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Taylor Budowich

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ratfucker

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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TROLLERY?

AN 2 25

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump called himself a "king" on his social media platforms. Now, journalists, commentators and academics are sounding the alarm about the second-term president's apparent embrace of monarchy.

Trump initially used the term "king" on his Truth Social platform, in a post about New York City's "congestion pricing" tolls. That policy imposes a toll on drivers entering Manhattan during peak commuting hours as a means of decreasing traffic jams in the United States' largest city. The New York Times reported that Trump intends to revoke federal approval of congestion pricing, though the Metropolitan Transit Authority of New York (MTA) has already announced litigation to keep the policy in place.

"CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD," Trump wrote. "Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!"

READ MORE:**'Aren't you the boss?' Maddow supercut shows Trump being 'palpably scared' to talk about Putin**

"We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king," New York Governor Kathy Hochul wrote when announcing the MTA's intent to sue. "We'll see you in cou

A few minutes later, White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich posted an AI-generated image of Trump wearing a crown and a cloak with the New York City skyline in the background, with Trump's "LONG LIVE THE KING" Truth Social post underneath. And shortly after, the official White House X account reposted the text of Trump's Truth Social post, and added an image of Trump wearing a gold crown and the text "LONG LIVE THE KING" at the bottom. Numerous commenters on social media condemned the president's posts.

"This is revoltingly un-American," Bulwark executive editor Adam Keiper wrote on Bluesky.

Keiper followed up his post by quoting President George Washington, who admonished a Revolutionary War colonel who suggested Washington coronate himself. The first president of the United States wrote: "I must view with abhorrence, and reprehend with severity [the idea]." Harvard Law Cyberlaw Clinic instructor Alejandra Caraballo reminded her followers that the United States was literally founded by "violently rebelling against a king." Political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen lamented the Trump administration's pro-monarchy stance, writing: "They're not even hiding it." And Gizmodo reporter Matt Novak wryly commented that Trump was "not talking about Elvis."

READ MORE:**(Opinion) Presidents or dictators? Battle for power raises alarm as Trump turns to the Supreme Court**

"Donald Trump is openly calling himself a king," wrote YouTube host Keith Edwards. "Any Republican who pretends they don't know where this is going is lying to you."

University of Michigan policy professor Don Moynihan observed that the post came on the same day that Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator" and falsely accused him of starting the war with Russia despite Russia invading Ukraine in 2022 (eight years after its illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula).

"Every member of the news media needs to ask every Republican, elected or not, if they believe Donald Trump is their king," podcaster Bob Cesca wrote on Bluesky.

Trump's "king" post also comes just a few days after he quoted Napoleon Bonaparte when he wrote: "He who saves his country does not violate any law." Former FBI counterterrorism official Frank Figliuzzi noted that the Napoleon quote was more recently used by far-right neo-Nazi terrorist Anders Breivik, who massacred 78 people in Norway in 2011 after writing a 1,500-page manifesto blaming feminism and diversity for the decline of Europe.

READ MORE:['People are going to get hurt': Ex-FBI official alarmed at Trump quoting 'white terrorist'

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Other senior White House roles

There are a number of senior White House roles, but here are a few of the key positions that will likely play an outsized role in shaping the president’s agenda:

NAMED

James Blair, deputy chief of staff: Blair was the political director on Trump’s presidential campaign and as a deputy chief of staff will focus on legislative, political and public affairs.

Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff: Budowich ran Trump’s main super PAC, MAGA Inc., before joining the campaign. He is a trusted lieutenant of Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and will focus on communications and personnel.

Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff: Scavino was a senior adviser on Trump’s presidential campaign and a longtime top social media aide and confidante to Trump.

Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff: Miller was also a senior advisor on Trump’s presidential campaign and is his top immigration adviser and speechwriter. Miller will focus on homeland security.

Steven Cheung, communications director: Cheung was a top communications adviser on Trump’s presidential campaign and will now serve as his communications director in the White House.

William McGinley, White House counsel: McGinley previously served as the White House Cabinet secretary under Trump and as general counsel to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. This role is expected to be central in the incoming president’s plan to expand executive authority.

Reported by Josh Dawsey, Maegan Vazquez and Hannah Knowles

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CONSERVATIVE STRATEGIES, INC.

