Now, this is technically not a new thing. When he first took office in 2017 through 2021, he installed a red button—I’m imagining it looks like the ‘That Was Easy’ Staples’ button—on the desk. With him returning to the office this week, he didn’t waste any time in bringing the button back. The Wall Street Journal confirmed that the contraption was quickly set up in the office Monday, meaning it was a part of his extensive Day 1 activities in the office.

Again, I have to say you have to appreciate someone so committed to what they love. Now I’m just wondering to myself what I would install a button for. One for Michelob Ultra refills? Or a button that brings me soft pretzels whenever my heart desires? The opportunities are endless.

Donald Trump’s Diet Coke Button is Back in Washington

The Coca-Cola company is well aware of Trump’s fandom of its beverages. They even gave him a commemorative bottle recently with an old-school soda bottle and a White House label on it that listed his Jan. 20 Inauguration Day. It was presented to him by the company’s CEO, James Quince.

During his first term, the New York Times revealed just how obsessed he is with Diet Coke. Trump reportedly drinks 12 cans a day. There’s no way that’s healthy, right? I drink one of them, and I instantly hate myself for consuming the sugary drink.

More power to you, Trump. By this point, his body has gotta be comprised of 75% Diet Coke flowing through him.

The post Donald Trump’s Diet Coke Button Is Back in the Oval Office appeared first on VICE.

This wasn’t exactly a surprising move, considering Trump’s history with the organization. He attempted to remove the U.S. from the WHO in 2020 before Joe Biden overturned the decision and resumed funding for the organization. One of Trump’s major running points during his campaign was keeping American dollars in-house and not paying for what he perceived to be a waste of funds, which always meant the WHO was in jeopardy. 

Trump cited the organization’s “mishandling” of the COVID-19 pandemic as the main reason for the decision.

Donald Trump Pulls The United States Out of the WHO

Above all else, it’s the money the country has invested in the WHO that ultimately fueled the decision. America has been the WHO’s largest donor since its inception in 1948. The country has routinely given around $163 million in yearly contributions, with that number going as high as over $800 million at times. There are up to 194 countries involved in the WHO, with America providing up to a fifth of the organization’s funding, per USA Today. 

“Everybody rips off the United States and that’s it—it’s not going to happen anymore,” Trump said on Monday during a press conference.

Without the United States providing funding, the WHO will now likely lean on China, which has typically been the next largest provider. The order signed by Trump on Monday specifically mentions the population size of China and the fact that, despite it being far larger than The States’, the country pays less than 90% of what America does to the WHO. 

Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom have rounded out the top five contributing countries over the years.

The World Health Organization has yet to comment on Monday’s order. 

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After dropping out of consideration to serve as Attorney General in Donald Trump’s administration and announcing he wouldn’t return to congress amid sexual misconduct allegations, Matt Gaetz has made his next career move—Cameo celebrity.

The former Florida congressman joined the site—in which B- and C-list celebrities make personalized video messages for fans—on Nov. 22.

“I served in Congress. Trump nominated me to be US Attorney General (that didn’t work out). Once I fired the House Speaker,” his bio reads, alluding to his highly-publicized feud with Kevin McCarthy, whose ousting he spearheaded.

So far, Gaetz has secured 13 five-star reviews from happy customers who shelled out more than $500 to get a 1:27-minute-long video from him. Gaetz has made Cameos for occasions such as a holiday and a birthday. He also gave at least two people a pep talk.

He eloquently told one man that turning 70 “is pretty epic,” told another person who’d just gone through a triple bypass surgery that “America’s engaging” in her own recovery right alongside him, and sagely told a third individual struggling with work that “we’ve all got to play our role” in this world.

In addition to Gaetz, while on Cameo, fans can book videos from acclaimed people such as stars of Jersey Shore and Love Island, Santa Claus himself, a Donald Trump parody account, Chuck Norris, and Lance Bass.

The post Matt Gaetz Is Charging $500 for Pep Talks on Cameo appeared first on VICE.

The organization told ABC News that, in the 10 days following the 2024 presidential election, it fielded more than 5,400 calls. That’s nearly seven times the 800 calls it gets in a typical month. 

The group explained that 19 percent of its callers have suicidal ideation in an average month. Recently, though, that’s risen to 31.6 percent.

Lance Preston, the Rainbow Youth Project’s Executive Director, told the outlet that his organization wasn’t “prepared for the overwhelming call volume” they saw. It forced them to place callers, some of whom were supporters of LGBTQ youth, on hold.

