TheNewsGuru

Tag: Donald Trump

  • U.S. presidential debate: What undecided voters think

    U.S. presidential debate: What undecided voters think

    A group of U.S. voters who could not choose between Joe Biden and Donald Trump before Thursday’s presidential debate delivered their verdicts after the contest and it was almost universally bad news for Biden.

    Of the 13 “undecideds” who spoke to Reuters, 10 described the 81-year-old Democratic president’s performance against Republican candidate Trump collectively as feeble, befuddled, embarrassing and difficult to watch.

    Gina Gannon, 65, a retiree in the battleground state of Georgia, voted for Trump in 2016 before ditching him for Biden in 2020.

    “Joe Biden looked very weak and confused right from the start. It concerns me that our global enemies see Joe Biden in this manner.

    “I was shocked and dismayed. I hate to see our president acting that way on TV and in front of the world,” Gannon said.

    She added: “I am voting for Donald Trump now.”

    Presidential debates typically have limited influence on voters but Biden and Trump are in a tight race and the election will likely be decided by just thousands of votes in a handful of swing states.

    Both candidates need to win over the relatively small number of voters who have not yet decided who to vote for.

    Biden delivered a shaky, faltering performance while Trump battered him with a series of often false attacks.

    Biden’s poor showing rattled his fellow Democrats and will likely deepen voter concerns that he is too old to serve another four-year term.

    Seven of the nine voters who were dismayed by Biden’s performance told Reuters they were now leaning towards Trump because they no longer believe Biden can perform his duties as president.

    Three of those said they would vote for Trump in his Nov. 5 election rematch with Biden, even though two of them said they do not like the former Republican president.

    Meredith Marshall, 51, who lives in the Los Angeles area and is self-employed, said the debate left her in shock.

    She voted for Biden in 2020 but is now leaning toward Trump, given what she described as Biden’s lack of mental acuity.

    “God forbid if my choices are as they stand right now based on this debate. Hands down I would vote for a liar and a convict over a person who doesn’t seem to be all there mentally.”

    About 20 per cent of voters say they have not picked a candidate in this year’s presidential race, are leaning toward third-party options, or might not vote at all, according to the most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.

    Reuters interviewed 15 such voters ahead of Thursday’s debate, and they agreed to be interviewed again after the event about whether the debate changed their views.

    It was not all bad news for Biden.

    Ashley Altum, a 28-year-old mental healthcare manager from South Carolina, had been torn between Biden or a third-party candidate before the debate.

    Now she is leaning more towards Biden.

    She said she was satisfied with Biden’s responses, given he was more willing than Trump to address questions directly.

    “I did see Biden slipping up quite a bit, but I’m always surprised more people don’t in these situations,” she said.

    “I think that anybody could go up there and speak eloquently is impressive to begin with.”

    Biden pointed out in the debate that Trump, at 78, is only three years younger.

    “But Trump was just Trump. From a cognitive decline perspective, I didn’t see that in Trump,” said Tom Reich, 36, a software engineer from South Carolina.

    The issues of age and mental capacity exploded onto the campaign trail in February following a report by a Department of Justice special counsel that suggested Biden was suffering memory lapses.

    “What a disaster for the Democrats,” Scott Harrington, 63, a fishmonger in Massachusetts, said after watching the debate.

    “I was basically undecided but was hoping Biden would have been good enough so I could vote for him. I dislike Trump intensely.

    “I was worried Biden would show he was not up to the job, but he was even worse than I feared. I might just abstain,” he added.

  • 4 takeaways as Biden stumbles in first presidential debate

    4 takeaways as Biden stumbles in first presidential debate

    Joe Biden’s campaign was prepared to come out swinging after fiery debate against Donald Trump.

    A bombastic Trump lashed out at his successor, calling him a failure on the economy and the world stage. Biden looked to hit back, but his delivery was faltering as he spoke rapidly in a raspy, trailing-off voice, stumbled on his words and stared open-mouthed.

    His performance, after he spent the week secluded in preparation, sparked new concern within his Democratic Party as polls show Trump is tied or ahead for the November election.

    According to NPR, here are four takeaways from the first Biden-Trump debate of this campaign:

    1. First and foremost, let’s talk about the elephant in the room – Democrats have to be wondering if they’d be better off with someone else as their nominee.

    Neither candidate is the official nominee yet. The national political conventions haven’t happened — but it’s next to impossible that Democrats would replace Biden.

    Still, given he delivered the kind of performance Democrats feared, party leaders, strategists and many voters, frankly, had to be wondering during this debate what it would be like if any of a handful of other Democrats were standing on that stage.