Company Number4678250Previous Company Numbers

StatusActiveIncorporation DatePlease log in to see this dataCompany TypeStock Corporation - CA - GeneralJurisdictionCalifornia (US)Registered Address

Agent NameTAYLOR BUDOWICHAgent Address2109 J STREET #202, SACRAMENTO, CA, 95816, United StatesDirectors / Officers5 officers available, please log in to see this dataInactive Directors / Officers1 officer available, please log in to see this dataRegistry PagePlease log in for link to primary source

Recent filings for CONSERVATIVE STRATEGIES, INC.

6 Jan 2021

REGISTRATION

SourceCalifornia Secretary of State, https://bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov/sear..., 1 Oct 2024

Company Addresses one bdrm apt

Mailing Address

2109 J STREET #202, SACRAMENTO, CA, 95816, United States

Head Office Address

2109 J STREET #202, SACRAMENTO, CA, 95816, United States

cmd

About

Taylor Budowich was director of communications for Trump’s first post-2020 election money maker, the Save America PAC (which donated large sums to the Conservative Partnership Institute and the America First Policy Institute), and since September 2022, has been in charge of the newer pro-Trump super PAC, MAGA Inc.

In October 2022, as the Justice Department continued its investigation into the thousands of government documents Trump had illegally taken to his residence at Mar-a-Lago, Budowich angrily defended the former president. In a statement released to NBC News, he made factually inaccurate claims in saying: “The Biden administration has weaponized law enforcement and fabricated a Document Hoax in a desperate attempt to retain political power. Every other President has been given time and deference regarding the administration of documents, as the President has the ultimate authority to categorize records, and what materials should be classified.”

On June 7, 2023, after testifying before a Florida grand jury in the DOJ probe of the documents case, Budowich tweeted that the the case is a “bogus and deeply troubling effort to use the power of government to get Trump.”

Prior to becoming the former president’s spokesperson, Budowich worked for his son, Donald Trump, Jr. He initially got involved in politics when he was in his 20s and served as a very young executive director of the Tea Party Express PAC during the Obama presidency. In that role, he proved adept at capitalizing on financial opportunities while avoiding risk. He is also president of Conservative Strategies, a company he incorporated in California on Jan. 6, 2021, possibly to shield funds being raised under false premises after Trump lost the election.

January 6, 2021

The Big Lie

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Dirty tricks? Trump Super-PAC sent out a bogus Medicare cancellation notice to scare voters about Kamala Harris.One of the largest pro-Trump superPACs has dropped a massive mailing of “Medicare Cancellation Notices” letting seniors know that Kamala Harris is preparing to end the program or at least throw them off it. As David Corn reports at Mother Jones, some of the richest men in America are behind it: “MAGA, Inc. is the top pro-Trump super PAC. It has raised over $300 million during the 2024 campaign, most of it from Republican billionaires, including Howard Lutnick, the CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald; Paul Singer, a hedge fund manager; Charles Kushner, the father of Jared Kushner and real estate magnate who went to jail for tax evasion and for retaliating against a federal witness (and whom Trump pardoned); and Timothy Mellon, the reclusive heir to the Mellon banking fortune, who has pumped in over $150 million.” What could these billionaires want? If you selected “more tax cuts” and “a return to segregation” I’d bet you’d have hit it right on the nose. Meanwhile, an unknown GOP-aligned group is sending text messages to college students in Wisconsin threatening them with prison if they dare vote. These people will stop at nothing…

ref

In Arizona, older people recently received a mailer declaring Medicare had been cancelled. It had a big red stamp that proclaimed, “Medicare Cancellation Notice.” Also emblazoned on its front was this: “Warning: Rates are going up & plans are being cancelled. Details enclosed.” Its return address was the “Department of Medicare Cancellation, Kamala Harris Administration.”

That return address should have been a tip-off that this was not an official notification—along with a scrawled add-on in cursive: “I hope you can afford to lose your insurance! — Kamala Harris XOXO.”

It’s hard to know whether any recipient saw this and received a shock, fearing their Medicare was being cut off. But the group that sent out this official-looking piece of campaign literature, Make America Great Again, Inc., a pro-Trump super PAC, was spreading false and misleading information about Medicare and about Harris.

The mailer sent out by Make America Great Again, Inc., a pro-Trump super PAC. It is designed as a “Medicare cancellation notice,” but it’s a misleading piece of campaign literature.

The backside of the notice claimed that Harris is “destroying Medicare.” It said that due to Harris, Medicare premiums were skyrocketing and that she “has a new plan that would completely liquidate Medicare funds,” adding, “All the money you’ve paid into Medicare will be gone.” It dramatically asserted, “Your care [will be] cancelled.”

