“Please pretend that I am on the ballot,” the 80-year-old leader, wearing a red cap, told the crowd Wednesday in Bullhead City, Arizona.

— Nostalgia for 2024 —

In 2024, he got nearly 78 percent of the vote in the county where he was speaking in Arizona. The other two counties he visited, in Alaska and Montana, also gave him decisive victories over Democrat Kamala Harris. Donald Trump makes no secret of his preference for traveling to friendly territory, telling reporters that he wants to “pay my respect” to supporters. “We brought back the spirit” of the 2024 presidential campaign, he declared. It is difficult to judge. Each appearance drew committed supporters, the core of his MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement, who are apparently willing to forgive him for soaring fuel prices as well as the war in Iran.

“The country needs to be a little bit more patient,” Theresa Hallesy told AFP on Wednesday in Montana. “There’s a lot of stuff going on in the world that he can’t control, but he still has to deal with it. I think we’re going in the right direction.” The 68-year-old retiree waited more than seven hours for Trump to make his entrance into a large rodeo arena commandeered for the occasion.

The American president is rallying support for his party, but he seemed almost reluctant to invite local candidates to join him onstage during the tour.

— ‘One minute’ —

“I want you just to come up for one minute because we don’t want to hear you for two minutes, three minutes, just one minute,” he told Andy Biggs, a conservative seeking to become governor of Arizona. The Republican leader always has one or two announcements tailored to each region. In Alaska on Tuesday, at a hockey rink converted into a rally venue, he laid out his climate-skeptic arguments. In a state whose economy is closely tied to fossil fuels, Trump promoted a major liquefied natural gas project. He also issued presidential pardons for two auto mechanics who were convicted of modifying diesel engines to circumvent emissions regulations.

At each rally, Donald Trump promised that every American will receive $5,000 if Republicans retain their majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate. How this highly controversial proposal, criticized by the opposition, would be funded remains unclear. Yet rather than an electoral offensive, his rallies give the impression of a final tour for a show whose star performer and audience are already feeling nostalgic.

— Qatari jet —

In Montana, thousands of enthusiastic supporters laughed at a now-familiar impersonation of French President Emmanuel Macron and gave Trump a standing ovation as he left the stage, dancing to the ever-present strains of “YMCA.” In Arizona, the billionaire delighted the audience with a flyover by the new presidential aircraft, a lavish gift from Qatar. Onstage, he joked about the present, estimated to be worth $400 million: “You know, when you are given gifts, you take them, right?” The joke fell somewhat flat with the audience in a district where both the poverty rate and the unemployment rate are significantly above the national average.

The Republican leader then spoke regretfully about the approaching end of his term, saying he has resigned himself to it in “two-and-a-half years. Now a little less than that, sadly.” “I said that yesterday and they started screaming, ‘Four more years! Four more years!'” Trump continued. He paused. He waited. The audience eventually took the cue, and a few voices broke into the chant, “Four more years! Four more years!” — without much conviction.

– Aurélia END

© 2024 AFP

The post The final lap? Two days on the campaign trail with Trump appeared first on MagnifyPost.com.

Nixon is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and was backed by prominent left-wing lawmakers, though the national organization did not formally endorse her. “Look, we can argue all day about people’s labels, but at the end of the day, I care about the needs of people,” Nixon told NBC News during the campaign, describing her politics as “people-centered.”

Trump has been impeached twice — the first time in 2019, after Vindman blew the whistle on his attempts to recruit Ukraine into his efforts to smear his 2020 election opponent Joe Biden. The president was acquitted in a Senate trial. He celebrated Vindman’s primary defeat in a social media post calling the decorated combat veteran a “treasonous creep” — and predicted “certain defeat” for Nixon against her Republican opponent in November.

Her victory revived momentum for the Democratic left wing after it narrowly lost a closely watched Wisconsin gubernatorial primary last week. But it could also make an already difficult Florida Senate race much tougher for Democrats. The once-pivotal swing state has shifted sharply Republican in recent years, and election analysts immediately downgraded Democratic chances of flipping the seat. Vindman quickly endorsed Nixon, and some strategists even suggested his defeat was a boon for mainstream Democrats, who would now avoid throwing millions of dollars at a race many believe they would likely have lost anyway.