    Biden got a bit stronger as the debate went on, especially on foreign policy. He had some one-liners, like calling Trump a “whiner” when Trump wouldn’t definitively say that he would accept the results of the 2024 election. But Biden often wasn’t able to show vigor or consistently convey what he wanted to say. He simply couldn’t deliver the kinds of happy-warrior blows with that toothy smile audiences have seen from Biden in years past.

    “Sometimes the spin don’t spin,” one Democratic strategist texted midway through the debate when asked for reaction.

    2. If how Biden sounded wasn’t bad enough, the visuals might have been equally as bad.

    An important rule of thumb for candidates — and moderators — in debates is to be conscious of how things look, of how you look, of what people are seeing at home. And what people saw — and this was predictable — was a split screen.

    Biden wasn’t able to use that to his advantage at all, even as Trump doled out falsehood after falsehood. Instead, he looked genuinely shocked and confused, which is never a good look.

    Trump and his base might not care about Saturday Night Live, but Biden’s base does. And this week’s cold open won’t be pretty.

    3. The format — and hands-off moderators — benefited Trump.

    The muting of the candidates was likely intended to make the debate calmer and not allow Trump to run roughshod over the moderators or his opponent. But it had the effect of making Trump seem more sedate than usual.

    Trump employed rounds of verbal jujitsu, in which he threw back his own vulnerabilities and directed them toward Biden. He was even able at one point, during a strange exchange about golf handicaps, to say, “Let’s not act like children.”

    The moderation, or lack thereof, also allowed Trump to spread falsehoods and hyperbole without being interrupted or corrected. CNN indicated before the debate that the moderators were not going to play a strong role in fact checking the candidates, and they lived up to that.

    They left it to the candidates, essentially, and with Biden unable to deliver in real time and the moderators declining to, the audience was left with a salad bowl full of rotten eggs and moldy lettuce that passed for facts.

    4. This debate might not move the needle much, if at all.

    Despite Biden’s struggles, which will understandably get the headlines, Trump had some difficult moments, too, especially in the second half of the debate.

    In addition to spreading myriad falsehoods, he did little to credibly defend his conduct on and before the Jan. 6 siege on the Capitol; he used the kind of hyperbolic and vituperative language that has long turned off swing voters; and showed why many are concerned about some of his positions on the issues, especially on abortion and how the U.S. should be represented on the world stage.

    So despite Biden’s shortcomings, millions will still likely vote for Biden, anyway, because he’s not Trump.

    The bottom line is: Americans have said they are unhappy with their choices, and, in this – the biggest moment of the 2024 presidential campaign yet — it was clear why.

  • Trump vs Biden: Worst presidential debate ever – Davido

    Trump vs Biden: Worst presidential debate ever – Davido

    Newly wedded Afrobeats star, David Adeleke popularly known as  Davido has described the 2024 United States presidential debate as the “worst” in the history of the country.

    Recall that US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump were involved  in a heated debate on Thursday night ahead of the presidential election in November.

    The debate between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party candidates was largely characterised by personal attacks.

    Davido who is a also a citizen of America passed his comment on his X handle, saying the debate is the worst ever.

    His post reads : “Still a democrat sha but worst presidential debate ever.”

    The November 5 election will see Donald Trump of the Republican  Party will slug it out with incumbent president Joe Biden of the Democratic Party.

    It’s the first rematch election in 70 years in the United states.

     

  • American democracy’s Trump test – By Dakuku Peterside

    American democracy’s Trump test – By Dakuku Peterside

    There is currently no evidence to support the claim that democracy is a perfect system of governance. However, humans still need to figure out a better means to guarantee the freedom and consent of the governed. Democracy remains the most practical choice available. We must keep working on it until it accurately reflects our goals because it’s an evolving idea even after many years. Because Nigeria, Africa’s largest democracy, is fashioned after the United States (US) model of liberal presidential democracy, whatever threatens democracy in that land becomes of interest to us. Recent unsavoury developments around the candidature of Donald Trump called for Nigeria to look inward and reflect on the ability of the institutions to prevail over considerations of status and sentiments.

    America, the flagship of democracy, may face its first real test of the elasticity of democracy and democratic institutions. For the first time in its history, there is a likelihood that Donald Trump may be campaigning from prison or as a convicted criminal to be elected as President of the US. A Manhattan Jury has convicted Donald Trump for falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment to a porn star. On July 11, a New York court will give him a sentence. This raises a moral conundrum, a constitutional issue, a dilemma for the party, electoral questions, and a logistics challenge.

