Trump / Musk (other than DOGE)

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Dr. Mehmet Oz had up to $33 million in companies doing business with agency he'd run​


www.usatoday.com

Dr. Mehmet Oz had up to $33 million in companies doing business with agency he'd run

Dr. Mehmet Oz is Trump’s pick to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Oz held stocks in companies doing business with Medicare.
www.usatoday.com www.usatoday.com

"...Oz, Trump’s choice to run Medicare, Medicaid and the insurance marketplace under the Affordable Care Act, owned up to $33.7 million stock in these companies when he filed a financial disclosure during his unsuccessful 2022 campaign for Senate in Pennsylvania.

The TV talk show host owned between $280,000 and $600,000 in UnitedHealth Group and between $50,000 and $100,000 in CVS Health, which both provide health insurance plans under Medicare Advantage.

He also owned between $5.8 million and $26.7 million in Amazon and between $1.6 million and $6.3 million in Microsoft, two major technology providers for the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services, the agency he would run. ...

Accountable.US, a left-leaning group that compiled some of the research, said it reviewed filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and was unable to find evidence that Oz sold stocks in Amazon or Microsoft since the 2022 filing.

“All nominees and appointees will comply with the ethical obligations of their respective agencies,” Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for the Trump-Vance transition, said in a statement to USA TODAY when asked if Oz still owns these stocks.

Oz will be required to fill out the same form after his official nomination as administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. ..."
 
www.nytimes.com

Trump’s Pick as Mideast Adviser, Massad Boulos, Is a Truck Salesman

The lore around Massad Boulos, Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law, is that he is a billionaire dealmaker. Records show otherwise.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

Trump’s Middle East Adviser Pick Is a Small-Time Truck Salesman​

The lore around Massad Boulos, Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law, is that he is a billionaire dealmaker. Records show otherwise.

"...Mr. Boulos has been profiled as a tycoon by the world’s media, telling a reporter in October that his company is worth billions. Mr. Trump called him a “highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the international scene.”

The president-elect even lavished what may be his highest praise: a “dealmaker.”

In fact, records show that Mr. Boulos has spent the past two decades selling trucks and heavy machinery in Nigeria for a company his father-in-law controls. He is chief executive of the company, SCOA Nigeria PLC, which made a profit of less than $66,000 last year, corporate filings show.

There is no indication in corporate documents that Mr. Boulos, a Lebanese-American whose son is married to Mr. Trump’s daughter Tiffany, is a man of significant wealth as a result of his businesses. The truck dealership is valued at about $865,000 at its current share price. Mr. Boulos’s stake, according to securities filings, is worth $1.53.

As for Boulos Enterprises, the company that has been called his family business in The Financial Times and elsewhere, a company officer there said it is owned by an unrelated Boulos family.

Mr. Boulos will advise on one of the world’s most complicated and conflict-wracked regions — a region that Mr. Boulos said this week that he has not visited in years. The advisory position does not require Senate approval. ..."
 
(Cont'd)

"...In October, The Times asked him about his wealth and business dealings.

“Your company is described as a multibillion-dollar enterprise,” a reporter said. “Are you yourself a billionaire?”

Mr. Boulos said he did not like to describe himself that way, but that journalists had picked up on the label.

“It’s accurate to describe the company as a multibillion-dollar—?” the reporter followed up.

“Yeah,” Mr. Boulos replied. “It’s a big company. Long history.”

...But in a subsequent interview on Tuesday, Mr. Boulos said that he had only meant to confirm that other news outlets had written — incorrectly — that he runs such a company.

In another call, on Wednesday, he said he was referring to his father-in-law’s companies, which he said were collectively worth more than $1 billion, though the company he runs is not.

... He confirmed that he has no relationship with Boulos Enterprises. Asked why he had never corrected the record, he said that he made a practice of not commenting on his business.

