TMZ.com Home

Donald Trump says he feels great and he received special treatment at Walter Reed Hospital ... as he put it -- "It's good to be President."

The President was interviewed on Fox News Channel by Dr. Marc Siegel, a Fox News contributor who is not part of Trump's medical team.

Trump said he went to the hospital last Friday because he didn't feel strong. He said he didn't have a problem breathing, but failed to mention he got supplemental oxygen twice and had a fever. His own Chief of Staff said Trump's condition was "very concerning."

Trump says he's not taking meds now, but credits what he says is his bounce-back to an experimental drug he got in the hospital ... a drug he says will somehow be available to everyone for free.

He says he listened to his doctors, so incredibly, that seems to suggest the doctors thought it was ok for him to take a drive with 2 members of the Secret Service in a sealed SUV. Trump said he felt it was his obligation to take the ride to see his supporters who hung around for 3 days.

And, wow ... Trump says one thing he learned is that COVID is highly contagious. He didn't know that until now?

Trump did say he got a CT scan to test his lungs. All he said was that there was a little congestion.

President Trump will not square off -- face-to-face, anyway -- as the second debate has been canceled, which could be a win for your eyes and ears ... if it was gonna be anything like the first one.

The Commission on Presidential Debates pulled the plug Friday on the showdown scheduled for Oct. 15 ... after the President complained about the new virtual format, and said he wouldn't go. Of course, the CPD moved to a virtual debate due to Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis.

His reaction to the change was, "I'm not gonna waste my time on a virtual debate. That's not what debating's all about."

POTUS was also ticked off about possibly getting muted by the moderator ... a feature the CPD said it was considering in light of the constant interruptions and name-calling at the first debate.

For what it's worth, Biden's team initially agreed to the new safety protocols but after Trump dug in his heels ... Biden also pulled out. Instead, his team says he'll hold a town hall in Philly, moderated by ABC's George Stephanopoulos.

Kinda hard to ignore the fact President Trump is on a heavy dose of steroids -- to combat the coronavirus -- when ya hear him firing off the f-word during live interviews.

POTUS called in Friday to Rush Limbaugh's radio show, and got fired up about U.S. relations with Iran. That's nothing new, but the ease with which he cursed definitely was different. Trump said, without pause, "Iran knows that, and they've been put on notice, if you f**k around with us, if you do something bad to us ... we are going to do things to you that have never been done before."

Okay, in a vacuum the cursing would be no big deal ... and let's face it, it's the kinda tough talk that fires up his base. However, the reality is President Trump's doctors have said he's on Dexamethasone ... a steroid that can make patients edgy and easily agitated.

The 'roids are certainly relevant considering the Prez insists he's feeling great and ready to get back on the campaign trail with a Saturday rally in Florida. Makes ya wonder what might fly out of his mouth when he's even more fired up by crowds of supporters.

The Limbaugh appearance comes after a Thursday night call in to Sean Hannity's show where Trump sounded way less than healthy ... hacking so hard at times, it sounded like he had to mute his phone.

Incredible update on Delonte West -- Mark Cuban says the ex-NBAer is doing much better on his road to recovery ... sharing a quick snap of him smiling while horseback riding.

As we previously reported, the Dallas Mavericks owner personally picked up West at a Dallas gas station last week ... and vowed to help the 37-year-old get off the streets.

West entered a treatment facility with the help of his mother and Cuban last week ... and the billionaire says the process is just getting started but is going well.

"Ladies & Gentlemen, I present to you, Delonte West," Cuban said on Twitter on Friday. "A long, long, long way to go, but he has taken the first steps and shared these with all of us as a thank you for the love and support."

Sources close to West told us the ex-NBA player entered Phase 1 of his recovery earlier this week -- detox -- and was "roughing it out" while getting all traces of drugs and alcohol out of his system.

West has received an outpouring of support in recent weeks ... with ex-MLB superstar Darryl Strawberry -- who battled his own substance abuse issues -- offering to work together to stay clean when he finishes his treatment.

Tory Lanez is defending himself publicly following his felony assault charge in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting ... arguing he deserves his day in court.

The rapper broke his silence Friday morning after the L.A. County D.A.'s Office charged him Thursday with one count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and one count of carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle.

Tory's responding by reminding fans the "charge is not a conviction." He also posted emojis to say "time will tell" ... and the "truth will come to the light."

