Lesley Abravanel

'Shame on the administration': Top GOP megadonor rallies investors against Trump

Trump megadonor and billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin isn't afraid to criticize President Donald Trump or those who enable him.

In a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) opinion piece published Sunday, the founder/CEO of investment behemoth Citadel criticized Trump's attacks on the Federal Reserve and challenged the credibility of economic data used by the administration to justify the firing of the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And the Murdoch-owned WSJ did a deep dive Monday into Griffin's resistance to Trump, calling him "the most outspoken critique from a business leader in Trump’s second term." The outlet noted that "other prominent executives haven’t seen upside in going against a president who singles out people or companies for retribution over alleged slights."

In his Sunday op-ed, which Griffin co-authored with University of Chicago professor Anil Kashyap, the Republican donor wrote that Trump's actions "raise inflation expectations, increase market risk premiums and weaken investor confidence in U.S. institutions."

Griffin also defended the targets of Trump's attacks, with the Journal reporting that the wealthy investor "came to the defense of Walmart CEO Doug McMillon after Trump attacked him for raising prices in response to higher tariff costs."

"Shame on the administration for criticizing an American CEO, who has done an extraordinary job of helping to have people get more for their dollar, more for the hours they work, for just being honest,” said Griffin, who once called Trump a "three-time loser" at a June conference.

The Citadel billionaire donated over $100 million to conservative candidates — a third of what Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gave — in the 2024 election cycle, but never directly contributed to Trump, saying he voted for him, but "not with a smile on my face," eventually plunking down $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee. It remains unclear whether Trump will set his sights on Griffin, given his reputation as a reliable donor to his party's candidates for Congress.

"Trump has reason to be diplomatic in his approach with Griffin as the GOP looks to the midterm elections," the WSJ said.

Click here to read the WSJ's report in full (subscription required).

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'He got booed for a minute straight': Leavitt mocked for gushing over Trump at US Open

While the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) tried to censor media from airing the chorus of boos after President Donald Trump appeared on the big screen at the U.S. Open's men's singles final on Sunday between Italy's Jannik Sinner and Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, social media was still rife with highlights of jeers and boos. And White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was brutally skewered when she attempted to claim otherwise.

"The People’s President and the coolest boss ever. Signing hats for fans at the #USOpen," Leavitt posted on X along with a video.

Immediately following, Leavitt was met with a chorus of ridicule.

"He got booed for a minute straight," observed X user Albert Bishai.

Trump critic Selena Grissom also questioned Leavitt's mental fortitude, asking, "Are these fans in the room with you now?!... point them out, because all we heard were boos..."

"People booed him lol," wrote X user Ben has had enough.

"Now post the clip where he's booed, Karolying," wrote another who didn't buy her hype.

"That had to be embarrassing when you tried to have the stadium censored but they didn't listen. Kind of like the guy you work for and laws," another user replied.

Others took issue with the White House press secretary's "coolest boss ever" moniker, using vomit emojis to express their disgust. However, Leavitt's "Peoples' President" title also prompted outrage.

"An authoritarian who also signs hats does not qualify as The People’s President. The People > Authoritarianism," said Advocate For the People.

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'Now this is bromance': Social media erupts over Trump's 'explicit love letter' to Epstein

Lawyers for Jeffrey Epstein's estate just handed Congress the convicted pedophile's 50th birthday book assembled by top Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell in which a graphic letter President Donald Trump denied contributing and it's damning.

The existence of the letter, posted by the WSJ, was also murky for Maxwell, who in August was asked by Deputy Attorney General (and former Trump attorney) Todd Blanche in a 90-minute jailhouse interview, "Do you remember President Trump submitting a letter or a card or a note?" to which she replied, "I don't."

In a July interview with the WSJ, Trump denied writing the letter and called it fake, and then proceeded to sue the Murdoch newspaper for defamation for at least $10 billion in damages.

"This is not me. This is a fake thing. It’s a fake Wall Street Journal story,” he told the outlet. "I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women... It’s not my language. It’s not my words.”

As for those words, some stand out more than others, including these:

"We have certain things in common, Jeffrey . . . Yes, we do, come to think of it . . . Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?" Trump wrote.

White House correspondent Stephen Anderson said, "Trump has denied he sent it. The White House is saying it’s not Trump’s signature representing pubic hair."

Reaction to the release of the letter sparked widespread outrage on social media. Former Republican National Committee spokesperson Tim Miller wrote: "Now this is bromance." Another X user wrote: "This is the most disturbing thing I have ever read."

Progressive influencer Majid Padellan (aka Brooklyn Dad Defiant) wrote, "BREAKING: trump's credibility. Here's the birthday card trump allegedly created for Jeffrey Epstein that he swore did not exist, just released by the House Oversight Committee. I prefer Presidents who DON'T write explicit love letters to child sex traffickers. Disgusting."

