All posts tagged: Barack Obama

Trump praises election of Robert Prevost as pope

[ad_1] President Donald Trump congratulated Robert Francis Prevost after he was elected Thursday as the first American-born pope in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. Prevost, 69, of Chicago, will be known as Pope Leo XIV. “It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country,” the president wrote. “I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!” Leo has not always had positive words for the U.S. president and his administration, however. A verified X account linked to the new pope shared an article in February criticizing Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, over his interpretation of Jesus’ teachings. “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others,” said the headline of the National Catholic Reporter article shared by Prevost’s account. Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwards Source: Robert Prevost on X Vance in an X post Thursday afternoon congratulated …

Michelle Obama talks ‘difficult few months’ in personal message ahead of the new year

[ad_1] Michelle Obama has shared a new message with her fans on social media, and it’s come straight from the heart.  To mark the end of 2024, the Becoming author posted a video from her charity, Obama Foundation, highlighting the good work they have done this year.  She also reflected on what has been a “difficult few months” as she alluded to the 2024 election.  Recommended videoYou may also likeWATCH: Michelle Obama talks life as an empty nester The mother-of-two wrote: “I know it’s been a difficult few months for so many of us — and folks are feeling a little bit anxious and uncertain. But this holiday season, there are plenty of reasons to stay hopeful.  “So as 2024 comes to a close, I wanted to share some reflections on the work the @ObamaFoundation is doing to lift up the young changemakers around the world. Take a look.”  Michelle has had a difficult 2024, having lost her beloved mom, Marian Robinson, in May 2024.   Marian was incredibly close to her daughter and even …

Trump White House aide Steve Bannon loses appeal of contempt of Congress conviction

[ad_1] A federal appeals court on Friday unanimously upheld the criminal contempt of Congress conviction of former Trump White House senior aide Steve Bannon for refusing to testify and provide documents to the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The appeals court rejected Bannon’s argument that he was not guilty because his attorney had advised him not to comply with a subpoena from the House committee. The ruling by a three-judge panel on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit makes it more likely that Bannon will soon have to begin serving a sentence of four months in jail for his conviction of two counts of contempt. An attorney for Bannon said he will now request that the full judicial panel of the D.C. Circuit hear his appeal again, which might postpone his jail term. Bannon’s lawyer Doug Schoen told CNBC in an email, ”The Court of Appeals panel held today that it does not have the authority to overrule the 1961 panel of …

Michelle Obama shares photos of ultra-private daughters Malia, 25, and Sasha, 22, in rare personal update

[ad_1] Michelle Obama loves nothing more than being a mom and despite her daughters being thrown into the spotlight during their father Barack Obama’s time in office, she has always been incredibly protective of their privacy.  Even now, little is known about Malia, 25, and Sasha, 22, who prefer to keep out of the spotlight, but ahead of Mother’s Day, Michelle delighted fans on social media after sharing some rare photos from their family album.  These have all been uploaded onto Pinterest, including a sweet photo of Michelle with Malia and Sasha as little girls, titled “me with my girls,” and another of Malia holding a baby Sasha.  You may also likeVIDEO: Michelle Obama opens up about being an empty nester Michelle posted her Pinterest board on Instagram alongside a message telling fans that she had returned to the popular photo sharing site.  She wrote: “I’m back on @Pinterest! Ahead of Mother’s Day, I’ve created a board that features some fun throwback photos, quotes from #TheLightWeCarry, and some beautiful artwork from artists who’ve shared the …

Ukraine is ready for a just peace — not Russia’s version of one – POLITICO

[ad_1] “Remember, President Zelenskyy was at the Munich Security Conference just days before Russia invaded,” Reznikov told POLITICO. “I was a member of the delegation with him in Munich, and there was this atmosphere, this ambience [of] ‘Guys, you have to give up.’ It wasn’t said directly, but it was there,” he said. Hardly inspiring confidence as the negotiations with Russia kicked off. But above all, Reznikov and other Ukrainian officials involved in the talks — Ukraine’s Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak and his adviser Mykhailo Podolyak among them — also doubted the Kremlin’s sincerity and whether it was negotiating in good faith. This was a skepticism honed during the hundreds of hours they’d spent bargaining with Russian officials before the 2022 invasion. Were the concessions Russia offered even worth the paper they were written on? “They may sign documents, but whether they keep to agreements is another matter,” Reznikov said. “Remember the Budapest Memorandum,” he added, referencing the 1994 agreement Russia had signed, fixing Ukraine’s borders and recognizing its sovereignty …

