Billionaires Elon Musk, Bill Ackman endorse Trump in presidential race

Tesla, X and SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk. (Reuters)
Short Url
Updated 14 July 2024
Follow

Billionaires Elon Musk, Bill Ackman endorse Trump in presidential race

  • Musk, who has been ramping up criticism of US President Joe Biden, said Trump has proved that he is "tough"
  • Musk has said he previously voted for Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton as well as Biden

Billionaires Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, and hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, publicly endorsed Donald Trump for the first time in the US presidential race, with Musk calling the Republican former president “tough.”

Musk, the world’s richest person, posted the endorsement with a video of Trump with blood on his face pumping his fist after multiple shots rang out at Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. Trump was safe.
The posts cement Musk’s shift toward right-wing politics and hand Trump a high-profile backer in his quest to return to the White House in the Nov. 5 election.
“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk posted on his social media platform X.
“The martyr lived,” he wrote in a later post, citing a reported debate between conservative venture capitalist Peter Thiel and LinkedIn co-founder and Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman.

 

Musk later posted a photograph of Trump at the event, followed by: “Last time America had a candidate this tough was Theodore Roosevelt.”
Musk and representatives from X did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Musk, who has been ramping up criticism of US President Joe Biden, has donated to a political group working to elect Trump, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing sources.
The South African-born businessman’s sway stands to benefit Trump, since Musk has one of the largest footprints on X with 189.5 million followers, meaning his posts can instantaneously spread widely.
Musk has said he previously voted for Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton as well as Biden.
However, in the last few years, Musk has espoused right-wing views, becoming a fierce critic of diversity initiatives, Biden’s immigration policies and complaining that Democrats had given a “very cold shoulder” to Tesla and his rocket company SpaceX.
In March, Trump, who is expected to be formally nominated next week as the Republican Party’s candidate for the Nov. 5 election, reportedly met with Musk and other wealthy donors.
In response to reports of the meeting, Musk posted on X: “Just to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for US President.” In May, he also denied media reports that there had been talks over a potential advisory role for him in any Trump presidency.

FROM “BULL***T ARTIST” TO “FAN OF ELON“
In July 2022, Musk said Trump was “too old to be” president of the United States, and Trump needed to “sail into the sunset.” Musk also said he was leaning toward supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for president in 2024.

Trump hit back, calling Musk a “Bull***t artist“.
Then in late 2022, Twitter reversed its ban on former US President Trump shortly after Musk completed his $44 billion purchase of the controversial social media platform, which he later renamed X.
Last month, Trump said he was “a fan of Elon,” adding “he does an incredible job with Tesla.”
Musk said at a recent Tesla shareholder meeting that the two men had “some conversations.” Trump is a “huge fan” of Tesla’s electric pickup trucks, Musk said.
Trump has reiterated his pledge to immediately abandon the Biden administration’s “mandate” to support the electric vehicle industry.
Musk’s support for Republicans and his antisemitic and other controversial comments have alienated some Tesla customers, weighing on the carmaker’s reputation and sales. (Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and Alexandra Ulmer, additional reporting by Rami Ayyub and Gnaneshwar Rajan, editing by Deepa Babington, Lananh Nguyen and Franklin Paul)

For his part, hedge fund manager Ackman posted on social media platform X endorsing Trump after the Republican candidate was shot during his campaign rally.
“I just endorsed him,” Ackman said.  “But you know me. I write long posts on important topics. I want people to understand my thinking so it means more and helps others get to the right place,” Ackman said in response to an X user.

Ackman had considered endorsing Trump as recently as May, and had planned to announce his support on X, Reuters and other media outlets reported.
A spokesperson for Ackman did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.


