Trump's 'Hitler speech collection' revealed in resurfaced Ivana interview: Live – The Independent

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Front-runner for Republican presidential nomination under fire for ‘fascist rhetoric’
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A Vanity Fair interview with Donald Trump’s late first wife Ivana Trump has resurfaced in which she alleges that her former spouse used to keep a book of Adolf Hitler’s speeches in his bedside cabinet.
The article from September 1990 has reappeared in the wake of the Republican presidential contender coming under fire for suggesting that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” during a speech in New Hampshire on Saturday evening, with some accusing him of borrowing from Hitler’s infamous “blood and soil” rhetoric.
The feature describes Ms Trump telling her lawyer Michael Kennedy that her then-husband kept a book of Hitler’s collected speeches, My New Order, for bedtime reading.
When asked about it, Mr Trump responds: “If I had these speeches, and I am not saying that I do, I would never read them.”
The Republican is alleged to have previously praised the Nazi leader during a presidential visit to Europe in 2018, saying in private that he “did a lot of good things” like dragging Germany out of economic turmoil in the 1930s.
More recently, he was also criticised for describing his enemies as “vermin”, another word with fascist undertones.
A Republican strategist and former intern for Senator Marco Rubio has been arrested on felony and misdemeanour charges for her actions during the Jan 6 riots.
Barbara Balmaseda, 23, was arrested on Thursday in Miami Lakes after officials investigated her alleged criminal actions on 6 January 2021, when a group of Trump supporters and far-right activists stormed the Capitol building, the Department of Justice announced on Monday.
She has been charged with obstruction of an official proceeding, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building or grounds, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.
Ms Balmaseda allegedly travelled from Florida and arrived in Washington DC on 5 January 2021 to protest Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election, the DOJ said court documents revealed.
She allegedly exchanged messages with other associates, including members of the neo-fascist militant group Proud Boys, which alleged that she believed the 2020 presidential election had been stolen and knew the certification process would take place on 6 January.
South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham has admitted that House Republicans have no “smoking gun” with which to tie Joe Biden to his son Hunter’s overseas business dealings.
That didn’t sit well with Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has called for another conservative to primary the senator during his next election.
Graig Graziosi picks up the story.
Mr Graham said he was not ‘paying attention’ to the House GOP’s impeachment inquiry
West Virginia senator Joe Manchin took a hardline stance against Trump on Sunday, saying he represents a direct threat to the future of democracy in the United States.
Here’s John Bowden on what the Democratic powerbroker had to say.
Centre-right Democrat has teased a third-party ‘No Labels’ run in 2024
Speaking of Haley, it appears she is gradually emerging as a strong Republican alternative to Trump, with new polling from New Hampshire showing her getting a boost in support from potential voters.
In a CBS News/YouGov poll of potential Republican primary voters in the state, 29 per cent said they would vote for Haley compared to 44 per cent who said they were backing Trump.
The numbers appear to reflect potential voters’ changing opinion of the former South Carolina governor, who in November had 18 per cent in an Emerson College/WHDH poll of New Hampshire voters compared to Trump, who had 49 per cent.
The new findings come almost a week after Governor Sununu endorsed her.
Here’s more from Ariana Baio.
After an endorsement from New Hampshire governor, Nikki Haley is seeing a surge in voter support
Trump’s rival for the Republican presidential nomination, flanked by New Hampshire governor Chris Sunnu, explains her refusal to enage with the former president’s protracted legal battles, saying they are a distraction from the truly important issues of the day.
Here’s Amelia Neath with the latest late night reaction to the problems of Trump’s former personal attorney.
Seth Meyers joked that Rudy Giuliani has ‘finally slipped up’ after he was ordered to pay two election workers he defamed $148m in damages
Republican pariah Liz Cheney gave an interview to Fox News anchor Bret Baier on Monday in which she urged the network’s viewers to turn their backs on the Republican front-runner.
“What I would say to Fox viewers – and I worked here for many years as you know – the race today presents a number of candidates who will abide by the Constitution,” she said.
“You can have the policies that we all want, some of which Donald Trump put into place, some of which he didn’t. We can have conservative policies without having to torch the Constitution.
“I would urge people watching today who are going to be voting in those caucuses and those primaries, vote for somebody else. Do not vote for the person who already tried to seize power.”

The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial tore into the former president’s star witness in a new court filing, as he dismissed his latest attempt to toss the $250m case.
In a scathing ruling issued on Monday, Judge Arthur Engoron blasted New York University accounting professor Eli Bartov, saying that he “lost all credibility” through his courtroom testimony.
The judge also added that his testimony indicates that some people will say anything for “a million or so dollars”.
“Bartov is a tenured professor, but all that his testimony proves is that for a million or so dollars, some experts will say whatever you want them to say,” Judge Engoron wrote.
Here’s Rachel Sharp with more on a ruling that got Trump pretty riled up on Truth Social.
In a scathing ruling, Judge Arthur Engoron said New York University accounting professor Eli Bartov had ‘lost all credibility’ through his courtroom testimony
New York Republican congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis attempted to defend the indefensible during an interview with CNN’s Abby Philip last night and did not entirely get away with it.
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Republican candidate for President Former US President Donald Trump, addresses a crowd of supporters during a rally at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire, USA, 16 December 2023
EPA
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