White House

Ron DeSantis is making his presidential run official with the help of Elon Musk, jumping on the bird app with its owner to make the big announcement -- something the tech mogul is, no doubt, seeing as a MAJOR win.

TMZ has confirmed ... the current Florida Governor will join Elon in a Twitter spaces chat Wednesday to announce he is, indeed, throwing his hat in the 2024 presidential race.

Tech entrepreneur David Sacks will moderate the meeting, and DeSantis will drop his first campaign video around the same time.

As you know, Elon's been pushing to get Twitter to become more like mainstream TV ... after ex-FOX News host Tucker Carlson took to the platform earlier this month to say he'd be launching a "new version" of his show on Twitter ... which Elon quickly embraced.

Following Tucker's announcement, Elon called out Don Lemon -- who's also out of a gig -- to have him come over to the same app and start his own show ... digging at CNN's ratings by adding, "Maybe worth a try. Audience is much bigger."

Looks like Elon's tryin' hard to get as many eyes on his platform as possible, and if recent history is any indication ... politics is the perfect way to do that.

The White House almost got an unwanted visitor Monday night ... a U-Haul driver carrying a Nazi flag careened into security barriers right across the street from where President Joe Biden sleeps.

Secret Service rep Anthony Guglielmi tweeted ... the truck driver crashed into a barricade in Lafayette Square around 10 PM ... but, according to a witness who spoke to CBS, the suspect was actually aiming for the White House a stone's throw away.

Guglielmi said no one was injured and the cause of the accident was under investigation, but he suggested the driver might have intentionally rammed the barriers.

Police rapidly descended on the scene and arrested the driver, who had the Nazi flag on him. Law enforcement sources told CBS the man is an American citizen who made threats against President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The suspect -- whose name was not disclosed -- had no guns, knives or explosives.

Police sources also told CBS ... the man was not on any FBI watch lists and did not appear to have a significant rap sheet.

Federal authorities charged the man with assault with a dangerous weapon (the truck), reckless operation of a motor vehicle, a threaten to kill, kidnap or inflict harm on a president, vice president or family member and destruction of federal property and trespassing.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle say all they want is their privacy, but they reportedly chose to have photogs snap their photos before the now infamous "chase" in NYC.

Sources tell the NY Post ... Harry and Meghan elected to stroll out in front of a throng of shutterbugs to get their pictures taken after they attended Tuesday night's awards ceremony at the Ziegfeld Theater in Manhattan.

The Post noted the couple made the decision despite having one of Barack Obama's former secret service agents on their security team. Chris Sanchez is the security dude's name and he's known as the “king of the back exits” ... because he's so good at keeping celebs under the paparazzi's radar.

After getting their fill of the cameras, Harry and Meghan jumped inside a waiting SUV with Sanchez and took off.

The Post quotes a source as saying, “Harry and Meghan were willing to give everyone those shots when they left the event, that was not the problem, but they were tailed from that point on."

Their rep, Ashley Hansen, gushed over the photos, telling the New York Times, “They were some of the most beautiful images of the evening."

This is just the latest example of Harry and Meghan wanting it both ways ... soaking up the limelight while demanding privacy ... at least that's the rap.

Following their photo op outside the Ziegfeld, we all know what happened then ... the paparazzi pursued Harry and Meghan through the streets of Manhattan in what the couple called a "near catastrophic car chase."

President Biden's heart might be in the right place, but his mouth is often somewhere else -- which was seen again Saturday ... this while addressing Howard University graduates.

POTUS was tapped as the key commencement speaker during the college's graduation ceremony this weekend, and there's one remark he made during his speech that's getting a little side-eye ... both due to his delivery and perhaps even his not-so-veiled intention.

Joe was talking about white supremacy, which he says is the most dangerous terroristic threat to America ... and encouraged everyone to stand up against it. Nothing wrong there in and of itself; however ... what he said afterward got some double takes, especially online.

You can tell he went off script a bit when he added ... "And I'm not just saying that because I'm at a Black HBCU. I say (it) wherever I go." There were some chuckles in the crowd.

Of course, HBCU stands for Historically Black College and University ... so there's no need for an extra descriptor to emphasize that it's a Black institution -- it's already in the acronym. On its face, this just a typical and innocent Biden gaffe ... not the end of the world, really.

The bigger issue, it would seem, is the fact that he felt the need to specifically mention he wasn't just saying this because he was at an HBCU, with a predominantly Black student body and faculty. Of course, you could argue that's (probably) exactly why he's mentioning it in this setting ... and that this whole thing comes across as pandering and kinda empty.

