: report
Billionaire investor Wilbur Ross. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
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Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross steered an angry President some rich asshole into backing an aluminum and steel tariff over the objections of other senior White House officials.
the rich asshole was furious Wednesday evening over Hope Hicks’ testimony before lawmakers, his ongoing feud with attorney general Jeff Sessions and what he perceives as unfair treatment of son-in-law Jared Kushner by White House chief of staff John Kelly, reported NBC News.
“The president became ‘unglued,’ in the words of one official familiar with the president’s state of mind,” the network reported.
That’s when Ross and Peter Navarro, the White House director for trade, pushed the rich asshole to launch a trade war with the tariff.
Ross had already set up a White House meeting with steel and aluminum executives for 11 a.m. Thursday, but a source told NBC News the commerce secretary hadn’t told other White House officials who was coming.
That left the White House unable to conduct background checks on the executives to ensure the president should meet with them, and they were not able to be cleared for entry by the Secret Service.
Kelly, the embattled chief of staff, was unaware of their names, NBC reported.
The White House had no position papers or announcements ready for the tariff policy by late Wednesday, and the White House counsel’s office had already said they’d need at least two weeks to complete a legal review of the policy.
Another White House official responded to NBC News by insisting the communications team, still led for now by Hicks, who announced her resignation Wednesday afternoon, was “well-prepared to support the president’s announcement.”
The communications team also partially denied the report about Ross sidestepping procedures to bring in industry executives to meet with the rich asshole.
“Many of the attendees had been in the White House before and had already been vetted for attendance at a presidential event,” the communications team said.
White House's Sanders doesn't believe Cohn will resign over tariffs
BY JORDAN FABIAN - 03/02/18 08:57 AM EST
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday she does not believe Gary Cohn plans to resign as President the rich asshole’s top economic adviser over a disagreement about tariffs.
"Gary was here yesterday afternoon, I talked to him in my office several times, so I don't have any reason to think otherwise,” Sanders told reporters when asked if Cohn will stay at the White House.
the rich asshole’s decision to announce new tariffs on steel and aluminum was a rebuke to Cohn, who argued for more than a year that the measures could hurt the U.S. economy and spark a trade war.
Multiple media reports said the president’s decision to forge ahead on tariffs could force Cohn to resign.
The former Goldman Sachs president has been rumored to be eyeing the exits on multiple occasions, only to stay at his post.
Cohn was said to have drafted a resignation letter after the rich asshole blamed “both sides” last summer for violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., but eventually changed his mind.
Many believed Cohn might also leave after Congress passed the GOP’s tax overhaul, which was one of his top projects.
Reports of Cohn's possible White House departure comes as speculation swirls over the future of other the rich asshole administration officials, including national security adviser H.R. McMaster and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
the rich asshole reignited his criticism of Sessions this week, blasting him as "disgraceful" on Wednesday for opening an inspector general probe into the president's allegations that members of his campaign team were illegally surveilled by members of the Obama administration, rather than using Justice Department lawyers for the task.
Sanders has pushed back on that speculation, saying on Thursday that she knows of no plans by the rich asshole to fire Sessions.
She also pushed back on an NBC News report that White House chief of staff John Kelly and Defense Secretary James Mattis are working on a plan to replace McMaster.
"Look, Gen. McMaster's not going anywhere," Sanders said on "Fox & Friends" Friday morning.
the rich asshole: 'If you don’t have steel, you don’t have a country'
BY BRANDON CARTER - 03/02/18 08:15 AM EST
President the rich asshole took to Twitter Friday to defend new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, saying “if you don’t have steel, you don’t have a country.”
“We must protect our country and our workers. Our steel industry is in bad shape,” the rich asshole tweeted. “IF YOU DON’T HAVE STEEL, YOU DON’T HAVE A COUNTRY!”
We must protect our country and our workers. Our steel industry is in bad shape. IF YOU DON’T HAVE STEEL, YOU DON’T HAVE A COUNTRY!
Earlier Friday the rich asshole also defended the tariffs, tweeting that “trade wars are good, and easy to win.”
"When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win,” he said. “Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don’t trade anymore-we win big. It’s easy!"
When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win. Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don’t trade anymore-we win big. It’s easy!
the rich asshole said Thursday he would announce new tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum from all countries that send metals to the U.S.
Companies also responded to the rich asshole’s announcement, with Toyota and MillerCoors saying the decision would mean they have to raise the prices of their products.
Trading partners set to punish the rich asshole for steel tariffs
BY NIV ELIS - 03/02/18 03:58 PM EST
Foreign governments are threatening to launch stiff retaliatory measures against the United States if President the rich asshole carries through on his threats to impose a 25 percent tariff on all steel and a 10 percent tariff on all aluminum imports to the United States.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told a German television station that Europe would retaliate against the sanctions with tariffs of its own.
“We will put tariffs on Harley-Davidson, on bourbon and on blue jeans — Levi's,” he said.
Those tariffs may have been designed to send a message to leading Republicans, who may still prevail upon the rich asshole to change his mind or soften his approach.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hails from Kentucky, where the bourbon industry exported $154 million to the European Union last year alone, according to figures cited by CNBC.
Harley-Davidson’s headquarters are in Milwaukee, Wis., House Speaker Paul Ryan’s home state. Levi-Strauss blue jeans are headquartered in the blue state of California, which is also home to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
In previous trade standoffs, Junker threatened tariffs on Wisconsin dairy and Florida orange juice.
Canada, the largest source of U.S. steel imports, noted that the steel trade was a two-way street.
“The United States has a $2-billion surplus in steel trade with Canada. Canada buys more American steel than any other country in the world, accounting for 50 percent of U.S. exports,” Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said in response to the threatened tariffs.
Last year, U.S. exports of goods and services accounted for 12 percent of the entire economy, so a broad-based reaction from U.S. trade partners could hit the economy hard.
One major U.S. export sector that could be targeted if the tariffs go ahead is agriculture.
“When you’re talking about sectoral actions, the vulnerable industries are the ones that are dependent on exports, and that’s a lot of agricultural products,” said Jeff Schott, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
Canada, South Korea and Japan, all major steel exporters to the US, are also big importers of U.S. agriculture, he noted.
“If they’re looking for ways of inflicting pain on the United States, then agriculture is going to be a prime target,” he said.
Agriculture is also a major contributor to key red states, which could put pressure GOP politicians.
“What they’ll be looking for are products where they think there will be a political impact. If you look at agricultural products, they’re all around the Midwestern states, which are Republican states,” said Claude Barfield, an economic expert at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.
Countries that want to send the U.S. a strong message on trade could easily hit the aerospace industry by targeting Boeing, which employs nearly 150,000 Americans.
Not only would the company suffer from higher steel prices, but foreign buyers hoping to hit the U.S. could simply opt to buy from Boeing’s European competitor, Airbus.
Beyond concerns over U.S. soybeans, pork and planes, Barfield said that the rich asshole’s decision to sidestep trade law by invoking national security could open up a longer-term threat to U.S. trade.
“Where the U.S. is also in danger right now is that we are setting a terrible precedent on invoking national security for trade,” he said.
