Politix

Political consultant Rick Wilson is brushing off right-wing outrage over the "Kill Tesla, Save the Country" photo he shared online, saying the reaction is just manufactured "moral panic" ... especially since they didn't bother to get context from his linked Substack piece.

His article, he explains on "TMZ Live" Thursday, outlines a political strategy to put financial and social pressure on Elon Musk by targeting Tesla’s stock -- completely peacefully -- in an effort to "stop the destruction that he's causing with DOGE."

Wilson argues Tesla was already struggling before he published his article, with outdated models, overpriced cars, and a failing reputation ... suggesting Musk should focus on fixing his company -- which just today saw the recall of nearly all its Cybertrucks -- rather than throwing a fit over an article.

Artificial Intelligence is still pretty new tech and has a lot of room for mistakes ... which might explain why legendary baseball player and civil rights hero Jackie Robinson's story about his time in the U.S. Army got pulled from the Department of Defense website, according to one U.S. congressman.

Republican U.S. Representative from Kentucky James Comer spoke to "TMZ Live" Wednesday, where we grilled him on what exactly would’ve had to be plugged into an A.I. scraper for the Robinson entry to get pulled ... especially with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth apparently wanting to scrap anything related to DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion).

When we question the terms used to execute the search, Comer does his best to explain his belief that Trump and his administration don’t have a history of racism, and that it’s not the image they’d want to project.

A story highlighting Jackie Robinson's time in the United States Army is back up on the Department of Defense website ... less than 24 hours after it was removed.

The story reappeared on the DoD's government site Wednesday afternoon ... after a wave of public backlash over its removal.

It's unclear whether the initial takedown was intentional or accidental.

Rep. Wesley Hunt is torching D.L. Hughley for siding with Don Lemon's hot take ... that Black MAGA supporters can't be rational.

ICYMI ... Hughley came on "TMZ Live" Wednesday, where he pointed fingers, including calling out the GOP congressman -- check out the video below -- after Hunt clapped back at Lemon's claim, arguing he became a combat veteran, West Point grad, Ivy League triple-degree holder and a U.S. Congressman by being a "serious rational person."

D.L. said plenty of Black people who aren't MAGA, including Kamala Harris, have similar accolades as Rep. Hunt, yet they're written off as "D.E.I. Hires." The comedian doubled down on Don Lemon’s point, claiming Black MAGA supporters are merely props for President Donald Trump, while Trump’s actions actively harm the Black community.

Jack Schlossberg — the grandson of John F. Kennedy — went ballistic on social media for not getting a heads up on the release of the late president's 1963 assassination files by the Trump administration.

Schlossberg jumped on X Tuesday and blasted the Trump administration for failing to notify anyone in the Kennedy clan — except Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — about the massive JFK document dump, totaling 80,000 pages!

Schlossberg said it all came as a "total surprise," but Trump's actions were not a shock, noting that RFK Jr. "definitely knew." (RFK Jr. serves as Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services.)

Donald Trump's push to revoke Hunter and Ashley Biden's Secret Service protection has found some support from an ex-Secret Service agent.

Richard Staropoli, a former special agent with 25 years in the Secret Service, joined us Tuesday to talk about backing Trump’s decision, arguing it’s an extremely costly measure and there’s no real threat justifying their need for protection.

Staropoli -- who was appointed by Trump as the Chief Information Officer for the Department of Homeland Security in 2017 -- broke down the details of Secret Service protection, explaining it’s funded by U.S. taxpayers -- and he dives deep into the costs of providing protection for Hunter and Ashley.

D.L. Hughley is all in on Don Lemon's take, saying he agrees -- you can be Black and Republican, but supporting MAGA? That's a no-go.

We caught up with D.L. on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and he didn’t hold back -- saying Black people know they'll be tokenized, especially since Trump’s just using Black voters, trotting them out when it suits him ... like when Stephen A. Smith claimed Black people relate to Trump because of his felony convictions.

Catch the video ... D.L. dives deeper into his examples, noting how the Prez uses marginalized groups to sanitize his stances.

Gal Gadot's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony served as a battleground for pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protesters ... with demonstrators clashing on the streets as she received her star.

Things got super intense on Hollywood Boulevard as Gal's Walk of Fame ceremony was underway Tuesday ... with protesters getting into a fight just feet away from where the Israeli actress was being honored.

