Tag: donald trump

The Ellisons are building a media empire. Trump keeps cheering them on.

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly celebrated the wealthy Ellison family’s growing media empire in recent days, even as the Trump administration is reviewing Paramount Skydance’s deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery and its assets including CNN for $110 billion.

“The Ellison family, two great people, great people. It’s a great family,” Trump said Monday, in remarks ahead of a Kennedy Center board meeting that referenced CBS and its upcoming broadcast of a UFC event.

On Friday, Hegseth called Warner Bros.-owned CNN’s coverage of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran “fake news” after it reported that the administration had underestimated the risk of disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better,” Hegseth said. A spokeswoman for CNN declined to comment on his remarks.

CNN, a longtime target of Trump’s complaints about the media, is among the most prominent assets in Paramount’s pending acquisition of Warner Bros., which requires approval from the Justice Department.

Larry Ellison, co-founder and chairman of Oracle and a longtime friend and ally to Trump, has financially backstopped Paramount’s pending deal to buy Warner Bros. and is also a major investor in the White House-blessed deal that spun off TikTok into a U.S. company. That has helped rebrand the tech billionaire and his son David into media tycoons — with some help from Trump.

The administration’s posture toward Paramount’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery has drawn scrutiny since a bidding war erupted over the troubled media giant late last year.

After Netflix announced an $83 billion deal in December to buy most of Warner Bros. Discovery and spin off CNN and other cable properties, Trump told reporters he would be “involved” in deciding whether to approve it, citing the streaming giant’s market power as a potential concern.

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Trump administration making heavy preparations for potential use of ground troops in Iran

Pentagon officials have made detailed preparations for deploying U.S. ground forces into Iran, multiple sources briefed on the discussions told CBS News. 

Senior military commanders have submitted specific requests aimed at preparing for such an option as President Trump weighs moves in the U.S.-Israel-led conflict with Iran, the sources said. 

Mr. Trump has been deliberating whether to position ground forces in the region, sources said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. It was unclear under what circumstances he would authorize the use of troops on the ground. 

“No, I’m not putting troops anywhere,” he told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday when asked about ground troops, but quickly added: “If I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you.”

Officials at U.S. Central Command referred questions from CBS News to the White House and Pentagon. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement: “It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the Commander in Chief maximum optionality, it does not mean the President has made a decision, and as the President said in the Oval Office yesterday, he is not planning to send ground troops anywhere at this time.”

The military has also held meetings to prepare for how to handle the possible detention of Iranian soldiers and paramilitary operatives if the president decides to put American boots on the ground – including where the Iranians would be sent, two sources said. 

The U.S. is preparing to deploy elements of the 82nd Airborne Division into the Middle East region. 

The planning involves the Army’s Global Response Force and the Marine Corps’ Marine Expeditionary Unit. 

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United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, and Canada Will Now Join US to Keep the Strait of Hormuz Open

The leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, and Canada have now signaled they will join the United States in a coalition to secure and keep open the critical Strait of Hormuz, the vital oil chokepoint the bloodthirsty Iranian regime has turned into a terrorist kill zone.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, the radical Islamic mullahs in Tehran launched a desperate campaign of economic terrorism after U.S. and Israeli strikes hammered their nuclear sites and terror infrastructure.

Iran mined the strait, attacked unarmed commercial vessels, targeted oil facilities, and effectively closed the waterway that carries nearly 20-25% of the world’s oil supply.

President Trump refused to let America shoulder the entire burden alone. He blasted the freeloading “allies,” took to Truth Social, and demanded that nations dependent on Middle Eastern oil step up and send warships.

“Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated,” Trump said.

He even threatened to “finish off” Iran and let NATO and Asia handle the mess if they wouldn’t get in gear. As we reported, the initial responses from Europe were weak and uninspiring, classic globalist foot-dragging.

Now, with Iran’s attacks growing more brazen and the Strait’s security directly tied to global oil flows, those same allies are signaling that they are prepared to stand with the United States.

That does not yet mean all seven countries have announced warship deployments.

The joint statement so far supports that they have formally backed efforts to keep passage open and are ready to contribute, while some governments are still working through what their exact role will be.

Britain, for example, has been publicly discussing possible deployments, including ships and mine-countermeasure assets, but final national commitments appear to remain in motion.

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US Fast-Tracks Billions In ‘Emergency’ Arms Sales To Gulf, Bypassing Congress

On the one hand President Trump and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth have declared that America is ‘winning’ against Iran, having destroyed its navy and air defenses, and having seriously degraded its missiles – but on the other the admin has put in for a more than $200 billion supplemental request to Congress to fund the war.