U.S. trade partners could easily follow America’s lead and claim all sorts of industries in their countries need protection for national security reasons. In 1975, for example, Sweden invoked national security when it imposed quotas on footwear, claiming that its army’s need for shoes made the industry critical.
China, in particular, is adept at using national security arguments to shape their trade and manufacturing policy, said Barfield.
“This is just a gift to the Chinese,” he added.
Mueller investigating Jared Kushner to see if his foreign business ties influenced White House policy
Special counsel Robert Mueller and Jared Kushner.
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Special counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly investigating presidential son-in-law and White House adviser Jared Kushner to determine if any of his foreign business ties have influence the rich asshole administration policy.
NBC News reported Friday that federal investigators are currently focused on whether discussions Kushner had during the transition with foreign businesspeople “later shaped White House policies in ways designed to either benefit or retaliate against those he spoke with.”
Witnesses Mueller and his team spoke with told NBC that the special counsel has recently asked questions related to Kushner’s business ties, specifically with entities in the Arab Gulf states, Turkey, Russia and China.
Four people familiar with the investigation told NBC that “Qatari government officials visiting the U.S. in late January and early February considered turning over to Mueller what they believe is evidence of efforts by their country’s Persian Gulf neighbors in coordination with Kushner to hurt their country.”
News of Mueller’s latest investigatorial direction comes the same week as a Washington Post report claiming that four foreign governments considered Kushner easy to manipulate due to large debts owed by his family business, Kushner Companies. The Kushner family business has a $1.2 billion dollar debt that will come due in January 2019.
Earlier this week, Kushner’s security clearance was downgraded from “top secret” to “secret” after he failed to attain permanent clearance due to relationships with foreign individuals and entities. Kushner reportedly amended his clearance forms multiple times, each time with new information on previously undisclosed foreign contacts.
‘He’s on to new scandals’: CNN analyst explains why Kelly won’t resign over Porter coverup
John Kelly Department of Homeland Security (Photo: DOD/Wikipedia)
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CNN political analyst David Gregory on Friday spelled out why John Kelly won’t resign over his botched handling of the Rob Porter domestic abuse accusations, explaining “the good thing” about some rich asshole’s chaotic White House is the chief of staff can already move “on to new scandals.”
Kelly on Friday defended his handling of Porter, who resigned as White House Staff Secretary last month after photographs of his ex-wife with a black eye surfaced.
As CNN’s Brianna Keilar noted, Kelly “did admit, however, that White House staffers, in his words, ‘Did not cover ourselves in glory’ with how they handle the fallout.”
Keilar pointed out Kelly said there was “no reason for him to even consider resigning and no reason to have considered resigning.”
“Well, because the storm has passed here and they’re on to new scandals,” Porter said. “That’s the good thing about being chief of staff in a White House that is in such disarray, historically, that you can just wait for the next storm to come on. He weathered this one and obviously the boss doesn’t want him to go.”
“But what took so long to be so accountable?” Gregory asked. “I don’t think he deserves a gold medal for bringing in reporters to explain himself this far after the fact. Then to say, well, there was never anything wrong here but we didn’t cover ourselves in glory. Tell it to us straight. There was a breakdown here, you know about this stuff, this thing was horribly handled.”
“This thing is a mess,” Gregory later said. “He’s chief of staff at a time when you have a president who is setting kind of new marks for how erratic he can be.”
Watch below:
Fox News’ John Roberts: When the rich asshole looks at Sessions ‘he sees the word recusal pasted on his forehead’
Fox News' John Roberts
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Fox News chief White House correspondent John Roberts on Friday laid out the “one thing” fueling some rich asshole’s relentless criticism of Jeff Sessions, explaining when the president sees his hand-picked attorney general. “he sees the world ‘recusal’ pasted on his forehead.”
Roberts was speaking with host Shep Smith about Rod Rosenstein’s keynote address Friday at the American Bar Association’s annual white collar crime conference, during which the deputy attorney general reinforced “ethics and professionalism” at the Department of Justice.
“I can assure you the department leadership team appointed by President the rich asshole is very strong on ethics and professionalism,” Rosenstein told white collar lawyers in San Diego.
“The Justice Department’s number 2 official is defending the attorney general, Jeff Sessions, after some rich asshole attacked Sessions on Twitter,” Smith reported. “The deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein said history will show that the DOJ acted with integrity under his watch.”
“On this matter, the criticism of Jeff Sessions is about one thing, isn’t it?” Smith wondered. “Isn’t just the one thing?”
“Yeah, the one thing is that every time the president sees Jeff Sessions, he sees the word ‘recusal,’” Roberts said. “Because of the fact that Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation, which led to the appointment of the special counsel, which goes and on and on from there.”
“But the Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, speaking to the American Bar Association, defended the leadership saying he and Jeff Sessions are bound and they’re determined to not repeat the mistakes of past leaders at the DOJ,” Roberts added.
“The team that was appointed by President the rich asshole very strong on ethics and professionalism,” Roberts said, quoting Rosenstein. “Let’s see, the president is upset at Jeff Sessions. Again, every time he sees him, he sees the word ‘recusal’ pasted on his forehead. He doesn’t particularly like Rod Rosenstein either, and he doesn’t like the way he’s overseeing the [special counsel Robert] Mueller investigation.”
“The best job security that Jeff Sessions has right now is Rod Rosenstein,” Roberts said, adding “Democrats would slow-walk any attempt by the president to nominate somebody to replace Jeff Sessions and install his own political leadership at the Department of Justice.”
“Slow walk like the beltway in morning rush,” Smith surmised. “Hardly moving at all.”
Watch below, via Fox News:
‘Stick to laundering Russian money’: the rich asshole commerce secretary mocked over bizarre soup can TV segment
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the rich asshole Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Friday went on CNBC to defend President some rich asshole’s newly announced plans to slap tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum — and he drew widespread ridicule for his boast about buying a can of Campbell’s Soup.
During a CNBC interview, Ross pulled out a can of soup that he said he had just picked up from a local 7/11. He noted that the can only cost $1.99, and he said that the additional cost per can that would result from the president’s new aluminum tariff would be minuscule for most consumers.
“If that goes up by 25 percent, that’s about six-tenths of one cent,” Ross said while holding up the can. “Who in the world is going to be too bothered by six -enths of a cent?”
The bizarre image of Ross brandishing a soup can to explain the president’s economic policies drew hackles from across the internet — check out the best reactions below.
Wilbur Ross expecting us to believe he walked into a store and bought this can of soup is the *absolute limit* of this week.
Going home now.twitter.com/nmeyersohn/sta…
It’s sad that Trump hired Wilbur Ross for his Sex Appeal and not his business acumen smdh
Wilbur Ross's Andy Warhol impression sucks. twitter.com/nmeyersohn/sta…
Wilbur Ross should stick to laundering Russian money.
Wilbur Ross: "I just bought this can today at a 7-Eleven ... and it priced at a $1.99. Who in the world is going to be too bothered?" pic.twitter.com/AQDzfQuHZK
The single mother of two who made an extra $1.50 a pay period from the tax cut who will now pay an extra $5.00 a week when she purchases groceries.
