Trump news – live: Manhattan DA opens grand jury probe over Stormy Daniels hush money

Donald Trump kicked off his 2024 presidential election trail over the weekend with two major campaign events, launching attacks on what he called the “cult of gender ideology” and “radical racists”.

The former president spoke to about 200 people in the South Carolina state capitol building, in a notably muted event in contrast to his usual raucous rallies in front of thousands of devotees.

“We’re going to stop the left-wing radical racists and perverts who are trying to indoctrinate our youth, and we’re going to get their Marxist hands off our children,” Mr Trump said as he addressed familiar themes at the rally.

Mr Trump also said he would focus on defeating “the cult of gender ideology and reaffirm that God created two genders: men and women”.

Saturday’s rally was his first since announcing his run to reclaim the White House in 2024.

Before heading to Columbia, he told a small crowd at the New Hampshire Republican Party’s annual meeting in Salem that he is “more angry” and “more committed” than ever before.

Key Points

• Trump kicks off campaign with low-key events

• Trump says ‘disloyal’ DeSantis ‘trying to rewrite history’ on Covid

• Trump speaks out on Tyre Nichols killing: ‘Never should have happened’

• Nikki Haley calls for ‘new generation’ of leaders in move away from Trump

Donald Trump sues Bob Woodward and book publisher over interview tapes

04:57 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Donald Trump is suing journalist Bob Woodward of the Watergate scandal fame for releasing his interview recordings to the public, claiming that he didn’t give him permission to use them for an audiobook.

The former US president filed a lawsuit on Monday against Woodward, the publisher Simon & Schuster and its parent company Paramount Global for releasing the recorded interviews that took place between December 2019 and August 2020.

Mr Trump claimed in the lawsuit that he consented to be recorded for a series of interviews but only for a book Woodward was working on. Woodward’s “Rage” was published in September 2021.

Read the full story here:

Donald Trump sues Bob Woodward and book publisher over interview tapes

Trump says ‘disloyal’ DeSantis ‘trying to rewrite history’ on Covid

04:45 , John Bowden

Donald Trump lashed out at Ron DeSantis and called him “disloyal” as the Florida governor weighs a run for the 2024 Republican nomination against his former political benefactor.

Mr Trump spoke to Politico and CNN on his plane as he campaigned in New Hampshire and South Carolina, two states that have the first primary contests in the country.

“When I hear that he might [run] I think it’s very disloyal,” Mr Trump told reporters.

Mr Trump criticised Mr DeSantis for his record during the Covid pandemic.

“There are Republican governors that did not close their states,” Mr Trump said. “They’re trying to rewrite history.”

He added: “Ron would have not been governor if it wasn’t for me.”

Biden, McCarthy to discuss debt limit in talks at White House

03:45 , John Bowden

House speaker Kevin McCarthy says he is looking forward to discussing with president Joe Biden a “reasonable and responsible way that we can lift the debt ceiling” when the two meet on Wednesday for their first sit-down at the White House since Mr McCarthy was elected to the post.

Mr McCarthy said he wants to address spending cuts along with raising the debt limit, even though the White House has ruled out linking those two issues together as the government tries to avoid a potentially devastating financial default.

The speaker pledged that cuts to Social Security and Medicare would be off the table.

“I know the president said he didn’t want to have any discussion (on cuts), but I think it’s very important that our whole government is designed to find compromise,” Mr McCarthy told CBS‘ “Face the Nation.”

“I want to sit down together, work out an agreement that we can move forward to put us on a path to balance and at the same time not put any of our debt in jeopardy at the same time.”

Read more:

Biden, McCarthy to discuss debt limit in talks on Wednesday

This Republican single mom wants the GOP to stop ‘being a**holes to women’. What will she do about it?

02:45 , John Bowden

Nancy Mace is one of the Republican Party’s most interesting members in the House.

After surviving a Trump-endorsed challenge to her reelection last year, the South Carolina representative returns to Washington as one of the party’s most outspoken members on issues of gender and even the far-right’s embrace of conspiracies.