BTW, this isn't the first time Biden's put his foot in his mouth when it comes to talking to or about Black people -- there've been several instances over the past few years where he's made some eyebrow-raising remarks... which have all gotten backlash to varying degrees.

The one that comes to mind for many is when he said during a 'Breakfast Club' interview that any Black person who had trouble deciding between him or Donald Trump in the 2020 election ... wasn't Black. Charlamagne tha God pushed back on that and said it had nothing to do with Trump, arguing JB wasn't guaranteed a vote just because he wasn't Trump.

Kirby Smart is clearing the air on why Georgia won't visit the White House to celebrate its second consecutive national championship ... saying there's "nothing political about it."

The Bulldogs head coach addressed the decision to forego the tradition at the Regions Celebrity Pro-Am golf tourney in Birmingham, AL on Wednesday ... saying the time frame simply doesn't work for the program because it's hosting a football camp from June 6-8.

"Tough deal timeline-wise, it didn't work," Kirby said. "Number one time for recruiting for football coaches. When you've got 600, 700 kids coming to your campus, you can't take 200 people to the White House and have no one on campus."

He added, "The time just didn't work out. Nothing political about it, but I've been before. It's very educational. It's a great experience."

Smart said the White House usually extends the invite to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave right after the national championship game winner is crowned ... but that didn't happen this time, as POTUS was hoping to have Georgia visit on June 12.

The University of Georgia football team is bucking tradition ... electing not to go to the White House after winning its second consecutive national championship in January.

The Bulldogs -- who defeated TCU in dominant fashion -- announced the decision Tuesday ... saying they received an invitation from Joe Biden and Co. last week, asking the football team to celebrate their CFB title at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave on June 12.

However, the program said the date -- almost a week before summer starts -- is "not feasible" because of the demands placed on their student-athletes during that time.

Nevertheless, the Bulldogs said they appreciate the invite and look forward to taking the White House up on the offer if the program continues rattling off titles.

FYI, the last college football team to visit the W.H. was the 2019 LSU Tigers. Alabama didn't go in 2020 because of COVID-19 protocols.

This is the second time the Bulldogs are skipping out on getting some time with the POTUS -- in 2021, Georgia elected not to visit due to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, LSU star Angel Reese and the Tigers, who defeated Iowa to win the program's first NCAA title, announced Monday they will visit the White House on May 26.

Remember, Reese initially took issue with First Lady Jill Biden after FLOTUS said Iowa should attend the White House alongside LSU ... calling the suggestion a "joke."

Kanye West's political team members are dropping off one by one after Milo Yiannopoulos took over as his political director ... who tells us they're "cleaning house."

TMZ's obtained a letter filed to the Federal Election Commission, from Kanye's 2020 campaign committee treasurer, Patrick Krason, saying he resigned Monday morning. For context, Ye hasn't officially said he's running for prez in 2024, so it seems "Kanye 2020" is still being used as the name of his political action committee.

Krason says he notified higher-ups of his resignation, and "they have been made aware of the requirement to name a new treasurer within 10 days." He also says he made the rest of the team aware they can't raise or spend any funds until they find a new treasurer.

The move seems like it may relate to the bigger picture ... Kanye's political director Milo Yiannopoulos tells TMZ they are, "Cleaning house and professionalizing Ye's political team."

As we reported, Kanye re-hired Milo last week, and he instantly gave the boot to the rapper's right-hand man, Nick Fuentes, and Ali Alexander, one of Ye's political advisors.

John Legend is firing back at Megyn Kelly for going after his wife, Chrissy Teigen ... he says Megyn is desperate to get conservatives back on her side.

We got John at MÍRAME in Beverly Hills Thursday, and asked him about Megyn's negative reaction to Chrissy's outfit for the White House Correspondents Dinner ... and the singer didn't hold back.

John says Megyn's critique is a gross attempt for attention, which he says she needs now that she's no longer working for FOX.

What's more, John thinks Megyn is going after Chrissy in an attempt to win back Donald Trump supporters.

ICYMI ... Megyn ripped Chrissy's dress, labeling Teigen "elitist" for having "minions" and "serfs" holding the train of her dress. Megyn also chided Chrissy for exposing her underwear with a sheer fabric gown.

John says Megyn sounds desperate and should just shut up ... and he defends his wife as being kind, loving and down to Earth.

While John admits it's not normal to have people carrying someone's dress train down the street, he says it's just part of the deal when Chrissy goes to a big event.