Famous grocery shopper Wilbur Ross urges soup tariffs because a country with soup is not a country... twitter.com/nmeyersohn/sta…
Wilbur Ross is the Nick Foles of goofy cabinet secretaries. When the starters go down he comes up huge in a big situation. twitter.com/EsotericCD/sta…
anyway, huge attaboy to Wilbur Ross on digging out a winner for Soup and Infrastructure Week at the 11th hour
Kelly: 'We didn't cover ourselves in glory' over handling of Porter
BY JORDAN FABIAN - 03/02/18 01:11 PM EST
White House chief of staff John Kelly on Friday expressed remorse for how the White House handled the response to domestic abuse allegations against former top aide Rob Porter.
Kelly also defended himself, saying he only knew about claims of emotional abuse and was unaware of accusations that Porter struck one of his ex-wives when he publicly praised Porter.
“We didn’t cover ourselves in glory in how we handled that,” Kelly told reporters at the White House.
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Kelly said he first learned of “serious” accusations against Porter through the media.
He said Porter had denied the allegations, which Porter allegedly did by telling a group of journalists that his ex-wife had injured her eye in a fall. Kelly said Porter was a well-respected member of the rich asshole’s team and the allegations left the staff shaken.
“The man we all knew, it was an absolute shock,” Kelly said.
The Porter saga sent the White House into a tailspin from which it is still struggling to recover.
It was one of the lowest points for Kelly, who was hired as chief of staff to impose order on a chaotic West Wing. But Kelly pushed back on reports that he offered to resign over his handling of Porter.
“I have absolutely nothing to even consider resigning over,” he said.
After a Daily Mail report first broke that Porter had grabbed one of his ex-wives and swore at her, Kelly praised him as “a man of true integrity and honor” and “a friend, a confidant and a trusted professional.”
Those comments triggered widespread criticism that the White House does not take seriously allegations brought by women. Kelly was forced to issue a subsequent statement condemning domestic violence.
Kelly on Friday said of the initial response that, “at that point in time, I thought that statement was accurate.”
The chief of staff confirmed FBI Director Christopher Wray's testimony that the bureau provided information about Porter several months before the allegations became public.
But he said the White House office tasked with handling clearance requests "still had not evaluated his package to make a recommendation one way or the other" about Porter.
Kelly also came under fire it was revealed that Porter, who was in charge of the paper flow to President the rich asshole’s desk, was allowed to see to highly classified information even though he was unable to pass a background check for a security clearance.
That forced Kelly to crack down on the use of interim security clearances, which resulted in presidential son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner losing his top-secret security clearance.
Kushner had been working under an interim clearance that allowed him to see the some of the nation’s most closely held secrets, and losing that access has triggered a round of media leaks that have exposed tensions between Kelly and Kushner.
Kelly justified the decision to restrict access to classified information, saying he was he was “having my eyes opened” last fall about the number of staffers who were still working under interim security clearances.
“[It was] more people than I was comfortable with,” Kelly said.
The Porter incident has had major ripple effects for the White House staff.
White House communications director Hope Hicks, who was dating Porter at the time, played a role in crafting the public response to the allegations.
Hicks announced Wednesday she was resigning from her post, depriving the rich asshole of one of his longest-serving and most trusted aides.
Updated at 1:26 p.m.
GOP lawmaker goes down in flames defending Hope Hicks’ ‘white lies’: ‘That shows how honest she was being’
Rep. Peter King (MSNBC)
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A New York Republican insisted on MSNBC that Hope Hicks’ admission that she sometimes told “white lies” for President some rich asshole enhanced her credibility and showed she has manners.
Rep. Peter King (R-NY) was present Tuesday when the House Intelligence Committee questioned Hicks, and he said the White House communications director gave no indication she would resign the following day.
“I think she did an excellent job of testifying,” King said. “She was being vilified, she was being attacked. She never lost her composure, she was articulate, she answered every question about the campaign.”
“The fact that at the end of the day, to me, it shows how weak the Democratic case was, after nine hours of testimony, attempting to find Russian collusion, all they could get was Hope Hicks being as honest as anyone could be, as anyone should be, when they asked her have you ever told a lie, she said only a white lie,” King continued. “For instance, saying some rich asshole was not in when people maybe wanted to meet with him, but she made a point of saying that her testimony was entirely truthful.”
MSNBC’s Kristen Welker, filling in for Andrea Mitchell, pressed King on that point, saying Hicks was the first the rich asshole official to admit to making false statements.
“It was a stupid question,” King insisted. “If I asked you, if you asked me, if you asked anybody in the world have you ever told a white lie, of course you have — it’s a matter of courtesy. You are going to tell someone he doesn’t want to meet with you because you’re a jerk, you say no, he’s busy right now. That’s what she was talking about.”
King again clarified that Hicks was talking about the period before the rich asshole’s inauguration, but he told Welker that White House officials had probably lied to him before.
“That part of the testimony did not involve when he was president,” King said. “To be honest with you, if somebody calls the White House, I have called the White House a number of times — not President the rich asshole, by the way, certainly other presidents. They say, ‘No, he’s busy right now.’ For all I know, he’s not — he doesn’t want to talk to me. I don’t take that as a personal offense. When she says she never told untruth in anything involving policy, involving the investigation, involving Russia, to me there’s nobody in the world, anyone who doesn’t tell a white lie at some time, who denies that is not being truthful. That shows how honest she was being.”
NAFTA talks were already going poorly. Then the rich asshole endorsed ‘trade wars.’
New tweets come a day after both Canada and Mexico slammed the president's tariff announcement.
President the rich asshole dealt another blow to key trade renegotiation talks this week after first announcing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports before following those threats with a series of tweets praising “trade wars” and calling for “reciprocal taxes” as a means of combating U.S. trade deficits.
On Friday morning, the rich asshole penned several tweets lashing out at other countries and lamenting the state of U.S. trade and related taxation.
“When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win,” the rich asshole wrote. “Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don’t trade anymore-we win big. It’s easy!”
That tweet was followed by another, emphasizing the importance of steel, and then a third tweet centered on trade.
“When a country Taxes our products coming in at, say, 50%, and we Tax the same product coming into our country at ZERO, not fair or smart. We will soon be starting RECIPROCAL TAXES so that we will charge the same thing as they charge us. $800 Billion Trade Deficit-have no choice!” the rich asshole tweeted.
It is unclear from the rich asshole’s tweets whether the president is calling for reciprocal taxes or reciprocal tariffs — one would mean the duty placed on U.S. goods by other countries would merit a tit-for-tat percentage. The other would seemingly mean a tit-for-tat sales tax scenario. The threats follow a much-teased announcement on Thursday, when the rich asshole declared his intentions to slap tariffs of 25 percent and 10 percent on steel imports and aluminum, respectively.
the rich asshole failed to go into specifics — or indicate which countries might be exempt from the plan — but the announcement only served to exacerbate tensions as North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) talks move into their seventh round. There’s a major reason for that: The United States imports the majority of its steel from Canada; Mexico serves as the fourth-biggest provider.
Canadian officials quickly made it clear that the rich asshole’s tariff announcement could blow up NAFTA.