As we reported ... The D.A. also alleged Tory inflicted great bodily injury, and if he's convicted, the rapper/singer faces up to 22 years and 8 months in prison.

The charges came on the heels of Tory releasing an album on which he claims his innocence in multiple songs.

Prosecutors had been mulling over a charge of felony assault with a firearm against Tory after Megan said she was shot back in July.

Previously, he'd only been arrested for possession of the firearm cops found in the SUV the night of the shooting.

With the new charges ... prosecutors are straight-up pointing the finger at Tory as the man who pulled the trigger ... leaving Meg with a gruesome foot injury.

A Sheriff in Michigan not only shared a stage with one of the men arrested for allegedly trying to kidnap and possibly kill Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer ... he says the 13 alleged extremists wanted what lots of people wanted ... Whitmer arrested.

Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf has a connection with William Null -- they were on the same stage at a Grand Rapids rally in May protesting Governor Whitmer's stay-at-home order -- and he says he has no regrets about being on the same platform as the man charged in a kidnapping plot.

Sheriff Leaf says he was "shocked" by the arrest and says he "did not see this coming" with Null ... according to an interview he did with FOX 17 in West Michigan.

Leaf is downplaying the arrest, saying "it's just a charge." The Sheriff claims the men might not have been trying to kidnap Governor Whitmer, and instead might have been trying to arrest her for a felony ... presumably her hardline on COVID regs.

Governor Whitmer called the 13 people arrested in the plot "sick and depraved," but Sheriff Leaf insists the Null brothers are nice and respectful ... and he says lots of people in his state are angry with the Governor and want her handcuffed and taken away.

Meanwhile, the Null brothers are being held on $250,000 bail and could face up to 22 years in prison if convicted.

Donald Trump just WENT OFF on Lebron James -- blasting him as a "nasty" person and a "hater" who's ruining pro basketball.

It was all part of an anti-Black Lives Matter tirade during an appearance Friday on "The Rush Limbaugh Show" ... when Trump blamed the NBA's lagging ratings on the league's pro-BLM efforts.

"The NBA has become so political that nobody cares about it anymore," Trump said.

"I don't even know who's playing in the Finals."

Of course, LeBron's Lakers are in the Finals -- taking on the Miami Heat. Game 5 is set for Friday night.

Trump says he's never met LeBron -- but it's clear he doesn't like him.

"LeBron is a spokesman for the democratic party and a very nasty spokesman," Trump said.

"Because, again, I've done so much for the Black community and people don't wanna see that and he's a great basketball player but people don't wanna see a guy that way. They don't want to see that. We have enough difficulty during the week, you don't wanna sit down watching a basketball game and then watch somebody that hates your guts, okay, He's a hater."

Trump went on to rip LeBron's association with Black Lives Matter, which he calls a Marxist organization.

Trump also says the term "Black Lives Matter" is racist because it sows division between Black people, white people and other races.

LeBron is obviously not a fan of Trump -- he's gone after POTUS several times over the years ... even calling him a clown.

Most recently, LeBron mocked Vice President Mike Pence over the fly that bothered him during the VP debate this week ... comparing Pence to a piece of excrement.

Derek Chauvin -- the ex-cop accused of murdering George Floyd -- is now allowed to leave the state of Minnesota as he awaits trial ... after a judge ruled there are concerns over his safety.

The Hennepin County judge changed the conditions of Chauvin's bond Thursday, a day after he was released after posting $1 million. The former Minneapolis police officer can now reside in Minnesota OR a bordering state pending trial.

The decision came after the Department of Corrections provided evidence supporting safety concerns for Chauvin ... according to the judge's order.

Chauvin must report his new address to law enforcement and will remain under normal supervision as he awaits his murder trial ... which is scheduled for March.

Chauvin is required to obtain a cell phone and keep it on him at all times and answer all calls from the Minnesota Dept. of Corrections.

As for which states are contiguous to Minnesota -- North and South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin.

As we've reported ... Chauvin is facing charges of 2nd-degree after leaving his knee on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds back on May 25.

'Tiger King' star Doc Antle is facing a slew of felony and misdemeanor charges now for his treatment and transport of lion cubs.