“I think it’s been a wake-up call for a lot of people,” Preston said.

Other Organizations Impacted by the Election Results

The Rainbow Youth Project isn’t alone. The Trevor Project reported its crisis outreach volume also increased nearly 700 percent on Nov. 6, compared to the weeks prior.

In a post-election note, Jaymes Black, the CEO of The Trevor Project assured worried people that the organization will continue “to ensure that every LGBTQ+ young person has access to safe, affirming spaces, especially during challenging times.”

Calls at the LGBT National Hotline, meanwhile, were five times more than usual, the outlet reported.

“It’s been all hands on deck. Here, it is coming from all over the country,” Aaron Almanza, the program’s executive director, told the outlet. However, we are definitely seeing more calls coming from red states, though it’s not a huge amount more than blue states. The fear is from all over the country. It is all ages.”

On Facebook, the organization added, “It may take time to process and regroup. Just know that you are loved and you matter, That isn’t changing. You are part of an amazing community and family. We’re all here to uplift and care for each other.”

The post LGBTQ Crisis Hotline Calls Spiked 700% After US Presidential Election appeared first on VICE.

Tate’s political analysis had the tone of a 14-year-old playground bully, but Musk’s excitement at men turning out to vote spoke to something fundamentally true: that Donald Trump’s plan was working. When I first read the tweet, I began searching for evidence that men were indeed turning up in record numbers.

LATEST: I Was Maced by Nick Fuentes – an Exclusive Interview with Doorstep Victim Marla Rose

On Musk’s platform, X, I was greeted with videos from Philadelphia and Miami of young men wearing red caps celebrating in the streets—pickup trucks tearing down street-lit highways with MAGA flags trailing from their cargo beds. After covering the Manosphere and the hyper-online ‘Bro’ Right for the past five years, I knew that in recent months they had mobilized like never before behind Trump, and that if they were motivated enough to actually go out and vote, Trump had a serious edge. 

Videos began to spread of frat boys across the US declaring their support for Donald Trump. When his victory was announced, one group filmed themselves performing Trump’s dance moves to “Y.M.C.A.” on the steps of their fraternity. 

Men aged 18-29—a group that has been politically unengaged in recent years—voted decisively for Trump. The Wall Street Journal reported a shift to the right of 28 points among this group. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning, 56 percent of young male voters opted for Trump in 2024—a marked increase from 41 percent in 2020. In Trump’s successful courtship of this cohort, his secret weapon appears to have been his 18-year-old son, Barron. 

In the early hours of November 6th, Trump took to the stage in West Palm Beach, Florida, to declare victory. The very first people to join Trump in front of the cheering crowds were his wife Melania, and the apple of his eye, Barron. At 6’7”, Barron towered over his father as he smiled at the MAGA loyalists in the audience, some of whom have come to see him as his father’s political heir in recent months. Reportedly his father’s favorite son, what many don’t realize is how crucial Barron may have been in helping his father secure re-election. 

When UFC boss Dana White was summoned to the podium by Trump, he thanked a cadre of podcasters and influencers, including his close friend Joe Rogan. There were three other names in that list, however, that show Barron’s hand in Trump’s media strategy—Adin Ross, the Nelk Boys, and Theo Von. The content Trump made with these creators in the run up to the election was viewed hundreds of millions of times, primarily by that key demographic of 18- to 30-year-old men. In Trump’s interview with comedian Theo Von, which has now been viewed by over 14 million people on YouTube alone, Trump tells him: “Your thing is going really great. My son’s a big fan of yours.” But Barron isn’t just a fan of alternative media stars like Theo Von—he’s a friend to some of them, too. 

Adin Ross is a 24-year-old American influencer and streamer, whose career highpoints include being the man who sniffed Andrew Tate’s chair after interviewing him, hosting a stream with white supremacist Nick Fuentes, and repeatedly being banned from streaming site Twitch for his use of “hateful slurs or symbols” and “hateful conduct.” In August of this year, Adin Ross and his team set up in the living room of Mar-a-Lago for a livestream with Trump, who began by passing on a “hi” from Barron. At the end of their interview, Trump told Ross: “Barron says, ‘Dad, he’s really big,’ he said, ‘He’s also a friend of mine.’” The pair then exited Mar-a-Lago, whereupon Adin Ross gifted Trump a Rolex and a custom wrapped Cybertruck featuring the image of the returning President raising his fist after being shot in the ear. This inadvertently sparked a debate over whether the gift constituted a campaign finance violation. The clips of Trump and Ross dancing in front of the car went viral. 