It seems Congress will likely eventually sign off on this gargantuan figure – for an ‘excursion’ which should end ‘soon’ we are told by Trump – given that even the effort to pass so much as a War Powers resolution gets repeatedly stymied. 

Still, the US administration is busy bypassing standard congressional review requirements, on Thursday approving a series of emergency arms sales across the Middle East, at a moment US regional allies are being pummeled by Iranian drones and ballistic missiles.

The argument is that Washington’s allies are in imminent danger, and given that indeed vital Gulf infrastructure is getting hit quite seriously – new arms have to be rushed over there on an emergency basis.

According to details in Saudi-owned Al Arabiya:

The largest package was approved for the United Arab Emirates, totaling more than $8 billion. It includes the $4.5 billion sale of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), $2.10 billion for FS-LIDS counter-drone systems, $1.22 billion in Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs), and $644 million in F-16 munitions, including GBU-39 small diameter bombs and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs).

In parallel, Washington approved an $8 billion deal for Kuwait to buy Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor Radars, significantly enhancing the country’s missile detection and tracking capabilities.

Jordan was also included in the emergency approvals, with a $70.5 million package covering aircraft support and munitions to sustain operational readiness.

Notably, a US base all the way over in Jordan, the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, was struck by Iran in the opening days of the war, satellite imagery showed.

This development of all these newly approved ’emergency’ arms and weapons shipments begs the question: is this more evidence that Washington is settling in for a ‘long war’?

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Power Without Principle: The Rise of the Bully Presidency

“When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything… Grab ‘em by the pussy. You can do anything.”— Donald J. Trump on seizing women, Access Hollywood (2005)

“I think I can do anything I want with it. Whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it.”—Donald Trump on seizing Cuba (2026)

It’s been 20 years since Donald Trump bragged that, as a star, he could do anything—even assault women—and get away with it.

Two decades later, what once sounded like crude bravado has become a governing philosophy: might makes right, power excuses everything, and accountability is for other people—not this president.

Despite the Access Hollywood recording—and everything it revealed about his character—Trump was elected to the White House twice. And ever since, he has governed exactly as he promised: as a man who believes he is unaccountable, entitled, and free to act without limits.

The same mindset that once bragged about being able to “stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters” has now been scaled up and weaponized through the presidency.

With a core MAGA following that seems unwilling to hold him accountable for any wrongdoing, Trump has justifiably earned his nickname as “Teflon Don.”

He can be accused of sexually assaulting young girls, and he won’t lose any voters. He can, as commander-in-chief, sanction the bombing of a girls’ school in Iran—killing young girls, their mothers and teachers—and he won’t lose any voters. He can torpedo a thriving economy, sending inflation and gas prices soaring, and he won’t lose any voters. He can dismantle a government structure that has been in place for over 200 years, and he won’t lose any voters. He can be a walking—talking—living contradiction of everything Christians claim to stand for, and he won’t lose any voters. He can send Americans servicemen and women to die in wars that the U.S. had no business starting, and he won’t lose any voters.

This is the mindset now shaping American policy.

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Senate Again Rejects Effort to Restrict Trump’s Iran War Powers

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday once again rejected a motion to discharge S.J. Res. 118, a joint resolution to withdraw American armed forces from military actions in Iran sans Congressional approval. The motion was shot down in a 47–53 vote.

The measure, introduced by Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), is an attempt to invoke the War Powers Resolution of 1973 to require explicit congressional approval for ongoing U.S. military involvement in the region.

The motion was rejected mostly along party lines, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) providing the lone Republican supporter and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) voting with Republicans.

“If there’s anything that is plain in that Constitution, it is that a president does not have the power to unilaterally bring a nation and its treasure, to bring a nation and its men and women into conflict without a say of Congress,” Booker said on the Senate floor.

“This is not a partisan issue. This is not a left or right issue. It is a right or wrong, do you stand with the Constitution of the United States of America?”

The U.S.-led military campaign against Iran entered its third week on Wednesday as Iran engages in retaliatory strikes across the region, disrupting global energy flows and driving up oil prices. Iran launched missiles and drones late Wednesday night a toward Israel and several Persian Gulf countries, continuing a trend of targeting its neighbors.

The Israel Defense Forces, as well as defense measures in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, have responded to Iran’s attacks. Israel conducted strikes in Tehran Tuesday, killing Ali Larijani, a top Iranian security official, as well as Gen. Gholam Reza Soleimani, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Basij force.

Meanwhile, Brent crude prices have skyrocketed above $100 per barrel as Middle East oil exports have been halted. Strikes against Iranian gas fields have contributed to the increase in oil prices. Two Canadian cargo ships are stranded in the Persian Gulf, unable to pass through the waterway.

