Raymond Pettibon, No Title, (I spent ayll…), 2016 Illustration: Raymond Pettibon/Courtesy of David Zwirner, New York The Donald Trump Seduction Method Ted Cruz Trump on Cruz , February 20: “Lying #Ted Cruz just came out with a sneak and sleazy robocall. He holds up the Bible, but in fact is a true lowlife pol!” Cruz on Trump , March 24: “Donald, you’r ea sniveling coward.” Cruz endorsement , September 23: “After many months of careful consideration, of prayer and searching my own conscience, I have decided that on Election Day, I will vote for the Republican nominee Donald Trump.” Marco Rubio Trump on Rubio , February 26: “Lightweight choker Marco Rubio looks like a little boy onstage. Not presidential material!” Rubio on Trump , March 4: “Donald Trump has been perhaps the most vulgar — no, I don’t think ‘perhaps’­ — the most vulgar person to ever aspire to the presidency.” Rubio endorsement, May 27: “He campaigned … [Read more...]

More than any American President, Donald Trump strains credulity. Of the ten-thousand-plus false or misleading statements he has made during his Presidency that fact-checkers have documented so far, one of the baldest claims came on March 24th. That was when the Attorney General, William Barr, stepped into the vacuum left by the special counsel Robert Mueller’s report and announced that he had cleared Trump of any obstruction-of-justice charges. Trump then crowed on Twitter, writing, “No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. . . .” That statement was false on all three counts. Mueller’s report explicitly did not exonerate Trump, and it cited at least ten possible instances of Trump’s obstruction of justice, while noting that Justice Department policy prevented the filing of criminal charges against a sitting President. Mueller made no judgment on collusion, meanwhile, because that isn’t a crime. In the political and popular vernacular, collusion has … [Read more...]

President Trump Donald Trump Ex-DOJ official Rosenstein says he was not aware of subpoena targeting Democrats: report Ex-Biden adviser says Birx told him she hoped election turned out 'a certain way' Cheney rips Arizona election audit: 'It is an effort to subvert democracy' MORE on Monday touted his environmentalist credentials hours after skipping a Group of Seven (G-7) summit meeting focused on climate, oceans and biodiversity. At a closing press conference before departing the summit, Trump was asked whether he still harbors skepticism about climate change. He did not directly answer, saying he is an "environmentalist" but that he is unwilling to sacrifice the country's economic success to protect the environment. ADVERTISEMENT "I’m an environmentalist. A lot of people don’t understand that," Trump said, citing his experience filing environmental impact statements for real estate developments. "I think I know more about the environment than most … [Read more...]

To hear more audio stories from publishers like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android . So Donald Trump wants to start a social network and become a tech mogul? Lucky for him, I am an expert in all things digital, and I’m willing to help. Tech is hard stuff, and new ventures should be attempted with extreme care, especially by those whose history of entrepreneurship is littered with the carcasses of, say, Trump Steaks. Or Trump Water. Or Trump University. Or Trump magazine. Or Trump Casinos. Or Trump Mortgages. Or Trump Airlines. Or Trump Vodka. Or the Trump pandemic response. Or, of course, the 2020 Trump presidential campaign. So, Mr. Trump, here’s my advice. Right from the start, I advise you to embrace your myriad failures as if they’re your best friends. Every failed venture actually went exactly as planned. Give up your distaste for being called a “loser.” Drop your tendency to blame others. Quit falling back on conspiracy theories — … [Read more...]

Produced by ‘Sway’ Donald Trump isn’t back on Facebook … yet. The platform’s oversight board (set up by Facebook as a “Supreme Court” to which it could punt difficult decisions) upheld a ban on Trump’s account. But the board also said indefinite suspension was “not appropriate.” It gave the company six months to make a final decision on whether Trump can ever return. In short: The court Mark Zuckerberg set up to hide behind has just passed the buck back to Mark Zuckerberg. [You can listen to this episode of “Sway” on Apple , Spotify , Google or wherever you get your podcasts .] While Trump awaits his fate (again), he’s unveiled a platform of his own. Well, it’s more like a glorified blog. But it will surely appeal to millions. The last time Trump had a social media megaphone, he helped usher in lies, conspiracy theories and the deadly attack at the Capitol in January. So his new website opens up a can of worms for a Republican Party that is … [Read more...]

Produced by ‘Sway’ The Facebook oversight board has told Mark Zuckerberg it is not interested in doing his job, and has given Facebook six months to decide whether Donald Trump’s hiatus from the platform will be made permanent. [You can listen to this episode of “Sway” on Apple , Spotify , Google or wherever you get your podcasts .] Alan Rusbridger was in the (virtual) room where it happened. His role as a founding member of the social media giant’s Oversight Board is a notable shift for the former editor in chief of The Guardian whose résumé includes overseeing some of the biggest privacy investigations including reporting on the Edward Snowden revelations, the News International phone hacks and WikiLeaks. With some prodding from Kara Swisher, Rusbridger reveals how the Trump decision went down, what side of the debate he fell on and whether taking this assignment has been worth it. (A full transcript of the episode will be available … [Read more...]