She sat down with The Independent’s Eric Garcia for an exclusive interview about her style of politics and new home in the GOP’s slim House majority.

Nancy Mace wants Republicans to stop ‘being a**holes to women’. How will she do it?

Chuck Todd has fiery exchange with Jim Jordan over difference between Biden and Trump documents

01:45 , John Bowden

NBC’s Chuck Todd got into it with Rep Jim Jordan over the weekend when the Ohio Republican stopped by the Meet the Press studio to discuss the responses of the federal government to Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s respective retention of classified material at their residences and, in Mr Biden’s case, a DC-based think tank.

The new chair of the House Judiciary Committee insisted to Mr Todd that there was a difference in the way that the two men were treated — unfairly so — thanks to what he contended was a supposed politicisation of the Justice Department.

But Todd wasn’t having it, and said that the two situations were not comparable due to the former president’s failure to comply with a subpoena from the Justice Department for the classified materials.

Watch their exchange below:

Chuck Todd battles Jim Jordan over difference between Biden and Trump documents

Trump berates female Fox News host for ‘grating voice’ and ‘jittery’ presentation

00:45 , John Bowden

Donald Trump gave an unsolicited review of Fox News show The Five in which he branded co-host Jessica Tarlov “absolutely terrible” and called her voice “grating and unendurable.”

Tarlov, a former Democratic pollster, is one of the liberal voices on the show and was named a co-host in 2021.

“I really like The Five on Fox News, especially the hosts, with the exception of wacky Jessica Tarlov, who is absolutely terrible,” the one-term president wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“Her facts are knowingly wrong, her jittery presentation is horrendous and, forgive me, her VOICE is grating and unendurable.”

Trump berates female Fox News HOST for ‘grating voice’ and ‘jittery’ presentation

Trump rips Manhattan DA over Stormy Daniels case

00:00 , John Bowden

Donald Trump has responded to news that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has impanelled a grand jury as he weighs bringing charges against Mr Trump over the 2016 hush payment made to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star.

He fired back with one of his typical Truth Social rants, writing: “With murders and violent crime surging like never before in New York City, the Radical Left Manhattan D.A., Alvin Bragg, just leaked to the Fake News Media that they are still going after the Stormy ”Horseface” Daniels Bull….!”

“Working closely with the Weaponized Justice Department, this is a continuation of the Greatest Witch Hunt of all time,” he added. “They long ago missed the Statute of Limitations, & I recently won big money against “Stormy” in the 9th Circuit - NEVER HAD AN AFFAIR. This is old news!”

Arizona Republicans pick former Trump official to lead party

23:15 , John Bowden

Arizona Republicans selected former state treasurer and Donald Trump aide Jeff DeWit to be the party’s next chairman, turning to a familiar face with relationships across the party fractured after its worst election in decades.

Mr DeWit replaces firebrand Trump ally Kelli Ward, who helped the former president in his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and was a vocal proponent of his false claim that the election results were fraudulent.

She broke with precedent in last year’s primary, openly promoting a slate of election deniers who went on to lose the general election in November.

“I’m going to work for you and we’re going to unify,” Mr DeWit said after winning. “And we’re going to get back to beating Democrats and winning elections.”

Classified docs probe pushes Biden think tank into spotlight

22:30 , John Bowden

As Joe Biden contemplated his next move in 2017 after decades in government, he considered a familiar path – creating a Washington-based think tank to focus on international affairs and diplomacy. It proved an easy sell and a lucrative one, too.

Soft landings in the capital are common for officials with a resume like Mr Biden’s, and the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement was born, with a grand view of the Capitol.

The former vice president brought with him trusted staff and boxes of files. Now, a small batch of those files is at the centre of controversy because some were classified documents that Mr Biden had no right to retain.

Trump vows to build ‘impenetrable dome’ to protect US from missile attacks

21:45 , John Bowden

Donald Trump has claimed he would solve the Ukraine war “in 24 hours” and build an “impenetrable dome” over the US to protect from missile attacks, in a new video posted across social media.