Hedge fund executive sent on leave of absence for post celebrating Gaza catastrophe

Updated 7 sec ago
Follow

Hedge fund executive sent on leave of absence for post celebrating Gaza catastrophe

  • Hedge fund Neuberger Berman said manager Steven Eisman did not speak on its behalf and called his actions “objectionable”
  • Eisman profited from the 2007 crisis in the US subprime mortgage market, which turned into a global financial crisis, by shorting the stocks of American banks

WASHINGTON: Hedge fund manager Steven Eisman, known for a big winning bet against the US housing market dramatized in the movie “The Big Short,” was put on leave by his firm on Friday after he said on social media he was celebrating devastation in the Gaza Strip.
His firm, Neuberger Berman, said Eisman did not speak on its behalf and called his actions “objectionable.” More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s nearly year-old war in the enclave, the Gaza health ministry has said.
An X user posted that the world was silent about war-ravaged Gaza. Eisman responded: “You must be kidding. We are not silent. We are celebrating.” His account has since been deleted.
Eisman could not immediately be contacted. In comments cited by media reports, he apologized for his remarks and said he had intended to refer to Israel’s attacks on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.
A Neuberger Berman spokesperson distanced the firm from Eisman’s comments.
“Even though Mr. Eisman has acknowledged that he mistook the content of the post he responded to, his actions on social media were irresponsible and objectionable,” the company spokesperson added. Eisman joined the firm in 2014.
Eisman profited from the 2007 crisis in the US subprime mortgage market, which turned into a global financial crisis, by shorting the stocks of American banks. The episode was the basis for the 2015 film “The Big Short.”
Human rights advocates have warned about rising dehumanization of Arabs, Muslims and Jews amid Israel’s war in Gaza which has displaced nearly Gaza’s entire 2.3 million population, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide allegations at the World Court that Israel denies.
Israel’s actions followed an attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which governs Gaza, on Oct. 7 in which 1,200 were killed and about 250 were taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. It sparked the latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 


Trump shooting: Secret Service admits complacency

Updated 48 min 29 sec ago
Follow

Trump shooting: Secret Service admits complacency

  • Acting Secret Service chief details a list of failures uncovered during a review of the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump at a rally in July
  • Trump has sought political advantage by blaming — without evidence — Biden and Democratic election rival Kamala Harris for fueling motivation behind the plots

WASHINGTON: The US Secret Service on Friday detailed a litany of failures uncovered by its review of the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump at a rally in July.
Shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to open fire from a nearby rooftop at the outdoor event held by Republican election candidate Trump, who narrowly escaped death and suffered a wound to his right ear.
The review “identified deficiencies in the advanced planning and its implementation,” Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. said at a press briefing.
“While some members of the advance team were very diligent, there was complacency on the part of others that led to a breach of security protocols.”

Among the failures identified by Rowe were poor communication with local law enforcement, an “over-reliance” on mobile devices “resulting in information being siloed” and line of sight issues, which “were acknowledged but not properly mitigated.”
“At approximately 18:10 local time, by a phone call, the Secret Service security room calls the countersniper response agent reporting an individual on the roof of the AGR building,” Rowe recounted.
“That vital piece of information was not relayed over the Secret Service radio network.”
Two attendees of the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania were injured from gunfire and a third, 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore, died as a result.
Crooks was shot dead on the roof by Secret Service personnel.
Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle resigned in the aftermath of the dramatic incident, and several Secret Service agents have been put on leave.
Rowe said the Secret Service needed additional funding, personnel and equipment to complete a “paradigm shift...from a state of reaction to a state of readiness.”
The Congressional task force investigating the attempted assassination of Trump issued a statement Friday encouraging Rowe to “follow through” on holding employees accountable and to cooperate with its independent investigation.
“Complacency has no place in the Secret Service,” the task force said.
The US House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill Friday to boost Secret Service protection for presidential candidates to the same level as sitting presidents and vice presidents.
The bill now awaits a vote in the Senate and a signature by President Joe Biden before it becomes law.
Rowe said that Trump is now being given the same levels of protection as the president.
The increased demand for security came into sharp focus again after a second apparent assassination attempt on Trump’s life at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida last weekend.
“What occurred on Sunday demonstrates that the threat environment in which the Secret Service operates is tremendous,” Rowe said.
The gunman in Florida did not have a line of sight on the former president and failed to fire a shot before he was discovered and arrested, officials say.
Trump has sought political advantage by blaming — without evidence — Biden and Democratic election rival Kamala Harris for fueling motivation behind the plots, citing their “rhetoric” about him endangering democracy.
Both Biden and Harris have repeatedly denounced the assassination bids and any political violence, with Biden calling for Congress to provide more resources for the Secret Service.
 