“It is entirely inappropriate to view any trade with Canada as a national security threat to the United States,” said Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s leading NAFTA negotiator, in a statement addressing the rich asshole’s threats released on Thursday. “Should restrictions be imposed on Canadian steel and aluminum products, Canada will take responsive measures to defend its trade interests and workers.”
Freeland’s comments marked Canada’s most aggressive response to U.S. trade threats yet and led multiple industry groups to speculate a trade war might ensue. That discussion seems in turn to have sparked the rich asshole’s Friday tweets embracing the idea as “good” for the United States. While steel and aluminum trade only relies in part on NAFTA, even groups supporting the rich asshole’s tariff push — like the United Steelworkers union — feel Canada should be exempt.
“These tariffs are yet another example of the highly protectionist America First agenda playing out in real time,” Adam Taylor, a former Canadian trade official now with Export Action Global, told Bloomberg. “That they come right in the middle of NAFTA negotiations is worrisome as Mexico and Canada see modernizing as enhancing and upgrading NAFTA while the U.S. views the NAFTA 2.0 talks as a way to erect new barriers.”
The heated back-and-forth is in keeping with the broader tenor of the negotiations so far. NAFTA talks have been going poorly since they began, thanks in large part to strident U.S. demands and a seeming unwillingness to compromise with the needs of Canada and Mexico. the rich asshole has labeled NAFTA the “worst trade deal ever made” and threatened repeatedly to tear up the agreement if renegotiation efforts are unsuccessful.
That hasn’t gone over very well with the other parties involved — while talks were initially set to end this month, they may now stretch into next year. The ongoing seventh round of talks, meanwhile, wasn’t going well even prior to the rich asshole’s announcement on Thursday and additional comments on Friday.
Now, they’re set to worsen, alarming Mexico as much as Canada. During an event at the National Immigration Forum on Thursday night in Washington, D.C., Mexico’s ambassador to the United States, Gerónimo Gutiérrez, emphasized NAFTA’s importance for U.S.-Mexico relations.
“We did NAFTA 25 years ago because we wanted to trade more among ourselves. Our trade has multiplied six-fold…Mexico is now the United States’ second destination for exports,” Gutiérrez said.
“Over 30 states in the United States [have] Mexico as their first or second trading partner. [Numbers point] to the fact that around 5 million jobs depend directly on trade with Mexico. Mexico’s investment in the United States is $52 billion,” he continued. “That investment is creating jobs in Ohio, Texas, California, and many other places. NAFTA is not so much anymore about how we trade among ourselves, which is important, but how we produce better together to export to other regions in the world, to supply chains that have been formed over the last 25 years.”
Gutiérrez’s comments point to a larger issue: U.S. threats aren’t going over well in Mexico. Data from Mexico’s Agrifood and Fishery Information Service (SIAP) already indicates the country is shifting away from the United States as a trading partner and towards countries like Brazil. That’s costing U.S. farmers, many of whom have already begun to express concern about the implications of any failure to renegotiate NAFTA.
Tensions with Canada and Mexico over imports have baffled experts — largely because they are viewed as unnecessary. Many economists argue that U.S. deficits, long a source of ire for the rich asshole, are not actually a bad thing. That hasn’t stopped the White House from honing in on the issue, something made clear by the rich asshole’s tweets. On Thursday, the president also argued the tariffs were important for U.S. national security. But that’s a dubious claim, per the New York Times’ Neil Irwin, as is the suggestion that trade wars have a positive impact on the economy.
If anything, the tariffs are likely to ultimately impact U.S. consumers and companies. A full-out trade war, meanwhile, would almost certainly harm U.S. relations with other countries — not least of all Canada and Mexico. Even within the White House those efforts are unpopular with several key strategists: the rich asshole’s chief economic policy advisor, Gary Cohn, was reportedly eyeing a White House exit but stayed to lobby against the tariff proposal, a battle he appears to have lost.
Current NAFTA talks are set to end March 5 in order to allow for the Mexican presidential campaign to proceed on March 30. Unless the White House reverses course, the new U.S. tariffs are set to go into effect next week.
With additional reporting by Esther Yu Hsi Lee.
‘Bunk’: John Kelly finally issues timeline of Rob Porter firing — and reporters instantly tear it to shreds
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly (Screen capture)
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After weeks of conflicting stories, White House chief of staff John Kelly on Friday finally issued a timeline that purports to detail the rich asshole administration’s handling of the Rob Porter firing.
However, reporters who have spent a great deal of time covering the Porter scandal were quick to tear Kelly’s timeline to shreds.
As reported by Bloomberg News’ Shannon Pettypiece, Kelly is now claiming that former staff secretary Rob Porter resigned on the evening of Tuesday, February 6, shortly after Kelly learned about a second allegation of spousal abuse leveled against him.
Kelly then says that there was a “mix up” the next day at the White House, as he believed that Porter would come in the morning to clean out his desk and go through a check-out process. Instead, he says, Porter was apparently still going about his job.
However, Daily Mail reporter David Martosko, whose publication broke news of spousal abuse allegations against Porter, says that the chief of staff’s timeline is “bunk.”
“We didn’t notify the WH about the 1st wife’s claims (or the black-eye photos) until the following morning, Feb. 7,” he writes. “John Kelly is defending his inaction on Rob Porter by claiming that the first accusation brought to the White House was of only “emotional abuse.” Untrue. We told the White House that Jennifer Willoughby claimed he physically dragged her, naked, out of a shower.”
His timeline is bunk. We didn't notify the WH about the 1st wife's claims (or the black-eye photos) until the following morning, Feb. 7. twitter.com/spettypi/statu…
Similarly, Washington Post reporter Josh Dawsey writes that Kelly and the the rich asshole White House put out statements praising Porter and insisting that he wouldn’t resign shortly after Porter supposedly resigned.
“OK, if Rob Porter resigned immediately Tuesday as Kelly says, why did White House tell reporters he wasn’t resigning and why did Kelly put out another statement praising him the next day?” he asked. “It doesn’t add up.”
The Memo: Kushner said to be 'digging in' amid troubles
BY NIALL STANAGE - 03/02/18 06:00 AM EST
Jared Kushner is willing to do battle with chief of staff John Kelly to preserve his position at the center of the White House, more than a half-dozen sources close to the situation tell The Hill.
Kushner, President the rich asshole’s son-in-law and senior adviser, has been buffeted by a succession of troublesome stories.
His security clearance was downgraded after an edict from Kelly. A Washington Post report asserted that officials from at least four foreign nations had mulled how they might try to manipulate him. And The New York Times investigated the circumstances in which large loans were made to his family’s real estate firm after meetings at the White House.
“Jared is casting negative headlines that overshadow the president,” said one GOP operative with ties to the White House. “If Jared’s headlines overshadow the president’s positive news, it’s not going to sit well.”
Kushner’s troubles extend to a dwindling number of close allies at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
The shock announcement Wednesday that White House communications director Hope Hicks was leaving deprived him of one such ally.
“He and Ivanka were very close to her,” said another source close to the White House. “She was treated like a sibling.”
Kushner is also losing his spokesman, Josh Raffel, who will leave soon. Reed Cordish — a Kushner friend who worked in the White House Office of American Innovation — announced his departure last month. Dina Powell, another Kushner ally who served as deputy national security adviser, left earlier this year.
