White House

Well, this seemed inevitable ... Donald Trump Jr. has contracted the coronavirus.

President Trump's son reportedly tested positive for the potentially deadly virus earlier this week and has been quarantining at a private location. According to Bloomberg, which first reported the news, DTJ is following all medically recommended COVID-19 guidelines.

The news comes just weeks after Jr. was seen without a mask at a Trump rally in Georgia. The vast majority of people who attended that rally were also not wearing masks. He's the latest in a long line of Trump family members to get infected with the 'rona. As you very well know by now ... POTUS also was infected as was the First Lady Melania Trump and her son, Barron. DTJ's girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, also tested positive last month.

Michael Steele's ready to get the Republican Party he knew and loved back from the President, but he thinks it's going to be a major challenge because so far ... nobody's stepping up to dump Trump.

The former head of the Republican National Committee tells us the battle between the GOP's "fair-minded patriots" -- his words -- and staunch Trumpers isn't dying down ... because there's no chance Donald goes away.

Steele says it's not complicated -- Trump will continue to assert his influence on the party and rally his base to maintain power. So the question ... who's gonna run against him in 2024???

Based on Steele's answer, he has zero confidence any current prominent Republicans are up to the task. He says whoever it is can't give a damn about pissing off Trump ... and, as he sees it, they're all too afraid.

Kellyanne Conway's teenage daughter isn't gonna be getting any breaks on her 'American Idol' journey ... according to Ryan Seacrest, who says it's talent or bust.

We spoke to the 'AI' host Wednesday in NYC, and asked if Claudia Conway had gotten a free pass to be on the show (or a shot at it, at least) because of her family name and clout ... on TikTok and elsewhere.

Ryan tells us that's not the case -- or not to his knowledge, anyway. He does concede there was a lot to talk to her about because of her history and ties to Donald Trump ... but when we pressed, RS says however far she goes should be on merit.

With that said, he did kinda throw up his hands ... noting that he's just the host of the show and doesn't have a whole lot of say on her advancement. That'll ultimately be up to her, the judges, the audience ... and probably a lot of executive producers.

Another little tidbit he shared about his time with the kid ... her dad, George Conway, is apparently the one who was with her for this 'Idol' audition she went to recently. Ryan even says Claudia called her pops a great coach -- how 'bout that?!?

Claudia already put a spotlight on George during her trip, and he seemed more than game to get on one of her TikToks and play along with the lip-syncing and dancin'. So yeah, it's clear he supports her all the way -- no word if Kellyanne's on board.

Anywho ... when we tried opening the convo about what Claudia's 'Idol' audition might mean for her mom and Trump supporters, Ryan wisely bid us adieu 👋🏽.

Sen. Lindsey Graham says his fist bump seen 'round the world -- with VP-elect Kamala Harris -- oughta prove he won't treat the incoming administration as enemies ... with one huge caveat.

We got the South Carolina Senator Wednesday on Capitol Hill, and he dished on that viral moment captured between Harris and him on the Senate floor Tuesday ... her first day back after her successful campaigning with President-elect Joe Biden.

While many found their brief, quasi Covid-safe exchange shocking ... Graham tells us the American public's got it all wrong. He says the notion he wouldn't work with a Biden-Harris administration just because they're Dems is nonsense.

He added he actually likes Kamala a lot ... and told us why. However, he also dropped a big IF on us as far as reaching across the aisle.

Sounds like Sen. Graham and co. are holding out hope President Trump can still overturn the election results ... even though Trump's string of failed lawsuits make it all but a done deal.

With that said, LG seems to be signaling he'll have an open mind once the drama comes to a final conclusion.

Donald Trump's possible exit from NYC and his famous Trump Tower could be the exact thing that helps rebound prices in the building ... so say the people trying to sell them.

We spoke to a number of NYC-based real estate agents familiar with the President's signature building and home base for years, and they gave it to us straight ... real estate valuations across the board have, by and large, dipped since 2016.

For instance, two TT units that were worth $4.3 mil and $3.5 mil before Trump's run are now valued at just $2.495 mil and $3.3 mil, respectively. We're told it's a similar story for units elsewhere in the high-rise.

The agents say the losses can be chalked up to any number of things -- like a poor market in the City, the pandemic, or ... disdain for POTUS.

The agents we spoke to think if Trump does move out of NYC after his Presidency -- as he vowed -- the TT market could rebound.

If Donald leaves, building security will loosen up big time -- something these realtors say turns people off when they're looking at the property. Building access is a hassle ... cops blocking off streets, not being able to hail a cab, and all the red tape for guests who enter the building.

If Trump scrams ... most, if not all, of that goes away -- which our sources say would help in bringing prices back up. Moreover, we're told there's a clear divide with who will and won't consider snapping up property in Trump Tower nowadays.