    Some pertinent rhetorical questions merit consideration: can Trump run for office, and what does the US Constitution say?  Can the Republican Party replace Trump, and is there a precedence? Can the party system survive a deadly jolt in the event that the law eventually disqualifies Trump? Mr Trump is registered to vote in Florida, and the law of that state bars convicted people; can Mr Trump vote? Can Mr Trump be elected while in prison, and is there a constitutional provision to guarantee this? What if Mr Trump is convicted in other states where he is facing more criminal proceedings? What are the implications? These questions will test the US Constitution and presidential transition tradition as it has never done before.

    Although I will not attempt to answer most of these rhetorical questions, I boldly posit some facts that deserve attention. The US Constitution does not disqualify a person convicted from running for the office of President. Consequent to the preceding, a court’s conviction of Donald Trump will not prevent or disqualify him from running for the said office. In the case of Nigeria, Section 137 lists grounds for disqualifying a person standing for election to the office of President, and it includes a trial Court conviction that must have taken place within a period of less than ten years before the date of the election to the office of President,  and the said conviction must be in respect of an offence involving dishonesty or the person has been found guilty of the contravention of the Code of Conduct. In essence, not all court convictions apply in Nigeria. A sentence that does not border on fraud, financial crimes or forgery will not count or lead to the disqualification of a person running for President. We may recall that this issue arose at the last presidential election petition trial, and legal experts argued this point.

    Besides, the US Constitution overrides any State law, particularly the Florida State law prohibiting a convict from voting. This Florida State Law will only apply if such a conviction occurred in Florida or was made by a Florida Court. In this way, Donald Trump has not been convicted by the State of Florida, and the said Florida State law will not apply or be enforced against him. However, while a convict can still run and win a presidential election in the US, the nature of the sentence may prevent him from occupying the office.

    The implications of all of these are still on us. This marks the first-ever conviction of a sitting or former President in American history for a criminal offence. A triumph for accountability and the fundamental idea that no one in a democracy is above the law—not even the highest elected official—this momentous milestone is also a victory for soberness. Trump’s conviction shows how a working democratic system can achieve justice. It serves as a reminder that we cannot discuss democracy without bolstering the judiciary’s independence built on solid political culture and institutional resilience. This is a painful spot in Nigeria’s democratic journey right now. The only thing that can ensure the preservation of democracy and our freedom is an impartial, courageous, and independent judiciary.

    The stress tests American democracy faces reveal the resilience and fragility of democratic systems, especially the institutions. Learning from these challenges allows Nigeria to build a more robust and responsive democracy. This stressor provides valuable insights into the strengths and vulnerabilities of democratic governance, which can be instructive for countries like Nigeria, which has a complex democratic landscape.

    The first lesson is the supremacy of the rule of law. No one is above the law, and no matter how highly placed, they must be subjected to the accountabilities and dictates of the law. Reminding future generations that nobody is above the law in a democracy is essential, and we must strengthen our democratic institutions so they can withstand any bully. Creating strong institutional structures is vital to withstand the most heinous attacks on democracy.

    The second lesson is that we must fortify the other two arms of government – the legislature and judiciary against executive capture. Any attack on democracy from the executive arm, either still in power or out of power, must be resisted by the legislature and judiciary. The legislature must make clear laws that can easily overcome divisiveness, not opaque ones that become easy political tools. The judiciary must dispense justice equitably and responsibly. The weaker a legislature or the judiciary is, the easier it is for leaders from the executive arm to exploit the system, either to expand their power or to take down an opponent. Furthermore, weak institutions of democracy could manipulate facts like supple political stupidity.

    The third lesson is that the Nigerian state must declare a war on corruption and hold all corrupt people accountable. The fight against corruption should not be limited to politicians and politically exposed people but must cover corrupt businesses, public servants, and civil society. Like the case of Trump, his first conviction was not based on his action while in office but based on his seemingly private affair that hovers around how he handled his books and hush money for the porn star he was accused of having sexual entanglement. The question we must ask ourselves is, can a seemingly innocuous thing, albeit a crime, force a former president in Nigeria to be convicted of a felony? We know of media sleaze of infractions and alleged corruption by high-powered politicians, but after a while, we hear nothing again about the prosecution of the case, and sometimes we hear of such people receiving national awards or portfolios of office without being acquitted by a court of law for the alleged crime.