Despite all that, confidants of the president cast serious doubt on the idea that Kushner will depart.
One common refrain from the rich asshole World: He’s not going anywhere. Others cast Kushner’s determination in intensely personal terms.
The president’s son-in-law “is digging in,” according to a source in the rich asshole’s orbit.
“Ivanka has made the decision she is not leaving the building and Jared is not going to leave Ivanka in the building alone.”
“Ivanka has made the decision she is not leaving the building and Jared is not going to leave Ivanka in the building alone.”
The administration’s official line, viewed with considerable skepticism, is that Kushner’s position has not been weakened at all.
Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at Thursday’s media briefing that Kushner was “still a valued member of the administration, and he is going to continue to focus on the work he’s been doing.”
Kelly himself issued a statement at the height of the security clearance drama that sought to minimize tensions.
While asserting that he would not get into the specifics of any staff member’s security clearance, Kelly added, “As I told Jared days ago, I have full confidence in his ability to continue performing his duties.”
Kelly also emphasized that “everyone in the White House is grateful for these valuable contributions to furthering the president’s agenda. There is no truth to any suggestion otherwise.”
There are in fact plenty of people willing to suggest otherwise.
One Republican operative took a particularly fierce line about how much Kushner and his wife have been diminished.
"Kelly effectively neutered Jared and Ivanka, rendering them useless," this source asserted. "With Raffel and Hicks gone, they have zero PR department to spin their side of things. The president threw them to the wolves on the security clearances, now it's just matter of time before they are gone."
Others blame Kushner allies for pushing the story that Kelly could be fired amid an earlier controversy over White House staff secretary Rob Porter, who resigned.
But Kushner critics are, for the most part, only willing to talk under cover of anonymity — a fact that attests to continued fear of his power to vanquish internal enemies and the degree to which he retains the ear of his father-in-law.
Still, there is persistent speculation in some quarters that Kushner could exit the White House in the medium term, perhaps to spearhead the rich asshole’s 2020 reelection campaign.
Digital strategist Brad Parscale was appointed to lead that effort earlier this week, but he is seen as a placeholder by many in the rich asshole’s circle. He is also “a Jared guy through and through and through,” according to one source in the president’s orbit.
A different longtime ally of the president predicted “that Jared’s time in the White House is coming to a close. There are remarkable things that he can do for the president outside, and he can have a profound impact as a son-in-law.”
This person added, however, that any effort to get Kushner out of the administration would be extraordinarily sensitive, given his status as a family member.
“It is very difficult to usher the president’s son-in-law to the exit,” this source said. Forcing the issue “is not what is going to happen here. This is a tender, tenuous negotiation.”
At a recent news conference with the Australian prime minister, the rich asshole sang Kushner’s praises — but also emphasized that any decision about security clearances was up to Kelly.
This pattern of behavior was in some ways similar to moves leading up to the departure of key figures during the 2016 campaign, including the rich asshole’s first campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, and, in turn, campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
“This is the way the rich asshole handles things,” a source close to the White House asserted. “He didn’t fire Corey — he let his kids do it. He didn’t fire Manafort — he had someone else do it. At the time, he was all buddy-buddy with Paul. He likes to play both sides: ‘I love ya, but it’s not my decision.’ ”
The clearest fact of all amid the current turmoil is that Kushner’s family relationship with the president puts him in a different category to all other advisers — for good and for ill.
“Jared is always going to have people firing arrows at him,” a GOP strategist with White House ties said. “He is always going to be viewed as not a regular staff member but as the president’s son-in-law — which will always put a target on his back.”
Alec responds BEAUTIFULLY
Alec Baldwin fires back at some rich asshole over 'Alex Baldwin' Twitter rant
'And Mr President...please ask your wife to stop calling me for SNL tickets'
03-02-2018
"Alex Baldwin" himself has responded to the President of the United States of America's early morning Twitter tirade against him.
Quickly reposting a corrected version of the tweet that initially misspelled the actor's name with both mentions of it, the rich asshole said (sic): "Alex Baldwin, whose dieing mediocre career was saved by his impersonation of me on SNL, now says playing DJT was agony for him," he wrote. "Alex, it was also agony for those who were forced to watch. You were terrible. Bring back Darrell Hammond, much funnier and a far greater talent!"
Tweeting through his foundation, Baldwin fired back: "Agony though it may be, I’d like to hang in there for the impeachment hearings, the resignation speech, the farewell helicopter ride to Mara-A-Lago. You know. The Good Stuff. That we’ve all been waiting for.
Looking forward to the rich asshole Presidential Library. A putting green. Recipes for chocolate cake. A live Twitter feed for visitors to post on. A little black book w the phone numbers of porn stars. You’re in and out in five minutes. Just like..."
"And Mr President...please ask your wife to stop calling me for SNL tickets. (Hey, Melania...we’ve got Charles Barkley this Saturday!)
"Signing off for now. On my way to shoot MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN and grateful to be working w Edward Norton, Cherry Jones, Willem Dafoe, Bruce Willis, Bobby Canavale, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael K Williams. If this is mediocrity, give me more."
the rich asshole's original tweet was a reference to a Hollywood Reporter interview in which Baldwin said of the impression that "every time I do it now, it’s like agony. Agony. I can’t". He seemed to suggest that he was so upset about the President's continuing popularity that portraying him hurt, and indicated that he may not continue to do the impersonation.
Darrell Hammond is an impressionist who portrayed the rich asshole on Saturday Night Live until 2016, when producers decided that Alec Baldwin would take over the job. Hammond had played the role for more than a decade, impersonating the rich asshole long before he launched his bid for president and losing it as the election approached.
Huge Man-child throws tantrum at actor
some rich asshole attacks Alec Baldwin in furious, misspelt early-morning Twitter post
The President misspelt the word 'dying' and called his impersonator by the wrong name 03-02-2018
some rich asshole has posted a furious, rambling and misspelt tweet about Alec Baldwin, the actor famous for impersonating him on Saturday Night Live.
In an early morning post that rambled on multiple tangents, misspelt the word "dying" and called Mr Baldwin by the wrong name, Mr the rich asshole suggested that the impersonation of him on the programme was painful to watch.
Update: Baldwin responds.
"Alex Baldwin, whose dieing mediocre career was saved by his impersonation of me on SNL, now says playing DJT was agony for him," he wrote. "Alex, it was also agony for those who were forced to watch. You were terrible. Bring back Darrell Hammond, much funnier and a far greater talent!"
The post was a reference to a Hollywood Reporter interview in which Mr Baldwin said of the impression that "every time I do it now, it’s like agony. Agony. I can’t". He seemed to suggest that he was so upset about the President's continuing popularity that portraying him hurt, and indicated that he may not continue to do the impersonation.
Darrell Hammond is an impressionist who portrayed Mr the rich asshole on Saturday Night Live until 2016, when producers decided that Alec Baldwin would take over the job. Mr Hammond had played the role for more than a decade, impersonating Mr the rich asshole long before he launched his bid for president and losing it as the election approached.
The post was deleted soon after and not immediately re-posted, as usually happens when the President misspells a word. In its place, he tweeted another message about his new tariffs on the steel trade with China.
