TRUMP TRANSFORMS WHITE HOUSE INTO A TACKY CASINO?
WASHINGTON, U.S.A - With Donald Trump, the billionaire businessman in attendance, President Barack Obama used the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner to mock the reality TV star's presidential ambitions. The president said Trump has shown the acumen of a future president, from firing Gary Busey on a recent episode of Celebrity Apprentice to focusing so much time on conspiracy theories about Obama's birthplace.
Obama exacted his revenge on after weeks of attacks from his would-be Republican challenger Donald Trump, joking that the billionaire could bring change to the White House, transforming it from a stately mansion into a tacky casino with a whirlpool in the garden.- After a week when Obama released his long-form Hawaii birth certificate, he said Trump could now focus on the serious issues, from whether the moon landing actually happened to "where are Biggie and Tupac?"
For Trump's decision to fire actor Busey(photo left) instead of rock singer Meat Loaf from his TV show earlier this month, Obama quipped: "These are the types of decisions that would keep me up at night. Well handled, sir."And then, as a coup de grace, Obama showed a screen with his vision of how Trump could bring change to the White House. ‘Trump' was prominently displayed in glittery letters and girls could be seen with cocktails on a Jacuzzi-augmented front lawn.
Obama's presentation started after the wrestler Hulk Hogan's patriotic anthem, Real American, played. Images of Americana from Mount Rushmore to Uncle Sam were shown on the screen, alongside his birth certificate. And then he offered to show his live birth video, which turned out to be a clip from the Disney film The Lion King.
Trump chuckled at some of the earlier jokes, but was clearly less amused as comedian Seth Meyers picked up where Obama left off."Donald Trump often talks about running as a Republican, which is surprising," said the Saturday Night Live actor, entrusted with providing some of the comedy for the evening. "I just assumed he was running as a joke." Trump stared icily at Meyers as he continued to criticise the real estate tycoon.
CHANGE COMING TO U.S WHITE HOUSE?
WASHINGTON – Retooling for a re-election run, President Barack Obama is shaking up his senior leadership team to deal with the new realities of his term: The era of big legislation is over, a massive campaign effort needs energy and people, and the White House is taking a toll on those who run it.Obama's press secretary, Robert Gibbs, is likely to leave that job, and his interim chief of staff, Pete Rouse, may go, too. Those departures would significantly alter the management of the White House and the way it explains itself to the world.
In the coming days and weeks, Obama is also expected to have a new chief economic adviser, a new senior political counselor, and two new deputy chiefs of staff.- Collectively, the moves reflect that change is coming to the White House in ways that will alter the dynamic of the place — and, in turn, will influence the agenda affecting the nation.
- The vice president's office is in for its own new leadership, with its chief of staff, Ron Klain, leaving to run an investment company.
- People outside of Washington politics may not recognize the names of the players. How Obama is rebooting his operation is the broader story, and the aides guiding him are a central part of it.
The White House goal is to become more efficient and less insular, to realign itself for divided government, to find fresh voices and to get Obama re-elected. A major emphasis will be to ensure that the campaign works in tandem with the White House, with Obama loyalists spread across the parallel operations or helping from outside both of them.
VISITORS GEOFLAGS SINCE AUGUST 26, 2009
