Latest news with #Usher
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Home discomforts send Trump rushing to project image of global patriarch
'Daddy's home.' So said a social media post from the White House, accompanied by a video featuring the song Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home) by Usher and images of Donald Trump at the Nato summit in The Hague. The US president's fundraising allies were quick to market $35 T-shirts with his image and the word after Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general, referred to Trump's criticism of Israel and Iran over violations of a ceasefire by quipping: 'And then Daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get [them to] stop.' Yet even as Trump seeks to project an image of global patriarch, there are signs of trouble on the home front. His polling numbers are down. His party is struggling to pass his signature legislation. Millions of people have marched in the streets to protest against him. Critics say the president who claims to put America First is in fact putting America Last. Trump is not the first president to find the foreign policy domain, where as commander-in-chief he recently ordered strikes on nuclear sites in Iran, less restrictive than the domestic sphere, where a rambunctious Congress, robust judiciary and sceptical media are constant irritants. But rarely has the gap between symbolic posturing abroad and messy politicking at home been so pronounced. 'There's two presidencies,' said Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota. 'The one on the domestic front is gruesome and involves long-drawn-out and disappointing negotiations with Congress and that's exactly what Donald Trump is engaged in now. What emerges from Congress is not going to be as 'big' or 'beautiful' as he promised. 'Meanwhile you've got staggering photographs of bombs falling from the sky, Donald Trump's flamboyant description of what he's achieved in Iran and Europe. That's the kind of Hollywood performance that Donald Trump wants.' The president stunned the world last Saturday by announcing, on his Truth Social platform, that he had ordered more than 125 aircraft and 75 weapons – including 14 bunker-busting bombs – to hit three targets in Iran to prevent the country obtaining a nuclear weapon. He followed up with a White House speech, choreographed to project an image of power, in which he declared: 'Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.' That narrative has since been cast into doubt by a leaked intelligence report suggesting that the operation set back Iran's nuclear programme by only a few months. Still, Trump pivoted to the role of peacemaker, again using Truth Social to announce a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, prompting Republicans to gush that he should win the Nobel peace prize. Trump's barrage of speeches, interactions with reporters and social media posts about the Middle East were likened by some to a daily soap opera, dominating Americans' attention and distracting them from his one big beautiful bill, a budget plan that threatens to slash the social safety net that many of his own supporters depend on. Jacobs observed: 'This is a classic deception. He's like the carnival barker who's waving his hands to keep the attention of the audience even as he's hiding the part for the next trick. 'What's coming out of Congress is going to absolutely harm many of his voters. Politicians like to cover their tracks; there's no covering the tracks here. There will be known cuts to widely used popular programmes like the healthcare for Medicaid and there will be no doubt as to who's responsible. These are traceable, highly visible consequences of Donald Trump.' Now in the sixth month of his second presidency, Trump's domestic honeymoon is over. A poll of 1,006 likely voters nationwide by John Zogby Strategies on 24 and 25 June found the president's approval rating down three points to 45%. About 49% of voters approve of his handling of immigration while 47% disapprove but on the economy 43% approve and 54% disapprove. Asked if they expect Trump's presidency will make them financially better off or worse off, 40% said better and 50% said worse. Zogby commented: 'There is a lot of anxiety domestically, first and foremost on the economy. People are confused and insecure. The numbers are plunging.' Consumer confidence unexpectedly deteriorated in June, a sign of economic uncertainty because of Trump's sweeping tariffs. The anxiety reported by the Conference Board was across the political spectrum, with the steepest decline among Republicans. And the share of consumers viewing jobs as plentiful was the smallest since March 2021. Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic senator, argued in a floor speech this week that Trump had broken him promise to lower costs 'on day one'. She said: 'American families don't need another war – they need good jobs and lower prices, and that is what we should be focused on.' Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion Warren listed 10 ways in which the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would raise costs for families, from rent to groceries to prescription drug prices, and warned that it will take healthcare away from more than 16 million people. Republicans in the House of Representatives and Senate continue to haggle over the contents of the bill as a 4 July deadline looms. Neera Tanden, president and chief executive of the Center for American Progress and a former domestic policy adviser to President Joe Biden, told an audience on Thursday: 'This legislation is the greatest Robin Hood-in-reverse legislation that I have ever seen in my lifetime. It is cutting healthcare for working-class people and using those dollars to fund tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.' Meanwhile discontent is simmering over Trump's signature issue of immigration, even among some of his own voters. Videos of people being snatched off the streets or beaten by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents have provoked widespread revulsion. There have also been cases such as that of Ming Li Hui, a popular member of staff at a restaurant in rural Missouri who was arrested and jailed to await deportation. Her friend Vanessa Cowart told the New York Times: 'I voted for Donald Trump, and so did practically everyone here. But no one voted to deport moms. We were all under the impression we were just getting rid of the gangs, the people who came here in droves.' Meanwhile aggressive workplace raids are hurting hotels, restaurants, farms, construction firms and meatpacking companies, including in conservative states. The alarm recently got through to Trump, who admitted that some undocumented immigrants were actually 'very good, longtime workers' and ordered a temporary pause, only to then yield back to hardliners in his administration. Wendy Schiller, a political science professor at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, said: 'In a restaurant, if you lose your cooks, you can't serve people and you lose money. If you are in a factory where people have been swooped up by Ice, you have to do more work. 'It puts more of the burden on the same people who might have voted for Donald Trump – lower-income or middle-income factory workers or meat-processing people. They're feeling the effects of this immigration sweep in ways that the administration did not anticipate.' Trump's second term has been further marred by the tech billionaire Elon Musk leading a 'department of government efficiency', or Doge, that fired thousands of federal workers but fell far short of its cost-saving target before Musk left amid acrimony. The president's authoritarian attacks on cultural institutions, law firms, media organisations and universities fuelled 'No Kings' protests involving more than 5 million people in more than 2,100 cities and towns across the country on 14 June. In that context, it is perhaps not surprising that Trump should relish the global stage, where any world leader is just a phone call away and where he is now being feted as statesman and father figure. It has proven easier to drop bombs on Iran or pressure Nato to agree to a big increase in military spending than to tame Thomas Massie, a rebellious Kentucky Republican defying him over both Iran and the spending bill. Schiller added: 'It is true for every president, Republican or Democrat, that when things are going south domestically they turn to foreign affairs. Trump feels in some ways more powerful on the global stage than he does trying to get Congress to do what he wants. The House Republicans are giving him a hard time. The Senate Republicans are giving him a hard time. He's annoyed by this so then he goes, well, we're a global military power.'
News.com.au
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Outrage as star upstages Sanchez at wedding
Usher amazed in a grey and white suit and bow tie and Tom Brady kept things monochromatic with an all-black ensemble. Picture: Stefano Rellandini / AFP
USA Today
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Kylie Jenner, Tom Brady, Kim Kardashian sail to attend Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sánchez wedding
The big day is here for Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez – and their celebrity guest list put on a show as they headed out for the destination wedding of the year. After Sánchez, 55, and Bezos, 61, left the Aman hotel on June 27, a slew of A-list friends were also photographed stepping out of luxurious Venetian hotels the St. Regis and Gritti Palace to jet off to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore for the ceremony. R&B superstar Usher, NFL legend Tom Brady, a ballcap-donning Leonardo DiCaprio and girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Oprah Winfrey and most of the Kardashian-Jenner family were among the high-profile guests who stepped on to boats that would take them to the lavish and controversial wedding. Bezos and Sánchez, who went public with their relationship in 2019, became engaged in 2023. Bezos was previously married to philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Scroll on to see the celebrity lineup at Sánchez and Bezos' nuptials. Usher and Tom Brady Two titans in their respective professions, Usher and Brady were photographed near each other at the Gritti Palace Hotel. Jennifer Raymond, Usher's wife, was also in attendance. Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sánchez are having a luxury wedding. The internet is enraged. Kim Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian Reality TV icons and businesswomen Kim Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian made the most of their ride to San Giorgio. They were seen taking multiple selfies aboard the boat. Oprah Winfrey Oprah wore her hair in a a half-up, half-down style with loose waves and donned a form-fitting, long-sleeved pink dress as she boarded a boat. Spotting photographers across the way, she gave admirers a wave. Kris Jenner and Corey Gamble Kim and Khloé weren't the only ones representing the Kardashian family. Power talent managers – and real-life couple – Corey Gamble and Kris Jenner stepped out in monochrome looks on June 27. Sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner rounded out the Kardashian appearances. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump Ivanka Trump, a close friend of Sánchez, and husband Jared Kushner stepped out of the St. Regis Hotel on their way to the wedding.
