
Donald Trump makes huge World War I blunder in fiery speech as LA riots rage
US President Donald Trump delivered a speech at Fort Bragg on Tuesday, as unrest continued in Los Angeles between protesters and ICE officials over his far-reaching deportation order.
Fort Bragg, situated near Fayetteville, North Carolina, is home to the military's Special Operations Command, which includes elite units such as the Green Berets and Rangers.
During his address, Trump made a significant historical blunder, claiming that many countries had recently commemorated the end of World War I, while the US did not participate in the celebrations, despite asserting "we're the ones who won the war."
"Without us," Trump said, "You'd all be speaking German right now."
"Maybe a little Japanese thrown in. But we won the war," he added. "We're gonna celebrate on Saturday."
However, Trump's claim that citizens would have been speaking Japanese is inaccurate, as Japan was an ally of the US, France, Great Britain, Russia, and Italy against the Axis powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire, reports the Mirror US.
It appears the President was actually referencing WW2, which was commemorated recently during VE celebrations. The end of WW1 is traditionally commemorated on "Armistice Day" on November 11 each year.
The event at Fort Bragg was also attended by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, and included both active service members and their families. The speech comes ahead of the 250th anniversary of the army and coincidentally, Trump's 79th birthday, which will be marked with a parade in Washington, D.C.
The city is bracing for a massive turnout at the parade this Saturday, with officials already setting up 18 miles of "anti-scale fencing" and deploying drones, despite the usual no-fly zone rules.
City representatives have told The Associated Press they're expecting an "preparing for an enormous turnout."
Secret Service's Matt McCool from the Washington Field Office is preparing for "hundreds of thousands" to line the streets, while military sources estimate around 200,000 will join the celebrations.
"We have a ton of magnetometers," McCool said. "If a million people show up, then we're going to have some lines."
To manage the expected crowds, 175 magnetometers will be in place at security checkpoints throughout the day and for the evening parade.
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith has warned of "major impacts to traffic" and advises attendees to consider using the Metro instead of driving. "This is a significant event with a large footprint," she stressed.
"We're relying on the public to be an extra set of ears and eyes for us."
The event has hit the headlines as a National Special Security Event, with security measures on par with presidential inaugurations or state funerals.
This elite status is reserved for high-profile functions drawing sizeable gatherings and the likelihood of significant protests, triggering an increased security collaboration between local officials, the FBI, Capitol Police, and the National Guard, all led by the watchful Secret Service.
Officials are also on high alert for possible immigration-related protests, mirroring those in Los Angeles, potentially hitting D. C.
's streets. "We're paying attention, obviously, to what is happening there. We'll be ready," affirmed McCool, underlining the extensive preparations in place to manage any civil unrest.
Hashtags

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


Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Patrick Harvie: 'Trump is not welcome in Scotland'
Now reports suggest that the first convicted criminal ever to serve as President of the United States is planning another visit to our shores. In 2023, Trump was found guilty of thirty-four charges relating to false accounting in his business, after he paid $130,000 in hush money to cover up an affair with a porn star. Trump also has dozens of sexual assault allegations against him dating back to the 1970s. His contempt for women, his racism, and his climate denial have all been clear for decades. At home, Trump has sent troops onto the streets to threaten his own citizens. He is constructing a concentration camp in Florida, and sending agents to terrorise working-class immigrant communities across America, where people are being seized from their homes, businesses, and places of worship, and deported without fair process, ripping families apart. He has slashed funding from crucial services – a move which has already cost the lives of working-class people – to give tax breaks to his billionaire pals. Donald Trump rides roughshod over the rights of his own citizens, but his actions show the same contempt for international law, from withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement to welcoming Israel's Prime Minister to Washington D.C. while Netanyahu has an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for war crimes. It's revolting to see this celebration of the man behind the ongoing atrocities and genocide of innocent civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. Leaders who break international law, who show such utter disdain for human rights at home and abroad, should not be treated like other world leaders. They should be treated like pariahs, not normalised. Recently, Trump's Vice President directly attacked Scottish democracy, spreading lies about a bill led by my Green MSP colleague Gillian Mackay and passed overwhelmingly by Parliament. One of the most senior people in another nation's government had deliberately spread misinformation about our politics and laws, and yet the UK Government still plans to welcome his regime with open arms. Trump has forfeited the right to the red carpet treatment, and it is frankly embarrassing to see UK leaders continuing to pander to him instead of calling him out. Given Keir Starmer's track record, we can expect a display of deference without a single word of challenge to Trump's fascism. But it's not just down to Westminster and the UK Government. The Scottish Government must also make it clear that Trump is not welcome here. We in the Scottish Greens have long called for an investigation into Donald Trump's finances in Scotland through an Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) – a power held by the Scottish Government to investigate the finances of politically active individuals who have gained wealth through suspicious means. Trump's Menie Estate golf course, which he is set to visit this month, was cited in one of his felony charges, which makes it clearer than ever that a UWO must be used. Playing golf while babies starve to death in a man-made, live-streamed genocide is a sickening display of wealth and power. The SNP Government should make it clear that we in Scotland are not playing along.