“World War Three would be a catastrophe unlike any other. This would make World War One and World War Two look like very small battles,” he said, adding that countries were throwing around the word “nuclear” because they have “no respect” for the US’ leadership.

Read more in The Independent:

Trump vows he would build ‘impenetrable dome’ to protect US from missile attacks

Trump used Freedom of Information Act request to slow IRS release of his taxes

21:04 , John Bowden

Former president Donald Trump inundated the Internal Revenue Service with a barrage of Freedom of Information Act requests meant to shed light on any internal deliberations agency officials were making as they considered turning his tax records over to the House Ways and Means Committee.

The former president famously claimed to be under audit by the agency for years, and resisted calls to release his financial records publicly until the supposed audit concluded. It never did.

Read more in The Independent:

Trump used Freedom of Information Act request to slow IRS release of his tax returns

GOP congresswoman says there’s a difference between Trump and Biden documents

20:20 , John Bowden

Republican Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina drew a difference between the investigation into documents found in locations associated with President Joe Biden and documents located at former president Donald Trump’s home.

The Independent spoke to Ms Mace in an exclusive interview for a profile to be published this weekend. The interview came as Mr Biden faces scrutiny after documents from his time as vice president were found both at his home in Delaware and the Penn Biden Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

Read more from Eric Garcia:

GOP Congresswoman Nancy Mace says there’s a difference between Trump and Biden docs

Nikki Haley takes veiled shot at both Trump and Biden’s 2024 prospects

19:01 , John Bowden

Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley took a veiled shot at both former president Donald Trump and president Joe Biden over their shared dreams of seeking the presidency in 2024.

The ex-Trump administration official was being interviewed on Fox News when she took the opportunity to say that a “young generation” of leadership was needed in Washington.

“I think we need a young generation to come in, step up and really start fixing things,” she said, adding: “Can I be that leader? Yes, I think I can be that leader.”

Read more:

Nikki Haley calls for ‘new generation’ of leaders in move away from Trump

Manhattan DA opens grand jury probe into hush payments to Stormy Daniels

18:08 , John Bowden

Donald Trump has yet another criminal investigation to add to the long list of legal battles he is waging as he seeks the presidency for a third time.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has impanelled a grand jury and will soon begin presenting evidence that crimes were committed when Donald Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen paid hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.

Both Mr Cohen and Ms Daniels have said that the money was meant to stop Ms Daniels from spreading her claims of an affair with the now-former president.

Grand Jury to hear evidence on Trump’s porn star payoff scheme, report says

Inside McCarthy's House: Famous friends and hard realities

17:20 , John Bowden

Three weeks into the new era of the House Republican majority, the risks of Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s leadership style are clearly taking hold.

Away from the glare of the speaker’s official office, McCarthy is conducting some of the most exhilarating but also difficult business of leadership. Yet McCarthy is also confronting the limits of his slim hold on power as the promises of a new style of running the House run into the hard realities of governing.

Read more:

Inside McCarthy's House: Famous friends and hard realities

Trump impeachment leader Schiff joins California Senate race

16:50 , John Bowden

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, who rose to national prominence as the lead prosecutor in President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, announced Thursday that he is seeking the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

“We need a fighter in the U.S. Senate who has been at the center of the struggle for our democracy and our economy,” Schiff said in a statement announcing his 2024 bid.

The Independent has more about the hottest race on the left ahead of 2024:

Trump impeachment leader Schiff joins California Senate race

16:20 , John Bowden

John Eastman, who led Donald Trump’s legal bid to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, could be stripped of his licence to practise law after he was hit with 11 charges stemming from his efforts fuelled by the former president’s election lies.

The State Bar of California’s Chief Trial Counsel George Cardona announced the case against Mr Eastman on Thursday.

Read more about the second member of Mr Trump’s legal team to face consequences for the campaign to overturn the election:

California state bar seeking to strip John Eastman’s law licence over election lies

Chris Christie says Trump can’t win a general election

15:50 , John Bowden

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Sunday blasted any possibility of another Trump presidency, insisting the 45th president “can’t win a general election.”