**Mainstream successes**

Mainstream Democrats had better results elsewhere in Florida. Congressman Jared Moskowitz easily defeated a democratic socialist challenger in a newly redrawn district that Republicans hope to capture in November. His House colleague Debbie Wasserman Schultz survived a crowded primary in a heavily Democratic seat. She had faced criticism from party activists over her decision to move into the predominantly Black district after a new Republican electoral map made her old base less favorable. Those victories offered a counterweight to Nixon’s triumph, underscoring the mixed verdict Democratic voters have delivered this year as the party debates whether a confrontational left-wing message or a centrist approach offers the best route back to power.

Republicans had an unsettled night of their own. Trump-backed congressman Cory Mills lost his Florida primary after months of controversy and a House Ethics Committee investigation involving allegations of campaign finance violations and sexual misconduct. Mills denies wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime. Another Trump-endorsed candidate lost the Republican primary for a southwest Florida House seat and, in Wyoming, the president’s preferred candidate for governor was seen off by a state senator. The defeats added to a growing list of failed Trump endorsements in Republican primaries this year, though his backing has been decisive in other races.

Byron Donalds easily won Florida’s Republican nomination for governor and will face former Republican congressman David Jolly, now a Democrat, in November. In Alaska, meanwhile, a former Democratic congresswoman and a Republican senator advanced from the state’s unusual all-party Senate primary, setting up one of the more competitive contests of the fall.

– Frankie TAGGART

© 2024 AFP

The post US socialists score shock Florida win as Trump picks stumble appeared first on MagnifyPost.com.

The charismatic, former local government health official also has his eye on a bigger prize: to lead the fight for the left in Washington against President Donald Trump. It marks a dramatic political rise for El-Sayed, who was born in Detroit to an Egyptian father and an American mother. “But for an accident of history that allows my dad to immigrate to Detroit to go to Wayne State University, I was supposed to be a cab driver in Egypt, like my cousins,” he said after his narrow primary election victory. “I got to go to amazing public schools, an incredible public university. I got my medical education paid for,” he added. “That’s what America gave me.”

El-Sayed, who is a trained epidemiologist, had a prestigious academic career. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia University in New York who also studied at Oxford on the highly regarded Rhodes Scholarship. He subsequently became the director of public health services for Wayne County, which includes Detroit. Muscle-bound and an eloquent speaker, El-Sayed proved a deft operator in a primary campaign that was a window into the war within the Democratic party between the moderate establishment and those further left, like veteran Senator Bernie Sanders. The 84-year-old Independent helped campaign for El-Sayed and 31-year-old New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Mobilizing Michigan progressives

In November, El-Sayed faces a tough battle to beat the Republican nominee, Mike Rogers, a former congressman who has Trump’s endorsement. While both Michigan senators are currently Democrats, it is seen as a swing state. Trump won the traditionally blue-collar, auto-manufacturing state in the 2024 presidential election. To win, El-Sayed is counting on mobilizing a progressive base, outraged by Trump’s second term, and targeting bread-and-butter issues of importance across the political divide.

El-Sayed, who supports universal health care, declared his intention “to get money out of politics, put money in your pocket, pass Medicare for all.” Faced with this left-wing platform, Republicans have labeled him a dangerous extremist, while emphasizing his Arab and Muslim identity. El-Sayed has been a strong critic of Israel. AIPAC, an organization that works to elect pro-Israel Democratic and Republican candidates, donated $30 million to his primary election rival Stevens.

After the primary results were announced Wednesday, Trump mocked the victory of the man he called “a Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel” as “great news for the Republican Party.” Other Republicans followed suit. Its Senate caucus claimed “an alliance of communists and Islamists is taking control of the Democrat Party.” “He’s actually a jihadist sympathizer,” said Republican Senator Katie Britt. “They’re infiltrating us from within.” It is a line of attack likely to predominate in the mid-terms, where Republicans hope to hold onto their current control of both houses of Congress.