But Barron’s role in Trump’s media strategy goes beyond just introducing Trump to figures like Adin Ross. Barron and his best friend, fellow 18-year-old Bo Loudon, were tasked by the campaign with helping Trump reach a young male audience. Loudon is a pro-Trump influencer, and son of the conservative media personality Gina Loudon, former co-chair of Women for Trump. Bo and Barron reportedly set up the Adin Ross stream, and Bo has claimed he helped set up Trump’s interview with Joe Rogan, too. 

On the day of the election, figures from across the vast and frequently depressing multiverse that is the online ‘Bro right’ gave their ringing endorsements of Donald Trump, and implored their fans to go and vote for him. Upon the announcement of his victory, John Shahidi of the Nelk Boys tweeted: “Idc what anyone says, podcasts helped us win this election.” When the Wall Street Journal reported that ‘Younger Men Voted Decisively for Donald Trump,’ Shahidi reposted it alongside the message, “Shout-out to our entire team!”

A part of Trump’s message that particularly resonated with his young male audience, and the podcast hosts he made appearances with, was his seemingly favorable stance towards cryptocurrencies, and his puzzling claim that Bitcoin will be “made in the USA.” Earlier this year, in Austin, Texas, I interviewed an African-American man who told me he would vote Trump for the first time, almost entirely because of his stance towards crypto. 

Trump has hailed his son Barron for showing him the potential of crypto, claiming: “Barron knows so much about this… he knows it inside and out.” When the Trumps launched their own crypto venture World Liberty Financial (WLF) in September this year, a leaked document obtained by CoinDesk listed Barron as its “DeFi [decentralized finance] visionary.” But it appears WLF wasn’t Barron’s first involvement in a crypto project. 

Shortly after the Trump-inspired ‘DJT token’ launched in August 2024, its price began to spike when rumors emerged that Trump and his son Barron were behind the project—then the market crashed when a ‘whale’ sold roughly $2million worth of the token. A $150,000 bounty was put out online for whoever could identify the token’s creator, which set off a chain of events that led to the creator outing themselves. It was Martin Shkreli, the comic book villain known for his price gouging of essential medicines, and purchasing the only copy in existence of a rare Wu-Tang Clan album, which he then repeatedly threatened to destroy. There was, however, another twist: Shkreli claimed he was not alone in the project, and that he had indeed created the token with the help of Barron Trump. 

Given his track record—including serving a six-and-a-half-year stretch in federal prison for financial crimes—it’s not surprising that many did not believe Shkreli’s claim. But Shkreli was adamant. He claimed he had thousands of pieces of evidence that he created the token with Barron, and he shared one of them: a screenshot with the notorious influencer Andrew Tate. It appears Tate was one of the ‘celebrities’ contacted to promote DJT to his audience, in a bid to ‘pump’ the price of the token. The screenshot showed messages between Shkreli and Tate, in which the manosphere figurehead appeared to confirm Barron’s involvement. 

If Shkreli is telling the truth, then Barron Trump isn’t just ushering his father into a media sphere of which he is a fan, but one of which he is an active part. With direct links to figures like Andrew Tate and Adin Ross, Barron has the ability to rally support from them for his father like no child of a candidate before him. Tate has over 10 million (mostly young male followers) on X, and spent election day live-streaming and repeatedly tweeting, telling all his American followers to get out for Trump. His brother Tristan shared the same Wall Street Journal stat as Shahidi before him, claiming a part in the male shift towards Trump. 

“It’s men vs gays and chicks.” 

I’ve spent the last five years investigating Andrew Tate for a series of documentaries, including one for VICE, as well as a book. Tate and his team have been working towards this kind of election impact for a while. During production, we acquired a tranche of private messages sent between senior ‘War Room’ members, and for the past four years the election has been referred to as an impending “gender war,” where the modern markers of identity politics would fall away, and it would all become a case of men vs women. Young male voters across a wide range of economic and racial backgrounds did vote for Trump, including Hispanic men, who many had expected to turn against him. 

The rise of influencers like Tate and Ross aren’t just a symptom of young men shifting to the right, but an active factor that has exacerbated it. The ideology gap is widening between young men and women, not just in America, but all over the world. In the UK there is a 25-point gap between the views of young men and women; in Germany, this rises to 30. 

