Random

    Business

    Home Business

    Obama Claims New Yorkers ‘Don’t Take Trump Seriously’

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    7
    The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    During a podcast interview, former President Barack Obama swiped at Donald Trump claiming the former President is not taken “seriously” in the city he called home for years, New York City.

    Obama appeared alongside Bill Clinton and President Biden in the newest episode of the “SmartLess” podcast. 

    Obama was asked on the “SmartLess” podcast by co-host Jason Bateman whether he was surprised how quickly the “protection and passion for democracy was diluted” in recent years. Obama responded by noting the trend began during former President Clinton’s time in the White House before accelerating during his presidency.

    “I have been surprised that there haven’t been guardrails inside the Republican Party. Trump didn’t surprise me,” he said, before taking aim at Trump.

    “I mean, he comes from New York. There’s nobody in New York who does business with him or lend him money. He’s not considered a serious guy here,” Obama added.

    Obama went on to explain how he thought more Republicans would say some of Trump’s behavior went too far.

    “But, so I was surprised he was elected, but I wasn’t surprised in terms of his behavior. I did expect, and I suspect Bill and Joe, you’d agree with this, that there would be some folks in the Republican Party who would say, no, you can’t go that far. You can’t start praising Putin and saying that his intelligence is better than the US intelligence agencies,” he said.

    Trump is currently on trial in New York for falsifying business records to make alleged hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels.

    Trump To Nominate New Commerce Secretary

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    0
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    On Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump is expected to announce his nomination for Secretary of Commerce: Howard Lutnick.

    Lutnick is the chair and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and is also currently serving as co-chair of the Trump transition. He has notably publicly embraced Trump’s tariff plans, which will be a major part of the job leading Commerce.

    The CEO was considered a front-runner to serve as Trump’s Treasury secretary along with Scott Bessent, who served as economic adviser on the Trump campaign.

    Trump just released a statement:

    I am thrilled to announce that Howard Lutnick, Chairman & CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, will join my Administration as the United States Secretary of Commerce. He will lead our Tariff and Trade agenda, with additional direct responsibility for the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

    In his role as Co-Chair of the Trump-Vance Transition Team, Howard has created the most sophisticated process and system to assist us in creating the greatest Administration America has ever seen.

    Lutnick beat out Linda McMahon for the role leading Commerce who was considered a front runner and previously led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term.

    McMahon is also a co-chair of his transition effort.

    This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.

    Report: Trump Set To Become One Of World’s Most Wealthy People

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    0

    Former President Donald Trump will become one of the 500 richest people in the world after his media company begins public trading on Tuesday, according to a report by Bloomberg News.

    The Daily Caller has more:

    Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, established the Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) in February of 2021 to develop an alternative social media website, following his removal from Twitter after the events of Jan. 6, 2021, with the new website “Truth Social” being unveiled in 2022. On Monday, TMTG completed a merging process with DWAC, a special-purpose acquisition corporation, that would allow the company to be publicly traded on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations stock exchange, also known as the “Nasdaq” exchange, with Trump’s 58% stake in the company being valued at $3.9 billion, according to Bloomberg News. 

    The share price of DWAC increased by 35.22% to close at $49.95 on Monday when the closing of the deal was announced, with the new company retaining the TMTG name and changing its stock ticker to Trump’s initials, “DJT.” The process will increase Trump’s net worth to $6.4 billion, according to Bloomberg.

    Trump’s net worth, which until recently has primarily comprised real property of The Trump Organization, has been subject to varying estimates. The Australian Financial Review estimated his net worth to be $9.8 billion following the TMTG acquisition process, while Forbes maintains his net worth at $2.6 billion as of Monday — making him the 1,265th richest person in the world — with its highest-ever estimate for his net worth being $4.5 billion in 2016.

    Truth Social has reported many losses since its creation, with Trump being the primary user of the platform with the largest number of followers. He often announces major legal and campaign decisions on the platform, similar to his use of Twitter during his presidency.

    Trump will not be able to sell his stake in TMTG for at least six months following the commencement of trading

    New York Launches Probe Into Trump Judge

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    4
    Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

    The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct has launched an investigation into a New York attorney’s claim that he advised Judge Arthur Engoron in the case against former President Donald Trump.

    Attorney Adam Leitman Bailey told WNBC-TV that he had a courthouse conversation with Engoron three weeks before the judge would slap Trump with a $454 million penalty for fraudulently inflating the value of his assets.

    New York judges are barred from considering outside opinions in such a way when litigating a case, yet Bailey said he discussed the legal questions at length with the judge.

