Latest news with #2024Election
Washington Post
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Takeaways from the Supreme Court's term: largely good news for Trump
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has been very good to President Donald Trump lately. Even before he won a new term in the White House, the court eliminated any doubt about whether Trump could appear on presidential ballots, then effectively spared him from having to stand trial before the 2024 election on criminal charges he tried to overturn the 2020 election. That same ruling spelled out a robust view of presidential power that may well have emboldened Trump's aggressive approach in his second term.
The Independent
8 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Kamala Harris plots her next political move after US election loss
Kamala Harris is exploring a gubernatorial bid in California, with a self-imposed decision deadline set for late summer. Many Democratic donors are hesitant about her potential candidacy, still affected by her 2024 presidential election defeat by Donald Trump. Concerns among some donors include reopening traumatizing memories of the 2024 election and questions regarding President Joe Biden 's health. Despite donor ambivalence, Harris's allies believe her strong fundraising network and name recognition would secure support for a gubernatorial run. Republicans are eager for Harris to enter the race, viewing it as an opportunity to highlight perceived issues with the Biden administration and President Joe Biden's health.
Gizmodo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
Trump Claims He Built Crypto—Just as His Family Cashes In
In a series of bombastic new comments on June 27, President Donald Trump didn't just embrace the world of cryptocurrency; he claimed to be its founding father. Painting a picture of a failing industry that he single-handedly rescued, Trump cast himself as the visionary who transformed crypto into a 'very powerful industry' essential for American dominance. It's a bold claim, especially for a man who, as recently as 2021, called Bitcoin a 'scam' that was 'based on thin air.' The pivot from crypto's highest-profile skeptic to its self-proclaimed architect is stark. Speaking at a White House press conference, Trump positioned his involvement as a long-held secret, predating his 2024 run. 'I got involved with it a couple of years ago, and before the second term,' he said. 'I got involved before I decided to run… It's become amazing. I mean, it's the jobs that it produces, and I notice more and more of you pay in Bitcoin.' This new narrative conveniently overlooks crypto's actual history, which began with Bitcoin's creation in 2009 and was shaped by innovators like Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin. Instead, Trump frames himself as the unlikely savior of crypto who saw its potential when no one else did. 'That was an industry that wasn't doing particularly well,' Trump claimed, before making his most jaw-dropping assertion: 'I'm president, and what I did do there is build an industry that's very important.' For those who follow the space, the U-turn is whiplash-inducing. In 2021, Trump's main objection was that crypto was 'another currency competing against the dollar,' telling Fox Business that he wanted the dollar to be 'the currency of the world.' Today, he argues the opposite. 'I mean, people are saying it takes a lot of pressure off the dollar, and it's a great thing for our country,' Trump said. He now frames crypto not as a threat, but as a strategic asset in a geopolitical chess match against China. 'If we didn't have it, China would,' he declared. 'China would love to, and we've dominated that industry.' While Trump's rebranding may seem sudden, it follows a period of intense crypto lobbying and a series of pro-crypto moves by his administration. Since returning to the White House, Trump has fully embraced the industry, which many see as the future of finance. This new wave of financial services is largely built on blockchain technology, a decentralized digital ledger that records transactions securely without needing a middleman like a bank. This 'decentralized finance' (or DeFi) is at the heart of the crypto movement. The Trump administration has actively worked to legitimize it. With the Genius Act, it recently secured passage of a law for stablecoins (a type of crypto pegged to a stable asset, like the U.S. dollar, to reduce volatility) and even announced the creation of a U.S. crypto reserve. This regulatory embrace, which also includes his family's growing crypto empire, has fueled a market rally. Bitcoin is currently trading, according to data firm CoinGecko, over $105,000, and the total value of the crypto market is nearly $3.4 trillion, a colossal recovery from the 'crypto winter' of recent years, which saw the spectacular collapse of exchanges like FTX. For an industry that has weathered fierce debate and volatility, Trump's public anointment is a powerful, if revisionist, seal of approval. The man who once saw crypto as an enemy of the dollar now sees it as a patriotic legacy that he personally built.