The factors that have led us here are wide-ranging, but in making a concerted effort to reach out to disaffected young men, Trump gained an edge in what is being described as one of the most consequential elections in US history. We saw a similar effect in the UK during the last election, as young men shared their support for Nigel Farage and his Reform Party. 

Many of the complaints coming from young men may appear to be misguided. Yet if politicians on the Left do not find a way to reach out to this group, and engage with it where it dwells online, opportunist populists like Trump and Farage most certainly will.

In this election, one of Trump’s strongest weapons appears to have been his gigantic, chronically online 18-year-old son, his best friend Bo, and the ‘Bros’ they swung for Trump.

Follow Jamie Tahsin on X.

Clown World, a book on Andrew Tate co-authored by Jamie Tahsin and Matt Shea, is available now through Quercus Books.

The post How Barron Trump and the ‘Bro Vote’ Helped Sway the US Election appeared first on VICE.

The problem? Judge Lewis Liman has ordered Giuliani to turn over the vehicle—along with many other possessions, NBC News reported. The items will go towards the $146 million Giuliani owes two election workers he defamed.

Per the outlet, Giuliani’s valuable car was once owned by Lauren Bacall. President-elect Donald Trump’s one-time lawyer was given one week to part ways with the vehicle—as well as cash accounts, jewelry, Yankees memorabilia, and other valuables—on Oct. 22.

However, Giuliani has yet to hand over assets to Ruby Freeman or Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, the defamed election workers’ lawyer, Aaron Nathan, told the outlet.

Nathan alleged Giuliani and his legal team “have refused or been unable to answer basic questions about the location of most of the property subject to the receivership.”

Nathan further claimed that Giuliani played coy about the location of the Mercedes and other items.

Ted Goodman, Giuliani’s spokesperson, claimed the car snafu was all one big misunderstanding.

“Our lawyers have requested documentation to transfer over the title of the vehicle, and haven’t heard back from opposing counsel,” Goodman claimed to the outlet.

In light of Giuliani’s public defiance of Liman’s orders—and his unwillingness to cough up his possessions—the outlet reported that the judge ordered the disgraced lawyer to appear in a New York City court on Nov. 7.

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An NBC News & MSNBC National Political Correspondent, Kornacki shot to fame when he systematically broke down election results. Through it all, he captured hearts by sporting his go-to khakis and using his trusty map.

This year, as the country gears up to find out if Kamala Harris or Donald Trump will win the presidency, Kornacki is preparing for his turn in the spotlight.

Put another way, one X user aptly joked, “NBC is currently thawing Steve Kornacki like Mariah Carey every winter.”

Once his thaw was complete, a social media user reminded people, “Don’t forget to leave milk and cookies out for Steve Kornacki tonight.”

One person suggested that NBC mark Kornacki’s entrance “with smoke and pyrotechnics like he’s a Super Bowl quarterback.”

People are even stating that Kornacki’s eagerly-anticipated appearance will be the main event of the night. One person tweeted, “Anyone have set times for tonight? When is Steve Kornacki? I’m gonna skip the openers.”

Kornacki did give a tip about when he’ll pop up on air.

“I want to tune out all the racket in the afternoon hours, and then come in when it gets real,” he told USA Today.

Throughout the evening, Kornacki will be working hard. As such, one person suggested that he be allowed to take a shot each time a state is declared. Another joked that Kornacki may need to take a smoke break when he’s off-camera.

If Kornacki works too hard during the sure-to-be stressful situation, one person worried that it could affect him physically.

Basically, people just want Kornacki to know how important he is to their election night.

“I hope Steve Kornacki is prepared for how much I’m going to depend on him as my personal emotional support human,” one person tweeted.

It’s safe to say, he is not.

“I take it in good spirit,” Kornacki told the outlet of the hoopla surrounding him, “but I’m a little self-conscious about [the] attention.”

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Per the New York Times, Hafner, a Democrat, was able to enter the race for Alaska’s sole congressional seat by mailing in a ballot from prison. The law allows candidates to run in states in which they don’t reside. They must, however, move to the area should they win, per the outlet.

Hafner, who’s serving time for threatening public officials and calling in false bomb threats, is using his prison mugshot as his official photo for the race.

“I’m a progressive. I’ll work with Bernie Sanders and AOC to implement a better America for working-class Americans,” Hafner told a local news outlet of his platform. “I support Medicare For All. I support free college. I support student loan debt relief.”

