Elon Musk joined Trump’s call with Zelenskyy: Sources
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(WASHINGTON) — Billionaire Elon Musk joined President-elect Donald Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the call told ABC News.
Musk was at Mar-a-Lago with Trump on election night as well as the day after, as previously reported by ABC News. Musk’s involvement in the call further highlights his influence in the upcoming administration.
Musk, the world’s richest person, had a profound impact on Trump’s campaign including a multi-billion dollar door-knocking operation, a social media megaphone and a $1 million sweepstakes for battleground voters.
Zelenskyy wrote on social media that he had an “excellent” call with Trump, but made no mention of Musk.
“I had an excellent call with President Trump and congratulated him on his historic landslide victory — his tremendous campaign made this result possible,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
The call happened as Zelenskyy seeks to shore up long-term American military and financial support in its war with Russia.
On the campaign trail, Trump has often boasted that he would be able to stop the war in Ukraine, though he has yet to provide specifics as to how, often showing a willingness to work with both sides.
As of now, Musk is expected to return to Mar-a-Lago next week, but plans remain in flux, per sources familiar with the plans.
(WASHINGTON) — Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said Sunday that the Biden administration is doing “everything we can to try to prevent this from becoming an all-out war there with Hezbollah across that Lebanese border.”
Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah traded fire earlier Sunday morning, with an Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson saying that Hezbollah launched 150 rockets toward Israel, reaching deeper into the country than many previous strikes. In response, the IDF said it was striking “Hezbollah terrorist targets” in Lebanon. The IDF struck 400 targets on Saturday and said that the attacks will only intensify.
The fresh strikes come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledges to “take whatever action is necessary to restore security and to bring our people safe back to their homes” near the Lebanese border in the north of the country.
Asked by ABC “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos if escalation in the region is inevitable, Kirby said the White House believes a “diplomatic solution” is still possible.
“We believe that there are better ways to try to get those Israeli citizens back in their homes up in the north, and to keep those that are there, there safely, than a war, than an escalation, then opening up a second front there at that border with Lebanon against Hezbollah,” Kirby said.
But Stephanopoulos pushed back, noting it seems like Netanyahu is not listening to the United States’s consistent pleas for de-escalation.
“Look, the prime minister can speak for himself and what — and what — what policy he’s trying to pursue, what operations he’s trying to conduct. We’ll, of course, recognize that the tensions are much higher now than they were even just a few days ago. … But all that does, George, is underscore for us how important it is to try to find a diplomatic solution,” he said.
Hezbollah called the Sunday assault an “initial response” to attacks from Israel earlier this week. In Lebanon and Syria, thousands of people were injured Tuesday by exploding pagers used by Hezbollah members as part of an Israeli operation. Another round of attacks targeting two-way radios used by the group followed on Wednesday. The two attacks killed at least 39 people and injured more than 3,000, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Kirby reiterated that the U.S. was “not involved” in these attacks, but refused to say much more than that, saying he would not “get into the details.”
“I will just say, though, George, that we are watching all of these escalating tensions that have been occurring over the last week or so with great concern, and we want to make sure that we can continue to do everything we can to try to prevent this from becoming an all-out war there with Hezbollah across that Lebanese border,” he said.
A panel of United Nations specialists in international law and human rights has condemned Israel’s use of the exploding devices as illegal “booby traps” with the potential of harming civilians.
Israel had a hand in the manufacturing of the devices with this type of “supply chain interdiction” operation having been planned for at least 15 years, a U.S. intelligence source confirmed to ABC News.
In response to a question about the security of U.S. supply chains, Kirby said that President Joe Biden “has made it clear that he wants the American supply chain to be as resilient and as vibrant as possible.”
The attacks, including Israel’s Friday strike on a Beirut suburb that took out a top Hezbollah commander, signal a new stage of escalation in the Middle East and raise fears of that they will increase the likelihood of an expanded conflict in the region.
How these recent attacks impact the efforts to achieve a cease-fire between Israeli and terrorist organization Hamas in Gaza remains an open question.
Kirby conceded to Stephanopoulos that, “We are not achieving any progress here in the last week to two weeks,” and said that Hamas’ leader, Yahya Sinwar, doesn’t appear to be negotiating in good faith.
“But it doesn’t mean that we’re not trying,” he added.
Kirby’s response follows a report from The Wall Street Journal that U.S. officials believe an Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal is unlikely before the end of Biden’s term. When asked Friday about the likelihood of a deal, Biden replied, “A lot of things don’t look realistic until we get them done.”
Stephanopoulos also asked Kirby about alleged election meddling efforts by Iran that U.S. security agencies warned about last week. Kirby said there is “a very robust interagency effort all across the government to deter and to defeat foreign malign actors.
“The American people ought to know that the federal government is working hand in glove with their local and state officials to ensure the safety and security of their ballots and their election day activities,” Kirby said.
(WASHINGTON) — Young voters overwhelmingly support Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House, according to new polling out Tuesday from the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School.
In fact, Harris now has a resounding lead with adults under 30, dominating former President Donald Trump by 17 points, 46% to 29%, per the poll, in a five-way matchup that includes some third-party candidates. That gap widens among registered voters, and the gulf is largest among likely voters — Harris leading among likely voters under 30 years old with 61% to Trump’s 30%, the poll found.
Each candidate still may have room to grow support among this demographic, however: in that matchup, 18% of adults under 30 said they don’t know yet who they’ll vote for.
In a head-to-head matchup, Harris has the support of 54% of adults under 30, while Trump has the support of 33%. Around one-in-10 said they don’t know yet.