Forbes
9 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
How Creators Turned Political Campaigns Into The Ultimate Battleground
The 2024 U.S. Presidential election, apart from being a seismic result in favor of former and current President Trump, marked a major change in the business of campaigns. The first time utilization and mobilization of major content creators by both party machines was immortalized at Trump's election victory party at Mar a-Lago by the UFC Founder Dana White in his deep praise of the prominent Podcasters instrumental in tipping the scales and delivering the winning campaign when she stated: 'I want to thank the NELK Boys, Adin Ross, Theo Von, Bussin' With The Boys. And last but not least, the mighty and powerful Joe Rogan'. The business of politics and campaigns - like a number of legacy industries, is now played out on the distribution platform that is relevant: social media. People under 40 years of age rush away from linear television, newspapers and radio airwaves that once defined media consumption. Online streaming grew to account for 40% of U.S. TV usage – in comparison to cable television sitting at an anemic 27%. Newspaper circulation dropped by 12.7% in 2024 Audio numbers have grown with the rise of Spotify and Apple Music and those consuming podcasts through video (like on Youtube). Seventy percent of Americans above the age of 12 have listened to a podcast, and 73% above the age of12 have consumed a podcast in audio form or video — underscoring the growth of the medium as a means of messaging and entertainment. The relatively nascent Twitter app was used during Obama's first run for the presidency to acquire new audiences and disseminate new messaging. Now, it's owned by the world's wealthiest man: Elon Musk. His change of heart around President Trump aside, the election result remains the same. and now along with Truth Social are the preeminent presidential mouthpieces and appear set to be the main standards of announcement around the office of the White House throughout this presidential term. While so many people became obsessed over the first presidential race to be set in the heart of the AI revolution – it was audio and YouTube that created the intimate bond to voters. Over the course of 2024, both Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris traded podcast and YouTube appearances on the aforementioned NELK Boys, Adin Ross, Theo Von and perhaps most prominently the world's biggest podcaster Joe Rogan where he preferred a more 'unscripted' style approach to win voters. Harris, on the other hand, sat down with Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper and reportedly turned down an appearance on Rogan wanting the Texas based podcaster to come to Washington. She also appeared on 'All the Smoke' with former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson while completing interviews with Howard Stern and Charlamagne tha God. The contrasting publicity choices seems to tell a very clear story. The Joe Rogan and Trump podcast amassed 59 million views on YouTube and his sit-down with Theo Von amassed another 16 million views. By comparison, Kamala Harris's effort with Cooper contrastingly didn't crack 1 million views and sits, at the time of publication, at a comparatively meagre 992,000. These YouTube view counts don't even factor in the many 'cut downs' versions of the films that were distributed as bite sized pieces on platforms like Tik Tok, Instagram and YouTube shorts. Beyond the presidential race, the hotly contested New York democratic primary race between former governor Andrew Cuomo and the fast-rising underdog Assembly member Zohran Mamdani has seen one candidate embrace both Instagram and Tik Tok for his campaign messaging. Delivering made-for-platform short form clips of the 33-year-old interviewing regular people on the street and speaking in Hindi with smash cuts of Bollywood films as well as collaborations with pages like the Gaydar Show humorously talking about LGBTQI specific issues and popular creators like Hasan Piker to illustrate relatability and authenticity over more scripted and polished fair which traditional politicians tend to embrace. Mamdani counts over 600,000 followers on Instagram and 275,000 on Tik Tok whilst his chief opposition Cuomo held a relatively meagre 196,000 on Instagram and 2600 on Tik Tok, With a victory in the democratic primary, Mamdani's embracing of social, short form and creators surged past the more well established and better funded Cuomo. The unapologetic embracing of social platforms and creators has also resulted in a record $8 Million raised from donors to help continue the slick social messaging push to November's General Mayoral election. The US election cycle is now fully embracing this new standard of message distribution as each Party battles to get its propaganda in front of new and ever evolving audiences. Mark my words, as more and more content creators develop into the podcast world, YouTube and Live Streaming – it's clear that they hold more sway than ever before. Multiple talent managers who represent talent that have completed content partnerships with both sides of the political aisle reinforced the sentiment that the growth of political spending on creators represents the most tangible way to access younger voters who have long since tuned out of legacy media. As you would expect, campaign finances are also being distributed very differently today as well. $5.5 billion was spent on the Presidential campaign in 2024 and that number trebled to $15.9 billion with congressional races factored in too. Daniel Bee, a Publicist