Hafner may also have less than altruistic reasons for running. The candidate believes that, should he win the election, he might be released from prison before his sentence expires on October 12, 2026.

“Ultimately, if I’m elected, I expect to be released immediately at that point,” he told NPR. “There’s a federal statute under compassionate release that says you could be released for extraordinarily compelling reasons. And, by golly, if I’m going to D.C. to represent the people of Alaska, I think that’s a very extraordinary and compelling reason.”

The Possible Political Ramifications of Eric Hafner’s Bid

Hafner was initially a nonentity in the race. That all changed after the primary election, though.

Alaskan law moves the top four primary finishers into the general election. While Hafner finished in sixth place in the primary, the candidates who came in fourth and fifth dropped out. That automatically put Hafner on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Most agree that Hafner is unlikely to win a seat in Congress. He could, however, lead to problems for his own party. The main contenders in the race are Mary Peltola, the incumbent Democrat, and Nick Begich, her Republican challenger.

Democrats are aiming to gain control of the House, something that can likely only be achieved if Peltola keeps her seat. The issue comes into play if Hafner detracts votes from Peltola.

With that in mind, Democrats tried to have Hafner taken off the ballot, NPR reported. They were unsuccessful in their efforts, as the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in Hafner’s favor, per the outlet.

“The chances of Eric Hafner having an impact on this election are legitimate and real,” Republican strategist Matt Shuckerow told the Times. “This is an extremely tight race and every vote will count.”

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Hensel, a software engineer who calls himself a “passionate data-driven problem solver,” opted to create an AI-version of Beyer instead. As Reuters reported, he didn’t get Beyer’s permission for his project. He plans to debate the AI-bot, nicknamed DonBot, on Oct. 17.

Using OpenAI, Hensel trained the AI chatbot by feeding it information from Beyer’s website and press releases. Hensel also used publicly available data about the congressman. It’s meant to produce accurate answers, Hensel told the outlet.

Hensel won’t be alone on the debate stage with a computer. Fellow independent candidate David Kennedy will also participate in the debate. Republican challenger Jerry Torres has not addressed the forthcoming event, the outlet reported. In the event that Torres doesn’t show, he’ll be represented via a yet-to-be-created JerryBot, Hensel told Reuters.

In a statement to the outlet, a spokesperson for Beyer hinted at the congressman’s feelings about the whole thing.

The spokesperson pointed to Beyer’s work “to improve artificial intelligence regulation, including legislation to prevent nefarious actors from utilizing AI to spread election misinformation.”

Nonetheless, lawyers told the outlet that Beyer likely has little legal recourse when it comes to stopping the AI chatbot-fueled debate.

Despite Hensel’s work to push the online debate ahead, the candidate told the outlet that he isn’t blind to Beyer’s significant lead in the polls. Instead, Hensel views his efforts as a way to ensure “greater transparency” in elections.

AI has been a hot topic as of late. The public is grappling with how to distinguish real articles, photos, and videos from artificially-generated ones. This is of particular concern given the upcoming election.

Worryingly, a study found in February that AI-generated propaganda is as effective as human-crafted media and “could blend into online information environments.”

The post Ghosted by Congressman, He Created an AI Chatbot of Him to Debate Instead appeared first on VICE.

Nearly 500 entries were whittled down to 9 finalists, which were whittled down to a single winner as voted on by the citizens of Michigan: A totally jacked werewolf ripping his shirt off and howling into the sky in front of an American flag with the words “I Voted” on top. Hell yeah.

The werewolf Hulk Hogan-ing his shirt was designed by 12-year-old Jane Hynous from Gross Pointe Farms, a city of around 10,000 in the northeastern portion of Metro Detroit. Jane doodled out of boredom while watching the movie National Treasure in her social studies class. I haven’t been in school for many years, but it’s nice to see that some things never change. Kids are still watching movies in class that have only the vaguest association with that class’s field of study.

Jane’s ripped werewolf may have won, but I have to shout out some of the other finalists. Like the illustration of a bass with the words “I voted” written in its pattern across its body. Or the one with the deer wearing a hat featuring the state of Michigan that’s also wearing those wraparound Macho Man Randy Savage sunglasses that are popular right now. Or the one that simply says, “I voted yay,” in the kind of text that was clearly written using an index finger on a phone screen. Jane’s design will be handed out to voters this coming November.

The post Michigan’s “I Voted” Sticker Will Be a Jacked Werewolf Hulk Hogan-Ing His Shirt Apart appeared first on VICE.