... Mr. Boulos has a history of small business ventures. Corporate records in Nigeria tie him to a restaurant, some inactive construction companies and to Tantra Beverages, a now-defunct company that was set up to sell an “erotic drink” that “gives men and women the ultimate stimulating push,” according to its manufacturer.

... Any significant wealth, he said on Tuesday, comes from the family of his wife, Sarah Fadoul Boulos.

She is the daughter of Michel Zouhair Fadoul, a citizen of France and Burkina Faso who spent decades assembling a patchwork of logging, construction and automobile distribution companies throughout West and Central Africa.

The Times could find no indication, either in company documents or records from the corporate data provider Sayari, that Mr. Boulos has a direct stake in these businesses — other than the truck dealership...."
 
(Cont'd)

"...Massad Boulos met Sarah Fadoul through family in Lebanon and married young, she has said. Both studied in Texas, she has said in interviews on podcasts targeting the elite in Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria.

Mr. Trump has referred to Mr. Boulos as a lawyer and ABC News has reported that he graduated with a law degree from the University of Houston. But the school said it has no record of that. Instead, he graduated from a separate school, the University of Houston-Downtown, in 1993 with a bachelor of business administration degree. ..."
 
I dumped all things Zuckerberg back in 2018 because I loathe social media. Might be time to do the same with Bezos. Unprincipled, selfish fucks.
 
nycfan said:
www.thebulwark.com

The New Age of Trump: Protection Money and FU You Money

How our billionaires are responding.
www.thebulwark.com www.thebulwark.com

The New Age of Trump: Protection Money and FU You Money​


"...This week we got word that two of the world’s most consequential billionaires have decided to pay tribute—literally—to Donald Trump. Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg are each gifting $1 million to Trump’s “inauguration committee.”

A president’s “inauguration committee” or “inauguration fund” is a slush fund, pure and simple. In theory, it is used to cover expenses relating to the inaugural celebrations. In practice, it’s dark money. The inaugural fund is required to disclose who gives money to it, but is not required to disclose what the money is spent on. And in cases where there is a surplus—where it raises more money than it spends on the inauguration festivities—it is not required to refund or dispose of the money in any particular way.

In other words: It’s pure tribute. ... It has always been thus.

Trump didn’t invent the corruption of the inauguration fund. But he is an innovator and his genius was to turn the inauguration scheme from ritualized tribute from supporters into a protection racket aimed at opponents, too.

... Zuckerberg and Bezos responded to Trump’s threats to themselves and their businesses by literally journeying to Mar-a-Lago and figuratively handing Trump envelopes of cash while publicly praising the incoming president.

...That is the point. Trump has reached the position—elected by a plurality of his fellow citizens, immunized from all criminal activity by the Supreme Court—where he wants the protection racket to be out in the open. He wants everyone to see it.

Because these are the new rules and he wants to be sure that everyone whose life could be touched by his government—meaning: everyone—understands this reality.

And that, so long as they pay, they’ll be fine. ..."

www.thebulwark.com

The New Age of Trump: Protection Money and FU You Money

How our billionaires are responding.
www.thebulwark.com www.thebulwark.com
Click to expand...
And could you believe some MAGAs would point to this as a good thing Trump is doing?
No, I’m serious, they are.
 
ZenMode said:
No. To clarify, a FEMA leader directed members of a hurricane relief team to not engage with Trump supporter houses.

Either way, I initially thought it was nonsense.
Click to expand...
That's not a policy, your post made it sound like there was an actual policy.

If this FEMA person made that statement, then they should not be in that position. Their job is to help people in need, not have an opinion if the person's political views justify the need.
 
wmheel1287 said:
So, intentionally misrepresenting?

Got it.

Don't be defensive when people call you on bullshit when you come to rally spew it.

One person at FEMA engaged in this and was fired for it. One.

You knew that and you said that FEMA had a policy of it. Thats a damned lie.
Click to expand...
Exactly, Zen's post claimed it to be a policy...
 
