White House

Donald Trump had to know his first trip back to NYC since leaving the White House would be a turbulent one ... and the Big Apple is delivering.

There are about a dozen or so protesters outside Trump Tower in Manhattan waving a huge "Arrest Trump" banner. There's also a giant inflatable caricature of Trump and others are holding signs that read "Go Home Florida Man" and "Indict Trump."

It ain't all bad news for 45 in the Democratic stronghold of NYC -- a throng of Trump supporters also gathered nearby pumping up his potential return to the Oval Office in 2024.

It's unclear what brought Trump, who arrived Sunday night, back to his old stomping grounds ... but it could be tied to his legal problems. The Manhattan D.A.'s Office is currently investigating Trump for tax and bank-related fraud.

The White House is now weighing in on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's interview with Oprah ... applauding them for their courage to tell their story.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked Monday during her daily briefing if President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden had any reaction following Meghan's claims of racism against the Royal Family.

Psaki sidestepped whether the Bidens actually watched the interview, but added ... "For anyone to come forward and speak about their own struggles with mental health and tell their own personal story — that takes courage, and that's certainly something the President believes, and he's talked about the importance of investing in a lot of these areas that they’re committed to in the future as well."

She was careful, though, not to ruffle any feathers across the pond because Psaki also emphasized America's "strong and abiding relationship" with the United Kingdom.

Amanda Gorman, the poet who stole the show at President Biden's inauguration, says she went from hero to suspect, adding it's a reality of what Black girls are forced to endure.

Amanda was walking home Friday -- apparently in L.A. -- when a security guard seemingly felt she was a threat and followed her. When she got to her home, she says he demanded to know if she lived there because "you look suspicious."

Amanda says she showed the guard her keys and went inside, but that's not the end of the story. After the guard realized she lived there, there was no apology ... nothing.

Amanda says, "This is the reality of black girls: One day you're called an icon, the next day a threat."

To that Amanda agreed ... "In a sense, he was right. I AM A THREAT: a threat to injustice, to inequality, to ignorance. Anyone who speaks the truth and walks with hope is an obvious and fatal danger to the powers that be."

Donald Trump's got a home outside the GOP if they ditch him in 2024 -- namely the American Independent Party ... which says he's their guy, assuming he runs for POTUS again.

AIP chairman Markham Robinson tells us he and his party cohorts are dead set on nominating Trump to head up their ticket for the next presidential race ... that is, if Trump decides to have another go at it.

There's still a lot of time to see how things officially play out, but Markham made clear he and the AIP leaders were more than enthusiastic at Trump's apparent desire to stay in politics, which he strongly hinted at during his CPAC speech this past weekend.

In Markham's eyes, DT is the perfect guy to lead their party -- for starters, they're notoriously far-right ... and support a limited role in government, tax cuts and are pro-life. Just take a look at his MAGA supporters ... and you can see how some see it as a good fit.

The American Independent Party's first presidential nominee was segregationist George Wallace. Another segregationist, Lester Maddox was also the party's standard-bearer in the '70s.

Of course, the AIP also nominated Trump and Pence in 2016 -- which Republicans obviously didn't support, especially in California ... the only place they're currently recognized on the ballot. Markham says they're working on expanding their reach nationwide, hopefully in time for 2024.

As for whether Trump himself wants any part of Markham and Co. ... probably not. He was firm in his remarks at CPAC about sticking with the GOP, saying he wasn't jumping ship to start his own thing. Presumably, that means he ain't itching to run over to the AIP either.

We've seen this before with these guys ... they can nominate whoever the hell they want, even if that person doesn't publicly agree or acknowledge. Just ask Kanye about that ...

Former President Donald Trump just uttered his first public words on camera since leaving office in January -- and it sure sounds like he's teeing up another run at the White House.

DT appeared in Orlando Sunday for the conservative convention -- where he served as the marquee speaker for the whole shebang. After delaying for more than a full hour ... Trump finally showed up to a more than welcoming crowd, asking them ... "Do you miss me yet?"

Trump said he was committed to supporting the Republican party over the next four years, and insisted he would NOT start his own party -- despite speculation to the contrary.

45 went on to slam what he described as the left's radicalism, socialism and another buzzword going around these days ... cancel culture. He then bashed Joe Biden's first month as President, saying it's been "disastrous" -- especially on the immigration front.

Then came the big takeaway from his remarks ... the fact that he strongly teased the possibility of him running for President in 2024. He was coy about it -- saying "Who knows?!?" -- but it might as well have been a campaign announcement.