El-Sayed seems set to give as good as he gets. On Wednesday he denounced the “bitter” campaign launched by “Mike Rogers, Donald Trump, and their MAGA allies.” He made fun of the fact that his opponents were using his full name, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, as a scare tactic. “Mike, listen, man,” he said, referring to Rogers, his Republican rival in November’s election. “If you can’t say the name…keep the name out your damn mouth. I’ll be happy to give you lessons.”

– Jeff KOWALSKY avec Robin LEGRAND à Washington

© 2024 AFP

The post Abdul El-Sayed, the Michigan doctor who wants to lead the left to the US Senate appeared first on MagnifyPost.com.

Platner, a Marine veteran, oysterman, and political newcomer who won the state’s Democratic primary last month, rejected the allegation. In a video message posted to X after the report was published, Platner called the allegations “troubling, serious and false.”

“Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins,” he said, referring to the Republican incumbent. “Those were the goals when we launched this campaign, and they remain my goals today.”

The allegation lands at a perilous moment for Democrats, who view Maine as a central battleground in their effort to regain control of the Senate in November’s midterm elections. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) said it would pull funding for the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot.

“The allegations reported today are incredibly disturbing – violence, abuse and sexual assault are absolutely unacceptable,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and DSCC Chair Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said in a statement. “Graham Platner needs to immediately withdraw as the Democratic nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins.”

Collins, a six-term Republican and one of her party’s few remaining moderates in Congress, is among the Democrats’ top targets.

The Maine Democratic Party also called on Platner, 41, to withdraw, vowing to “hold every candidate who seeks to represent our state to the highest standard.” Senator Elizabeth Warren, who previously endorsed Platner’s bid for the Senate, joined the chorus of Democrats urging him to quit.

“With so much at stake, the best path forward is for Graham Platner to step aside as the Democratic nominee and address these serious allegations outside this Senate race,” Warren said in a statement.

Platner’s victory in the Democratic primary was hailed by supporters as proof that a blunt anti-establishment message could break through with voters frustrated by cautious, establishment politics. But his campaign has also alarmed some Democrats who fear his personal baggage could make it harder to defeat Collins in a state where independents and moderate voters often decide elections.

Politico said Racicot alleged that Platner entered her rural Maine home uninvited while deeply intoxicated and forced himself on her. The latest report follows earlier controversies over old online comments, sexually explicit messages, a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol that Platner later covered up, and allegations that he had mistreated women.

Platner has acknowledged past struggles with undiagnosed PTSD and alcohol abuse but has denied physically harming former partners. His supporters argue that his flaws are part of a redemption story and that voters are drawn to his authenticity.

© 2024 AFP

The post Democrats push key US Senate candidate to quit over sex assault claim appeared first on MagnifyPost.com.

“I’m humbled and proud to officially be your Democratic nominee for the US Senate to take on Susan Collins and the billionaire class she represents,” Platner posted to social media Tuesday night, after US media projected his win. But the qualities that made him the most compelling figure in the state’s Democratic primary also unsettled the party’s national establishment, amid concerns that only a traditional candidate can unseat Collins, a five-term Republican senator, in November’s midterms.

Platner defeated Maine’s Democratic Governor Janet Mills in Tuesday’s primary, who remained on the ballot despite suspending her campaign, along with lesser-known candidate David Costello. His appeal has drawn comparisons to President Donald Trump’s disruptive rise: personal magnetism, contempt for establishment politics, and a promise to break a system many US voters see as corrupt or exhausted.

However, his campaign has been dogged by a long list of controversies, including old incendiary Reddit posts, a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol that he later covered up, sexually explicit messages sent to other women early in his marriage, and accusations from a former girlfriend that he was physically intimidating. Platner has acknowledged a troubled period in his life, saying he struggled with undiagnosed PTSD and alcohol abuse, but he denies physically harming any former partner.