Harris slams Trump for hypocrisy on abortion as US starts voting

Updated 21 September 2024
Follow

Harris slams Trump for hypocrisy on abortion as US starts voting

MADISON, US: Kamala Harris on Friday attacked Republican rival Donald Trump and his party as “hypocrites” over abortion, as the first voters cast their ballots for November’s knife-edge US election.
The Democrat unleashed one of the most forceful speeches of her campaign so far as she blamed Trump for an abortion ban in the battleground state of Georgia that she said had caused the deaths of two women.
“And these hypocrites want to start talking about how this is in the best interest of women and children,” the vice president told a rally in Atlanta, Georgia to cheers from a mainly female audience.
“Well, where have you been? Where have you been when it comes to taking care of the women and children of America, where have you been? How dare they.”
Since replacing President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket two months ago, Harris has repeatedly focused on what she calls “Trump abortion bans.”
Trump has frequently bragged on the campaign trail that his three Supreme Court picks paved the way for the 2022 overturning of the national right to abortion.
At least 20 states have since brought in full or partial restrictions, with Georgia banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
Harris doubled down on the issue later Friday at a raucous rally in Madison, a liberal-leaning city in swing state Wisconsin where she slammed the bans as “immoral.”
“This is a health care crisis, and Donald Trump is the architect.”
In both speeches Harris mentioned Amber Nicole Thurman, a 28-year-old mother-of-one from Georgia who developed a rare complication from abortion pills and died during emergency surgery in 2022.
An official Georgia state committee blamed the fatal outcome on a “preventable” lag in performing a critical procedure.
“We will make sure Amber is not just remembered as a statistic,” Harris said in Atlanta, a day after meeting Thurman’s family during a campaign event hosted by talkshow icon Oprah Winfrey.
Harris’s campaign speeches came as three states — Virginia, Minnesota and South Dakota — began early voting 46 days before election day in what is an agonizingly close race.
“The election is basically here,” she told Madison rallygoers. “It’s basically here and we have work to do, to energize, to organize and to mobilize.”
Former president Trump has previously cast doubt on early voting and mail voting to back his false claims that he won the 2020 election against Biden.
Most US states permit in-person voting or mail-in voting to allow people to deal with scheduling conflicts or an inability to cast their ballots on election day itself, November 5.
Dozens of people waited at a polling station in the center of Arlington, Virginia, just outside the capital Washington.
“I’m excited,” said Michelle Kilkenny, 55, adding that voting early, “especially on day one, helps the campaign and raises the enthusiasm level.”
Ann Spiker, 71, told AFP she usually cast her ballot by mail “but I’m going to vote today because it’s so exciting.”
The Democratic supporter added: “I can’t believe we can pick Donald Trump, when I think about it I become very worried. That’s why we’re out and doing what we can.”
Trump, 78, faces criminal charges for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 result, after which his supporters violently stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Every vote will count in the race, whose result Trump has once again refused to say he will accept.
Harris, 59, has erased Trump’s lead since sensationally replacing Biden as the Democratic candidate in July, pulling neck-and-neck with the Republican.
The result is expected to hinge on just seven crucial swing states, including Georgia and Wisconsin.
Trump however sought to lay the blame for any potential loss at the door of Jewish American voters, sparking outrage on Friday.
“If I don’t win this election... in my opinion the Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss,” Trump told an anti-Semitism event on Thursday, repeating his grievance that Jewish voters have historically leaned toward the Democrats.
The White House slammed his comments.
“It is abhorrent to traffic in dangerous tropes or engage in scapegoating at any time — let alone now, when all leaders have an obligation to fight back against the tragic worldwide rise in anti-Semitism,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement.