The whole speech sounded eerily similar to his 2015 launch speech ... he was back to calling undocumented immigrants "rapists" and "killers" ... and the rhetoric was just as fiery as ever. Trump rambled at many points in the speech, touching on COVID and foreign policy in somewhat incoherent riffs.

A few things he didn't touch on very much ... his second impeachment and acquittal, the Jan. 6 insurrection, or the Nov. 3 election. On that latter topic, he DID again suggest he won, joking that maybe he would "beat them" for the third time. FWIW, he lost fair and square.

Also absent from Trump's speech ... his wife, Melania. She was nowhere to be seen, but he did mention her -- saying she sends her regards. Anyway, get ready for more Trump ... we think.

Howard University's President says the money that's been pouring into the school is a testament to its dedication to diversity, and yes ... its connection to famous alums like VP Kamala Harris.

Dr. Wayne Frederick joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday on the heels of receiving a massive $20 million donation from the Marriott Foundation for a hospitality leadership center ... something he tells us has been in the works for a while.

The center will be named the Marriott-Sorenson Center in honor of Marriott's late CEO Arne Sorenson, who Dr. Frederick says was devoted to diversity and shared the same values as Howard U.

Speaking of diversity, Dr. Frederick dropped a huge hint that Howard will be making a huge progressive step when it hires its next president ... at least, it will if he gets his wish.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic wants LeBron James to stay in his lane when it comes to politics ... saying the L.A. Lakers superstar (and other athletes) should stick to what they're good at, and leave politics to politicians.

The 39-year-old A.C. Milan striker criticized politically outspoken athletes in an interview with UEFA and Discovery+ Sweden ... calling it a "mistake" to get involved.

"I like (LeBron) a lot, and he is phenomenal at what he's doing, but I don't like when people have some kind of status, they go and do politics at the same time what they're doing. Do what you're good at," Zlatan said in the clip.

Of course, LBJ is one of the most socially and politically active athletes today -- he's gotten into public beefs with former President Donald Trump and has continuously used his platform to speak out against injustice and inequality in America.

Zlatan clearly thinks it's best he keeps his opinions to himself.

"Do the category you do," Ibrahimovic continued. "I play football because I'm the best at playing football. I don't do politics. If I would be a political politician, I would do politics."

"That is the big first mistake people do when they become famous and they become in a certain status. Stay out of it. Just do what you do best because it doesn't look good."

Of course, it's not the first time LeBron has been criticized for his involvement in politics -- remember, TV host Laura Ingraham famously told the 4-time champ to "shut up and dribble" after speaking out against Trump.

Incredible video shot less than 24 hours after the raid on the U.S. Capitol shows Donald Trump joking around with golf legends Gary Player and Annika Sorenstam ... while the rest of the country was still in shock.

Remember, Player and Sorenstam had each been booked to receive the Presidential Medal of Honor -- the highest civilian award in the country -- from Trump at a White House ceremony set for January 7.

The issue ... the insurrection at the capitol occurred on Jan. 6 -- where 5 people died and many more were injured. Several buildings in the Capitol complex were evacuated and locked down.

Yet, Trump forged ahead with the medal ceremony -- but decided to make it a private affair instead of a big public display.

Footage of the ceremony was captured by reporter Graham Bensinger -- and shows Trump joking around with the golfers as if everything was normal.

"Gary earned the title 'Mr. Fitness,' Trump said ... "He just told me, he said, 'Sir, lose a couple of pounds.' I said, 'Okay, Gary’' ... he said it in front of Annika. That was very rude, don't you think?!! How rude can you be?"

The jokes were met with huge laughs from people in the room -- and both Player and Sorenstam proceeded to praise Trump when they stepped in front if the mic.

"I want to say thank you for all that you've done and the service to our country," Sorenstam said ... "particularly, during the coronavirus crisis. I know it's been very tough and challenging, but many congratulations on the rollout of the vaccine and warp speed."

Player added that Trump's White House has "changed the world for the better."

In the weeks that followed, Trump was impeached -- with officials accusing him of inciting the insurrection.

Bensinger sat down with Sorenstam one month later for his show "In Depth with Graham Bensinger" -- and she admitted she's heard the negative criticism about her decision to accept the award while others like Bill Belichick declined.

"I've received quite a bit of positive feedback from friends and family. But, then there've been some not so positive," Sorenstam said ... "And, I've heard those, and I've listened to those."

Bensinger asked specifically what the negative criticism has been.