Joe Exotic's team is so confident the 'Tiger King' star will be pardoned by President Trump, they've got a stretch limo waiting to scoop him up from prison!!!

The Tiger Team leader, Eric Love, tells TMZ ... Joe's legal team received several calls from Washington D.C. Tuesday regarding his pardon, and the team is feeling really good about Joe's chances of getting out from behind bars.

In fact, Eric tells us the Tiger Team already entered an agreement with a limo company out of Dallas, and they're keeping a Dodge Ram pickup truck stretch limo on standby 24/7 so it's ready just in case Joe gets sprung from prison.

Check out the gallery ... the stretch limo comes with all the bells and whistles, and it looks like it's ready for a massive celebration. Yeah, this would make for one helluva ride home from prison.

TMZ broke the story ... Joe's 257-page case argues several reasons why Trump should pardon him from his 22-year murder-for-hire sentence, even claiming Joe was sexually assaulted behind bars.

Joe and the Tiger Team are up against the clock though ... Trump doesn't have much time left in office.

Barack Obama was feeling nostalgic talking to Oprah about his new book -- reminiscing on what he missed most about being President ... and his answers might surprise you.

44 sat down for a chat with O on her Apple TV+ show, "The Oprah Conversation," in which they discussed his latest written project -- "A Promised Land" -- and also took a trip down memory lane about the perks that a Commander in Chief gets to enjoy.

He admitted flying on Air Force 1 and Marine 1 is an unmatched experience -- and one he sincerely misses -- because of the exceptional staff, and not having to wait around to get somewhere.

Barack also said he always took joy walking into the Oval Office -- where he says he could feel the ghosts of Presidents past all around him -- and he revealed his favorite view from the White House.

And, of course, BO says he got a kick out of the intimate White House performances they'd put on every now and then for free -- with some marquee acts swinging by, like Paul McCartney ... who famously sang The Beatles' "Michelle" to the First Lady in 2010.

Michelle Obama's had it with President Trump continuing to block a peaceful transition of presidential power to Joe Biden ... and she's calling on everyone to put their foot down.

The former First Lady says "This isn't a game," and it's clear she's dead serious in her belief that Trump's behavior is a threat to American democracy.

Much like Barack pointing out how he called Trump to congratulate him in 2016 but the Prez has failed to do the same for Biden ... Michelle says she was hurt and disappointed when Hillary Clinton lost, but she sucked it up and did the right thing for the country in helping the Trumps.

Michelle says this "respectful, seamless transition of power" was granted to them by George and Laura Bush, but despite that ... she admits it was hard for her to do the same for Donald because he had "spread racist lies about my husband that had put my family in danger."

But again, Michelle says she put that aside for the sake of the American people, and because doing so is "one of the hallmarks of American democracy."

She goes on to slam Trump for making this about himself, saying, "our democracy is so much bigger than anybody’s ego. Our love of country requires us to respect the results of an election even when we don’t like them or wish it had gone differently—the presidency doesn’t belong to any one individual or any one party."

Barack Obama laid it all out on the table for "60 Minutes" -- offering advice to President Trump, dishing on how we can overcome systemic racism ... and giving rare insight into how pissed Michelle was at him for pushing for the presidency.

44 gave a wide-ranging interview to CBS's Scott Pelley, and the first order of business was Trump's refusal to concede the election ... despite a clear and decisive win for Joe Biden. Barack was asked what he might tell the sitting President in a time like this, and his answer was both meaningful and heartfelt ... this, to someone who by all accounts hates his guts.

Barack says if Trump wants at all to be remembered in any sort of favorable light -- even at this point -- the best thing to do is bow out gracefully and help Biden transition easily ... just like almost all administrations before him. Not only is it tradition -- it's the right thing to do, in BO's eyes anyway.

44 was also asked about systemic racism and police brutality -- specifically, about George Floyd and what he made of the video and the aftermath that followed. First, Barack said he had seen the clip -- which broke his heart. At the same time though, he also says he was heartened to see how many people, regardless of race or party, came out to decry Floyd's death and call it what it was ... murder.

As for what to do about police shootings on African-Americans, Obama said the issue will require more than just looking at how cops and police forces run -- although he said that needs to be reexamined and restructured as well.

In his mind, the police should be looking to get to the root of poverty, inequality and other issues in communities instead of just trying to "keep a lid on things," which he says so many officers in this country are trained to do. He also says that responsibility is on all of us, from the top down -- which extends to corporate America.

Lastly, Obama got brutally honest about how his political ambitions affected his family life -- especially as it pertains to his wife, Michelle, who told him she did NOT want him to run for President ... this according to Barack himself, as told in his new book, "A Promised Land."

