Donald Trump has issued another plea for absolute presidential immunity to shield him from prosecution over acts carried out during his presidency, with the US Supreme Court set to issue a momentous ruling on the matter before the end of June.
The appeal was just one of a number of bizarre posts on his Truth Social platform over the weekend, with the Republican presidential contender also lashing out at President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, The Washington Post, Illinois governor JB Pritzker and even Pope Francis.
Trump was in Detroit, Michigan, on Saturday where he used a rally appearance to complain about American support for Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia and describe the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, as “the greatest salesman of all time.”
The former president dismissed the $50bn aid package recently approved by the Biden administration for Ukraine, griping: “It never ends.”
He also suggested that President Biden “should have to take a cognitive test”, only to then immediately forget who had administered his own psychological exam, referring to Texas Republican representative Ronny Jackson, who was White House physician during his presidency, as “Ronny Johnson”.
Watch: Melinda French Gates ‘absolutely not voting for Trump
Oliver O’Connell17 June 2024 18:00
Veepstakes: Former rival rises to the top of the pile
With his last vice president, Mike Pence, refusing to endorse him, Trump’s list of potential choices has shrunk to include only Republicans who the former president is sure will serve as a loyal yes-man in a hypothetical second administration.
Oliver O’Connell17 June 2024 17:45
Trump claims respect for US collapsed under Biden but data shows opposite
Donald Trump has often claimed that his presidency restored respect in the US from other countries during his time in office and that since Joe Biden became president, that respect has greatly diminished.
Unfortunately for the former president, there is no data at all to back this claim up. In fact, a new Pew Research Center survey finds that, internationally, Biden is viewed more positively than his rival.
Indeed, while confidence in the US slumped badly during Trump’s presidency, those numbers have rebounded under Biden.
Across the 34 nations polled, a median of 43% have confidence in Biden to do the right thing regarding world affairs, while just 28% have confidence in Trump. The gap between ratings is quite wide in many countries, especially in Europe. Biden’s confidence rating is at least 40 percentage points higher than Trump’s in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden.
However, there are exceptions. There is no statistically significant difference in ratings of Biden and Trump in eight nations we surveyed. And people in Hungary and Tunisia give Trump more positive reviews than Biden, although neither leader gets especially high marks there. (The survey was conducted before Trump’s conviction in a state criminal trial in New York.)
Even though Biden gets better assessments than Trump globally, ratings for the current U.S. president are down since last year in 14 of 21 countries where trends are available, including by double digits in Australia, Israel, Japan, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Oliver O’Connell17 June 2024 17:30
Watch: Trump calls Steve Bannon during live Kari Lake interview
Oliver O’Connell17 June 2024 17:22
NATO secretary says two-thirds of alliance will meet defense spending goal amid Trump threats
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday said 20 of the alliance’s 32 member states will spend at least two per cent of their respective gross domestic products on defense, meeting a threshold which former president Donald Trump has repeatedly mischaracterized as a prerequisite to receiving American help in a crisis.
Andrew Feinberg has the story:
Oliver O’Connell17 June 2024 17:15
Trump event at ‘Black’ church sparks new row over attendance figures
The Republican was in Detroit on Saturday to address an audience of Black churchgoers, which his supporters, like Kellyanne Conway, have been keen to champion as the latest evidence of his broad appeal.
But 8,000 people? In this venue?
And just how “Black” was this crowd listening to former Trump Cabinet member Dr Ben Carson?
Oliver O’Connell17 June 2024 17:00
Trump gets to sidestep the consequences of his conviction. Most people with criminal records don’t
For any other person with 34 felony convictions, being branded a “felon” for life could threaten access to jobs, housing, healthcare, childcare and the ability to vote, let alone a path to the presidency.
Oliver O’Connell17 June 2024 16:45
Trump could select two more Supreme Court justices if he wins election, Biden warns
Appearing at a star-studded fundraising gala on Saturday night, Biden explained on stage that “the next president is likely to have two new Supreme Court nominees.”
He added that Trump had previously appointed two justices who were “very negative in terms of the rights of individuals.”
“I think it is one of the scariest parts,” Biden said.
Amelia Neath and James Liddell report:
Oliver O’Connell17 June 2024 16:15
