Celebs Now

President Joe Biden has extended an invitation to President-elect Donald Trump for a meeting at the White House. The meeting aims to discuss the transition of power, marking the start of preparations for Trump’s second term. Biden made the call to congratulate Trump and staff are coordinating the specifics of the meeting. This follows the election outcome where Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump has also spoken with other international leaders, including Jordan’s King Abdullah, congratulating him on his win.US President Joe Biden will meet with President-elect Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday as the transition from a Democratic administration to a Republican one gets underway in earnest.

Trump scored a thumping victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in last week’s election – a contest that also handed Republicans control of the US Senate and very likely the House of Representatives as well – where a few outstanding races remain too close to call but where the GOP has a clear advantage.

Biden and Trump expected to meet: Sherwin Bryce-Pease
With the White House and Senate secured, Republicans are currently 4 seats short of the House majority with 18 races yet to be called – but securing both legislative chambers and the Presidency would be seen as a massive repudiation of Democrats in this cycle.

Republican Strategist Jason Cabel says, “The state of the economy has been the albatross around Joe Biden’s and Kamala Harris’s neck. She never in any way separated herself from Joe Bidenon any significant policy. But the one, you know, that mattered the most was inflation and the economy to American voters. You know, I think Harris and Democrats around the country spend about 80% of their time talking about abortion rights. And, you know that was a driving and polarizing issue that impacted a lot of voters. But when you step back at the end of the day, far less than 1% of American voters are ever going to have to deal with abortion directly or indirectly. All voters have to deal with inflation, gas prices, home energy prices, and less take-home pay.

Joe Biden to meet Donald Trump

Transfer of power

And with the election integrity narrative quickly fading into the background after Republicans secured major wins across the board, the focus is now on the peaceful transfer of power with a key meeting at the White House this week – President Biden responding to this question over the weekend.

As Democrats now grapple with why they came up short, including President Biden’s decision to seek a second term despite his age… eventually quitting the race in July but leaving little time to have an open primary to select a replacement; the current administration’s failure to stop the war in Gaza which hurt them among Arab American voters in key swing states like Michigan; a border and immigration crisis that became a central them of Republican messaging and then fundamentally, an inflationary cost of living crisis that incumbency – and Harris close ties to it – was simply unable to overcome.

Experts and analysts pour over the data to theorize Harris’ overwhelming loss.

Emory University Professor Andra Gillespie says, “Harris had a gargantuan task to come in, fill in for the designated Democratic nominee, and try to win in about 100 days. She came really close and I think it should be noted that you know, it’s a large task, it’s a huge task, to put together a national campaign in that short a period of time. She was an unknown quantity compared to Donald Trump. And so people didn’t necessarily know how she was going to govern. But what they did know was that she was attached to an unpopular administration that had a low approval rating. And people have nostalgic memories of the Trump administration, especially with respect to the economy before COVID. And considering how important that was as an issue in this election cycle, there were a lot of voters who thought that Trump was going to do better on the economy.”

While other factors including sex and race likely to also have fundamentally impacted the outcome.

“People who are aligned with Donald Trump are going to point to the fact that Donald Trump increased his vote share, particularly among Asian-American and Hispanic groups, as evidence of well, I mean, you know, this isn’t necessarily about race. People of colour didn’t vote for Kamala Harris at the same rate that they voted for other people. I think that’s a very simplistic answer. And I think we’re going to have to wait to see a factor in how things like racial resentment and perceptions of sexism are going to sort of correlate with a person’s likelihood of voting for Trump or Harris in this election.”

With his election win, reports emerging that the Special Counsel will shut down the DOJ criminal cases against Trump before he takes office next year while a Manhattan judge will rule this week whether Trump’s May hush-money fraud conviction would stand or be dismissed on presidential immunity grounds.

Source: SABC

In other news – Pearl Thusi set to face the flames

The much-anticipated Roast of Pearl Thusi is set to take place this November, promising a night filled with humor, celebrity appearances, and sharp jabs aimed at the multifaceted South African star. Known for her acting, presenting, and strong on-screen presence, Thusi will be the center of attention as comedians and industry figures take turns delivering playful insults and witty commentary.

This event follows a series of successful celebrity roasts and is expected to showcase both Thusi’s charisma and the comedic talent of her roasters, making it an unforgettable evening. Veteran South African actress Pearl Thusi is set to be the subject of a Comedy Central roast this November. Read more