On July 22, 2016—days before the Democratic National Convention—WikiLeaks published emails hacked from the DNC, prompting DNC Chair Debbie slot mahjong Wasserman Schultz to resign. The FBI began investigating the hacks, and in September, Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Adam Schiff of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees issued a joint statement stating Russian intelligence agencies were behind the election interference. Their faith was echoed by the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of National Intelligence on Election Security.
In January 2017, The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a report concluding that Russia interfered with the 2016 election. The report found that the Russians did not directly tamper with polls, but instead disseminated pro-Trump messages across the Internet and hacked the DNC. Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey and insisted via Twitter that there was no collusion between his team and the hackers.
Former FBI director Robert Mueller was appointed as special counsel to investigate possible collusion between Russia and Trump’s campaign. The Mueller Report found that Russia “interfered in the 2016 presidential election in a sweeping and systematic fashion” and “violated U.S. criminal law.” It ultimately failed to find a link spaceman slot between the Trump administration and the interference, concluding: “the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”
Entertainment Career
In 2004, Trump started hosting a reality TV show, “The Apprentice,” in which contestants vied for a management job at one of his companies. The show featured Trump’s catchphrase “You’re fired” and drew big ratings. The business mogul eventually raked in $1 million per episode and became a household name. He hosted 14 combined seasons of “The Apprentice” and a spinoff show, “The Celebrity Apprentice.”
In addition to starring on “The Apprentice” and making cameo appearances in other TV shows and movies, Trump owned several beauty pageants from 1996 to 2015, including Miss Universe and Miss USA. In 1999, he founded a modeling agency.
2016 Presidential Campaign
Before winning the U.S. presidency, Trump never held any elected slot bet 100 perak or appointed government office. He had considered a presidential bid on at least several earlier occasions prior to the 2016 race but ultimately opted not to run.
In June 2015, the real estate developer announced his presidential candidacy in a speech at Trump Tower. He ran his campaign on a populist pledge to “Make America Great Again,” and spoke out against political correctness, illegal immigration and government lobbyists, while promising to cut taxes, renegotiate trade deals and create millions of jobs for American workers. In May 2016, he cinched the Republican nomination, beating out a field of 16 other candidates.
In the general election, Trump ran against Democrat Hillary Clinton, the first female presidential candidate from a major political party. The race was divisive, in part due to a number of inflammatory remarks and tweets made by Trump. While some members of the Republican establishment distanced themselves from the candidate, Trump’s supporters admired his outspokenness and business success. Among his campaign promises was a pledge to build a fortified border wall with Mexico.
As the election neared, almost all national polls predicted a victory for the Democratic nominee. However, in what was viewed by many as a stunning upset, Trump and his vice-presidential running mate, Governor Mike Pence of Indiana, defeated Clinton and her running mate, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia. Trump won reliably red states as well as important swing states including Florida and Ohio and racked up 306 electoral votes to his rival’s 232 votes. Clinton won the popular vote.