    Judge Engoron’s ruling ordered Trump to pay nearly $355 million, Donald Jr. and Eric to each pay $4 million, and ex-Trump Org chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg to pay $1 million. The order also barred Trump from serving as a corporate officer or a director of a company in New York for three years, and barred his sons for two years. The Trumps did avoid the so-called “corporate death penalty;”

    “I actually had the ability to speak to him three weeks ago,” Bailey said in an interview with the station on Feb. 16, just hours before the judge issued his ruling.

    “I saw him in the corner [at the courthouse], and I told my client, ‘I need to go,’” he recounted.

    “And I walked over, and we started talking … I wanted him to know what I think and why … I really want him to get it right,” the attorney continued.

    He said he “explained to” Engoron that ruling against Trump would have far-reaching implications beyond destroying the former president, including damaging New York’s economy.

    If Trump were forced to pay a hefty fine and shut down his business, it would make other companies concerned about similarly being targeted at any time, even when there were no actual damages or victims, as in this case.

    Trump’s legal team raised the same points, which Engoron ignored in his verdict.

    In a later interview with WNBC, Bailey walked back his claims slightly, saying they “didn’t even mention the word ‘Donald Trump’” during their conversation.

    However, the attorney admitted that it was understood exactly what they were discussing.

    “Well, obviously, we weren’t talking about the Mets,” Bailey said.

    According to the New York State Rules of Judicial Conduct, “a judge shall not initiate, permit, or consider ex parte communications, or consider other communications made to the judge outside the presence of the parties or their lawyers.”

    Al Baker, a spokesman for the state’s Office of Court Administration, denied that the judge had broken those rules.

    “The decision Justice Engoron issued February 16 was his alone, was deeply considered, and was wholly uninfluenced by this individual,” Baker said in a statement, according to WNBC.

    Airbnb Co-Founder Opens Up About Leaving Democrat Party to Support Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    0
    President Donald Trump participates in a welcome ceremony with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud at the Royal Court Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

    Earlier this week, Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia opened up about why he decided to leave the Democrat Party to support President Donald Trump.

    During an interview with former White House official Katie Miller – the wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller – Gebbia revealed how he became drawn to the Republican Party through Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the crisis at the southern border.

    “At what point did you know in the last election that you were like, ‘I wanna help President Trump’? Was it Bobby Kennedy and your love for MAHA? Like, what was it?” asked Miller on The Katie Miller Podcast.

    Gebbia responded, “I’ve been on my journey. Everyone’s been on a journey, and I think through, you know, certainly Bobby Kennedy and supporting him, and I’ve been so grateful for the work that he’s doing, to be somebody who just cares so much about the health of our nation, and you know, has no ties to industry and is really just able to bust through walls and sort of, like, right size the ship.”

    The Airbnb co-founder revealed that he “grew up in an alternative medicine, health food household,” which made him gravitate towards Kennedy when he ran for president on a “Make America Healthy Again” platform.

    Watch:

    However, Gebbia told Miller it was the crisis at the southern border that ultimately made him lose faith in the Democratic Party and become a Republican.

    “I think it was early 2021, mid-2021, the activity at the border caught my attention, and I just remember thinking, ‘What’s going on with this topic? It seems as if there’s no border,’” he said. “And as it got worse that year, I felt like I needed to understand this problem more, so I reached out to my friends, largely on the Democratic side of the house, at all levels, from the highest level all the way down.”

    Gebbia said that while he received “some answers” from friends in the Democratic Party, he ultimately “felt unfulfilled,” and so decided to talk to former Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner about the issue:

    I get on the phone with Jared and say, “Hey, can you help me? Fill in the gaps for me. Like, what am I missing here? Is this normal? Like, seems there’s no enforcement of our own border. Like, don’t nations need borders to be a nation?” And so he put me on this curriculum of just talking to experts in the field, and I remember just being like holy cow, this is crazy. Like, this is not right. This is a real problem and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be enforcing the laws of our country and our border. And so I think, as I started to pull on that thread, I sort of, you know, begin to look at other topics and eventually came to the point where I don’t think I can support a political party that wants to have an open border, that lets in criminals and dangerous people into our country. That’s just not something I can get behind.

    The most effective way to support State Republicans is to stand tall for America FIRST — renew your MAGA pledge today!

    Trump’s Truth Social Merger Deal Hits A Pause

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    0
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    It’s a bad time to be Trump…

    New reports indicate the potential merger deal with the former President’s Truth Social platform is dead in the water.

    The Daily Beast reports:

    The public shell corporation that has been preparing to merge with former President Donald Trump’s technology firm—the parent company of his social media platform, Truth Social—announced Thursday that it was dropping its plans to pursue the merger through a specialized process called a ​​private investment in public equity (PIPE) transaction. The company also said it planned to return $533 million it had raised from investors to complete the deal. The merger between Digital World Acquisition Corp. (DWAC), a special purpose acquisition company, and Trump Media & Technology Group failed to materialize by a September 2022 deadline set by U.S. regulators, giving DWAC the option to back out of the deal. A TMTG spokesperson claimed in a release Thursday that the two companies still planned to merge and said the development was, in fact, a positive step—but declined to comment when pressed by Reuters to say how backing out of the PIPE deal would benefit either party.