Republicans are already preparing to make his past central to the general election. A Collins-aligned group is launching ads featuring Maine voters reading Platner’s old online posts and calling him “too risky.”

Platner’s supporters argue that his flaws are part of a broader redemption story and that voters are willing to accept an imperfect candidate who feels authentic. But some Democrats have voiced their own concerns. “Being a dirt bag is not authentic. You know, being a dirt bag is being a dirt bag,” Pennsylvania centrist Senator John Fetterman told CNN. “And he’s just been caught doing and saying all of these things… consistently, he’s been lying about all of his behavior and the things that he’s done.”

Democrats worried about November say a general electorate is very different from a Democratic primary electorate — and that even modest erosion among women, Jewish voters, or independents could be enough to save Collins. There are primaries in four states on Tuesday, and two marquee Republican contests in South Carolina are set to be another test of Trump’s sway with his party’s grassroots.

Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s most loyal allies in the Senate and a hawkish supporter of the Iran war, was projected to win by NBC News and Politico. He faced a challenge from the right that could have forced him into his first runoff if he failed to clear 50 percent. South Carolina Republicans are also choosing a candidate for governor, where Trump’s endorsed candidate Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette was projected by NBC News to advance to a runoff to face Alan Wilson.

They advanced from a crowded field that included two representatives who angered Trump in the past: Ralph Norman, who backed Nikki Haley over Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, and Nancy Mace, who condemned Trump’s conduct around the 2021 Capitol riot and backed the release of the Epstein files, against the president’s wishes. Both gave up House seats to run for governor and now face being out of office next year.

– Frankie TAGGART

© 2024 AFP

The post Democrats gamble on Trump playbook to flip key Senate seat appeared first on MagnifyPost.com.

But Republicans are scrambling to avoid humiliation in what was once viewed as a sleepy contest, as polls show a race too close for comfort. A Democratic upset — or even a narrow Republican win — would jolt Washington and deepen Republican fears of losing the House in 2026. With only a two-vote cushion on the floor, party lawmakers say the consequences of voter apathy could be dire.

“We’re literally three people away from losing the majority,” said Tennessee Republican Congressman Tim Burchett. “You can have a bad case of the flu go through Congress, and we’d be out of the majority. That’s how important this election is.” The panic comes amid a run of Democratic momentum. Just weeks ago, the party swept major races in Virginia and New Jersey and won the New York mayoralty, a string of victories widely interpreted as a rebuke to Trump’s return to power.

The White House has noticed — and so has Trump. The president held a tele-rally Monday night alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson, who campaigned throughout Monday with the Republican candidate, Matt Van Epps. The West Point graduate and retired special-operations helicopter pilot is running as an unwavering Trump loyalist focused on law-and-order, border security, and low taxes.

He faces Democratic state representative Aftyn Behn, a former social worker who has pushed progressive legislation on grocery-tax relief, rural health care, abortion access, and marijuana reform. Republicans have zeroed in on Behn’s social-media posts from the 2020 racial-justice protests, in which she amplified “defund the police” slogans and shared a message appearing to justify burning down a police station.

Trump urged voters to reject her as he dialed into a Van Epps event on Monday, telling the crowd: “Number one, she hates Christianity. Number two, she hates country music. How the hell can you elect a person like that?” Tennessee’s 7th District — stretching from Nashville’s Music Row through affluent suburbs and down to conservative rural counties — normally delivers Republicans around 60 percent of the vote.

But the latest Emerson College/The Hill poll shows Van Epps at 48 percent to Behn’s 46 percent, well within the margin of error. Early polls in October had Van Epps up by as many as eight points, but also flagged elevated Democratic enthusiasm. Republican insiders now predict a five-point Van Epps win — a steep drop from former congressman Mark Green’s 2024 landslide — and concede that anything tighter would be alarming.

A loss, however unlikely, would electrify Democrats and force Republican strategists to rethink their entire 2026 defense map. Early voting is expected to have favored Behn thanks to energized younger voters and Nashville turnout, while election-day voting should lean more Republican, especially in rural counties.