Some time later, the Saturday Night Live tweet returned, with the spelling of "dying" and "Alec Baldwin" corrected. The post also had some other small tweaks: he changed the reference to "DJT" to "me", so that he was no longer speaking about himself in the third person, and removed some other words.
Both of the posts went up unusually early for Mr the rich asshole, arriving before 6am local time.
Mr the rich asshole was once famous for using his Twitter account to attack celebrities as various as Barack Obama and Robert Pattinson. Since he took office, those attacks have mostly centred on celebrities who criticise him, including a post where he called Meryl Streep "over-rated".
WH walks back the rich asshole support for universal gun background checks
BY JORDAN FABIAN - 03/02/18 09:12 AM EST
The White House on Friday walked back President the rich asshole’s apparent support for universal background checks for gun purchases.
Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the rich asshole supports “not necessarily universal background checks, but certainly improving the background check system.”
“He wants to see what that legislation, the final piece of it looks like,” she told reporters at the White House. “Universal means something different to a lot of people. He certainly wants to focus and improve on the background check system.”
The comments come after the rich asshole stunned many in Washington by voicing support for many gun-control proposals during a meeting with lawmakers that aired live on television.
During the Wednesday meeting, the rich asshole appeared to agree with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) who said that “Americans want universal background checks.”
“You have a different president now,” the president told the senator. “You went through a lot of presidents and you didn't get it done. You have a different president. And I think, maybe, you have a different attitude, too. I think people want to get it done.”
The president has previously supported a more modest proposal written by Murphy and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) designed to bolster the existing background-check system, but not expand it.
Sanders’s comments come one night after the rich asshole met with representatives from the National Rifle Association, a group that he urged lawmakers to defy on guns even though he long supported it.
She said the president promised the NRA “only that he'll continue to support the Second Amendment.”
the rich asshole tweeted Thursday that he had a “Good (Great) meeting in the Oval Office tonight with the NRA!”
But apparently, Obama was the one who increased racism in the USA.
Jerkoffs
Hispanic family flees Michigan school district after children bullied by pro-the rich asshole teacher
The Sifuentes family/Screenshot
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A Michigan family says they pulled their kids out of a suburban Detroit school district because of racist, pro-the rich asshole bullying, including from a substitute teacher.
Parents Juan Sifuentes, who is Mexican, and Kim Sifuentes, who is black, say their children endured relentless abuse after the election, according to a report from Detroit’s WDIV.
That included students chanting “build the wall” and telling the children that “Mexicans don’t belong here, they need to get out of the country.”
“My then-9-year-old was in class and kids started talking about how they were glad the rich asshole was building a wall because Mexicans don’t deserve to live in Michigan,” Kim Sifuentes said.
A substitute teacher allegedly said that Brazilians and and Mexicans rob people in front of their elementary-aged daughter.
The Sifuentes say the administration did nothing, so they filed a complaint with the ACLU. The ACLU sent a letter inviting the school to participate in a program aimed at institutions with racial controversies, but the school declined. The school district told the TV station that it wants the family back, but they have no intention of doing so.
“No parents wants to put their child in something like this,” Juan Sifuentes said.
‘Something is very wrong’: Even longtime the rich asshole allies are starting to freak out about his erratic behavior
President some rich asshole yelling inside a truck (image via Creative Commons).
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President some rich asshole’s erratic behavior has started to spook even some of his staunchest allies.
One the rich asshole ally tells CNN’s Gloria Borger that the president’s hasty decision to announce tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum on Thursday showed that his economic advisers are no longer able to control his impulses.
“This has real economic impact,” the source says. “Something is very wrong.”
Another inside source tells Borger that the president’s behavior is crushing morale among White House staff, who are itching to escape from the West Wing.
“Morale is as bad as it’s ever been,” the source said. “The good people are being driven crazy.”
Borger also writes that it isn’t just one thing that is bothering the rich asshole — rather, he is constantly enraged by multiple different things being done by multiple people inside and outside his administration.
“The President is stewing, according to one source with knowledge, blaming everyone but himself for the tumult: his chief of staff Gen. John Kelly for mishandling the clearance issue, Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia investigation, Republicans for being afraid of the NRA, Democrats for obstructing everything,” Borger writes.
the rich asshole 'frustrated' with Kushner over negative press: NYT
BY BRANDON CARTER - 03/02/18 12:19 PM EST
President the rich asshole is becoming “frustrated” with his son-in-law, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, over a series of negative news stories, New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman said Friday.
In an appearance on CNN’s “New Day,” Haberman was asked to explain a Times report Thursday that said the rich asshole has privately asked chief of staff John Kelly to help move Kushner and his wife, senior adviser Ivanka the rich asshole, out of the White House.
Haberman said President the rich asshole has been “all over the place” with his comments on the White House roles of his daughter and Kushner.
Haberman said the rich asshole has repeatedly told aides that his daughter only receives “bad press” becomes of Kushner and that he sees negative secrets about Kushner as an extension of attacks on him.
But Haberman said the rich asshole has become “frustrated” with the negative press Kushner is receiving.
“He goes back and forth between feeling bad about what has happened and being irritated by the fact that Jared Kushner has become a liability of sorts in his own right,” she said. “He will talk about how ‘Jared’s getting killed, Jared’s getting killed,’ and he’s not always saying it with any sense of self-reflection or, ‘this is an extension of how they’re looking at me.’”
“the rich asshole does not like when people attract negative headlines that could be a problem for him. And now he has a member of his extended family getting that in droves.”
White House aides told the Times that, while the rich asshole has told both Ivanka the rich asshole and Kushner that they should continue in their White House roles, he has privately asked for Kelly’s help in getting them out of the White House.
Two people familiar with the rich asshole’s thinking told the Times that he is frustrated with Kushner and the controversies surrounding him, including the downgrading of his security clearance over issues with his background check and special counsel Robert Mueller’s reported interest in his business dealings.
Axios reported Wednesday that members of the rich asshole’s family, particularly the rich asshole’s eldest son, some rich asshole Jr., are furious with Kelly and believe he is allowing Kushner to be exposed to political attacks.
Kelly said last week that he has confidence in Kushner's ability to do his job, despite Kushner having his top-secret security clearance downgraded.
The Times reported in May that Kushner has told friends he and his wife do not have permanent plans to stay in Washington and would review whether they wanted to stay in D.C. every six months.
The Times reported in May that Kushner has told friends he and his wife do not have permanent plans to stay in Washington and would review whether they wanted to stay in D.C. every six months.
the rich asshole doubles down on tariffs: ‘Trade wars are good, and easy to win’
BY JORDAN FABIAN - 03/02/18 06:26 AM EST
President the rich asshole on Friday defended his decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum, even as he acknowledged the move could trigger a global trade war.
In a series of early morning tweets, the president continued to defy members of his own party — and some of his top advisers — by insisting that the tariffs would benefit the U.S. economy.
“When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win,” the rich asshole tweeted.
When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win. Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don’t trade anymore-we win big. It’s easy!
the rich asshole also suggested the tariffs were merely the war’s opening salvo, tweeting that he wants “RECIPROCAL TAXES” on goods from countries that have high taxes on U.S. exports.