    This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.

    Former PayPal President Ditches Democrat Party, Endorses Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1

    Trump just scored another major donor…

    Former president of PayPal David Marcus announced he has switched political parties and endorsed Donald Trump via X.

    “I am crossing the Rubicon and backing the Republican Party and President Trump. Many — including a former version of myself — get trapped in a mental framework that becomes their identity and prevents them from radically evolving their thinking with new facts and information. I finally broke free from it.”

    “My journey has been a gradual political 180 from where I stood in every previous election. It has been an eye-opening process of disenchantment, zero-basing lifelong beliefs, and rebuilding from there,” wrote Marcus.

    Marcus cited an anecdote where, in 2017, he was enlisted to raise $100M from Silicon Valley for the Democratic National Convention in order to “prevent a repeat of Hillary Clinton’s inadequate, outdated 2016 campaign.”

    David Marcus is aligned with Trump on technology innovations like crypto and AI as well as foreign policy–especially the Middle East. Marcus opined, “on Iran, this administration is continuing a misguided Obama-era plan to bring Iran closer to the West by unfreezing Trump-era sanctions, thus giving the Mollahs’ regime the ability to fund terrorism and pursue its anti-America, anti-Israel, and anti-Jewish agenda.”

    “I believe we need a President who is unequivocally pro: America, the Constitution, business, Bitcoin/crypto, innovation, Israel, small government, legal immigration, free speech, meritocracy, and common sense — and anti: regulatory proliferation, illegal immigration, unjust wars, Iran’s current regime, and domestic groups that oppose American values.”

    Marcus completed his post by referencing the attempt on former President Trump’s life at a rally in Butler, PA on July 13.

    “It’s impossible to close this post without mentioning President Trump’s recent assassination attempt. The courage and resolve he displayed seconds after being hit by a bullet was awe-inspiring for his followers and detractors alike. This was a man, however imperfect, who, at that moment, incarnated the American spirit in the most vivid way, starting to bring a split nation together,” wrote Marcus.

    “In this pivotal moment, confronted with the choices we have, I am endorsing and supporting a return to a Republican administration in 2025,” the post concluded.

    Trump has seen a number of prominent pro-business donors flock to his campaign this season as Republicans seek to a return to the White House.

    Watergate Prosecutor Says ‘Trump Is Toast’ In Fraud Trial 

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    6
    Slowking4, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    Former Watergate prosecutor Nick Ackerman said former President Trump is “toast” in his New York civil fraud case.

    New York Attorney General Letitia James’ case accuses Trump, his two adult sons, the Trump Organization, and top executives of falsely inflating the values of Trump’s real estate properties and other assets in order to get tax benefits and better loan terms.

    James seeks around $250 million in damages, and she wants to bar Trump and his co-defendants from running another business in New York.

    According to The Hill, Ackerman argued people are not only focused on the former president’s testimony but also his deposition with James’s lawyers last summer, where he invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 400 times.

    “Now what does it mean to take the Fifth Amendment? It means that you are refusing to answer a question, because a truthful answer would tend to be incriminating,” Ackerman said. “Then what did Donald Trump do last week? He went into court and said, ‘Oh, I didn’t do anything fraudulent, I wasn’t involved in a fraud.’ Which is just the opposite what in effect he was saying when he took the Fifth Amendment in his deposition.”

    “So you’ve got contradictory testimony,” Ackerman continued. “You can use his assertion of the Fifth Amendment against him to basically find that he’s lying, that he’s manipulating the system when he goes in, refuses to answer questions, answers the questions in a half-baked manner.”

    Earlier this week when Trump took the stand he fiercely defended his business practices and condemned those involved in the case as politically motivated “Trump haters.”

    “I just don’t see how this judge at the end of the day is not going to find that, with respect to Donald Trump … ‘Liar, liar, pants on fire,’” Ackerman said.

    Ackerman said that in his more than 40 years of civil law experience, he has never seen anyone “do such a stupid move as to suddenly start testifying” after they’ve taken the Fifth Amendment.

    Fox News Host Laura Ingraham Joins Board of Trump Jr.’s New SPAC

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    0

    Fox News primetime host Laura Ingraham has been named a board member of a new special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) led by Donald Trump Jr..

    The blank-check firm, Colombier Acquisition Corp. III, filed its registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday, planning to raise 26 million units at $10 each — a total IPO target of about $260 million.