Mulberry Heel said:
It shouldn't surprise me anymore, but it does continue to amaze me that one of the main defenses of many Trump voters or apologists is: he won't actually do what he says he's going to do. The lack of critical thinking involved regarding that statement is mind-boggling. "I love it when he talks (tweets) tough, but I do know it would be really bad if he did all the shit he claims he will, but I don't worry about it because I know he's too smart to actually do it." It's like they view politics as professional wrestling. Um, yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night.
Click to expand...
What baffles me about people like that - If Trump "won't actually do what he says he's going to do" - Then wtf are you voting for?
 


“…Previous attempts to do so have faltered. Daylight Saving Time was first introduced during World War I to assist with the nation’s industrial productivity during the Great War – not, as popular rumors frequently suggest, to give farmers more day time during harvest.

Daylight Saving Time was kept permanent during most of World War II, also for reasons to do with industry and energy. During the gas crisis in the 1970s, the country once again tried making Daylight Saving Time permanent, only for public approval to plummet after complaints of children being hit by cars while waiting for the bus at night. [I assume they mean in dark morning] …”

amp.cnn.com

Trump says GOP will try to eliminate Daylight Saving Time | CNN Politics

President-elect Donald Trump said on Friday the Republican Party would try to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, calling it “inconvenient” and “costly.”
amp.cnn.com amp.cnn.com

But the key may be that this is one of the few things that Musk/Ramaswamy can actually get done fairly easily.

To the extent it’s debated, Businesses have usually indicated a preference to make Daylight Saving Time permanent (to have more daylight after school and work hours), BTW.
 
Last edited:
nycfan said:
www.thebulwark.com

The New Age of Trump: Protection Money and FU You Money

How our billionaires are responding.
www.thebulwark.com www.thebulwark.com

The New Age of Trump: Protection Money and FU You Money​


"...This week we got word that two of the world’s most consequential billionaires have decided to pay tribute—literally—to Donald Trump. Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg are each gifting $1 million to Trump’s “inauguration committee.”

A president’s “inauguration committee” or “inauguration fund” is a slush fund, pure and simple. In theory, it is used to cover expenses relating to the inaugural celebrations. In practice, it’s dark money. The inaugural fund is required to disclose who gives money to it, but is not required to disclose what the money is spent on. And in cases where there is a surplus—where it raises more money than it spends on the inauguration festivities—it is not required to refund or dispose of the money in any particular way.

In other words: It’s pure tribute. ... It has always been thus.

Trump didn’t invent the corruption of the inauguration fund. But he is an innovator and his genius was to turn the inauguration scheme from ritualized tribute from supporters into a protection racket aimed at opponents, too.

... Zuckerberg and Bezos responded to Trump’s threats to themselves and their businesses by literally journeying to Mar-a-Lago and figuratively handing Trump envelopes of cash while publicly praising the incoming president.

...That is the point. Trump has reached the position—elected by a plurality of his fellow citizens, immunized from all criminal activity by the Supreme Court—where he wants the protection racket to be out in the open. He wants everyone to see it.

Because these are the new rules and he wants to be sure that everyone whose life could be touched by his government—meaning: everyone—understands this reality.

And that, so long as they pay, they’ll be fine. ..."

www.thebulwark.com

The New Age of Trump: Protection Money and FU You Money

How our billionaires are responding.
www.thebulwark.com www.thebulwark.com
Click to expand...
 
It would be great to close the deal on this...

Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
apnews.com

Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time

President-elect Donald Trump wants to turn the lights out on daylight saving time. In a post on his social media site Friday, Trump said his party would try to end the practice when he returns to office.
apnews.com apnews.com
 
Ramrouser said:
I imagine a lot of us Trumpers are going to have a "Trump Christmas" with all the products he's selling. My guess is that I'm going to get a Trump watch, Golden sneakers, cologne and cuff links for my Christmas. My kids will think it's hilarious.
Click to expand...
Or rather, your kids will think, "Geez, Dad's a cult member. How do we de-program him?"
 
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