The president doubled down on one of his central themes during the 2016 campaign; that foreign countries are taking advantage of the U.S. on trade and need to be stopped.
“Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don’t trade anymore-we win big. It’s easy!” he tweeted at 5:50 a.m.
the rich asshole also claimed the U.S. has a trade deficit of $800 billion, an inflated figure that does not take into account trade in services. The trade deficit in 2017, taking into account goods and services, was $566 billion, according to the Commerce Department.
Many economists and Republican lawmakers disagree with the president, arguing that free trade helps drive down consumer prices while fueling the world’s largest economy with a needed influx of goods and services.
But the rich asshole has been itching to take action to stem what he sees as unfair trade practices by foreign countries.
the rich asshole surprised many in Washington on Thursday when he announced a tariff of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum under a law that allows the president to crack down on imports if they are deemed to threaten national security.
The president stressed how the tariffs would help strengthen the U.S. steel and aluminum industries in comparison to their foreign competitors, telling industry executives that “they used to be a lot bigger, but they're going to be a lot bigger again.”
While the president has long expressed a desire to impose tariffs, members of his senior staff were left out of the loop on his final decision and it was unclear the president would make the announcement until the moment it happened.
For more than a year, a cadre of the rich asshole’s senior advisers — including National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn — have persuaded him not to follow through on his promise to take the aggressive trade measures he promised during the campaign.
Their allies were dismayed with the rich asshole’s decision to break with them, arguing the tariffs will have bad, unintended consequences for American consumers.
“Trade wars are never won. Trade wars are lost by both sides,” Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said Friday, pushing back on the rich asshole’s assertion that a trade war would be “easy to win.”
“Kooky 18th century protectionism will jack up prices on American families — and will prompt retaliation from other countries,” he continued in a statement. “Make no mistake: If the president goes through with this, it will kill American jobs — that’s what every trade war ultimately does. So much losing.”
Many of the details of the tariffs remain unclear, including whether certain U.S. allies will be exempted.
“That’s what the president seemed to announce yesterday,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, a leading protectionist voice in the the rich asshole administration, said Friday on CNBC when asked if the tariffs would apply to all countries.
He added that the tariffs would have to be “fairly broad” to have the desired effect.
Administration officials have also not provided details about what a potential reciprocal tax might entail.
the rich asshole’s defense of the tariffs show he is feeling emboldened about his hawkish stance on trade, despite warnings from his own advisers and ominous signs on Wall Street.
They also sparked renewed fears about whether the president will tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada or scrap a free-trade pact with South Korea, both of which the administration is renegotiating.
Stock markets took a nosedive early Friday after the rich asshole doubled down on the tariffs and his protectionist rhetoric.
The Dow Jones industrial average was down roughly 300 points more than an hour after markets opened. The S&P 500 also dropped more than half a percentage point.
Executives from the automobile, construction and beverage industries expressed concern that tariffs would raise the prices of their products, negating consumers’ gains from the humming economy and tax cuts.
The European Union, Canada and other top U.S. trading partners threatened to retaliate if their exports to the U.S. are affected.
Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland vowed to take "responsive measures" if the the rich asshole administration imposes stiff tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum products.
Hans Jürgen Kerkhoff, president of the German Steel Federation, said Friday that the measures “clearly violate the rules of the World Trade Organization.”
“If the E.U. does not react, our steel industry will pay the bill for U.S. protectionism,” he said.
The move was cheered by labor unions, including the AFL-CIO, which said Thursday that the tariffs are “critical to leveling the playing field and ensuring that U.S. steel producers and their employees have a fair shot in the global economy.”
the rich asshole and his protectionist allies have long argued that foreign countries, especially China, are flooding the U.S. market with cheap steel that has forced domestic producers to shutter plants and cut jobs.
Ross also downplayed the gloomy predictions. During his appearance on CNBC, he held up a can of Campbell’s soup and Coca-Cola to argue their prices would only rise marginally as a result of the tariffs.
“All this hysteria has a lot to do about nothing,” he said.
the rich asshole’s decision, however, has added to the internal turmoil that has wracked the White House.
It was a rebuke to Cohn, who has repeatedly argued to the president that the measures could hurt the U.S. economy and spark a trade war. the rich asshole's decision to forge ahead on tariffs could force Cohn to resign, according to multiple reports.
"Gary was here yesterday afternoon, I talked to him in my office several times, so I don't have any reason to think otherwise,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders Sanders told reporters when asked if Cohn will stay at the White House.
Brooke Seipel contributed
Hicks departure leaves void in White House
BY JONATHAN EASLEY - 03/02/18 06:05 AM EST
The White House has a massive hole to fill as it seeks to replace communications director Hope Hicks, whose departure is seen as a devastating blow to President the rich asshole at a time when his administration is besieged by conflict.
Hicks has been by the rich asshole’s side since the start of his campaign, and allies describe her as a steadying force with an unparalleled ability to connect with her boss.
Hicks has been by the rich asshole’s side since the start of his campaign, and allies describe her as a steadying force with an unparalleled ability to connect with her boss.
Her departure immediately set off jockeying to replace her, although the president’s allies say that no one will be able to fill her unique role in the rich asshole World.
the rich asshole allies privately acknowledge that it will be difficult to draw top talent from the outside into the high-profile role given the White House’s reputation for chaos and the ongoing special counsel investigation that has required staffers to lawyer up.
“This is a blow to the president, not just because Hope was a trusted and loyal aide, and someone he liked, but she was also very competent and had dramatically improved the White House communications office,” Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy, who is friends with the president, told The Hill.
“Finding someone who has the same level of trust with the president, and at the same time can do the job in the office, is not an easy.”
Hicks has not set an end date and could stick around for several more months. Those who know her insist that the announced departure does not say anything about the state of affairs within the administration.
Rather, they say the New Yorker never felt comfortable in Washington and that the three-year grind of the campaign and the administration had taken its toll.
But the rich asshole’s allies acknowledge that it’s impossible to separate Hicks’s departure from the events that have rocked the White House in recent weeks.
Chief of staff John Kelly has been under fire for his defense of a senior aide who resigned after being accused of domestic abuse by both of his ex-wives.
That controversy spotlighted the White House’s security clearances process and led Kelly to downgrade senior adviser Jared Kushner’s access. That move has led to a deep chill between the chief of staff and the rich asshole’s son-in-law, igniting the kind of leaking and backbiting that the administration had hoped to move beyond.
Hicks has not set an end date and could stick around for several more months. Those who know her insist that the announced departure does not say anything about the state of affairs within the administration.
Rather, they say the New Yorker never felt comfortable in Washington and that the three-year grind of the campaign and the administration had taken its toll.
But the rich asshole’s allies acknowledge that it’s impossible to separate Hicks’s departure from the events that have rocked the White House in recent weeks.
Chief of staff John Kelly has been under fire for his defense of a senior aide who resigned after being accused of domestic abuse by both of his ex-wives.
That controversy spotlighted the White House’s security clearances process and led Kelly to downgrade senior adviser Jared Kushner’s access. That move has led to a deep chill between the chief of staff and the rich asshole’s son-in-law, igniting the kind of leaking and backbiting that the administration had hoped to move beyond.
