(AFP) – Donald Trump’s presidential style is framed around made-for-TV moments, political drama, and public feuds — all of which were on display in another busy week at the White House.
During a major address to Congress, Trump made one guest — 13-year-old cancer patient DJ Daniel — an honorary Secret Service agent. DJ was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2018 and given just five months to live, Trump said. “He has always dreamed of becoming a police officer,” the president said, as a stunned but happy DJ was given Secret Service credentials, which he held up to loud cheers.
Some Democrats walked out, heckled, or held up signs to protest Trump’s address, which was littered with falsehoods and divisive rhetoric. In response, Trump’s spokeswoman accused them of being the “party of insanity and hate.” The House of Representatives censured one Democrat after he was thrown out of the chamber for repeatedly interrupting Trump’s address and waving his walking stick in the air.
Canadian leader Justin Trudeau spoke for almost an hour with Trump on Wednesday and described their discussion as “colorful” as a damaging trade war looms. Trump has threatened to annex Canada, sparking shock and fury among many citizens. Multiple Canadian provinces, including Ontario and Quebec, banned the sale of US alcohol, part of a growing national retaliation against Trump.
Trump hosted top cryptocurrency players at the White House and signed an executive order establishing a “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve,” boosting an industry that has struggled to gain legitimacy. Crypto investors were major supporters of Trump’s presidential campaign in the hope of ending government skepticism toward digital currencies. Trump also has significant financial ties to the sector, partnering with an exchange platform and launching a “Trump” memecoin, as did his wife Melania.
Top Trump ally Elon Musk survived a push to expel him from the Royal Society, an elite British science institute founded in 1660, with past members including Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, and Benjamin Franklin. More than 3,000 people including Nobel prize winners signed a letter saying Musk, the world’s richest person, had broken the Society’s code of conduct by promoting unfounded conspiracy theories. “Only craven, insecure fools care about awards and memberships,” Musk said before the vote. “History is the actual judge, always and forever.”
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