"I'm gonna be honest, I haven't been on social media since then. The other things that I've heard, the negativities: not necessarily my achievements, but the timing."

As for Trump, after he was impeached ... the case went to the Senate, where he was ultimately acquitted.

Dr. Jill Biden's offering motherly words of wisdom to Kelly Clarkson -- who's going through a divorce -- and there's personal experience behind her message.

The First Lady sat down with Kelly for her first big solo TV interview since Inauguration Day, and was very candid in describing how she believes everything happens for a reason ... including her own divorce.

She says without going through that, she never would have met President Biden and formed her beautiful family, so she's telling Kelly to hang in there and promises her ... time heals all wounds.

It might sound a little cliche, but Kelly really seems to take it to heart.

As we reported ... Clarkson filed for divorce from her husband of nearly 7 years, Brandon Blackstock, back in June and later won primary custody of their kids.

However, he's seeking substantial spousal and child support, and in December she started another legal battle ... by claiming he defrauded her out of millions. Obviously, there's still a lot to be worked out.

In the meantime, Kelly's got the scoop on what Dr. Biden wants to do for some fun as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic is finally over ... and she's totally down to join her.

America is a fractured country ... but there might be someone who can heal the nation from inside the Oval Office -- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson!!

That's according to Johnson's longtime friend, WWE legend The Undertaker ... who tells TMZ Sports he'd fully support Johnson running for the highest office in the land -- and won't be surprised if he actually throws his hat in the ring.

"That man works his tail off and he dives in wholeheartedly in everything that he does and if he gets his mindset that he wants to make a run at politics, ya know what? I think he'll do it," Taker says.

Of course, 48-year-old Johnson recently told USA Today he'd "consider a presidential run in the future if that’s what the people wanted.”

The wrestling legend and world's biggest movie star doesn't have any political experience ... but let's be real, almost everyone loves The Rock -- so could he mend the political divide?

"I think so. He's so charming, he's so witty, I think he can be the uniter that people are looking for," Undertaker tells us.

"I know that he has the charisma. Maybe all it would take would be 1 eyebrow, and he'd look at the left, raise the eyebrow. Look at the right, raise an eyebrow and hit 'em with 'the People's Elbow.'"

Taker continues ... "I don't know man, there's so many possibilities and if that's what he chooses to do, I'll support wholeheartedly in his efforts to do so."

But, what would ya call him?? The WWE great has some ideas.

"I think people would still call him Rock, I don't know. I would hope I would have that clout that I can get away with calling him Rock, or Jabroni."

President Jabroni ... let that sink in.

Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly revealed the late Jeffrey Epstein had secret videotapes of Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton ... now detailed in a new book, claiming to have heard it straight from her mouth.

Former CBS producer Ira Rosen gave the alleged first-hand anecdote in his book, 'Ticking Clock: Behind the Scenes at 60 Minutes,' which just hit the market this past week. According to folks who have reviewed it, Rosen claims he duped Maxwell into spilling the beans.

At some point before the 2016 election, Rosen asserts he arranged a meeting with Maxwell and put on his best poker face to get her to admit there were secret tapes of Trump -- but apparently coming to find out Epstein was in possession of alleged tapes of Clinton too.

He says he told her, "I want the tapes. I know he (Epstein) was videotaping everyone and I want the tapes of Trump with the girls." To that, Rosen claims Maxwell responded she didn't know where they were, to which Rosen emphasized the prospect of Trump possibly winning the presidency if the alleged tapes didn't come to light.

He claims Maxwell then looked him dead in the eyes and said the following -- "I am the daughter of a press baron. I know the way you people think. If you do one side, you must do the other. If you get the tapes on Trump you have to do Clinton."

Rosen claims Maxwell then said it was all pointless, because Hillary was way ahead in the polls at the time, so there was no need for the story to come out. Beyond that, he claims she told him Epstein never disclosed to her where those alleged tapes were, so she couldn't even get to them if she wanted.

Of course, both men have ties to Epstein, and have been pictured with him many times over the years. Clinton has downplayed their friendship, and denied ever flying on Epstein's private jets ... while Trump has also distanced himself from Epstein, and denied any impropriety.

President Biden's dog, Champ, got skewered as old, ugly and unkempt on a conservative news channel that's grasping at straws ... saying the very good boy is un-presidential.

The segment aired Friday on Newsmax, during Greg Kelly's show ... where he literally hosted a couple of guests to discuss Biden's first German Shepherd, Champ -- who's at least 12-years-old -- and how disheveled they all thought he looked compared to First Dogs past.