"Remember when Trump said the birthday card he signed and sent to Epstein “doesn’t exist”? Anyway, here it is," wrote The Lincoln Project on X, adding, "Trump sent Jeff Epstein this birthday card. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!"

Oversight Dems jumped in, too, writing, "HERE IT IS: We got Trump’s birthday note to Jeffrey Epstein that the President said doesn’t exist. Trump talks about a “wonderful secret” the two of them shared. What is he hiding? Release the files!

“President Trump called the Epstein investigation a hoax and claimed that his birthday note didn’t exist. Now we know that Donald Trump was lying and is doing everything he can to cover up the truth,” House Oversight committee ranking member Rep. Robert Garcia (D., Calif.) told the WSJ. “Enough of the games and lies, release the full files now.”

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'Deranged psychopath': Experts sound alarm over Trump's 'green light' of domestic violence

In President Donald Trump's latest public appearance, he appeared to minimize domestic violence while speaking at the Museum of the Bible, where he was said to be defending his administration's "defense of religious liberty."

Speaking about crime in Washington D.C., which he claimed is "virtually nothing" after flooding the city with National Guard who are largely planting mulch and blowing leaves, Trump weighed in on domestic violence, saying: "Things that take place in the home they call crime ... If a man has a little fight with the wife, they say this is a crime." He then pivoted to saying he wanted to "bring back religion in America."

Trump was immediately schooled on social media over the seriousness of domestic violence. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) chimed in, saying on X, "Yes, Mr. President, domestic violence is a crime."

Politico senior columnist Jonathan Martin offered his own Biblical take on Trump's address, writing on X, "Coming spin: Look he was on the Old Testament section of the speech."

"Flashing a green light to all those MAGA guys filled with anger who take it out on their wives," wrote journalist John Harwood on X.

Progressive influencer JoJoFromJerz added, "The dude who bragged about sexual assault and was found liable of sexual abuse says domestic violence isn’t really a crime, does he?"

Attorney John Oleske weighed in on the shocking statement, saying, "The way he talks about DV victims wrecking his stats makes it sound like he thinks they deserve another round when he gets home. The President of the United States is a deranged psychopath."

Author Shannon Watts pointed out Trump's past alleged issues with first wife Ivana, saying, "Man accused of raping his first wife says domestic violence shouldn’t be considered a crime."

Watch the video of Trump's comments below, or by clicking this link.

— (@)

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'Justice served' as Trump loses bid to toss $83.3 million judgment in defamation case

President Donald Trump on Monday lost an appeal to overturn a jury verdict ordering him to pay $83.3 million plus interest for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll, according to CNBC.

The panel of three judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Manhattan said in a 70-page ruling that, despite Trump's insistence that the judgement was excessive and invalid in the wake of the Supreme Court's expansion of his presidential immunity, the lower federal court “did not err in any of the challenged rulings and that the jury’s damages awards are fair and reasonable.”

This blow comes just as Trump's attorneys planned to ask the Supreme Court to toss the separate $5 million abuse and defamation verdict in the civil case Carroll won in 2023.

In both cases, Carroll said Trump defamed her in statements denying her accusation that he raped her in the mid 90s in tony Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman.

A July 19, 2023 Washington Post headline spelled it out: "Judge clarifies: Yes, Trump was found to have raped E. Jean Carroll."

While Carroll herself hasn't commented yet, just posting the news on her X account, users are showering the former Elle columnist with congratulatory messages and reminders of Trump's crime.

"E. Jean Carroll is what happens when you have a spine," posted Bluesky account AltSpaceForce.

Writer Andrea Junker agreed, saying, "I wish I lived in a country where Republicans had at least half the balls of E. Jean Carroll, Stormy Daniels, Christine Blasey Ford, Anita Hill, or the Epstein survivors."

"JUST IN: Trump is still an adjudicated rapist and owes E. Jean Carroll $83,000,000," wrote X user The Maine Wonk.

Social media influencer Ed Krassenstein agreed, saying on X, "Repeat after me: Trump is a rapist!"

Popular Liberal agreed, saying, "No escape for the lies — justice served! IT WAS RAPE."

"So. Much. Winning," posted X account Republicans against Trump.

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'Shame on the administration': Top GOP megadonor rallies investors against Trump

'He got booed for a minute straight': Leavitt mocked for gushing over Trump at US Open

'Now this is bromance': Social media erupts over Trump's 'explicit love letter' to Epstein

'Deranged psychopath': Experts sound alarm over Trump's 'green light' of domestic violence

'Justice served' as Trump loses bid to toss $83.3 million judgment in defamation case