and Communications expert in Los Angeles said: 'It's pretty safe to say we should anticipate continued growth in political spending in the USA and that a huge chunk of that money will be spent working closer with content creators and their huge and growing audiences. You have to meet the audiences where they are'. The mass spending begs the question where future campaign dollars will be funneled off the back of the growth of Podcast and social media appearances for candidates. Paid ads on social media are nothing new but it opens up the high likelihood of more and more money being spent on Podcast appearances, sponsored creator content, political rallies featuring more creators and livestreams are set to become part of the fabric of campaigning for years to come. Will 2028 bring the first Presidential Mr. Beast games…only time will tell
The Independent
10 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Kamala Harris is trying to gain momentum for a California governor run — but ‘no one is incredibly pumped,' report says
Kamala Harris is ramping up efforts to connect with long-term supporters as she considers a gubernatorial run in California to replace term-limited Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. However, as Politico reports, many Democratic donors remain hesitant, still reeling from the disappointment of her defeat in the 2024 presidential election by Donald Trump. Ambivalence about Harris's return to public life has been shared privately among certain donors as she considers her options, which include more than just running for political office, according to the outlet. Aides have also been tasked with exploring a philanthropic venture. Several major donors in the state told Politico that they fear her reemergence as a candidate would reopen still-fresh wounds from her 2024 defeat. One California Democrat who contributed six figures to her presidential campaign said a gubernatorial candidacy would only serve as a reminder of how 'traumatizing' the 2024 election was. 'Kamala just reminds you we are in this complete s*** storm. With Biden, we got bamboozled…I think she did the best she could in that situation, but obviously she knew about the cognitive decline too,' they said. 'I've written so many checks because I knew the Trump administration would be horrible, but we're living in a nightmare because of the Democrats. I'm furious at them, truly.' Others are eager for Harris to begin publicly explaining her case for why she should lead the state, the world's fourth-largest economy, during an extremely difficult period, which is recovering from devastating wildfires, preparing for economic effects from Trump's tariffs, and still dealing with immigration raids and military deployments ordered by the president. Some donors also have lingering frustration about how the billion-dollar campaign juggernaut to put her in the White House ended in defeat and debt. They want assurances that she would have a clear plan to win the governor's mansion. Harris allies acknowledge the lingering frustrations from the 2024 campaign but still feel confident that donors would rally behind the former vice president should she enter the California governor's race. They note that candidates who have already declared their intention to run for the Democratic Party ticket have struggled to raise significant sums, arguing that it is a sign donors are waiting for a decision from Harris. The former vice president has been consulting with her closest backers in private meetings, notably in the Bay Area, where she began her political life 20 years ago. The results of these discussions could significantly change California's stagnant gubernatorial race. With widespread name recognition and a robust fundraising infrastructure, Harris would likely emerge as a leading candidate, possibly causing many, though not necessarily all, Democratic opponents to withdraw. She also benefits from a long-standing fundraising network in the state, an impressive small-donor email list, and a national network of Black women ready to support her in another historic campaign. While there may be hesitance from the Democrat donor class, conversely, Republicans are eager for Harris to join the race. She could put a fire under the campaign of any GOP candidate looking to capitalize on the perceived failings of the Biden administration, as well as whether the vice president misled Americans about President Joe Biden 's health and mental acuity before he had to exit the 2024 race. One Democratic fundraiser who was granted anonymity to speak to Politico about sensitive conversations, said that donors 'realize it's just going to bring up the whole pathetic last presidential campaign, which no one wants to hear about again. And then it's the whole 'Did you know Joe Biden?' thing.' They added: 'She still would probably lead, but honestly, no one is incredibly pumped.' Questions about any cover-up regarding Biden's health have arisen within Harris's own party, with Antonio Villaraigosa, who is also running for governor, accusing her of being complicit. Supporters believe she must address the issue directly early in any campaign to move on to other topics quickly. However, Harris should expect to work hard for the nomination and not assume the party will automatically line up behind her on day one, as a donor adviser told Politico. Given the filing deadlines and the need to build a statewide campaign infrastructure, the 2026 governor's race is the most urgent option facing Harris — she has set her own deadline of late summer to decide. Running for president again in 2028 is also an option.
