Politics

Charlamagne tha God swipes at Trump after president’s criticism

Published

11 months ago

August 4, 2025

Radio host Charlamagne tha God fired back at President Donald Trump, accusing the president of pushing authoritarian tactics after Trump called the radio host a “dope” in a recent social media post.

On Monday’s episode of his radio show “The Breakfast Club,” Charlamagne said Trump also failed to deliver on key campaign promises and used his show to dissect the president’s Truth Social post point by point.

“Listen, my fellow Americans, we are in a strange time right now, a time we have never seen because authoritarian strategy is being used against anyone who speaks out against this administration,” Charlamagne, whose given name is Lenard McKelvey, said.

Charlamagne drew the ire of Trump after he joined Fox News’ “My View with Lara Trump,” the president’s daughter-in-law. Charlamagne said under the new administration “the least of us are still being impacted the worst.” He also said the ongoing controversy around the release of information regarding the death of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein is driving a wedge between the GOP and its supporters.

Soon after, the president responded by calling Charlamagne a “racist sleazebag,” a criticism Charlamagne defended against on Monday.

“He called me a racist. I didn’t mention race, not one time on Lara Trump. I didn’t bring up the fact that President Trump issued an executive order directing oversight of institutions like the Smithsonian to remove or suppress narratives about systemic racism and Black history,” Charlamagne said, referring to an executive order earlier this year demanding the Smithsonian remove exhibits that divided Americans “based on race.”

Charlamagne added that he was “just talking to your base” and letting voters know Trump hasn’t kept the promises he made on the campaign trail.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Charlamagne also accused Trump of making the economy “worse” before criticizing the president’s decision to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner, Erika McEntarfer, after the latest monthly jobs report came in well under expectations.

“It’s actually hilarious to see you upset about the high unemployment rates when you let Elon Musk take a chainsaw to the federal government and fire a bunch of government workers earlier this year. You did that, President Trump, and now you’re doing exactly what the Biden administration did, trying to convince America the economy is all good when it’s not,” he said.

Still, Charlamagne said that he is actually “rooting” for Trump.

“President Trump, don’t worry about Lenard, okay, don’t worry about Charlamagne tha God. I know something I said hit a nerve and rattled you a little bit, but I don’t want you rattled,” Charlamagne said. “I want you to end wars, okay? I want you to keep the border secure. I want you to have the economy booming, okay? I want all these things to be true. I am an American. I don’t care who’s in the White House. I want America to succeed. But I need you focused, and right now you’re not focused.”

Politics

Spot the Pol!

Published

4 minutes ago

June 25, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

This host-city mayor visited a “fan festival” in her city’s Fairmount Park, where a combined 250,000 attendees have gathered thus far to watch matches.

That’s Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker inaugurating the Lemon Hill festival site early in the tournament. The city is hosting Curaçao and Côte d’Ivoire at Lincoln Financial Field today.

Politics

The newest GOP campaign surrogates: Confused tourists at Waffle House

Published

49 minutes ago

June 25, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

If you’ve spent any time on social media recently, you’ve run across the deluge of videos from World Cup tourists celebrating the wonders of the United States. The top Republican in Congress is taking these visual love letters as a validation of his party’s agenda.

“Thanks to social media, we’re seeing a lot of these; this has been encouraging to see the visitors appreciate what we have,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday. “Dutch travelers are in Buc-ees; German players took a midnight trip to the Waffle House. They’re the greatest thing you’ve ever seen. English fans are roaming the Everglades. Japanese tourists marveling over free chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant in Texas.”

Johnson did not really contend with an undercurrent of these videos — that visitors were expecting something far different, and far less alluring, in their American travels — as he cited them in his election-season messaging about “the socialist takeover of the Democrat Party.”

“What a split screen we’re seeing right now. We’re triumphantly hosting the World Cup games all around the country, and we’re seeing people from different countries come and get a little taste of America, a little taste of freedom, of our culture and our society. And they appreciate it so much more than these socialists running for Congress,” he continued. “Sadly, many of these Democrat candidates and their voters just don’t have the same zeal and affection for America.”

Although few of these latter-day de Tocquevilles cite politics as they marvel at America’s bounty — including Freddy, the footloose German fan who has been invited to the White House — Johnson cited their enthusiasm as endorsement of his policy agenda.

“They’re seeing for themselves the genius of America’s system,” the speaker said. “A system that rewards risk takers and entrepreneurs and job creators and innovators, and people who create jobs for others and expand the economy and opportunity and broaden the pathway out of poverty for more people. That’s what the Republicans stand for.”

Politics

For South Korean men, there’s only one uniform that matters

Published

2 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

SEOUL — Few subjects can provoke stronger reactions in South Korea than the issue of mandatory military service. So when two Korean reporters were caught on camera last week making demeaning comments about team captain Son Heung-min’s lack of service, it touched a national nerve.

“Is he running around like a platoon leader because he’s the captain?” they mocked, pointing out that he knew nothing about warfare because of a service waiver granted after he led the national team to an Asian Games gold medal in 2018.

Son is no ordinary athlete, despite controversially starting last night’s match against South Africa from the bench. He is a global soccer superstar, often described as Asia’s greatest-ever player. The perception of him as a trustworthy and well-respected national figure can be seen in his endorsements, including as a brand ambassador for Hana Bank.

And so the backlash against the reporters was swift: The disparagement of the beloved athlete was widely criticized, and South Korea’s national team is now boycotting Korean media interviews. That news alone has made headlines in the country, since the national team has effectively cut off access to domestic reporters as they compete in the biggest sporting event on the planet, limiting their interactions to FIFA-required media appearances. It’s a reminder of how sensitive the military service issue remains, even when the underlying rules have long been settled.

At least 18 months of military service is required for every able-bodied man in South Korea. For many, the mandatory sacrifice inevitably creates frustration toward those who are exempted from it — including elite athletes and entertainers, Koreans with foreign citizenship and disabled citizens.

Nearly two decades ago, those exemptions exploded into the spotlight when the 2002 South Korean squad became the nation’s first and only World Cup team to receive military exemptions for its tournament performance, after its historic fourth-place finish. The backlash was overwhelming in subsequent years — Koreans saw the growing range of sports exemptions as unfair, and as a result, the government dropped World Cup-related exemptions in 2008. Despite the policy change, however, the bitterness surrounding military exemption still haunts the sport.

Today, athletes can still qualify for alternative service through achievements such as winning an Olympic medal or a gold medal at the Asian Games. It’s why Son’s military exemption, which replaces full active-duty service with three weeks of basic military training and alternative services, shouldn’t — in theory — be controversial.

But because nearly all able-bodied men are required by law to serve, questions surrounding who receives special treatment continue to generate intense public scrutiny. Even around the time Son received his exemption in 2018, an online survey showed that 74 percent of participating voters thought that military exemptions should be abolished for athletic and artistic achievements.