U.S. intelligence says Iran’s regime remains in power, but it’s deteriorated.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Responds to Claims that His Nation Dragged President Trump into War with Iran 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has broken his silence regarding unfounded allegations that the Jewish State strong-armed President Trump into going to war with Iran.

As TGP readers know, the ongoing war with Iran has divided big-name conservative influencers (though ordinary GOPers remain solidly behind Trump). Some have claimed that Netanyahu is controlling Trump and actually calling the shots when it comes to American foreign policy.

Disgraced former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, who quit on Wednesday, piled on as well.

He stated in his resignation letter that Iran posed no imminent threat to America and asserted we started the war because of “pressure from Israel” and its “powerful American lobby.”

Netanyahu decided to respond to these allegations during a press conference on Thursday. He called any claim that Israel forced America to go to war with Iran just another piece of fake news.

The Israeli Prime Minister then posed a question that almost everyone would say no to: Does anyone think Trump takes orders from other human beings?

Netanyahu closed by praising Trump for always putting America first.

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Trump Threatens to “Finish Off” Iran and Let Asia and NATO “Be Responsible” for the Strait of Hormuz

President Trump seemingly threatened to escalate the war in Iran and leave the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery where up to 25% of the world’s oil travels through, to other countries that use it for their oil.

He said this might cause “our non-responsive ‘Allies’” to get “in gear, and fast!!!”

This comes after Iran closed off the Strait of Hormuz and began targeting shipping and oil tankers in response to US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

Trump said over the weekend, “Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe.” He specifically called out “China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint,” saying securing the Strait “should have always been a team effort, and now it will be.”

However, the countries quickly rebuffed his demand and instead called for and instead urged the United States to end the war.

Iran has also said the Strait is open to all except “those who are attacking us and their allies.”

Trump has threatened to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure and completely destroy the country’s ability to exist, but suggested he is saving those targets “for later.”

It appears that Trump’s latest threat would be a final end to the war and the complete destruction of Iran.

I wonder what would happen if we ‘finished off’ what’s left of the Iranian Terror State, and let the Countries that use it, we don’t, be responsible for the so called ‘Strait?’” Trump said.

“That would get some of our non-responsive ‘Allies’ in gear, and fast!!!”

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Trump Announces Israel “Violently Lashed Out” and Hit Gas Fields in Iran, Claims US “KNEW NOTHING” of Attack and “NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL”

President Trump on Wednesday announced on Truth Social that Israel hit a “major facility known as South Pars Gas Field in Iran,” prompting Iran to launch retaliatory attacks on Qatar’s liquid natural gas facility at Ras Laffan Industrial City.

Qatari officials said Iran’s attacks caused “extensive damage” to the area of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas export facility, describing the move as “dangerous escalation, flagrant violation of state sovereignty, and a direct threat to its national security and regional stability.”

Trump’s statement confirms reports that Israel launched the initial attacks on the South Pars gas field.

Per the New York Times:

Iran and Qatar on Wednesday accused Israel of attacking a giant offshore natural gas field that the two countries share, sending the prices of oil and natural gas soaring on what would be a sharp escalation of strikes on energy infrastructure in the war against Iran.

Iran uses most of its natural gas domestically, meaning that the strikes will most likely have a limited effect on the global supply of gas, which is used in power plants, home furnaces and heavy industry. But the attacks signal that the Persian Gulf’s extensive energy facilities may be at growing risk.

Iran’s oil ministry said on social media that airstrikes had damaged a number of its facilities connected to the South Pars gas field. It appeared to be one of the most significant energy sites to be hit since the U.S.-Israeli air war against Iran began nearly three weeks ago.

Iranian state media reported that oil and petrochemical facilities in the southern city of Asaluyeh, a key hub for the country’s energy industry, were also hit by an airstrike.

This sent oil prices surging over $110.

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US Government Registers Domain Name ‘Aliens.gov’, Sparking Expectations That Trump May Be About To Release Classified Documents on UFOs

Space is the final frontier, and Aliens are the biggest mystery.

We have been reporting here on TGP about Donald J. Trump’s directive to his administration to release the classified UFO files to the public.

But now, in a development that has gone viral, the domain name ‘Aliens.gov’ has been included in the government’s official website registry.

The discreet development ignited speculation that Trump could be about to disclose US intelligence information on whether or not we’re alone in the universe.

The New York Post reported:

“The domain name discovery comes almost exactly a month after President Trump announced he was ordering administration officials to release government files related to UFOs and extraterrestrials.

Though the website is not yet live, the government has reserved the domain name for an as-yet-unknown purpose, registry records show.”

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