    The fourth lesson is that no criminal should be allowed to become the President of Nigeria. Americans did not foresee a future where a strong candidate like Trump would emerge as a party frontrunner with convictions hanging on his neck, but now it has happened. The example of Eugene V. Debs, a socialist leader who appeared as a candidate from prison and ran for the presidency, should have guided their legal framework, but America has a way with a history that their democracy does not fall apart. That cannot be said of an emerging democracy like Nigeria. Just like it happened to us during the death of Umaru Yar’adua and for days, lawyers were struggling with the instrument to use until the “doctrine of necessity” was invoked, this is the best time to review the constitution to amend any ambiguity in our laws to protect our democracy.

    The fifth lesson is that Nigeria must tackle economic inequality, which creates a huge class divide that makes some feel above the law. Policies to reduce economic disparities through education, healthcare, and social welfare programmes can strengthen social cohesion and democratic stability. Developing strategies that promote inclusive economic growth and providing opportunities for all segments of society is critical for maintaining long-term democratic health.

    Nigeria must fortify its democratic foundations and ensure a stable and inclusive political future.

    Building solid institutions and an excellent democratic political culture steeped in democratic principles and ethos deemphasizes the power of political agents, especially those so powerful that they exert a considerable influence on the entire political system. Everyone across the political divide must work collaboratively to defend our democracy. Encouraging dialogue across political divides and fostering a culture of bipartisan cooperation can mitigate polarization. Civic education that promotes understanding and respect for diverse viewpoints is essential.  We must protect our democracy at all costs!

  • Donald Trump to run for president despite conviction

    Donald Trump to run for president despite conviction

    Constitution of the United States of America (USA) permits Donald Trump to run for the office of president in the US 2024 election despite being convicted on 34 charges.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Trump was convicted on Thursday on all charges of felony falsification of business records, solidifying his status as the first U.S. president to face such legal consequences.

    Trump, who is the 45th president of the U.S., is set for an election rematch against incumbent President Joe Biden coming this November.

    Following the historic verdict by the New York court, Trump will now be sentenced on July 11. This comes just months before the US votes in the elections.

    “This trial is rigged and a disgrace. The real trial will be on November 5th by the people. This was done by the Biden administration in order to hurt a political opponent,” Trump said after the jury delivered the verdict.

    The US Constitution sets out relatively few eligibility requirements for presidential candidates: they must be at least 35, be a “natural born” US citizen and have lived in the US for at least 14 years.

    Trump fulfils all requirements of the Constitution, irrespective of his conviction. There are no rules in the Constitution blocking candidates with criminal records from contesting the US presidential election.

    Analysts have said the conviction of Trump would motivate his supporters, MAGA, but said the key concern is whether this will impact his prospects in crucial states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Georgia.

    According to betting markets, Trump remains favourite to win the November US presidential election, despite the conviction.

    According to crypto holders gambling on the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in November, nothing has fundamentally changed.

    On crypto betting site, Polymarket Trump’s odds of winning has held stable at about 56%, mirroring many mainstream political polls. After the verdict was announced, live odds meandered between 53% and 55%.

    TNG reports Trump’s historic New York hush money trial began with jury selection in April. The trial of the case stemmed from payments made to an adult film actress ahead of the 2016 election.

    Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records as part of a scheme involving his former lawyer Michael Cohen to conceal the 130,000 dollars pay-off made to Stormy Daniels.

    Daniels said the money was given to keep her quiet about an affair she had with Trump in 2006.

    He has admitted to paying her on the eve of the 2016 election to stop her “false and extortionist accusations” but denied any sexual encounter.

    Trump’s lawyers made several unsuccessful attempts to have the hush money trial delayed; a tactic they have also used in the former president’s three other ongoing criminal cases.

    The process of selecting a jury in New York, a heavily Democratic city, took several days, with hundreds of people ultimately whittled down to just 12 jurors and six alternates.

    Prosecutors argued that Trump attempted to cover up the payment in an effort to improve his chances in the 2016 election race, which he ultimately won.

    The former Republican president, who is set to face off against Democratic incumbent Joe Biden in November’s election, had pleaded not guilty.

    After a seven-week-long trial, Trump now faces a prison sentence of up to four years for each felony count, though court observers say it is unlikely he will face time behind bars

    Meanwhile, the Republican National Convention will hold in Wisconsin in days, when Trump is expected to be officially recognised as the party’s presidential nominee.

  • Biden hails court’s judgment convicting Donald Trump

    Biden hails court’s judgment convicting Donald Trump

    United States President,  Joe Biden has hailed the New York Court judgement convicting Donald Trump, saying that “no one is above the law”.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the former American president, Trump was found guilty of all 34 counts he faced on charges of falsifying business records to commit election fraud.

    This makes the 77-year-old the first ex-American president to be criminally convicted.