Both parties have flooded the district with cash and operatives, with Trump-aligned groups lavishing some $2.4 million on Van Epps while Democratic groups have invested $1.9 million in Behn, according to local media.

– Frankie TAGGART

© 2024 AFP

The post US Republicans sweat toss-up election in traditional stronghold appeared first on MagnifyPost.com.

Mamdani, just 33, was at a lowly one percent in the polls in February, but saw off three-term former New York governor Andrew Cuomo with a populist campaign that has Democrats nationwide taking notice ahead of next year’s midterm elections. “The race shows Democratic voters are growing tired of the same old faces and they’re willing to bet on newcomers,” said political strategist Andrew Koneschusky, a top former Democratic Senate aide. “Looking ahead, we may see more competitive Democratic primaries and more upsets like this. That’s bad news for establishment Democrats, but can be good for the party overall.”

Democrats have struggled to make their case as a credible alternative to Republicans since Kamala Harris’s 2024 defeat to Trump — seen in part as repudiation of identity politics and so-called “woke” ideology. But the man who would be his city’s first Muslim mayor embraced his identity, courting the one million New York members of his faith where they live — in the city’s many mosques and community centers.

– ‘Young Cardamom’ –

He also presented himself as the candidate of generational change, reaching out to fellow millennials with a smart communications strategy dominated by short-form viral videos. He bested Cuomo, a towering figure in Democratic politics, by combining his social media savvy with a “go everywhere” street campaign that made his much less visible opponent look complacent. Born in Uganda, Mamdani is the son of renowned historian Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair, who directed the classic “Salaam Bombay!” Curious voters wanting to learn more about his colorful back story shared old hip hop videos from his previous life as a musician, rapping under the moniker “Young Cardamom.”

Youth activist David Hogg, who was kicked out of the Democratic National Committee leadership after annoying the party’s old guard in a row about aging candidates, maintains that likability was a key factor. He is “infectiously, and relentlessly positive in a way I have seen few politicians ever be,” Hogg said, arguing that Mamdani’s appeal went well beyond his policy proposals. But his platform was vital too, according to Koneschusky, who says Mamdani has demonstrated to Democrats slow to see the penny drop that, in the Trump era, economic populism works. Mamdani focused relentlessly on the cost of living crisis — floating rent freezes, free buses and even government-run grocery stores.

– ‘Death knell’ –

“We’ve seen the effectiveness of an economic message time and again. It’s what propelled Trump in last year’s presidential election and it’s what propelled Mamdani,” Koneschusky said. “It’s so blatantly obvious that this is where the Democratic message should be centered and yet the party can’t seem to universally embrace this simple truth.”

Some analysts have cautioned against reading too much into the result — a single primary victory against an establishment favorite with a lot of baggage. Cuomo is accused of having lied about his role in the Covid pandemic and mismanaging the crisis, and he resigned in disgrace over sex scandals. Others point out that Democratic nominees have lost around half of the last 15 New York City mayoral races, and that the city’s denizens could easily change tack when it comes to the mayoral election itself.

But political commentator Bill Kristol, chief of staff from 1989-93 to then vice president Dan Quayle, expects Democrats to still be feeling the aftershocks of the New York earthquake come the 2026 midterms, when seats in both chambers of Congress will be at stake. “It should be a death knell for an ossified Democratic establishment that needs to be put out of its misery,” Kristol wrote in his daily newsletter for conservative outlet The Bulwark. “And it should be a wake-up call for non-socialist Democrats to show some of the audacity and the ability of Mamdani.”

– Guillaume LAVALLEE with Frankie TAGGART in Washington

© 2024 AFP

The post New York mayoral vote floors Democratic establishment appeared first on MagnifyPost.com.

The 78-year-old billionaire has a long history of suggesting he might serve more than two terms, but Sunday’s remarks — followed by comments to reporters aboard Air Force One — were the most concrete in terms of referring to plans in place to achieve the goal. Trump has launched his second presidency with an unprecedented demonstration of executive power, using the world’s richest man Elon Musk to dismantle swaths of the government, and said his supporters want even more.