The Russia investigation continues to hang over the White House and could be the driving force behind several other departures as the staff grows weary of the mounting legal bills and interviews with the special prosecutor.
This week, Kushner’s longtime spokesman, Josh Raffel, announced he’d be leaving the White House. So too is Kushner’s longtime family friend Reed Cordish, who had been working with him on a government IT overhaul.
the rich asshole’s allies are increasingly vocal in demanding that Kushner follow them out the door, saying the president would be better served with his son-in-law on the campaign or back to private life in New York. Kushner’s business deals have increasingly attracted scrutiny from the media and federal investigators.
Kelly is similarly under siege by his critics, like former communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who blames the chief of staff for the turnover and scandals.
“The morale is terrible,” Scaramucci said Thursday on CNN, predicting more staff departures.
“I think it’s the chief of staff,” he said. “I think there’s a culture of fear inside the White House.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event marking the Department of Homeland Security’s 15th anniversary, Kelly, who once led the department, joked that he was forced into his current job as punishment from God.
“The last thing I wanted to do was walk away from one of the great honors of my life, being the secretary of Homeland Security, but I did something wrong and God punished me, I guess,” Kelly said.
Once Hicks leaves, some wonder who the rich asshole will turn to, at least among nonstaff members, for counsel.
This week, Kushner’s longtime spokesman, Josh Raffel, announced he’d be leaving the White House. So too is Kushner’s longtime family friend Reed Cordish, who had been working with him on a government IT overhaul.
the rich asshole’s allies are increasingly vocal in demanding that Kushner follow them out the door, saying the president would be better served with his son-in-law on the campaign or back to private life in New York. Kushner’s business deals have increasingly attracted scrutiny from the media and federal investigators.
Kelly is similarly under siege by his critics, like former communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who blames the chief of staff for the turnover and scandals.
“The morale is terrible,” Scaramucci said Thursday on CNN, predicting more staff departures.
“I think it’s the chief of staff,” he said. “I think there’s a culture of fear inside the White House.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event marking the Department of Homeland Security’s 15th anniversary, Kelly, who once led the department, joked that he was forced into his current job as punishment from God.
“The last thing I wanted to do was walk away from one of the great honors of my life, being the secretary of Homeland Security, but I did something wrong and God punished me, I guess,” Kelly said.
Once Hicks leaves, some wonder who the rich asshole will turn to, at least among nonstaff members, for counsel.
“It changes the entire dynamic at the White House in a snap of the fingers,” said one person close to the White House. “There was no one who understood the rich asshole’s voice more than her. From a communications perspective, she’s irreplaceable. No one else on that team can reflect his voice and his needs the way Hope was able to. And now the larger issue is that yet another loyalist is gone and that could have long-term reverberations.”
Mercedes Schlapp, the White House director of strategic communications, has emerged as an early favorite to succeed Hicks. The Cuban-American is a former Fox News personality and veteran of the George W. Bush administration.
Schlapp’s husband, Matt Schlapp, the president of the American Conservative Union, said Thursday on MSNBC that she would likely take the job if it is offered to her.
“She's going to be very open to anything the president wants her to do,” Schlapp said.
But insiders sought to pump the brakes on speculation she is a lock for the role, saying the president does not know her very well. Some questioned whether she would have the support of the communications shop that she would be leading.
One source close to the White House said that former campaign communications director Jason Miller could have the job if he wants it. Miller is presently working at a prominent consulting firm where he likely makes more money than the White House could offer.
“If Jason wants in the White House, I think the president would be thrilled to have him back,” the source said. “There’s no one who can fill Hope’s roll, but Jason might be the closest you can get.”
the rich asshole refers to Miller affectionately as “my Jas.” During the campaign, Miller would brief the rich asshole before dawn on the day ahead in messaging and the media.
There is also speculation that press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders could get the job, which would effectively be a promotion and free her of the daily grind of the press briefings. That would require finding a new press secretary, a similarly tricky role to fill.
Schlapp’s husband, Matt Schlapp, the president of the American Conservative Union, said Thursday on MSNBC that she would likely take the job if it is offered to her.
“She's going to be very open to anything the president wants her to do,” Schlapp said.
But insiders sought to pump the brakes on speculation she is a lock for the role, saying the president does not know her very well. Some questioned whether she would have the support of the communications shop that she would be leading.
One source close to the White House said that former campaign communications director Jason Miller could have the job if he wants it. Miller is presently working at a prominent consulting firm where he likely makes more money than the White House could offer.
“If Jason wants in the White House, I think the president would be thrilled to have him back,” the source said. “There’s no one who can fill Hope’s roll, but Jason might be the closest you can get.”
the rich asshole refers to Miller affectionately as “my Jas.” During the campaign, Miller would brief the rich asshole before dawn on the day ahead in messaging and the media.
There is also speculation that press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders could get the job, which would effectively be a promotion and free her of the daily grind of the press briefings. That would require finding a new press secretary, a similarly tricky role to fill.
Bryan Lanza, the communications director for the rich asshole's transition team, is under consideration. Lanza currently works for the Mercury, the political strategy firm, and is a contributor on CNN.
Insiders also mentioned two other names as potential replacements — Tony Sayegh, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the Treasury Department, and Jessica Ditto, the White House deputy director of communications.
Insiders also mentioned two other names as potential replacements — Tony Sayegh, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the Treasury Department, and Jessica Ditto, the White House deputy director of communications.
Ex-the rich asshole adviser sold $31m in shares days before president announced steel tariffs
Carl Icahn sold $31.3m of shares in a company dependent on steel imports days before the commerce department mooted stiff tariffs on imports
@dominicru Fri 2 Mar 2018 12.39 EST
Carl Icahn, a former special adviser to some rich asshole, sold $31.3m of shares in a company heavily dependent on steel imports last week, shortly before the rich asshole’s announcement of new tariffs sent its shares plummeting.
Icahn, a billionaire investor who was a major the rich asshole supporter, started selling shares in the crane and lifting equipment supplier Manitowoc Company on 12 February, days before the commerce department first mooted plans to impose stiff tariffs on foreign steel imports.
The news was first reported by Think Progress.
On Thursday the rich asshole said he would press ahead with the commerce department’s plans to levy 25% tariffs on imports of steel and 10% on aluminium.
According to a regulatory filing Icahn was able to sell his shares for $32 to $34. On Friday morning Manitowoc’s shares had fallen 5.48% to $26.37. The fall was in line with drops seen by other companies dependent on cheap steel imports, including Boeing and Caterpillar.
the rich asshole has argued that the tariffs are necessary to protect US jobs. “We must protect our country and our workers. Our steel industry is in bad shape. IF YOU DON’T HAVE STEEL, YOU DON’T HAVE A COUNTRY!” the rich asshole wrote on Twitter.
The announcement has rattled stock markets around the world and stoked fears of a trade war with both the EU and China saying they are considering retaliation if the tariffs become law.
Icahn, who has a fortune of $16.9bn according to Forbes, sold 1m shares in Manitowoc, according to the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The value of the shares he sold has since dropped by around $6m.
The investor was a special adviser to the rich asshole during the election but resigned his position amid concerns about potential conflicts of interest relating to his vast business holdings.
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