The Republican from New Jersey made the comments as former President Trump campaigns for a 2024 run, kicking off his efforts in New Hampshire and South Carolina.

“That’s not speculation,” Mr Christie said on ABC’s This Week.

Read more:

Chris Christie says Trump can’t win a general election

House GOP leader cryptic after he’s spotted hosting Elon Musk for meeting

15:20 , John Bowden

Kevin McCarthy was not forthcoming with details after he met with Twitter owner Elon Musk in Washington on Thursday.

Mr McCarthy told a gaggle of reporters at the Capitol on Thursday afternoon that he has been friends with the embattled technology entrepreneur for years and that Mr Musk had visited to “wish me a happy birthday” after Mr Musk was spotted heading to Capitol Hill.

The Twitter CEO would later release a statement on his platform: “Just met with @SpeakerMcCarthy & [House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries] to discuss ensuring that this platform is fair to both parties,” Mr Musk tweeted following the conclusion of the meeting.

Trump says ‘disloyal’ DeSantis ‘trying to rewrite history’ on Covid

14:00 , Rachel Sharp

Former president Donald Trump lashed out at Ron DeSantis and called him “disloyal” as the Florida governor weighs a run for the 2024 Republican nomination against his former political benefactor.

Mr Trump spoke to Politico and CNN on his plane as he campaigned in New Hampshire and South Carolina, two states that have the first primary contests in the country.

“When I hear that he might [run] I think it’s very disloyal,” Mr Trump told reporters.

Read more here:

Trump says ‘disloyal’ DeSantis ‘trying to rewrite history’ on Covid

Trump claims he could solve Ukraine war in ‘24 hours'

13:30 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump says he would build an “impenetrable dome” to protect the US from nuclear missile attacks as he also claimed he could end the Russian invasion of Ukraine “within 24 hours.”

The one-term president released a video saying that foreign powers were now openly “using the nuclear word all the time” because “they have no respect for our leadership.”

“World War Three would be a catastrophe unlike any other. This would make World War One and World War Two look like very small battles,” he added.

“The best way to ensure that such a conflict never happens is to be prepared with unmatched technology and unrivalled strength.

“To this end, when I am Commander in Chief…to build a state-of-the-art, next-generation missile defence shield, just as Israel is now protected by the “Iron Dome”, a dream once thought impossible, America must have an impenetrable dome to protect our people.”

The video came a day after Mr Trump took to Truth Social to suggest that he had the ability to stop Vladimir Putin’s almost yearlong unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

“If I were president, the Russia/Ukraine war would never have happened, but even now, if president, I would be able to negotiate an end to this horrible and rapidly escalating war within 24 hours. Such a tragic waste of human life!!!”

Trump’s first South Carolina rally for 2024 run in pictures

13:00 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump hit the campaign trail on Saturday for the first time since announcing his bid to run for the White House in 2024, visiting two early-voting states and brushing aside criticism that his run was off to a slow start.

Classified docs probe pushes Biden think tank into spotlight

12:30 , Shweta Sharma

As Joe Biden contemplated his next move in 2017 after decades in government, he considered a familiar path – creating a Washington-based think tank to focus on international affairs and diplomacy. It proved an easy sell and a lucrative one, too.

Soft landings in the capital are common for officials with a resume like Mr Biden’s, and the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement was born, with a grand view of the Capitol.

The former vice president brought with him trusted staff and boxes of files. Now, a small batch of those files is at the centre of controversy because some were classified documents that Mr Biden had no right to retain.

Classified docs probe pushes Biden think tank into spotlight

Arizona Republicans pick former Trump official to lead party

12:00 , Shweta Sharma

Arizona Republicans selected former state treasurer and Donald Trump aide Jeff DeWit to be the party’s next chairman, turning to a familiar face with relationships across the party fractured after its worst election in decades.