“We have almost four years to go and that’s a long time but despite that so many people are saying you’ve got to run again. They love the job we’re doing,” Trump said Sunday aboard the presidential jet, apparently referring to his political allies and supporters. Trump appeared to wave off a reporter’s question about whether he is planning not to leave office on January 20, 2029, the next Inauguration Day, saying: “I’m not looking at that, but I’ll tell you, I have had more people ask me to have a third term.”

Earlier in the day, Trump told NBC he had been presented with plans that would allow him to seek reelection. When the network asked Trump of a possible scenario whereby Vice President JD Vance would run for president and then abdicate the role to Trump, the president said “that’s one” method. He added that “there are others,” but refused to share further details.

Amending the US Constitution to allow a third presidential term would require a two-thirds majority in both the House of Representatives and Senate, which Trump’s Republican Party does not have, or a constitutional convention called by two thirds of the states that would propose changes to the charter. Both routes appear to be unlikely, given the current number of states and Congressional seats under Republican control.

Whether he goes through Congress or the states, he would then require ratification from three-quarters of all state legislatures. A constitutional convention has never been successfully called in the United States, where all 27 constitutional amendments have been passed by the congressional method. In January, days after Trump took office, Republican Andy Ogles of Tennessee introduced a House joint resolution to amend the constitution to allow presidents up to three terms.

© 2024 AFP

The post Trump says ‘not joking’ about possible third term as president appeared first on MagnifyPost.com.

A tide of humanity washed onto Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach, where as many as 2.5 million people attended the city’s fireworks display and danced to the sounds of Anitta and other Brazilian performers. “What’s better than starting the new year with strangers from all over the world?” said native New Yorker Norquan Tirick Goldson, one of tens of thousands of partygoers who braved freezing temperatures to cram into Times Square. Couples kissed and strangers hugged as the Times Square ball descended and more than a ton of confetti fluttered from surrounding rooftops.

More than a million gathered in the centre of Paris to see out what resident Florence Coret described as “a rather complicated year”. Thousands also lined the banks of London’s River Thames for a firework extravaganza, although bad weather washed out events elsewhere. Pro-European Georgians rang in the new year by setting off fireworks at month-long rallies against a ruling party they accuse of being under Russia’s influence. And Serbian students marched in Belgrade and two other cities demanding accountability over the collapse of a train station roof in November that killed 15 people.

Sydney sprayed nine tonnes of fireworks from its famed Opera House and Harbour Bridge to begin the year’s farewell. A spectacular pyrotechnics display then lit up Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour as Asia joined in, popping champagne corks at New Year’s Eve parties. Thousands thronged the streets of Taipei to watch Taiwan’s tallest skyscraper erupt in a dazzling display of fireworks. Celebrations were more muted in Beijing, where visitors crammed into Yonghe Temple to light incense sticks, spin prayer wheels and pray for good fortune in 2025.

In 2024, Taylor Swift brought the curtain down on her Eras tour, pygmy hippo Moo Deng went viral, and teenage football prodigy Lamine Yamal helped Spain conquer the Euros. The Paris Olympics united the world for a brief few weeks in July and August as athletes swam in the Seine and raced in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower.

It was a global year of elections, with countless millions going to the polls across more than 60 countries. Vladimir Putin prevailed in a Russian ballot widely dismissed as a sham, while a student uprising toppled Bangladesh’s prime minister. No vote was as closely watched as the November 5 contest that secured Trump’s return to the White House. The US president-elect has threatened to pile economic pain on China and boasted of his ability to halt the Ukraine war within “24 hours”. A change of government is likewise afoot in Ghana, where John Mahama will be sworn in on January 7 after a peaceful transition raised hope among ordinary Ghanaians.