    “But today’s verdict does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality.

    “There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box.”

    Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11.

  • Former US president, Donald Trump found guilty in hush money case, to be sentenced July 11

    Former US president, Donald Trump found guilty in hush money case, to be sentenced July 11

    Former United states President, Donald Trump has ben found guilty of falsifying business records to commit election fraud a New York jury has said.

    With this conviction, Trump becomes the first former US president to be criminally convicted.

    He was found guilty of all 34 counts he faced. Unanimity was required for any verdict.

    Trump will now be sentenced on July 11.

    In his reaction, Trump who spoke outside the court room claimed that the conviction was a “disgrace” and that he is “a very innocent man.”

    He also insisted the trial was “rigged” and that the judge was “conflicted” and “should never have been allowed to try this case.”

    Trump was at the centre of a scheme to cover up “hush money” payments to buy the silence of a porn star in the days before the 2016 election.

     

     

  • Controversial rapper Cardi B vows not to vote in US elections, gives reasons

    Controversial rapper Cardi B vows not to vote in US elections, gives reasons

    Controversial United States female rapper,  Cardi B has revealed that she will not be voting in the 2024 United States presidential election.

    Giving her reasons, Cardi B noted that she is not a supporter of any of the two major candidates, incumbent President Joe Biden of the Democratic Party, and his predecessor, Donald Trump of the Republican Party.

    “I don’t f*ck with both of y’all n*ggas,” she says of Biden and Trump in a recent interview with Rolling Stone.

    She explained that she used to see Trump as “a dire threat,” but under Biden, she felt “layers and layers of disappointment” from what she sees as domestic and foreign mismanagement.

    “I feel like people got betrayed [by Biden’s administration],” Cardi B said.

    “It’s just like, damn, y’all not caring about nobody. It really gets me upset that there is solutions to it. There is a solution. I know there’s a solution because you’re spending billions of dollars on any f*cking thing.”

    The United States presidential elections will hold on the On November 5th, 2024, with the incumbent President Joe Biden of the Democratic Party  running  against his predecessor, Donald Trump of the Republican Party in what would be America’s first rematch election in almost 70 years.

     

  • Ex US president, Donald Trump fined $9,000 for violating gag order

    Ex US president, Donald Trump fined $9,000 for violating gag order

    Manhattan court Judge Juan Merchan has ordered former President Trump to pay $9,000 in fines for repeatedly violating his gag order.

    President Donald Trump returned to court on Tuesday, as his criminal “hush money” trial enters a third week.

    Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg had accused Trump of violating the order 11 times last week, calling on Merchan to impose a $1,000 fine for each incident. Merchan sided with prosecutors on nine of the instances.

    It would be recalled that Merchan imposed the gag order on Trump on April 1, prohibiting him from speaking publicly about witnesses and the family members of certain court officials.

    However, the judge explained that the ex-president of the United States violated the order nine times in recent weeks in posts on Trump’s Truth Social platform and campaign website.

    He fined Trump $9,000, or $1,000 for each violation, and ordered him to delete the posts.

    “violated the Order by making social media posts about known witnesses pertaining to their participation in this criminal proceeding and by making public statements about jurors in this criminal proceeding.” He wrote

    He also warned Trump that he could be jailed for further gag order violations.

  • US Polls: Donald Trump cancels rally, insists on debating with president Joe Biden

    US Polls: Donald Trump cancels rally, insists on debating with president Joe Biden

    United States ex president, Donald Trump has expressed displeasure as persistent  rainfall has forced him to reschedule his rally.

    The republican party candidate announced to thousands of supporters gathered at Wilmington airport that the event would no longer go on as scheduled but would be rescheduled ‘bigger and better’.

    Shortly before cancelling the rally initially scheduled to hold at Willington, North Carolina, the former US President has called for debates with President Joe Biden.

    The rally was cancelled due to a rain storm that approached the airport where it was staged on Saturday.

    Trump called as he was approaching the international airport to tell rally goers that the event would be rescheduled “bigger and better”.

    It would have been the first time the Republican Presidential candidate addressed supporters in public after a week of relative silence in a New York courtroom.

    “I’m devastated that this could happen but we want to keep everybody safe,” Trump said, his voice amplified by speakers to thousands of supporters, many of whom had lined up since early morning in hot and humid conditions.

    “I think we’re gonna have to just do a rain check. I’m so sad,” Trump said.

    “I am calling for Debates, ANYTIME ANYWHERE ANYPLACE,” the post said. “The debates can be run by the corrupt DNC or their subsidiary, the Commission on Presidential debates (CPD).”