None of this is true. Medicare premiums are not skyrocketing. For instance, the standard monthly Part B premium went from $164.90 in 2023 to $174.70 this year. Harris has no “new” plan to “completely liquidate Medicare funds.” She recently proposed expanding Medicare to cover long-term, in-home health care and said the program would be paid for by negotiating lower drug prices. She also called for widening Medicare to include hearing and vision benefits.

The backside of the mailer sent out by Make America Great Again, Inc., a pro-Trump super PAC.

The MAGA, Inc. mailer contained footnotes seemingly to back up its outlandish accusation. But they were vague and misleading. They appeared to point to references from years ago when Harris was a supporter of Medicare for All, which is no longer partof her policy agenda.

MAGA, Inc. is the top pro-Trump super PAC. It has raised over $300 million during the 2024 campaign, most of it from Republican billionaires, including Howard Lutnick, the CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald; Paul Singer, a hedge fund manager; Charles Kushner, the father of Jared Kushner and real estate magnate who went to jail for tax evasion and for retaliating against a federal witness (and whom Trump pardoned); and Timothy Mellon, the reclusive heir to the Mellon banking fortune, who has pumped in over $150 million. (Mellon also gave $25 million to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s failed presidential campaign.) MAGA, Inc., according to a memo it released this summer, aims to spend at least $100 million in ads to portray Harris as “the most radical liberal ever to run for President.”

MAGA, Inc., since its founding in 2022, has been a critical player in Trumpworld. Its first executive director was Taylor Budowich, a former Trump White House aide, who refused to cooperate with the House January 6 committee and who testified to the grand jury that investigated Trump’s alleged swiping of classified documents. He joined the Trump campaign in August. Other staffers have included Steve Cheung, now the Trump campaign’s combative spokesperson, and Chris LaCivita, co-manager of Trump’s current presidential bid.

Medicare is frequently a hot issue during a presidential campaign, in particular because seniors tend to vote at high rates. Harris’ campaign cites her accomplishments regarding Medicare, pointing out that the Biden-Harris administration capped out-of-pocket spending for Medicare beneficiaries and limited the cost of insulin for recipients at $35 a month. It also provided Medicare the authority to negotiate lower prescription drug costs. And Medicare solvency improved during the Biden years.

Repeatedly during the 2024 campaign, Trump has vowed not to cut Social Security or Medicare, though in March he did say in an interview, “There is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting.” (When he was president, Trump did propose Medicare cuts.) Tax experts have noted that Trump’s proposal to exempt taxes on Social Security would lead to Social Security and Medicare receiving $1.6 trillion less in revenue in the next ten years and push each into insolvency sooner. (Project 2025—which Trump has tried to distance himself from—calls for changes in Medicare that would move more recipients into Medicare Advantage plans that are run by private insurance companies, and, according to Fortune, this could increase the financial pressure on Medicare.)

Mother Jones contacted MAGA, Inc. and asked if the super PAC intended for the mailer to look like an official notice and if it was concerned a recipient might at first be scared, believing his or her Medicare had been cancelled. It did not respond.

Mailers often convey the most scurrilous political attacks. Yet they tend to receive little media attention and routinely escape fact-checking and rebuttal. (As I reported recently, in Michigan, Jewish Republicans mailed out campaign literature accusing Harris, whose husband is Jewish, of being bad for Jews.) So it’s unlikely that the seniors who saw this faux notice exclaiming Medicare has been shut down will subsequently receive a counter explaining that Medicare was not cancelled and is not being destroyed by Harris.

Political campaigns can be sleazy affairs. But there is something particularly odious about billionaires attempting to frighten Medicare recipients with phony messaging in order to persuade them to vote for a guy who has proposed Medicare cuts and who will shower the wealthy with large tax breaks. But to them, this must seem a solid investment.

===

tnr

Donald Trump’s campaign has hired Taylor Budowich, a former Trump aide who has been running the super PAC MAGA Inc.

Budowich was a spokesperson for the Trump 2020 campaign, and has found himself embroiled in Trump’s classified documents case and implicated by Congress’s January 6 investigation.

In June of last year, he testified before a federal grand jury in Trump’s classified documents case. “America has become a sick and broken nation—a decline led by Joe Biden and power hungry Democrats,” he said at the time, per CBS. “I will not be intimidated by this weaponization of government. For me, the need to unite our nation and make America great again has never been more clear than it is today.”