Mr DeWit replaces firebrand Trump ally Kelli Ward, who helped the former president in his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and was a vocal proponent of his false claim that the election results were fraudulent.

She broke with precedent in last year’s primary, openly promoting a slate of election deniers who went on to lose the general election in November.

“I’m going to work for you and we’re going to unify,” Mr DeWit said after winning. “And we’re going to get back to beating Democrats and winning elections.”

Election-denying lawmakers hold key election oversight roles

11:30 , Shweta Sharma

Republican lawmakers who have spread election conspiracy theories and falsely claimed that the 2020 presidential outcome was rigged are overseeing legislative committees charged with setting election policy in two major political battleground states.

Divided government in Pennsylvania and Arizona means that any voting restrictions those GOP legislators propose is likely to fail. Even so, the high-profile appointments give the lawmakers a platform to cast further doubt on the integrity of elections in states that will be pivotal in selecting the next president in 2024.

Election-denying lawmakers hold key election oversight roles

Trump berates female Fox News host for ‘grating voice’ and ‘jittery’ presentation

11:00 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump gave an unsolicited review of Fox News show The Five in which he branded co-host Jessica Tarlov “absolutely terrible” and called her voice “grating and unendurable.”

Tarlov, a former Democratic pollster, is one of the liberal voices on the show and was named a co-host in 2021.

“I really like The Five on Fox News, especially the hosts, with the exception of wacky Jessica Tarlov, who is absolutely terrible,” the one-term president wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“Her facts are knowingly wrong, her jittery presentation is horrendous and, forgive me, her VOICE is grating and unendurable.”

Trump berates female Fox News HOST for ‘grating voice’ and ‘jittery’ presentation

Biden, McCarthy to discuss debt limit in talks at White House

10:30 , Shweta Sharma

House speaker Kevin McCarthy says he is looking forward to discussing with president Joe Biden a “reasonable and responsible way that we can lift the debt ceiling” when the two meet on Wednesday for their first sit-down at the White House since Mr McCarthy was elected to the post.

Mr McCarthy said he wants to address spending cuts along with raising the debt limit, even though the White House has ruled out linking those two issues together as the government tries to avoid a potentially devastating financial default.

The speaker pledged that cuts to Social Security and Medicare would be off the table.

“I know the president said he didn’t want to have any discussion (on cuts), but I think it’s very important that our whole government is designed to find compromise,” Mr McCarthy told CBS‘ “Face the Nation.”

“I want to sit down together, work out an agreement that we can move forward to put us on a path to balance and at the same time not put any of our debt in jeopardy at the same time.”

Biden, McCarthy to discuss debt limit in talks on Wednesday

Trump says ‘disloyal’ DeSantis ‘trying to rewrite history’ on Covid

10:00 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump lashed out at Ron DeSantis and called him “disloyal” as the Florida governor weighs a run for the 2024 Republican nomination against his former political benefactor.

Mr Trump spoke to Politico and CNN on his plane as he campaigned in New Hampshire and South Carolina, two states that have the first primary contests in the country.

“When I hear that he might [run] I think it’s very disloyal,” Mr Trump told reporters.

Mr Trump criticised Mr DeSantis for his record during the Covid pandemic.

“There are Republican governors that did not close their states,” Mr Trump said. “They’re trying to rewrite history.”

He added: “Ron would have not been governor if it wasn’t for me.”

Trump vows to build ‘impenetrable dome’ to protect US from missile attacks

09:30 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump has claimed he would solve the Ukraine war “in 24 hours” and build an “impenetrable dome” over the US to protect from missile attacks, in a new video posted across social media.

“World War Three would be a catastrophe unlike any other. This would make World War One and World War Two look like very small battles,” he said, adding that countries were throwing around the word “nuclear” because they have “no respect” for the US’ leadership.

Trump vows he would build ‘impenetrable dome’ to protect US from missile attacks

Trump opens 2024 run, saying he's 'more committed' than ever

09:00 , Shweta Sharma

South Carolina Republican ‘keeping options open’

08:30 , Shweta Sharma

Several Republicans are considering their support to Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential run as he is yet to announce endorsements for candidates in several states.