Kanye West is full steam ahead on his presidential campaign, bringing his former collaborator Milo Yiannopoulos back into the mix, and their first order of business ... firing Ye's controversial right-hand man, Nick Fuentes.

TMZ obtained emails sent from Milo -- now officially YE2024's Director of Political Operations -- to Nick, and in one he says, "Your services on Ye’s exploratory team are terminated ... and will not be required for any possible future campaign."

You'll recall, Nick is the white nationalist who accompanied West during his trip to see Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago last fall.

Milo also fired off an exit email to Ali Alexander, another one of Ye's political advisors, who was recently forced to apologize after being accused of asking teenage boys for sexual pictures.

We reached out to Milo, and he confirmed the details in the e-mails. He also says he's been in L.A. for the past week, talking to Ye about his presidential aspirations.

You'll recall, Milo was reportedly removed from the campaign team last year after Ye's controversial interview with Alex Jones ... and he reportedly blamed Nick and Ali for his firing.

Now that Milo's back in the saddle, it would seem his next mission is finding out just how serious Ye is about running for the White House -- and, after that, addressing the antisemitism West spewed for months.

Ariana Madix took her road show to D.C. Saturday night ... and she had to get a boatload of satisfaction when someone hurled a joke into the crowd ... comparing her ex to Tucker Carlson!!!

Ariana and boss woman Lisa Vanderpump were invited guests of DailyMail.com at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. M.C. Roy Wood Jr. dropped the comparison in the middle of his roast ... "The untouchable Tucker Carlson is out of a job… but to Tucker’s staff, I want you to know that I know what you’re feeling. I work at The Daily Show, so I too have been blindsided by the sudden departure of the host of a fake news program. Tucker got caught up. Got caught up like that dude from Vanderpump Rules."

Of course, Roy was referring to the Scandoval ... specifically Tom Sandoval.

Ariana's been on a world tour lately ... doing karaoke in Europe and getting tight with a dude at Coachella. She's movin' on ... so where's that reunion show!

D.C. was lit Saturday night at an after-party following the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and apparently so were some of the correspondents!!!

MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle was yukking it up and feelin' the beat with fellow anchor Symone Sanders-Townsend ... posing for pics when she just collapsed. No harm, no foul ... Ruhle bounced back up, with a little help, and was back at it.

The party went down at the French Ambassador's residence in D.C. People were dancing and, we're guessing, drinking some as the shindig blazed on. Stephanie hit the ground at 1 AM. No word on how long the party lasted.

The event's a big deal in D.C. Ariana Madix and Lisa Vanderpump were guests at the Dinner and A.M. had to love it when host Roy Wood Jr. compared her ex, Tom Sandoval, to Tucker Carlson.

Add Bruce Springsteen backup singer to Michelle Obama's list of milestones completed ... cuz she just hit the stage with The Boss overseas during one of his shows.

Check out the video, taken Friday night at Bruce's concert in Barcelona. You see Michelle and actress Kate Capshaw join Bruce's bandmate, Patti Scialfa, behind the mic to sing background on Springsteen's hit "Glory Days."

Michelle is all smiles as she belts out the tune, even jamming with a tambourine.

No sign of her hubby, former President Barack Obama, but you gotta imagine he and Kate's husband, Steven Spielberg, were watching in the wings.

As we reported ... Bruce, Barack, Michelle, Steven and Kate all grabbed dinner together in Barcelona Thursday night -- a day before the big show.

Patti appears to have been at the dinner as well, so it's possible they planned the special guest appearance over some good grub.

A baseball signed by President John F. Kennedy during an historic trip to Venezuela in late-1961 is up for auction, one of the most coveted presidential John Hancocks, and the ball could sell for upwards of $200K!

The Spalding "Associacion Venezuela de Baseball Professional" ball that SCP Auctions is selling was signed on December 18, 1961, shy of two years before Kennedy's tragic death, when the first-term president traveled to meet Venezuelan president Rómulo Betancourt.

A newspaper reporter named Julio Messuti carried around the ball for days, hoping JFK would sign it ... and as the trip drew to a close, he got his chance, somehow getting by Secret Service and reaching Kennedy, who signed the ball.

The paper El Universal published a photo of POTUS signing the ball.

There's a massive market for baseballs signed by U.S. presidents -- the rarer, the better -- and there aren't that many JFK-signed balls that have been authenticated.

