
Donald Trump targets Beyoncé, Kamala Harris, Oprah, escalates distraction campaign amid Epstein files pressure
In his post, Mr Trump alleges that Democrats paid 'Eleven Million Dollars to singer Beyoncé for an ENDORSEMENT (she never sang, not one note, and left the stage to a booing and angry audience!),' he said.'Three Million Dollars for 'expenses' to Oprah, Six Hundred Thousand Dollars to very low rated TV 'anchor,' Al Sharpton (a total lightweight!), and others to be named for doing, absolutely NOTHING!'
He goes on to claim, 'YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PAY FOR AN ENDORSEMENT. IT IS TOTALLY ILLEGAL TO DO SO. Kamala, and all of those that received Endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted!'
The claims, unsupported by any public evidence and not corroborated by campaign filings or independent fact-checkers, come at a time when Mr Trump faces intensifying scrutiny over his own dealings, especially renewed attention to his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and demands from both supporters and critics for full disclosure of the 'Epstein files.'
Jeffrey Epstein was a wealthy financier charged with operating a sex trafficking ring that exploited dozens of underage girls for sexual abuse, including recruiting victims from multiple countries, before he died in jail awaiting trial in 2019.
The release of the Epstein files has been highly anticipated, with many hoping the documents will reveal new information about powerful individuals connected to Epstein's trafficking network and shed light on unresolved questions about his death.
Mr Trump's latest social media outburst follows a pattern of rapid-fire postings unrelated to the mounting questions about Epstein's death and Mr Trump's own actions.
This includes recent Truth Social posts ranging from attacking US agency officials and Washington football team branding, to sharing AI-generated videos of Barack Obama's fictional arrest and promoting unrelated government document dumps.
Republican strategists and political analysts note that such diversions are typical of Mr Trump's tried-and-tested playbook: generating new controversies or provoking media outrage in an effort to overwhelm coverage of more damaging topics.
'As controversy over Epstein refuses to die down, Mr Trump and his inner circle have repeatedly tried to pivot public attention to new outrages,' said Republican strategist Alex Conant in a recent interview.
'Nobody turns the page better than Donald Trump. His entire first term was constantly changing narratives… this is different because he's in a real fight with his base.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
EU and US announce tariff deal to avoid spiralling trade war
The United States struck a framework trade deal with the European Union on Monday AEST, imposing a 15 per cent import tariff on most EU goods, but averting a spiralling battle between two allies which account for almost a third of global trade. The announcement came after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen travelled for talks with US President Donald Trump at his golf course in western Scotland to push a hard-fought deal over the line. "I think this is the biggest deal ever made," Trump told reporters after an hour-long meeting with von der Leyen, who said the 15 per cent tariff applied "across the board". "We have a trade deal between the two largest economies in the world, and it's a big deal. It's a huge deal. It will bring stability. It will bring predictability," she said. The deal, which also includes US$600 billion ($914.9 billion) of EU investments in the United States and US$750 billion ($1.1 trillion) of EU purchases of US energy over Trump's second term, will indeed bring clarity for EU companies. Even so, the baseline 15 per cent tariff will be seen by many in Europe as a poor outcome compared with the initial European ambition of a zero-for-zero tariff deal, although it is better than the threatened 30 per cent rate. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the deal, saying in a statement that a trade conflict had been averted that would have hit Germany's export-driven economy and its large auto sector hard. But Bernd Lange, the German Social Democrat who chair's the trade committee of the European Parliament, said he was "quite critical" because the tariffs were imbalanced and the pledged $600 billion of investment would likely come at the expense of EU industry. The euro rose around 0.2 per cent per cent against the dollar, sterling and yen within an hour of the deal. The deal mirrors key parts of the framework agreement the United States clinched with Japan last week. Shipping containers and cargo ships seen in the port of Barcelona one of the biggest sea ports of Europe. Source: AAP / Davide Bonaldo / SOPA Images "We are agreeing that the tariff ... for automobiles and everything else will be a straight-across tariff of 15 per cent," Trump said. That rate will not, however, apply to steel and aluminium, for which a 50 per cent tariff will remain in place, although von der Leyen said it would be cut and replaced with a quota system. Von der Leyen said the rate also applied to semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, and there would be no tariffs from either side on aircraft and aircraft parts, certain chemicals, certain generic drugs, semiconductor equipment, some agricultural products, natural resources and critical raw materials. "We will keep working to add more products to this list," she said, adding that the situation on spirits was still to be established. Eric Winograd, chief economist at AllianceBernstein in New York, noted the similarity with Japan's US deal. "We will need to see how long the sides stick to the deal. From a market perspective, it is reassuring in the sense that having a deal is better than not having a deal," he said. Trump, who is seeking to reorder the global economy and reduce decades-old US trade deficits, has so far reeled in agreements with Britain, Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam, although his administration has failed to deliver on a promise of "90 deals in 90 days." He has periodically railed against the European Union, saying it was "formed to screw the United States" on trade. Arriving in Scotland, Trump said the EU wanted "to make a deal very badly" and said, as he met von der Leyen, that Europe had been "very unfair to the United States". His main bugbear is the US merchandise trade deficit with the EU, which in 2024 reached $235 billion, according to US Census Bureau data. The EU points to the US surplus in services, which it says partially redresses the balance. Trump also talked on Sunday about the "hundreds of billions of dollars" that tariffs were bringing in. On 12 July, Trump threatened to apply a 30 per cent tariff on imports from the EU starting on 1 August, after weeks of negotiations with the major US trading partners failed to reach a comprehensive trade deal. The EU had prepared countertariffs on 93 billion euros of US goods in the event there was no deal, and Trump had pressed ahead with 30 per cent tariffs. Some member states had also pushed for the bloc to use its most powerful trade weapon, the anti-coercion instrument, to target US services in the event of a no-deal.

Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
US and EU reach trade deal with 15 per cent US tariff on most EU exports amid Trump Scotland visit
The United States and the European Union have reached a framework deal, with the US imposing a 15 per cent import tariff on most EU goods amid efforts to avoid a costly trade war. The announcement comes during US President Donald Trump's visit to Scotland, where European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with Trump at his golf club on Sunday, local time. "I think this is the biggest deal ever made," Trump told reports following the meeting between the pair, while Ms von der Leyen said the tariff applied "across the board". "We have a trade deal between the two largest economies in the world, and it's a big deal. It's a huge deal. It will bring stability. It will bring predictability," she said. The deal also includes $600 billion of EU investments in the US and $750 billion of EU purchases of US energy over Trump's second term. The baseline 15 per cent tariff, which will be seen by many in Europe as a poor outcome compared with the initial European ambition of a zero-for-zero tariff deal, is better outcome than the threatened 30 per cent rate. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has welcomed the del, claiming in statement that a trade conflict had been averted that would have hit Germany's export-driven economy and its large auto sector hard. The European Commission President's trip to Scotland comes after previous discussions between US officials and European Union trade chief Maros Sefcovic failed to produce an agreement. Mr Sefcovic had flown to Washington DC after President Trump threatened to impose new 30 per cent tariffs on the EU unless the 27-member bloc could reach a trade agreement with the US by August 1. Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity prior to Sunday's meeting, a Trump administration official was "cautiously optimistic" about the showdown talks, but warned it would be unwise to pre-empt an outcome. "It's not over till it's over," the official said. While the impact of escalating tariffs on China were felt by many US businesses and consumers, a trade war with the EU would likely be much more severe. The US and EU are each other's largest trading partners by far and account for a third of global trade. With Reuters

The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
Australia news LIVE: Albanese to introduce cheaper medication bill; European Union reach 15 per cent trade deal with Trump
Latest posts Latest posts 6.43am Britain warns on China, backs Australia By David Crowe Britain has vowed to 'fight together' with Australia if needed in flashpoints such as the Taiwan Strait, as it steps up its warnings about threats from China, including repression, espionage and hybrid attacks. UK Defence Minister John Healey said Britain and Australia would deter enemies together by being more ready to fight, in some of his most assertive remarks about the risks to global security. The declaration to the British media came days after Healey signed a $41 billion defence treaty with Australia to accelerate the construction of the AUKUS nuclear submarines, seen as essential to countering future trade and military threats. 6.37am Australians 'frosty' on Trump and want distance from US: new polling By Matthew Knott Australians are voicing a strong desire for the country to assert more independence from the United States amid Donald Trump's turbulent presidency, with most voters saying they do not blame Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for failing to secure a meeting with the US president. The latest Resolve Political Monitor survey of more than 2300 people, conducted for this masthead, found that most Australians continue to have strongly negative views of Trump six months after he re-entered the White House. Fewer than one in five Australian voters believe Trump's election was a good outcome for Australia. 6.33am What's making news today By Daniel Lo Surdo Hello and welcome to the national news live blog. My name is Daniel Lo Surdo, and I'll be helming our live coverage this morning. Here's what is making news today: The Albanese government will continue work to execute its election promises this week, with legislation to cap the cost of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme medicines at $25 on the agenda in the sitting second week of the new parliamentary term. Labor also plans to pass legislation to reduce student debts and enact childcare reform this week, after the respective draft laws were introduced in the first sitting week since the government's thumping election victory in May. The European Union have accepted a trade deal with US President Donald Trump that will impose a 15 per cent tariff on billions of dollars in exports, in an agreement that appears set to lift prices for American consumers and hurt sales for European exporters. The deal will also see the EU purchase $US750 billion worth of energy from US in the years ahead, in a move to reduce its reliance on Russian gas. Israel's military carried out airdrops of aid in Gaza on Sunday after Israel said it would establish humanitarian corridors for United Nations aid convoys amid international pressure over mounting reports of starvation-related deaths in Gaza. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said it would introduce 'tactical pauses' to allow for aid to be distributed, and halt activity in Muwasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City from 10am to 8pm every day until further notice. Australian Oscar Piastri has extended his F1 championship lead after winning the Belgian Grand Prix in a rain-interrupted race at Spa-Francorchamps overnight. Piastri started second on the grid but overtook McLaren teammate Lando Norris early in the race and held his nerve to finish atop the podium. Norris and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc joined Piastri on the dais in Belgium.