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Trump's political guru Steve Bannon gives devastating take on fallout of Epstein debacle
Steve Bannon issued a blistering warning that fallout over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files could rip the Republican coalition apart and cost the GOP 'up to 40 seats' in the midterm elections. Bannon, the architect of Donald Trump 's 2016 victory, declared in fiery live broadcast on Friday that unless Trump takes swift action the political cost could be catastrophic. 'If we lose 10 percent of the MAGA movement right now, we're gonna lose 40 seats in '26. We're gonna lose the president,' Bannon thundered to a packed audience. 'They don't even have to steal it, which they're gonna try to do in '28.' The longtime political guru of the MAGA movement addressed conspiracy theories that Epstein was behind an elite cabal of child rapists. 'It's not about just a pedophile ring and all that. It's about who governs us, right? And that's why it's not gonna go away,' Bannon said. 'They've disheartened the hardest core populist nation that's always been who governs us.' At the heart of the firestorm is the Justice Department's abrupt decision to close the book on the Epstein investigation - denying the existence of the long-rumored 'client list,' reaffirming that Epstein died by suicide, and refusing to release further records. The memo, jointly released by the DOJ and FBI, stated that further disclosures were neither appropriate nor warranted. But what was intended as a final word has instead detonated a whole new round of conspiracy theories on the right. Attorney General Pam Bondi, once a darling of the movement, had assured Fox News viewers that a list of Epstein's clients was 'on her desk' but the DOJ now says no such document exists Influential MAGA figures, already furious over Attorney General Pam Bondi's failure to deliver the promised bombshells, erupted. Alex Jones sarcastically tweeted that the DOJ would next claim 'Actually, Jeffrey Epstein never even existed.' 'This is over the top sickening,' Jones added. Bondi, once a darling of the movement, had assured Fox News viewers that a list of Epstein's clients was 'on her desk' but the DOJ now says no such document ever existed. Far-right influencer Laura Loomer, close to Trump himself, didn't hold back. 'President Trump should fire Bondi for lying to his base and creating a liability for his administration. She is an embarrassment and she doesn't do anything to help Trump,' Loomer wrote on X. Meanwhile, Dan Bongino, Trump's deputy FBI director and himself a key player in cultivating MAGA loyalty, reportedly considered resigning after a heated clash with Bondi at the White House. Sources say Bongino was 'furious' over how the Epstein memo was handled and skipped work on Friday to contemplate his future. In an attempt to rally the base and refocus their fury, Bannon called for the immediate appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate Epstein's clients and possible blackmail operations. 'There's only one solution,' Bannon insisted. 'You must appoint a special prosecutor immediately. DOJ and FBI, love those guys, but they can't do it. No possibility. They're too busy. Too conflicted.' His call was echoed by conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec, who demanded action in front of a roaring crowd. But despite the fiery rhetoric, the administration appears to be circling the wagons. President Trump leapt to Bondi's defense in a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, scolding a reporter who dared raise the Epstein issue. 'Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy's been talked about for years. That is unbelievable.' Behind closed doors, however, tensions are boiling. A private clash earlier in the week between Bondi and Bongino sparked by a NewsNation report suggesting DOJ obstruction nearly broke into the open. FBI Director Kash Patel, Deputy AG Todd Blanche, and even Bongino were all forced to issue public statements denying divisions within the administration. The Epstein memo marked a stunning reversal from earlier promises. In February, MAGA influencers were invited to the White House and handed binders labeled 'The Epstein Files: Phase 1 – Declassified.' But the files were mostly rehashed public documents. Bondi promised that a 'truckload' of unreleased evidence was coming but that release never happened. Instead, on Monday the DOJ said that court orders sealed most of the remaining materials, and much of it would never have been made public even if Epstein had stood trial. The only disclosure accompanying the memo was a video intended to prove Epstein's jailhouse suicide. Yet even that drew fire from skeptics due to a mysterious one-minute gap in the footage. Complicating matters, tech mogul Elon Musk, once a close Trump confidant, is now hammering the president from the outside. Having announced plans to launch his own political party, Musk took to X to stoke Epstein suspicions. 'How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won't release the Epstein files?' Musk asked. Musk has hinted that Trump may have been named in redacted documents, further fueling speculation and deepening the fissure within the right. The Epstein backlash comes amid a series of fractures inside Trump's base. MAGA hardliners are already fuming over Trump's decision to resume arms shipments to Ukraine, his bombing of Iranian nuclear sites, and his recent comments urging restraint on immigration raids at farms.