Check out the clip to hear what she said to him -- it's clear the former First Lady wasn't totally on board with the White House stint, even after they'd won it. It also says a lot about Michelle's grace in general -- the fact we never saw this side in public speaks volumes.

Kellyanne Conway seems to be on her way out at the White House, but she could still ride the coattails of her 16-year-old daughter ... who might be the next "American Idol!"

Claudia Conway just teased the fact that she's trying out for the reality singing competition show -- posting a video on TikTok in which she says she's about to audition and was in the process of filming her confessional. Claudia also says she's already met Seacrest 👀.

In her brief clip, Claudia turns the camera around and sure enough ... there's a film crew there. You can also see the 'Idol' logo behind her in what appears to be a soundstage setting -- so yeah, it seems legit. Word is 'AI' is, in fact, filming right now -- out here in Cali, no less.

A couple things about this ... for starters, welcome back to TikTok, kid!!! Remember, it looked like Claudia got grounded from using the app a little while ago after spilling alleged tea on Trump's COVID diagnosis, which her mom did NOT like ... as we saw first-hand.

Looks like Claudia's been back online for a minute now -- but the other question this brings up ... who the hell knew she could sing?!? While we mostly see Claudia lip-syncing and dancing to songs on TikTok -- like so many other users -- she actually has some videos of herself where she shows off her pipes. We gotta say ... she ain't half bad!!!

Now that she's 16 and meets the minimum criteria to try out ... it seems Claudia's gonna get some face time with Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Katy Perry soon enough here. Considering her rebellious streak, you also gotta wonder if mama bear knows about this 😅.

Anyhoo, something tells us she's got a TV career in the making -- and we might very well be seeing her get some air time when the new 'Idol' season kicks off next year. Stay tuned!

Donald Trump has just shockingly conceded the election ... or did he?

Trump manically jumped on twitter Sunday AM, grousing, "He [Biden] won because the Election was Rigged. NO VOTE WATCHERS OR OBSERVERS allowed, vote tabulated by a Radical Left privately owned company, Dominion, with a bad reputation & bum equipment that couldn't even qualify for Texas (which I won by a lot!), the Fake & Silent Media, & more."

Trump was reacting to FNC's Jesse Watters, who said, "There’s something that just doesn’t feel right about this. Joe Biden didn’t earn it, he didn’t really even campaign. He thought was going to lose, you could see it. He ran a losing campaign. So 10 days after the election, how’s he ahead?"

Twitter was quick NOT to cut Trump a break, flagging his tweet as "disputed."

Trump later took back/clarified his "concession," saying, "I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go. This was a RIGGED ELECTION!"

Trump's protestations have, so far, amounted to nothing. He and his team have been thrown out of court over a dozen times, because they presented no evidence of voter fraud.

As for why Trump won't concede ... well, the easy answer is that he just can't admit defeat, but the core answer is different. Trump will NEVER concede. He will convince his supporters he was robbed and he will continue beating that drum for 4 years. He will beat the drum on TV, radio and online. He will announce his run for 2024, almost like a leader in exile who makes a play to return to his country.

Barack Obama did not want to hit the campaign trail -- it's not really something former Presidents do -- but he felt it was necessary because Donald Trump's tenure "was not normal."

Forty Four appeared on CBS's "Sunday Morning" with Gayle King. He made it clear, he didn't really want to stump for the Dems, but he said, "I think we were in a circumstance in this election in which certain norms, certain institutional values that are so extraordinarily important, had been breached – that it was important for me, as somebody who had served in that office, to simply let people know, 'This is not normal.'"

Obama framed the current American dilemma this way ... "It's very hard for our democracy to function if we are operating on just completely different sets of facts."

He's sure got a point ... the reality is that most Americans now select media that parrots their own views -- especially if it's skewed -- and they distrust media that takes the opposing view. So, both sides get lopsided news.

The former Prez also obliquely addressed criticism, that he didn't do enough for Black America, saying, "I think a lotta people expected, 'Well, we got this young, progressive president. And now suddenly we're gonna eliminate inequality and, you know, we're immediately gonna have universal health care. And we're gonna have climate change legislation, and immigration reform, and criminal justice reform,' and all the things that I wanted to get done. But what I understood very early on is, the federal government, headed by the president, is an ocean liner; it is not a speedboat. Ten years from now, 20 years from now, the work you've done may be appreciated as having been good and helpful. But at the time, it can feel like, 'Wow, this isn't happening fast enough!'"

Obama, who was promoting his new memoir, "A Promised Land," shrugged off King's question of whether he'll help Biden, saying, "He doesn't need my advice. And I will help him in any ways that I can. But now, you know, I'm not planning to suddenly work on The White House staff or something."

Donald Trump's got a new way to pay off his massive debt after leaving the Oval Office ... there are huge sums to be made for speaking engagements.