US lawmaker Rashida Tlaib condemns cartoon showing her with exploding pager

Updated 21 September 2024
Follow

US lawmaker Rashida Tlaib condemns cartoon showing her with exploding pager

  • Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-ruled enclave, and created a humanitarian crisis

WASHINGTON: Palestinian American US lawmaker Rashida Tlaib on Friday condemned as racist a cartoon published in the conservative magazine National Review showing her with an exploding pager — a reference to an attack this week against members of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“Our community is already in so much pain right now. This racism will incite more hate + violence against our Arab & Muslim communities, and it makes everyone less safe. It’s disgraceful that the media continues to normalize this racism,” Tlaib wrote on the social media platform X.
Tlaib, a Democrat who represents a district from Michigan in the US House of Representatives, is the lone Palestinian American lawmaker in the US Congress. The Muslim American advocacy group Emgage Action, Democratic US House members Cory Bush and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, some local officials in Michigan and human rights groups also criticized the cartoon.
National Review did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The cartoon, published on Thursday, showed a woman sitting next to an exploding pager. The woman’s desk in the cartoon had a name card saying “Rep. Tlaib” while the woman herself is shown saying: “ODD. MY PAGER JUST EXPLODED.”
The cartoon was created by Henry Payne, a Detroit News auto critic. Payne’s X account titled the cartoon as “Tlaib Pager Hamas.” The Detroit News said it was not involved in its creation and distribution, and chose not to run it.
Thousands of pagers used by members of Hezbollah in Lebanon exploded on Tuesday. That was followed a day later by the explosion of hand-held radios in Lebanon, with dozens killed and thousands wounded in the incidents. Security sources have said Israel was responsible. Israel did not take responsibility.
Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-ruled enclave, and created a humanitarian crisis. Israel’s assault followed an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people and in which about 250 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Tlaib has been a fierce critic of Israel’s actions in the war and American support for the longtime US ally.
Human rights advocates have cited rising dehumanization of Arabs, Muslims and Jews amid the war.

 


Hezbollah ‘financier’ pleads guilty to evading US sanctions

Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi. (Credit: rewardsforjustice)
Updated 21 September 2024
Follow

Hezbollah ‘financier’ pleads guilty to evading US sanctions

  • The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has said Bazzi “has provided millions of dollars to Hezbollah over the years, generated from his business activities in Belgium, Lebanon, Iraq and throughout West Africa”

NEW YORK: A former Lebanese diplomat accused of being a financier for the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement pleaded guilty Friday to evading US financial sanctions against him and his organization, branded as “terrorist” by the US government.
Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi, 60, who holds Lebanese, British and Belgian citizenship, pleaded guilty in a federal court in New York to conspiracy to conduct unlawful transactions with an international terrorist, according to a statement from the US Department of Justice.
Bazzi had “accepted responsibility for his role in conspiring to secretly move hundreds of thousands of dollars from the United States to Lebanon in violation of sanctions placed on him for assisting the terrorist group Hezbollah,” US prosecutor Breon Peace said.
Bazzi faces up to 20 years imprisonment, as well as deportation and forfeiture of the $828,528 involved in illegal transactions.
No sentencing date has been set.
The State Department in May 2018 had declared Bazzi to be a “specially designated global terrorist” and offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has said Bazzi “has provided millions of dollars to Hezbollah over the years, generated from his business activities in Belgium, Lebanon, Iraq and throughout West Africa.”
In February 2023, he was arrested in Romania and extradited to the US.
The US attorney’s statement said Bazzi had worked with an accomplice, Talal Chahine, who remains on the loose in Lebanon.
It said the two men attempted to launder their transactions through purchases and fictitious loans of equipment for a restaurant in China, a property in Lebanon and a family loan to Kuwait.
According to investigative journalism outlet ProPublica, Bazzi was appointed honorary consul in Lebanon by the government of Gambia in 2005. The volunteer diplomat role helped him access unique connections and benefits, which can be ripe for abuse.
The United States has declared Hezbollah as a terrorist organization over its attacks on American military members, government employees and civilians abroad.
The militant group has been in Israel’s crosshairs amid the war in Gaza, with the commander of an elite Hezbollah unit killed in a Beirut strike on Friday.
It also followed two waves of explosions, on Tuesday and Wednesday, of communication devices used by Hezbollah members, which Hezbollah blamed on Israel.