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
DOGE sprouts in red states, as governors embrace the cost-cutter brand and make it their own
The brash and chaotic first days of President Donald Trump 's Department of Government Efficiency, once led by the world's richest man Elon Musk, spawned state-level DOGE mimicry as Republican governors and lawmakers aim to show they are in step with their party's leader. Governors have always made political hay out of slashing waste or taming bureaucracy, but DOGE has, in some ways, raised the stakes for them to show that they are zealously committed to cutting costs. Many drive home the point that they have always been focused on cutting government, even if they're not conducting mass layoffs. 'I like to say we were doing DOGE before DOGE was a thing,' Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said in announcing her own task force in January. Critics agree that some of these initiatives are nothing new and suggest they are wasteful, essentially duplicating built-in processes that are normally the domain of legislative committees or independent state auditors. At the same time, some governors are using their DOGE vehicles to take aim at GOP targets of the moment, such as welfare programs or diversity, equity and inclusion programs. And some governors who might be eyeing a White House run in 2028 are rebranding their cost-cutting initiatives as DOGE, perhaps eager to claim the mantle of the most DOGE of them all. No chainsaws in the states At least 26 states have initiated DOGE-style efforts of varying kinds, according to the Economic Policy Institute based in Washington, D.C. Most DOGE efforts were carried out through a governor's order — including by governors in Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, New Hampshire and Oklahoma — or by lawmakers introducing legislation or creating a legislative committee. The state initiatives have a markedly different character than Trump's slash-and-burn approach, symbolized by Musk's chainsaw-brandishing appearance at a Conservative Political Action Committee appearance in February. Governors are tending to entrust their DOGE bureaus to loyalists, rather than independent auditors, and are often employing what could be yearslong processes to consolidate procurement, modernize information technology systems, introduce AI tools, repeal regulations or reduce car fleets, office leases or worker headcounts through attrition. Steve Slivinski, a senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute who researches state government regulatory structures, said that a lot of what he has seen from state-level DOGE initiatives are the 'same stuff you do on a pretty regular basis anyway' in state governments. States typically have routine auditing procedures and the ways states have of saving money are 'relatively unsexy," Slivinski said. And while the state-level DOGE vehicles might be useful over time in finding marginal improvements, "branding it DOGE is more of a press op rather than anything new or substantially different than what they usually do,' Slivinski said. Analysts at the pro-labor Economic Policy Institute say that governors and lawmakers, primarily in the South and Midwest, are using DOGE to breathe new life into long-term agendas to consolidate power away from state agencies and civil servants, dismantle public services and benefit insiders and privatization advocates. 'It's not actually about cutting costs because of some fiscal responsibility,' EPI analyst Nina Mast said. Governors promoting spending cuts Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry rebranded his 'Fiscal Responsibility Program' as Louisiana DOGE, and promoted it as the first to team up with the federal government to scrub illegitimate enrollees from welfare programs. It has already netted $70 million in savings in the Medicaid program in an 'unprecedented' coordination, Landry said in June. In Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt — who says in a blurb on the Oklahoma DOGE website that 'I've been DOGE-ing in Oklahoma since before it was cool" — made a DOGE splash with the first report by his Division of Government Efficiency by declaring that the state would refuse some $157 million in federal public health grants. The biggest chunk of that was $132 million intended to support epidemiology and laboratory capacity to control infectious disease outbreaks. The Stitt administration said that funding — about one-third of the total over an eight-year period — exceeded the amount needed. The left-leaning Oklahoma Policy Institute questioned the wisdom of that, pointing to rising numbers of measles and whooping cough cases and the rocky transition under Stitt of the state's public health lab from Oklahoma City to Stillwater. Oklahoma Democrats issued rebukes, citing Oklahoma's lousy public health rankings. 'This isn't leadership,' state Sen. Carri Hicks said. 'It's negligence." Stitt's Oklahoma DOGE has otherwise recommended changes in federal law to save money, opened up the suggestion box to state employees and members of the general public and posted a spreadsheet online with cost savings initiatives in his administration. Those include things as mundane as agencies going paperless, refinancing bonds, buying automated lawn mowers for the Capitol grounds or eliminating a fax machine line in the State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order in February creating a task force of DOGE teams in each state agency. In the order, DeSantis recited 10 points on what he described as his and Florida's 'history of prudent fiscal management' even before DOGE. Among other things, DeSantis vowed to scrutinize spending by state universities and municipal and county governments — including on DEI initiatives — at a time when DeSantis is pushing to abolish the property taxes that predominantly fund local governments. His administration has since issued letters to universities and governments requesting reams of information and received a blessing from lawmakers, who passed legislation authorizing the inquiry and imposing fines for entities that don't respond. After the June 30 signing ceremony, DeSantis declared on social media: 'We now have full authority to DOGE local governments.' In Arkansas, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders launched her cost-cutting Arkansas Forward last year, before DOGE, and later said the state had done the 'same thing' as DOGE. Her administration spent much of 2024 compiling a 97-page report that listed hundreds of ways to possibly save $300 million inside a $6.5 billion budget. Achieving that savings — largely by standardizing information technology and purchasing — would sometimes require up-front spending and take years to realize savings. ___