Budowich was subpoenaed in 2021 by the House Select Committee to Investigate January 6, which claimed it had reason to believe he had directed roughly $200,000 from undisclosed sources to fund an ad campaign encouraging people to attend the rally that would transform into the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol.

When JPMorganChase Bank complied with Congress’s request, turning over Budowich’s financial records, he filed a complaint and restraining order against former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the House Select Committee and its members, and his bank. His complaint was dismissed by a district court judge, and when he filed to appeal that decision, the case was dismissed again by an appeals court in March 2023—three months after the January 6 committee shuttered its 18-month investigation.

MAGA Inc. is a pro-Trump super PAC that plans to launch a series of ads in swing states that paint Vice President Kamala Harris as a “lunatic,” according to a memo from the group. MAGA Inc. has previously been used to financially buoy the former president’s campaign as Trump hemorrhaged funds across his legal battles, reportedly sending more than $50 million to Save America, Trump’s leadership PAC, in just the first quarter of 2024.

Budowich’s rehiring is the latest in a series of plays by the Trump campaign that signal panic in the former president’s team, which has spent the last month scrambling to mount a solid opposition to Vice President Kamala Harris’s new campaign.

One after another, each of the Trump team’s attempts to regain its footing has proved more disastrous than the last, from Trump’s appearance at the NABJ conference, which devolved into racist accusations; to his rally in Atlanta, where he criticized a Republican governor who’d said he’d vote for him; to his slate of shockingly unfocused political ads and his trainwreck conversation with Elon Musk Monday.

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Budowich, right, arrives at the federal courthouse in Miami on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.

CNN

WashingtonCNN —

Taylor Budowich, who has worked as a spokesman for Donald Trump, has arrived at the federal courthouse in Miami to appear before a grand jury as part of special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the former president’s handling of classified documents.

Budowich testified for less than an hour, a source familiar with his appearance tells CNN.

Still aligned closely with the former president, Budowich now runs a super PAC backing Trump called MAGA, Inc.

“Today, in what can only be described as a bogus and deeply troubling effort to use the power of government to ‘get’ Trump, I fulfilled a legal obligation to testify in front a federal grand jury and I answered every question honestly,” Budowich tweeted late Wednesday morning.

The grand jury based in southern Florida has heard testimony from multiple witnesses in recent weeks as part of the federal investigation that has relied for months on grand juries in Washington, DC, to help gather evidence and witness testimony.

Smith’s investigation into potential mishandling of classified materials and possible obstruction appears to be nearing the final stages of the investigation.

It remains unclear why the special counsel is using a grand jury in southern Florida after months of relying on grand juries in Washington, DC, to help gather evidence and witness testimony in the classified documents case. Sources close to Trump told CNN they are unaware of the reasoning for the Florida grand jury.

Smith has the authority to operate and bring charges in any federal court jurisdiction. He has yet to bring any charges, and Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

In the early stages of the investigation, a search warrant for Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort was approved by a court in south Florida. Since then, the Washington grand jury has been gathering evidence in the documents probe but hasn’t met since early May.

Notably, an assistant US attorney from the Miami office was present last August when the search warrant for classified material was executed at Mar-a-Lago, a source familiar with the event told CNN.

Questions about the venue for the classified documents investigation were raised before Smith’s appointment last November, as the probe involves the handling of documents brought from the White House to Trump’s resort in Florida.

Elie Honig, a senior CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor, said there are benefits and drawbacks to bringing a case in either Florida or Washington, DC.

The difficulty for Smith, Honig said, is that Florida would be a more obvious place to file charges based on the actions at Mar-a-Lago, but Washington may give prosecutors a more favorable jury pool at trial to win a conviction if charges are brought.

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Jeremy Herb, Kristen Holmes, Paula Reid and Evan Perez contributed to this report

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Silent no more. #Trump2024

Posted on X · 3 hours ago

Team Kamala is in full blown panic mode. Biden is undermining her campaign, Obama doesn’t have the juice to rescue her campaign, and the days are running short.

Just look at what happened yesterday in Nevada.

Shot… Chaser.

Posted on X · 9 hours ago

Trump’s Fall Concert Series is 🔥

President Trump completed an awesome town hall in PA, but the guests weren’t ready to leave. So, DJ DJT fired up the mixers and played a set.

Winning energy. 🇺🇸

Posted on X · 6 days ago

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Taylor Budowich

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Studied at AUC The American University in Cairo. 󱜧. Went to El Camino Fundamental High. 󱜏. Lives in Sacramento, California. 󱘛. From Sacramento, California.

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