Turmoil rippled across the Middle East as Bashar al-Assad fled Syria, Israel marched into southern Lebanon, and doctored electronics exploded in a wave of Israeli assassinations targeting Hezbollah. Civilians endured the grinding war in Gaza, where dwindling stocks of food, shelter, and medicine made a humanitarian crisis even bleaker. “May security and safety return, and may the war finally come to an end,” Wafaa Hajjaj told AFP from Deir el-Balah, where masses of displaced residents now cram into crowded tents.

People brandished “revolution” flags in Umayyad Square in Damascus after the overthrow of Assad ended 13 years of civil war. “We did not expect such a miracle to happen; today the Syrians have found their smile again,” 22-year-old student Layane el Hijazi told AFP. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine inches towards its three-year anniversary in February. Ukraine must now contend with a Trump administration seemingly intent on winding back crucial military aid, but President Volodymyr Zelensky remains defiant. He acknowledged in his new year address that “peace will not be given to us as a gift, but we will do everything to stop Russia and end the war”.

Sudan also marked its second new year of war between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces that has killed tens of thousands and uprooted more than 12 million. “We hope to come back to our houses safe and sound this year, for this war to end and just to be able to see home once more,” Fatma Mohamed told AFP in Port Sudan.

There is plenty to look forward to in 2025, with AI advances on the horizon and rampant inflation tipped to slow. Britpop bad boys Oasis will make a long-awaited reunion, while K-pop megastars BTS return to the stage after military service in South Korea. Football aficionados will also discover a revamped 32-team Club World Cup hosted by the United States. And about 400 million pilgrims are expected at the spectacular Kumbh Mela festival on India’s sacred riverbanks — billed as the largest gathering of humanity on the planet. The UK weather service has forecast sweltering global temperatures for 2025, suggesting it will likely rank among the hottest years recorded.

© 2024 AFP

The post World greets 2025 after sweltering year of Olympics, turmoil and Trump appeared first on MagnifyPost.com.

“For marshaling a comeback of historic proportions, for driving a once-in-a-generation political realignment, for reshaping the American presidency and altering America’s role in the world, Donald Trump is Time’s 2024 – Person of the Year,” the magazine said. This year saw Trump convicted on charges of business fraud and nearly assassinated twice—and will end with him preparing to return to the White House with Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress.

“We are witnessing a resurgence of populism, a widening mistrust in the institutions that defined the last century, and an eroding faith that liberal values will lead to better lives for most people. Trump is both agent and beneficiary of it all,” the magazine added. Trump rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange to applause from traders on Thursday, flanked by his wife Melania Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance, with his Time Magazine cover displayed prominently behind him.

In remarks before the markets opened, Trump sounded a note of caution about the promises he made on the campaign trail to bring down stubbornly high US grocery prices. “It’s hard to bring things down once they’re up,” Trump says. “You know, it’s very hard.” The magazine’s award, given out annually, is an acknowledgement of the year’s most influential figure. Past winners include Taylor Swift and Volodymyr Zelensky—and Trump himself, in 2016, after his shock defeat of Hillary Clinton. Mock versions of Time Magazine covers featuring Trump were displayed prominently in several of the president-elect’s members clubs ahead of his first “person of the year” title in 2016.

Having dominated the news events of 2024, Trump’s influence is set to continue when he assumes the presidency in January. This time around, Trump is promising mass expulsions of undocumented immigrants and major tariffs that threaten to shake up not just the US economy, but those of key trade partners. He’s cast doubt on continued support for Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion and has already become something of a shadow president, feting foreign leaders at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. His comeback was unthinkable a few years ago.

After his supporters stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss, it seemed like Republicans might be ready to wash their hands of the brash outsider who had taken over the party. Criminal cases were launched over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and he was found liable in civil court for sexual abuse. He remains a polarizing figure in US and world politics. Yet none of that prevented him from rising back up to the top of the Republican ticket, and then going on to win in the general election against Harris.

Harris was among those shortlisted for the award, alongside Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Russian economist Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

© 2024 AFP

The post Time Magazine names Donald Trump person of the year for second time appeared first on MagnifyPost.com.