Trump news live: Ex-President warns of World War 3 after deaths of US soldiers in Jordan

The former South Carolina governor was also getting in plenty of digs as she spoke in Conway in her home state yesterday, calling him a coward for refusing to debate her.

She also dealt pretty well with a pro-Trump heckler, accusing him of being a plant interested only in “disruption”, just like his false idol.

Speaking in South Carolina yesterday, the president hit out at his probable election opponent over the disrespect he has shown to America’s war dead in the past.

The Republican’s notorious “suckers and losers” remark and his insults to the late John McCain over his imprisonment during the Vietnam War (a conflict that Trump himself was dubiously exempted from thanks to “bone spurs”) certainly stand in stark contrast to his thoughts on Truth Social last night, to put it mildly.

Here’s a little more of Biden on the front foot on Sunday.

So where are we at with Donald Trump’s legal trials as we start a bright new week in what is somehow STILL late January?

Well, following Friday’s bombshell defamation award to E Jean Carroll, a federal civil trial is due to start in Manhattan today in which three people accuse Trump and his company of fraudulently promoting a multilevel marketing scheme prior to his time as president.

Then, on Wednesday, Judge Arthur Engoron is set to give his ruling on New York attorney general Letitia James’s $370m civil fraud lawsuit against the Trump Organization, which, she alleges, inflated the value of its assets in order to obtain favourable loans and insurance terms.

Here’s a timely analysis of how that latter case compares to other Big Apple fraud trials.

Also on social media overnight, Trump has petulantly hit at the United Autoworkers Union (UAW) after it endorsed Biden last week, accusing its president of selling the American car industry into the “hands of China”.

He seems to have been particularly offended by Shawn Fain’s comments on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday morning, when he said the following to host Margaret Brennan:

Here’s more on the powerful union’s decision to support the incumbent.

Donald Trump has used the deaths of three American soldiers in a drone attack on their base in Jordan to attack Joe Biden’s presidency, warning the assault by Iran-backed militia leaves the planet “on the brink of World War 3”.

Taking to Truth Social on Sunday evening, the Republican presidential contender wrote: “Three years ago, Iran was weak, broke, and totally under control. Thanks to my Maximum Pressure policy, the Iranian Regime could barely scrape two dollars together to fund their terrorist proxies.

“Then Joe Biden came in and gave Iran billions of dollars, which the Regime has used to spread bloodshed and carnage throughout the Middle East. This attack would NEVER have happened if I was President, not even a chance.

“Just like the Iranian-backed Hamas attack on Israel would never have happened, the War in Ukraine would never have happened, and we would right now have Peace throughout the World. Instead, we are on the brink of World War 3.”

Trump has predicted the advent of a Third World World several times since leaving office in January 2021 and has repeatedly claimed that the wars in Ukraine and Gaza would not have taken place if he had still been in power but this example feels particularly cynical and exploitative.

Here’s Bevan Hurley and Maroosha Muzaffar with more on the deadly attack in Jordan.

Donald Trump took credit for scuppering a bipartisan border security deal at a political rally in Las Vegas on Saturday.

“As the leader of our party, there is zero chance I will support this horrible open borders betrayal of America,” Mr Trump told a crowd days out from the state’s presidential caucus on 8 February.

“I’ll fight it all the way. A lot of the senators are trying to say, respectfully, they’re blaming it on me. I say, that’s okay. Please blame it on me. Please.”

Mr Trump also praised Speaker Mike Johnson, who has said the Senate bill would be “dead on arrival” in the House.

Ms Carroll said she would not “waste a cent” of the eyewatering sum, and would take her time to work out how best to spend it once the appeals process had concluded.

She told the Times that she would finally be able to afford luxury pet food for her two dogs, a pit bull and a Great Pyrenees.

Mr Trump has avoided mentioning Ms Carroll’s name since the verdict was reached on Friday, instead claiming the legal system was “out of control”.

Ms Carroll told the Times she had no clue whether the eight-figure damages payout would deter him from attacking her in the future.

She added that her victory was for women everywhere.

“This win, more than any other thing, when we needed it the most — after we lost the rights over our own bodies in many states — we put out our flag in the ground on this one. Women won this one. I think it bodes well for the future,” she told the news site.

“Trump is a billionaire, so obviously, he immediately hit up your grandma for five bucks,” Jost said in reference to the news, adding that the fine had been so steep as “that’s how unlikeable he is”.

Snoop Dogg has explained why he has “nothing but love and respect” for Donald Trump in a surprising U-turn.

The rapper praised the former president in an interview with The Times of London for pardoning Michael Harris, the co-founder of Snoop’s first label Death Row who was in prison for drug offences.

“So I have nothing but love and respect for Donald Trump,” he said.

Senior Trump adviser Chris LaCivita poured cold water on reports that they had approached Robert F Kennedy Jr to be on the ticket in a post on X on Saturday night.

“This is 100% FAKE NEWS – NO ONE from the Trump Campaign ever approached RFK jr (or ever will) – one of the most LIBERAL and radical environmentalists in the country,” Mr LaCivita wrote.