Footage shows the chaos devolving between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine factions ... one altercation happened after a pro-Palestine demonstrator snatched a flag from the pro-Israel faction.

Mel Gibson has emerged as a popular Republican candidate to run for California governor ... and while he appreciates that confidence from voters -- there's no way in hell he's running.

A source close to Mel tells TMZ ... he's "flattered" to have done so well in a recent straw poll among 2,640 respondents, emerging as the top Republican candidate with 12% of the vote -- but it ain't happening.

We're told Mel has never had any political ambitions -- and that isn't changing now even if voters are digging his criticisms of current Democratic leadership on the state and local level.

The two American astronauts who've been stranded since last spring on the International Space Station are finally coming back to Earth.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams left the ISS on Tuesday and are now traveling in a SpaceX spacecraft alongside two other astronauts. NASA says the four-person crew is scheduled to touch down on Earth later this evening, with the trip expected to take around 19 hours.

A relief crew arrived at the ISS on Sunday, allowing Butch and Suni to head home. NASA moved up their return by a day to avoid some unfavorable weather later in the week.

President Trump says he's revoking Secret Service protection for Joe Biden's adult children Hunter and Ashley ... despite extending the same benefits to his own offspring after his first term.

Here's the deal ... Biden assigned Secret Service security details to Hunter and Ashley shortly before leaving office in January, providing them protection until July.

Trump says he's pulling the plug early, though ... announcing Monday on social media, "Hunter Biden has had Secret Service protection for an extended period of time, all paid for by the United States Taxpayer. There are as many as 18 people on this Detail, which is ridiculous!"

POTUS says Hunter has the detail with him on vacation in South Africa and adds ... "Please be advised that, effective immediately, Hunter Biden will no longer receive Secret Service protection."

Trump also claims Ashley has 13 Secret Service agents assigned to protect her ... but he's ending the benefit.

It's officially a St. Patrick's Day party at the White House ... Conor McGregor's arrived!!

The UFC superstar -- and arguably Ireland's most famous native -- hit up 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. on Monday morning to celebrate his nation's big day ... and Donald Trump and Co. welcomed him with open arms.

The 36-year-old fighter fielded some questions from media inside the building's press briefing room ... before he filmed a fun video that White House officials threw up on their X page.

President Trump took a shot from the media ... as in, a reporter hit him in the face with their microphone ... and it's all on video.

POTUS was talking to media Friday afternoon at Joint Base Andrews when a boom mic made contact with his face and shoulder.

Trump raised his eyebrows and then ignored an important question about the situation in Gaza, instead focusing on the mic moment.

Martin Kove is thrilled his old pal Sly Stallone has become a Hollywood ambassador via President Donald Trump ... 'cause he thinks the town has lost its magic by becoming too political -- and who better than "Rambo" to straighten things out?

TMZ caught up with the "Karate Kid" and "Cobra Kai" icon at LAX ... and he straight-up told us Sly is ready to sweep H'wood's leg if that's what needs to be done to bring back some artistic sensibility.

MK is confident Sly -- along with Jon Voight and Mel Gibson, also appointed by Trump -- will get Hollywood back to making quality entertainment -- and get the industry to scrap the soapboxes.

J.D. Vance was met by a chorus of boos as he took his seat at Washington's Kennedy Center on Thursday night ... following President Donald Trump's move to appoint himself as chairman of the famous institution.

Check out the video ... Vance is seen stepping into his box with the second lady, Usha Vance. They are welcomed by one boo ... and then another ... and then several more as the room realizes his presence. One person is even heard yelling, "Kill that light!" to get him out of view.

A "Cancer Alley" resident is speaking out after the Trump administration dropped a federal lawsuit aimed at cutting toxic emissions ... telling TMZ it's upsetting but not surprising, given the president's vow to dismantle so-called "radical" DEI programs.

Roxanne Keller joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday, pointing out the highly polluted area of Louisiana known as Cancer Alley is a predominantly Black community, so she's not shocked that a Biden-era lawsuit against the chemical company Denka Performance Elastomer was dismissed last week.

Roxanne developed fibroids after moving to the region at just 4 years old. She's since lost both her parents and several family members to cancer over the years -- all of whom lived in the area, which is known for its unacceptably high cancer risks due to major plant emissions.