Antle, the owner and founder of Myrtle Beach Safari, was indicted Friday in Virginia for felony wildlife trafficking after a months-long investigation found evidence he trafficked lion cubs between South Carolina and Virginia ... according to Virginia's Attorney General.

You'll recall ... Netflix's "Tiger King" documentary mentioned Antle's safari park was raided last December, and now it seems that raid was part of this investigation.

Antle is also charged with 1 felony count of conspiracy to sell or transport endangered wildlife, 4 misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act, and 9 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

In addition, 2 of Antle's daughters, Tawny Antle and Tilakam Watterson, were charged with misdemeanors for animal cruelty and violating the Endangered Species Act.

The same investigation led to felony charges against Keith A. Wilson, owner of Wilson's Wild Animal Park. Authorities say they seized 119 animals, including lions, tigers, bears, camels, goats, water buffalo, and more from Wilson's roadside zoo and claim he got some of the animals from Antle.

Kyle Rittenhouse appeared in court as his lawyers continue fighting efforts to extradite him to Wisconsin to stand trial as an adult.

The 17-year-old arrested in the killing of 2 people during the protests over the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, WI was briefly back in court Friday morning, where his lawyers are fighting to keep him in his home state of Illinois ... as opposed to sending him back to Wisconsin.

Rittenhouse's legal team stated this case is a "very unique, extraordinary situation," and argued there are issues with the extradition paperwork by prosecutors that suggest "this is a political prosecution."

The defense lawyers have also argued extradition would violate Rittenhouse's constitutional rights and "turn him over to the mob" ... and claim his life would be in danger if he's jailed with adults in Wisconsin.

Prosecutors accused the defense of intentionally delaying the case, but the judge did grant Rittenhouse's attorneys more time before a decision is made on extradition. There will be another hearing later this month.

The Antioch, IL teenager is accused of killing 2 people and wounding a third on August 25. He's been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless homicide. If convicted, he's looking at a mandatory life sentence.

As we reported ... Rittenhouse traveled roughly 21 miles from Antioch to Kenosha -- armed with a semi-automatic rifle -- to join armed vigilantes taking on rioters. Video showed him running on the street with his gun while witnesses told cops he shot someone.

After falling to the ground and appearing to be accosted by others, cops say he opened fire ... killing two people and injuring another.

Demi Lovato's ex-fiance looks and sounds pretty broken up over their split ... he says he still hasn't spoken to her, and he's tired of people bullying him online.

We got Max Ehrich at LAX Thursday and he told our photog he's not bothered by her new song about their split, but what's really grinding his gears are the social media trolls coming after him.

As we reported ... Demi was frustrated with her ex going ham about their split -- Max somehow compared Demi and their breakup with Jeffrey Epstein -- and she leaked her new breakup song, "Still Have Me."

Max says the people in his mentions need to back off and stop bullying him, because they don't know what happened between him and Demi.

It's interesting ... while Max claims he learned about their breakup while reading the tabloids on set, he's telling the trolls not to believe everything they read.

Despite getting the silent treatment from Demi, the "Young and the Restless" actor tells us he wants the best for Demi and he hopes people can give them privacy.

It's clear Max is having a rough time with the breakup, and he says he's gonna need some time for himself before he's ready to jump back into the dating world.

Whitey Ford -- widely regarded as the greatest Yankees starting pitcher of all time -- has died at 91, the team confirms.

We're told Ford passed away Thursday at his home in NY.

The Yankees issued a statement saying the team is "incredibly saddened to learn of the passing of Hall of Famer Whitey Ford."

"Whitey spent his entire 16-year career as a Yankee. A 6x WS Champion and 10x All-Star, The Chairman of the Board was one of the best lefties to ever toe the rubber. He will be deeply missed."

Ford made his MLB debut back in 1950 -- but took time away from the game to serve in the U.S. Army during the Korean War from 1951 to 1952.

He returned to the Yankees in 1953 and played until 1967 -- racking up a 236-106 career record with an E.R.A. of 2.75 and 1,956 strikeouts. Unreal.

Ford -- who was born and raised in New York City -- was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974, along with his teammate Mickey Mantle.

The Yankees retired Ford's #16 jersey that same year.

Ford is survived by his wife Joan (they married back in 1951) and their two children Eddie and Sally Ann. They had a 3rd child, Tommy, who passed away in 1999.