Obama Hits Trump With A Harsh Truth About His Home Town

[ad_1] Former US President Barack Obama said fellow former President Donald Trump is “not considered a serious guy” in his hometown of New York. Obama’s analysis of his four-times-indicted successor in the White House came during the latest episode of the Smartless podcast that is hosted by actors Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes and was released on Monday. Obama appeared alongside President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton. They recorded the show in March. Bateman asked Obama if he’d been surprised with how fast the “protection and passion for democracy was diluted” during Trump’s administration. Obama admitted he was surprised at the lack of guardrails within the Republican Party that allowed Trump to take over the party. But “Trump didn’t surprise me,” he said. “You watch Trump’s campaign, you watch his career, he’s never changed.” “I mean, he comes from New York. There’s nobody in New York who does business with him or lend him money. He is not considered a serious guy here,” Obama added. “So, I was surprised he was …

Poland’s president becomes the latest leader to visit Donald Trump as allies eye a possible return

[ad_1] NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump met Wednesday in New York with Polish President Andrzej Duda, the latest in a series of meetings with foreign leaders as Europe braces for the possibility of a second Trump term. The presumptive Republican nominee hosted Duda at Trump Tower, where the two discussed the war in Ukraine and Duda’s push to boost NATO members’ defense spending, according to a readout from Trump’s campaign. Duda, who has long expressed admiration for Trump, is also a staunch supporter of Ukraine and has encouraged Washington to provide more aid to Kyiv amid Russian’s ongoing invasion. That funding has been held up by Trump allies in Congress. As he arrived, Trump praised the Polish president, saying, “He’s done a fantastic job and he’s my friend.” “We had four great years together,” Trump added. “We’re behind Poland all the way.” Following the almost 2 1/2 hour meeting, Duda said only that it was a “friendly meeting in very nice atmosphere.” His aide, Wojciech Kolarski, also in attendance, described it as …

Biden says Trump shouldn’t be Commander in Chief ‘for my son’

[ad_1] U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the Unitedsteel Workers headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 17, 2024. Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters President Joe Biden on Wednesday choked up as he blasted Donald Trump, saying the presumptive Republican presidential nominee “doesn’t deserve to be the Commander in Chief for my son.” Biden’s scathing comment referenced both his late son Beau Biden, who served as a major in the Delaware Army National Guard, and Trump reportedly calling dead U.S. servicemen in a French cemetery “suckers and losers” when he was president. The incumbent Democrat made the remarks during a speech to a group of United Steelworkers union members in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “But one of the things that I was, as I was doing it today, I was reminded of what my opponent said in Paris not too long ago,” Biden said. “They asked him to go visit American grave sites. He said ‘no.’ He wouldn’t do it. Because they were all suckers and losers,” Biden said, citing the reports about Trump’s rationale. “I’m not making …

Trump sets fundraising record with $50.5M from Florida event

[ad_1] NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s campaign said it raised $50.5 million on Saturday, a staggering reported haul as his campaign works to catch up to the fundraising juggernaut of President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party. The reported haul from the event with major donors at the Palm Beach, Florida, home of billionaire investor John Paulson sets a new single-event fundraising record and is almost double the $26 million that Biden’s campaign said it raised recently at a gathering with former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama at Radio City Music Hall in New York. “It’s clearer than ever that we have the message, the operation, and the money to propel President Trump to victory on November 5,” his campaign senior advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in a statement. The event, billed as the “Inaugural Leadership Dinner,” sends a signal of a resurgence of Trump and the Republican Party’s fundraising, which has lagged behind Biden and the Democrats. “This has been some incredible evening before it even starts because people — …