The 45th President of the United States would easily command upwards of $1 million to speak in front of crowds in America and overseas ... according to folks who help celebs get such deals. Trump could make even more abroad, where his booking fee could reach as high as $2 million.

Lots of famous folks get paid huge sums to speak, and Trump will soon be in high demand ... as will Melania and Ivanka, once the whole lot is out of the White House.

Heavy hitters in the biz tell us Melania will fetch between $75k and $125k to speak in the U.S. and between $125k and $175k abroad. Those estimates assume she stays married to DT, and we're told they would increase if she ever divorces him or writes a tell-all book. How's that for added incentive?!?

Ivanka, we're told, will command the most among Trump's kids ... in part because she was already a published author with her own product lines before entering the White House. Ivanka should rake in between $75k to $100k to speak in the States, compared to $100k to $125k internationally.

Sorry, Don Jr., Eric and Tiffany ... we're told they're only gonna rake in about $75k to speak in the U.S. and there's unlikely to be an international market for them. It's peanuts compared to papa.

Trump will be an easy sell in America, where over 72 million people just voted for him ... and industry insiders expect him to mostly appear at Republican or right-wing events. Internationally, we're told Trump will likely have his first few speaking engagements in places where he's got lots of friends, like Israel and Russia.

The speaking engagements for Trump and his family will likely be very thick on NDA's, we're told, and the agreements would allow Trump to prevent speeches from being recorded.

The money's there for speaking engagements, but we're told PR firms and talent agencies aren't lining up to sign the Trumps as clients ... they fear it would piss off existing clients and spark a mass exodus.

Trump loves the bottom line, and he's also gonna like this ... we're told he will get first-class accommodations and golf trips wherever he gets paid to speak.

Donald Trump ventured outside The White House Saturday AM to greet his supporters who believe he's the victim of election theft, but after he left, violence erupted.

Protesters and counter-protesters got into it as the crowd grew in size throughout the morning.

Trump breezed past the demonstrators in downtown Washington D.C. in his motorcade, as the crowd began to grow. The event is billed the "Million MAGA March" which includes 'Women for Trump' and 'Stop the Steal.' Many of them are marching to protest the election results, claiming without evidence there was massive fraud with mail-in ballots.

There are counterdemonstrations with anti-fascist and anti-racism groups ... always a recipe for confrontations and violence.

The Trump demonstration was promoted by the Proud Boys, Infowars and other right-wing orgs.

Trump tweeted Thursday, "Heartwarming to see all of the tremendous support out there, especially the organic Rallies that are springing up all over the Country, including a big one on Saturday in D.C. I may even try to stop by and say hello. This Election was Rigged, from Dominion all the way up & down!"

Trump may be off to his golf course. As we reported, once he leaves The White House he's poised to make a million dollars plus a pop for speeches. We're told he's also eyeing the possibility of forming his own broadcast network which he would use for the next 4 years and then run again in 2024.

President-elect Joe Biden and First Lady-in-Waiting Jill Biden got a little exercise in Saturday before the transition team assembled in Delaware.

Joe and Jill breezed past reporters on their bikes as they said hello, a warm greeting that has not been forthcoming over the last 4 years.

A phalanx of Secret Service agents followed closely behind, which is an interesting sign, right? Although Donald Trump will not concede the election, the Secret Service is certainly acknowledging Biden's the next Prez.

Trump came as close as he's come Friday to acknowledging he may have lost the election, but it's virtually unthinkable he'll concede outright.

TMZ broke the story ... Trump stands to make a fortune -- like other past Presidents -- making speeches for at least a million dollars a pop. Sources also say Trump may be eyeing his own broadcast network which he can use as a megaphone for the next 4 years and then run again in 2024.

Barack Obama is reminding the nation he congratulated Donald Trump as soon as he won the election ... a courtesy the President's refusing to extend to Joe Biden.

The former president ripped Trump for failing to acknowledge Biden as president-elect with so much as a congratulatory phone call in an interview with "CBS This Morning," telling Gayle King Trump is damaging our democracy with the way he's eschewing what's traditionally been a peaceful -- and cordial -- transfer of power.

Obama recalled election night 2016, saying he stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to phone Trump and congratulate the president-elect. Obama says he was doing what presidents do, just as George W. Bush graciously did during Obama's historic 2008 victory.

Trump's refusal to concede and call up president-elect Biden is clearly not sitting well with Obama.

As you know ... Obama previously chided Trump and the GOP for continuing to make baseless claims of election fraud in an interview with "60 Minutes," telling Scott Pelley it undermines the country.

Obama points out Biden and 2016 Trump will end up with the same number of Electoral College votes, 306, but says half the country likely won't take that into account if they keep consuming conservative media ... which Obama says presents voter fraud allegations as fact.