Just last week, fellow MLB pitching legend Bob Gibson passed away at the age of 84. Gibson is also a Hall of Famer and considered one of the greatest pitchers of all time.

Move over, Yogi ... this bear's way smarter than average, 'cause it not only opened a pickup truck door ... but it got behind the wheel and locked the door!!!

This all went down in South Lake Tahoe where a father and daughter happened to be driving by when they spotted Bear-io Andretti casually hopping into the driver's side of a pickup truck in someone's driveway.

Check out the vid ... they're initially surprised to see the bear strolling, but their minds are blown when the bear walks up to the truck, opens the door, gets in and locks himself inside and apparently starts leaning on the horn.

They captioned the video, "When my dad and I drove up on a bear acting like a grown ass man." As for how they got that "man" out of the truck? Well, they knocked on the homeowner's door and alerted him to the bear-y unique situation.

Watch the vid to see how he handled it. We'll just say, no bears were harmed in this video, but the dad's heart rate definitely spiked.

Bears, man. They're taking over 2020.

President Trump says he feels "so good" and doesn't think he's got much of the coronavirus left in his system, so -- despite the absence of a negative test -- he's planning a rally Saturday night.

The Prez joined his buddy, Sean Hannity, Thursday night to discuss his condition and his aspirations ... to hold a rally in Florida ... barely a week after he tested positive for COVID-19, and then another in Pennsylvania Sunday.

Trump continues to suggest he's recovered from the virus thanks to all the great care he's received from his doctors, while seemingly ignoring health experts precautions and quarantining recommendations following COVID diagnosis. He's been in the Oval Office this week, despite most doctors saying a COVID-positive patient should be in self-isolation for at least 10 days, and given Trump's age and struggle with the virus ... as many as 20 days.

Trump didn't sound like he was cured when he was on Hannity's show Thursday night ... he was coughing during the interview. And, BTW, the high-dose of powerful steroids he received has all but certainly masked underlying symptoms.

And, there's this ... Trump's own doctors have been sketchy when it comes to revealing his condition -- they won't even say when he last tested negative -- so Trump has decided to be evaluated on TV Friday night by a Fox News contributor -- Dr. Marc Siegel -- who will conduct his own medical evaluation.

Bizarre.

George Floyd's being honored and remembered in his hometown ... with a new mural set to be unveiled just in time for his birthday.

The mural is being painted in the Houston neighborhood where George grew up, and it's going to be unveiled Monday during a special ceremony featuring his family and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. Houston mayor Sylvester Turner is also invited.

Local artist Ange painted the mural. He tells us George's family asked him to create one back in August, after previously presenting the family with some Floyd artwork at his funeral.

The mural is prominently displayed on a wall outside a neighborhood corner store George frequented. The business is a staple of the community, so lots of folks will see George's face on the building.

George would have turned 47 Wednesday, and we're told celebrating his upcoming birthday is part of the inspiration behind the mural ... plus a message to the community to "be the change" and go out and vote.

George's brothers, Rodney and Philonise, recently checked on the mural's progress and Philonise says they want the art to send this message ... "People in my family all feel that George can't vote, so everybody needs to get out for George, for Breonna, for Ahmaud."

The family adds ... "He said he wanted to change the world, so here's how we do it. By being the change."

"Seinfeld" star Wayne Knight's still got it -- he's unleashing a trademark Newman rant to point the postal finger at the Trump administration for slowing mail service ahead of the election.

Newman threw on his old U.S. Post Office wardrobe for a PSA video dedicated to Friday's World Post Day ... the anniversary of the Universal Postal Union, which started in 1874 in Switzerland.

Check out the video ... Newman wastes no time, hilariously digging into President Trump, his Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and what looks like a giant turkey leg.

It's classic Newman laughs, but he does take serious shots at POTUS, accusing him of attempting to kneecap the post office by slashing employee hours and removing mailboxes.

From the second Wayne opens with, "Hello zip codes. And, you plus-fours, you know who you are" ... ya just know it's gonna be funny.

He might have saved his best shot for DeJoy, saying ... "That guys' never even licked a stamp."

The PSA, spearheaded by an anti-Trump super PAC, comes on the heels of "Cheers" star John Ratzenberger also suiting up in his old post office uni to rally behind the U.S. Post Office.

Not all heroes wear capes.