“In just a few weeks, Vice President Harris has drummed up a wave of enthusiasm among young voters,” Harvard Public Opinion Project chair Anil Cacodcar said in a statement. “Harris is enjoying a perfect storm of personal appeal, policy support, and positive reach on social media.”
Harris’ gains come as her campaign and many top surrogates have worked to reach the country’s youngest voters, in part by joining TikTok, and engaged in non-traditional interviews, including participating in WIRED magazine’s popular interview video series.
Her campaign account “Kamala HQ” has amassed a serious following online, with over 4.5 million TikTok followers. Her personal account boasts more than five million followers as well.
Trump and his campaign have also attempted to reach younger voters. The former president’s personal TikTok account reaches 11.4 million followers — and he’s been a guest on several high-profile influencer podcasts, in part to pitch himself to young men.
Harvard’s polling data also indicated signs of a gender gap in Harris’ support. Although a majority of adult men and women under 30 still support Harris, women support the vice president by much higher margins.
Among male likely voters, Harris has 53% support while Trump has 36%; among female likely voters, Harris has 70% support while Trump has 23%, according to the Harvard IOP poll.
The groundswell of under-30 support follows a summer of Harris-friendly memes and internet phenomena, alongside a number of high-profile celebrity endorsements, the preeminent blessing from pop mega-star Taylor Swift, who backed the Harris-Walz ticket hours after the ABC News presidential debate.
The Harvard IOP poll also asked younger voters about who they trust more on a host of issues.
Among the full sample of adults ages 18-29 polled, Trump leads, albeit within the margin of error, by 1 percentage point on the economy and by a few on immigration, national security and defense, and the Israel-Hamas war. Harris leads with a more than 30-point margin on climate change and abortion, with a smaller lead on some other issues.
The poll was conducted by the Harvard IOP and Ipsos from Sept. 4-16, in the field both before and after the ABC News presidential debate on Sept. 10. The poll’s margin of error is +/- 2.65% for the full sample of U.S. residents ages 18-29; the likely voter margin of error is +/- 3.63%; and for registered voters the margin of error is +/- 3.08%.
(WASHINGTON) — Billionaire businessman Mark Cuban, who has thrown his weight behind Vice President Kamala Harris, told ABC News on Tuesday that he tried to set up a private meeting between Elon Musk and Harris, but her team declined.
Cuban said the campaign passed because “they didn’t think Elon Musk could keep the conversation private.”
“The things he says about Kamala are so far off I thought it would be beneficial for them to talk,” Cuban said of Musk.
If Harris wins the race, Cuban said he’d still try to set up a conversation between Harris and Musk, given that he’s one of the “best entrepreneurs.” The move is “not political — it’s common sense,” Cuban added.
Cuban also said that Musk’s pledge to give away $1 million a day to voters for signing his political action committee’s petition is a move out of “desperation” that could “backfire.”
With two weeks until Election Day, Cuban told CNBC that the Harris campaign’s biggest challenge is that “they’re not great salespeople.”
Cuban elaborated, saying being a salesperson is not Harris’ strength.
“Harris is just not a good salesperson — she’s strong on policy, integrity, ethics, understanding, self-awareness, open-mindedness,” said Cuban, a star of the ABC reality TV show “Shark Tank” and the former majority owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. “She’s great on politics for business and policies across the board. That’s where her strengths lie. Not everyone is a great salesperson.”
“Trump is the opposite. He will say things that are not remotely true,” Cuban said, adding that Trump will repeat falsehoods to make the sell.
Cuban said he has talked to Harris’ team about her improving as a salesperson, but said that in the sprint to the finish, “you’re not going to send her to a sales class at this point.”
“If I’m voting for someone who is ethical and honest — I’ll take the person who is not a great salesperson,” Cuban said, adding that surrogates like himself can help make the sell on the trail and that the candidate themself doesn’t have to be the best salesperson.
As Election Day rapidly approaches, Cuban and other surrogates are talking to voters about the value their candidate brings and their vision for the country in what’s expected to be a close contest. Earlier this month, Cuban embarked on a multi-day speaking tour through battleground Pennsylvania touting the Harris-Walz ticket.
Cuban said he spoke to Harris recently, remarking that her schedule is “worse than a professional sports team” so he wanted to see how she’s doing.
“I asked her how she is. She’s doing well. She’s holding up. She’s a workout machine. Harris is a workout machine,” Cuban said, referring to her exercise routine. “Whereas Donald Trump can’t see his toes.”
Cuban said that Harris’ economic plan is an improvement over Trump’s, which he said would raise costs for businesses and consumers.
“The second largest line item for every business is healthcare, it’s benefits, and she is looking to cut down those costs. Donald Trump has concepts of a plan,” Cuban said, referencing Trump’s response during the ABC News presidential debate when asked about his health care plan.
“He said he’s going to do across the board tariffs. That could be 60% of everything. Almost everything you buy for Christmas is made at some point from China. If that happens this time next year, then every household is going to have to cut back on what they buy for Christmas,” Cuban added.
Despite the polls tightening, Cuban insists that the momentum is still on Harris’ side.
On July 23, Harris’ favorability rating was 51.6% “unfavorable” and 38.6% “favorable,” according to 538’s favorability averages. At the moment, 47.2% see her as unfavorable and 46.6% as favorable.
Cuban said 13 weeks ago, Harris’ “favorables were negative,” but things have improved now.
“She was behind what Joe Biden was pulling at the time. And in those 13 weeks at worst she’s caught up and at best she’s ahead. Do you realize how incredible that is? Versus someone who is a former president and ran last cycle and has been campaigning almost the entire time since.”
