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Democratic parliamentary speaker Peter Pellegrini has won the decisive second round of the presidential
election in Slovakia. With 99.8% of constituencies counted, Pellegrini was clearly ahead of liberal former foreign minister Ivan Korčok, who received just under 47% of the vote, the electoral commission has reported. Polls and initial partial results had suggested a closer result. The official final result should be available by midday (1000 GMT) on Sunday at the latest. Korčok conceded defeat to journalists in Bratislava and congratulated Pellegrini on his victory.
Donald Trump recently bragged about a pair of his gold shoes selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars, but there may be more to that story, according to a report. Trump released the golden sneakers in what was largely seen as his latest response to the massive legal judgments he has been getting peppered with in his various court cases. He received some laughter and mockery for his fundraising effort that included putting out the pair of gold high-top sneakers that cost hundreds of dollars. Soon after, Trump shared a Newsweek article titled, "Trump Sneakers 'Resold for $450,000 on eBay.'" ALSO READ: A criminologist explains why keeping Trump from the
White House is all that matters But there is more to the story than meets the eye, according to Ben Meiselas, a lawyer and the owner of
Los Angeles Magazine. "Trump is bragging someone re-sold the ugly stupid sneakers he’s grifting for $450,000 and the media buys it hook, line, and sinker and gives him the headline he wants and he reposts," he wrote Saturday. "On closer inspection, it appears some MAGA troll listed the sneakers on an auction site for $450,000 the same way you can list anything for any price at all." He then added: "It didn’t sell at that amount. Everything Trump does is a scam, yet the media will publish anything he feeds them." Indeed, a close look at the Newsweek article reveals that the headline doesn't appear to be supported by the story. The quote from the headline, "Resold for $450,000 on eBay," isn't printed in the actual story's text. Instead, the story suggests that the shoes were listed for that amount and then sold, perhaps for some other total. "Donald Trump's golden sneakers are selling at hugely marked-up prices after their launch earlier this month, with one pair on the online auction site eBay listed for more than $450,000 having been sold," the February story states without further verification. CONTINUE READING Show less Donald Trump is reportedly experiencing some turbulence as he transitions to face
Joe Biden in the general election. Trump easily defeated his GOP primary opponents including Ron DeSantis of
Florida, but as he moves to take control of the
Republican National Committee, there have been some issues, according to Axios. "Since former President Trump's smooth ride to become the GOP's presumptive nominee last month, his team's pivot to a general election campaign has been more chaotic, with backtracking and second-guessing," the report states. ALSO READ: A criminologist explains why keeping Trump from the White House is all that matters Specifically, Axios notes that "many of the hiccups have revolved around Trump's takeover of the Republican National Committee ." "His team now has rehired many of the 60 staffers who were fired when Trump took control last month," according to the report. Further, according to Axios, this is "the latest in a series of reversals by Trump's team at the RNC, now led by chair Michael Whatley and Lara Trump, his daughter-in-law." "Those who've been rehired include most of the RNC's staff in key states, including five regional political directors and most of the committee's state directors," Axios reports. "Some are unsure what their roles are now." Read the full report here. CONTINUE READING Show less Donald Trump on Saturday posted a video purportedly about his "virtues," but that is not what the message conveys, according to a former federal prosecutor. Trump posted the eight minute and 20 second video to his Truth Social platform without any context other than the title, "TRUMP'S VIRTUES." The video itself opens with Thomas Klingenstein, self identified as a writer, a playwright, and an investor, calling on those who "can't stand" Trump to support the former president nonetheless. ALSO READ: A criminologist explains why keeping Trump from the White House is all that matters But former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance had some criticism of the video on Saturday. "This is an utterly astonishing message for a candidate for the presidency to embrace. And, just a clue, it's not about virtues," she said on
Social Media. "It starts with a command-even if you can't stand Trump, you must get behind him. Has any candidate ever run like that? It gets worse." She continued, saying that "GOP voters shouldn't care if he's a conservative, a role model for children, or modest & dignified--I suppose that's a good message because Trump is none of the things quite obviously." "The tone & pacing of the video carries an echo of WWII fascism that makes me feel queasy," she added. Vance added that "the important message Trump endorses about himself" is that, "He knows we're in a war" and "he knows how to win." "Who is the enemy? It's us. You and me. It's
Democrats. It's anyone who doesn't support Trump, anyone who is other. Believe him when he tells us who he is before it's too late," she said. Finally, Vance concluded: "This isn't the kind of thread where you can like the tweets-it's too awful, but please do retweet it. Trump posted this on Truth Social. People need to see this." Watch below or click the link here. CONTINUE READING Show less