They posted a photo of Champ, where he looks ... well, doggish. In GK's eyes, however, he appeared un-brushed, ungroomed and downright gross ... like a junkyard dog, they claim!

Kelly brought on two presidential historians (who are apparently pros in judging dog looks) and asked for their opinion, and one of them hopped on the meanie train ... saying Champ couldn't hold a candle to Reagan's pooch, Victory, or H.W.'s spaniel, Millie.

Aside from the fact the segment is utterly absurd -- almost harkening back to the Obama tan suit "scandal" -- there's another weird development here that's unfolding online.

You'll recall ... the Bidens launched a Twitter account for Champ and Major -- and apparently a second account too, dubbed The Oval Pawffice -- but both seem to have been suspended for some reason. There's still an IG account for the latter, and it went to bat for Champ.

President Biden helped create the student loan debt crisis facing millions of Americans ... at least in the eyes of his critics, who now wonder why he's balking on coming to the rescue.

Bernie Sanders' former Press Secretary Briahna Joy Gray joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and she dragged Biden for his renewed resistance to forgive $50,000 of student loan debt.

Briahna says Biden's largely to blame for a "toxic slew" of policies saddling millions of graduates with tons of debt, and she's puzzled why he won't just fix the crisis he helped set in motion years ago when he was a Senator.

During Tuesday night's town hall, the President firmly said he was only willing to forgive $10k for impacted students and ex-students. Senate Democrats -- including Sanders and Elizabeth Warren -- want the $50k.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger's not only in a battle with Republicans standing behind former President Donald Trump ... he's fighting with his own family, who've accused him of joining the "devil's army."

In a rancorous letter dated Jan. 8 -- the day after Kinzinger separated himself from his party by calling for the 25th Amendment to be used to remove Trump from office for his role in inciting the Capitol riots -- 11 of the Congressman's family members call him a disappointment "to us and to God" ... accuse him of being brainwashed, and supporting abortion and socialism, which they label "the ultimate sin."

The letter was penned by Kinzinger's cousin, Karen Otto, who according to The New York Times ... sent it certified mail to Rep. Kinzinger's dad to make sure he read it. It was signed by her husband Greg along with 9 other family members, but Karen claims in the letter ... there are more who feel the same way.

Along with calling Kinzinger an embarrassment and saying they are "truly disgusted" by him, the family seems to most offended he went against President Trump ... who they say is not perfect, but claim he is a Christian believer. They say they don't like his "horrible, rude accusations of President Trump!"

The irony in the letter is the line -- "It is not for us to judge or be judged!"

Rep. Kinzinger told TMZ earlier this month he's leading the push to reclaim the GOP, and get away from the radical, conspiracy-driven beliefs that have been promoted by Trump.

He's one of just a few House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, as well as strip Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committee posts.

Stacey Plaskett -- one of the House impeachment managers for Donald Trump's Senate trial -- clearly isn't pleased with his acquittal, but she thinks he'll face worse punishment ahead.

The Virgin Islands Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives joined "TMZ Live" Monday in the wake of Trump's second Senate acquittal, and she didn't hold back her feelings, calling the former President straight-up evil.

Now that the Senate trial is over, Plaskett told us she's all for the multiple state and federal investigations that could potentially lead to criminal charges or civil lawsuits against Trump. She strongly suggests he deserves "criminal punishment or otherwise for what he has done."

Plaskett also touches on a recent tragedy that befell her colleague -- lead impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin -- whose son, Tommy, took his own life on December 31.

A woman was arrested near the White House after reportedly telling cops she had a special delivery for President Biden -- a handwritten letter ... but much more ominous is that she had a loaded gun in her car.

The unidentified 66-year-old rolled toward a checkpoint in downtown D.C. Saturday evening ... close to the White House, which has a wide perimeter set for blocks on end. She was apparently with a man, and told cops they were there to meet Biden.

As for why ... cops say she told them she wanted to give him a letter. That prompted a search of the vehicle, where D.C. Metro says they discovered a loaded handgun. They claim the man she was with also had a BB gun -- but the woman was the only one arrested.

She was booked for possession of an unregistered firearm. The case has since been referred to the Secret Service.

The situation is eerily familiar ... there was another arrest like this back in January, when a Virginia man also drove up to a checkpoint, allegedly with fake inauguration credentials and a loaded firearm as well ... plus a ton of ammo, according to cops.

Just a day later, a woman was arrested under similar circumstances ... coming up to a checkpoint and trying to pass herself as a member of Biden's cabinet. She got busted too.