"As far as sports memorabilia goes, there is high interest in baseballs signed by our past Presidents, with the game being America's National pastime going back over 125+ years," David Kohler, SCP president, told us.

"JFK signed baseballs are some of the rarest in all the collecting community with only a handful ever authenticated by the foremost experts."

As we reported in 2020, Donald Trump signed baseballs were selling in the $2,000 to $3,000 price range -- a stark contrast from the $1,000 price point memorabilia shops were getting when he first assumed the White House in 2017 -- despite his polarizing persona.

There have already been 9 bids for the ball ... with the top number currently at $53,594.

Tom Sandoval is ripping anyone doubting the sincerity of Raquel Leviss' mental health treatments ... he says she's really getting help and isn't in some swanky resort.

The "Vanderpump Rules" star called out a couple former castmates by name Tuesday, tearing into Peter Madrigal and Dayna Kathan for casting doubt on Raquel's whereabouts.

Tom was in Van Nuys and grew agitated when paparazzi asked him if he had seen Raquel in Arizona ... Tom says she's in a mental health facility that doesn't allow visitors or phones.

There's been speculation online Raquel is really at a Miraval Resort and & Spa location in Arizona ... but Tom says that's all BS and he seems peeved by all the rumors.

Tom says he went to a resort for some R&R and solo time in the wake of the "Scandoval," but he's adamant Raquel isn't living it up in a posh resort and is truly getting the help she needs.

Remember ... Tom blasted Miraval last week after the resort's social media team played into the speculation that he was going to be there, possibly to see Raquel.

Tom and Raquel have been getting tons of backlash since their cheating scandal rocked the show and blew up his 9-year relationship with Ariana Madix ... and they've both been struggling to keep their sanity, with Raquel seeking treatment as a result of the fallout.

President Biden was played by Vladimir Putin ... according to the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul, who says the Russian president agreed to send Paul Whelan home with Brittney Griner but changed the deal during the exchange.

Despite reneging on the agreed-upon swap, McCaul says the U.S. went through with the trade, sending back notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, knowns as "the merchant of death."

"The deal was originally when the arms dealer from Russia was released that it was supposed to be Griner, the athlete, and Paul Whelan," Rep. McCaul revealed this week during an appearance on CNN.

The Congressman from Texas' 10th district continued ... "When they got to the point of the handoff, they call it, the Russians only showed up with one of the hostages, and that was Griner. And unfortunately, the Marine, Paul Whelan, was left behind."

Rep. McCaul believes the Russian president "played" JB's administration.

"Very tricky on Putin's part, and in my view, the Biden administration got played by releasing a very dangerous arms dealer for just one hostage, and not both."

Of course, 53-year-old Whelan, a retired U.S. Marine, has been locked up in Russia since December 2018. Shortly after his arrest, he was convicted on an espionage charge, and sentenced to 16 years in prison. The U.S. has always maintained the charges are BS.

As for the details of the negotiations, McCaul is likely in a position to know about the inner workings of the months-long, high-level discussions ... he chairs the powerful Foreign Affairs Committee. He also previously sat on the House Homeland Security Committee.

No candidate for U.S. President will burn up the campaign trail like this one ... Afroman is throwing his hat in the ring, and he picked an appropriate week to make it official.

The rapper just filed the paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission required to run for our nation's highest elected office in the 2024 election.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Afroman's presidential committee is named "Joseph Afroman Foreman for President," and he's running as an Independent. We know you were thinking Green Party, but no dice.

TMZ broke the story ... Afroman announced his intention to run back in December during a concert in Missouri, where he told the crowd about his POTUS dreams -- and while others are focused on 2024, he's dubbed it the 20-20-FRO election. 😉

Afroman's platform will unsurprisingly place an emphasis on the national legalization of marijuana ... but it's still unclear where he falls on other international and domestic issues.

Afroman didn't get high and forget to file his paperwork ... the docs are dated April 18 ... so he got his official business out of the way before 4/20. 😂

Afroman's campaign manager Jason Savage tells TMZ... "Afroman’s ongoing persecution by the overtly corrupt Adams County Sheriff’s Department perfectly highlights that this corruption of leadership has trickled down to law enforcement all across the country. Criminal Justice Reform and Federal Marijuana Legalization remain two of the primary planks in his campaign platform. We are asking for your support as Afroman takes on this great and worthy cause as our Cannabis Commander in Chief."

It will be interesting to see if any other celebs run for president this election cycle -- so far, Afroman's the first to make it official.

Kanye West made noise about trying again, but that was before, y'know ... all his antisemitism.