    The stated mission of the new SPAC is stirring: the company intends to “fund the next chapter of American Exceptionalism and help Make America Grow Again.”

    A Powerful Line-Up

    This initiative brings together heavyweight conservative and business voices:

    • Donald Trump Jr. himself is listed as a director of the SPAC.
    • Ingraham, as noted, takes a board seat, aligning her media voice with pro-growth, America-first business leadership.
    • Others on the board include billionaire investor Chamath Palihapitiya (often dubbed “Wall Street’s SPAC king”), Blake Masters (a former president of the Thiel Foundation and GOP Senate candidate-turned-investor), and conservative business leader Chris Buskirk of 1789 Capital.
    • The SPAC is sponsored by 1789 Capital — a firm with ties to Trump family allies including Trump Jr. — and led operationally by finance veteran Omeed Malik.

    Why This Matters for the Republican Agenda

    1. Scaling American Growth — The SPAC presents an opportunity to invest in high-potential private companies that are aligned with conservative economic principles: innovation, domestic manufacturing, job creation. It echoes longstanding themes of shrinking dependency on foreign supply chains and revitalizing American industry.
    2. Bringing Conservative Media Into the Arena — Laura Ingraham’s role on the board is significant beyond her television presence. It bridges the media platform with private-capital activity in service of a pro-growth agenda, reinforcing conservative alignment across cultural and economic spheres.
    3. Leveraging the Trump Ecosystem — This SPAC is further proof of increasing alignment between the Trump family’s business interests and the conservative movement. With Trump Jr. at the helm and Fox News hosts like Ingraham working in the same orbit, the cultural and economic wings of the movement are becoming more integrated. Some might view this as a consolidation of influence — and for supporters, it represents an effective mobilization of talent, media, capital and ideas.
    4. Messaging Strength — The marketing language around “American Exceptionalism,” “Make America Grow Again,” and taking bold action to merge private champions into public markets resonates deeply with patriotic, pro-growth, and pro-Liberty voters and investors. It signals optimism about the future of U.S. business and opportunity.

    Considerations for Conservative Investors & Supporters

    • Alignment of values and vision: This venture clearly invites participation by those who believe in American economic strength, renewal of manufacturing, and innovation under a conservative framework.
    • Risk and reward: As with all SPACs, there are inherent risks — particularly the uncertainty of what private company will be merged and how the market will react. However, the backing of high-profile conservative leaders may bring a unique brand strength and network effect.
    • Cultural impact: Ingraham’s involvement means that conservative media will potentially be linked to private-market outcomes. This could amplify messaging but also raise questions about separation of media and business roles (a subject of debate).
    • Timing: The filing was recent, and the IPO process is underway. As the venture develops, more details will emerge (which company they will target, when, etc.). Supporters should watch for updates and ensure that the company they merge with aligns with the broader vision.

    What’s Next

    Supporters in the conservative movement will likely view this development as a concrete manifestation of turning media influence into economic muscle — shaping culture and business in tandem.

    The IPO units are expected to trade under the ticker “CLBR U” on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

    The next steps will include selecting a target company to merge with, closing the deal, and executing on growth plans. Investors should monitor the company’s announcements and disclosures via SEC filings.

    Media watchers will track how this move influences the relationship between conservative media, the Trump business ecosystem, and public market investment.

    The Democrat Shutdown is nothing more than a political scheme to hold America hostage. JD Vance is calling Schumer to END THE SHUTDOWN. [CO-SIGN THE MEMO HERE]

    Senators Call On SEC To Open Investigation Into Trump For Insider Trading

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    5

    Democrats are getting desperate…

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this week asking for an investigation into President Donald Trump’s social media posts urging stock market purchases ahead of his tariff pause announcement

    “We ask the SEC to determine whether President Trump, any members of his cabinet, or other donors, insiders, and administration officials engaged in insider trading, market manipulation or other securities laws violations on April 9, 2025, when President Trump announced that it was a ‘GREAT TIME TO BUY’ into the stock market,” the senators wrote in a scathing letter.

    Sens. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) also signed the letter, which slammed Trump for urging his social media followers to buy stocks “just hours before he announced a 90-day pause on his recently announced tariffs, leading to a historic market rally after days of dramatic market declines.”

    “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social at 9:37 am just ahead of his announcement that he would pause additional tariff increases on 75 countries for 90 days while slapping even higher levies on China.

    The letter was addressed to SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins, a Trump appointee, who was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday.

    “It is unclear which officials and affiliates for President Trump had advance knowledge of his plans to delay tariffs — but insiders may have known that he was going to announce a tariff pause and that the market would improve,” argued the Senators.

    123Page 1 of 3
    © Great America News Desk 2022