William Oden, the chair of the Republican Party in Sumter County, South Carolina, said he was a fan of the former president, but was keeping his options open.

“I haven’t decided,” Mr Oden said. “We’re waiting until everybody comes out. And like I’d do in business, I make no choices until we hear all the candidates.”

There were several conspicuous absences in South Carolina from Mr Trump’s rally, including the state party chairman, five Republican US representatives from the state and South Carolina US Senator Tim Scott, who has himself been floated as a potential Republican presidential candidate.

In his rally, Mr Trump attempted to allay those concerns, telling the crowd that he expected a wave of additional endorsements from South Carolina’s state and federal lawmakers within days.

Classified docs probe pushes Biden think tank into spotlight

22:42 , John Bowden

Former president Donald Trump inundated the Internal Revenue Service with a barrage of Freedom of Information Act requests meant to shed light on any internal deliberations agency officials were making as they considered turning his tax records over to the House Ways and Means Committee.

The former president famously claimed to be under audit by the agency for years, and resisted calls to release his financial records publicly until the supposed audit concluded. It never did.

Read more in The Independent:

Trump used Freedom of Information Act request to slow IRS release of his tax returns

Nikki Haley calls for ‘new generation’ of leaders in move away from Trump

08:00 , Shweta Sharma

Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley took a veiled shot at both former president Donald Trump and president Joe Biden over their shared dreams of seeking the presidency in 2024.

The ex-Trump administration official was being interviewed on Fox News when she took the opportunity to say that a “young generation” of leadership was needed in Washington.

“I think we need a young generation to come in, step up and really start fixing things,” she said, adding: “Can I be that leader? Yes, I think I can be that leader.”

Nikki Haley calls for ‘new generation’ of leaders in move away from Trump

Trump speaks out on Tyre Nichols killing: ‘Never should have happened’

07:30 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump has described the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols as “horrible” and says that it “never should have happened.”

The former president’s comments came one day after the city of Memphis publicly released video footage of the attack earlier this month.

The video shows a violent confrontation between officers from the unit and 29-year-old Nichols, during which officers can be seen punching him and using batons and taser weapons to subdue him as he cried out for his mother.

Trump says Tyre Nichols killing ‘Never should have happened’

Trump says ‘disloyal’ DeSantis ‘trying to rewrite history’ on Covid

07:03 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump lashed out at Ron DeSantis and called him “disloyal” as the Florida governor weighs a run for the 2024 Republican nomination against his former political benefactor.

Mr Trump spoke to Politico and CNN on his plane as he campaigned in New Hampshire and South Carolina, two states that have the first primary contests in the country.

“When I hear that he might [run] I think it’s very disloyal,” Mr Trump told reporters.

Mr Trump criticised Mr DeSantis for his record during the Covid pandemic.

“There are Republican governors that did not close their states,” Mr Trump said. “They’re trying to rewrite history.”

He added: “Ron would have not been governor if it wasn’t for me.”

Trump kicks off campaign with low-key events

06:28 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump hit the campaign trail on Saturday for the first time since announcing his bid to run for the White House in 2024, visiting two early-voting states and brushing aside criticism that his run was off to a slow start.

Addressing an event in New Hampshire before heading to South Carolina, he said: "I’m more angry now, and I’m more committed now, than I ever was”.

In Columbia, the former president railed against transgender rights and the teaching of critical race theory, a once-obscure academic concept that has sparked school board protests and classroom bans in some states.

"We’re going to stop the left-wing radical racists and perverts who are trying to indoctrinate our youth, and we’re going to get their Marxist hands off our children," Mr Trump said.

"We’re going to defeat the cult of gender ideology and reaffirm that God created two genders: men and women. We’re not going to allow men to play women’s sports."

06:24 , Shweta Sharma

Good morning and welcome to our live updates on the news and reaction from Donald Trump’s first rallies of his 2024 presidential election campaign.