Black America Web
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Peach Papa Trump Uses Usher Song In Lame NATO Recap Video, Social Media Demands Cease & Desist
Source: Xinhua News Agency / Getty Donald Trump has a long, sordid history of doing things without permission (read between the lines). The latest is Team Cheeto using Usher's song 'Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home),' in a lame propaganda video, shared by the official White House X (formerly known as Twitter) account, no less. The cheesy clip features footage of Trump's visit to the NATO Summit in the Hague, where NATO chief Mark Rutte, the Dutch secretary general of the military alliance, referred to the racist in chief as 'daddy' on Wednesday (June 26). 'And then daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get (them to) stop,' said Rutter after Trump went on a rant about Israel and Iran. That was all the administration needed to hear to try to seize the moment by turning it into this lame meme attempt. It's certainly going to spread far, but not for the reasons Trump is hoping for. The clip features Usher's song 'Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home),' from his 2010 Raymond v. Raymond album, prominently. And there is no question that the administration never bothered to ask for permission to use the song. So naturally, social media immediately called for a cease and desist on 'Ursher's' behalf. To be fair, considering Trump's alleged weaponization of the Department of Justice in his favor, Usher's lawyers may not want the smoke. However, the odds are certainly in their favor. Check out social media's reaction to the Trump administration's latest exercise in corniness in the gallery. Peach Papa Trump Uses Usher Song In Lame NATO Recap Video, Social Media Demands Cease & Desist was originally published on
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Trump posts a video using Usher's 'Hey Daddy' song
The caption draws lyrics from the R&B legend's 2009 hit song, from his "Raymond v. Raymond" album, that read, "When I walk in, all that I wanna hear is you say, "Daddy's home, home for me." The video features a recording of the song over the montage of Trump. In recent years, Usher's track has found newfound success as a popular sound on TikTok, used to score videos. During the full chorus, Usher sings, "And I know you've been waiting for this lovin' all day, You know your daddy's home and it's time to play, yeah; So you ain't got to give my lovin' away; So all my ladies, say, "Hey, hey, hey, daddy." Artists such as Beyonce, Isaac Hayes' estate, Celine Dion and the estate of Sinead O'Connor have all criticized Trump's use of their music in his promotional materials. 48 hours with Usher: Concert prep family time and what's next for the R&B icon The clip comes as Trump made an appearance at the NATO summit as global tensions escalate amid U.S. involvement the conflict between Iran and Israel. USA TODAY reached out to reps for Usher for comment. Last year, in September, Usher confirmed on an episode of "The View" that he was supporting Trump's opponent and former Vice President Kamala Harris in the November general election. "So you're supporting Kamala Harris in this election, I understand?" cohost Joy Behar asked to which Usher replied, "yes." The R&B singer -- who appeared on the daytime talk show one day after the debate between Trump and Harris and pop star Taylor Swift's endorsement of the latter -- didn't delve too deep into his own specific policy stances. "You know what? I don't get too deep into politics. I didn't get a chance to watch the debate last night. I obviously have been watching like everybody else. I think voting is an individual choice," he told the panel, adding also that "how you highlight and how you choose to highlight it on whatever platform you have is your prerogative." Contributing: Isabel C. Morales, Jonathan Limehouse
