Politics

3:38 PM PT -- Omarosa tells TMZ ... "This verdict delivers a powerful blow to DJT, who believes that he is above the law! Donald has been Trumped by a jury of his peers."

Michael Cohen, meanwhile, tells us ... "Today is an important day for accountability and the rule of law. While it has been a difficult journey for me and my family, the truth always matters."

2:24 PM PT -- Donald Trump just addressed the media after leaving court -- and as expected, he called the verdict rigged ... continuing to insist he hadn't done anything wrong whatsoever.

Donald Trump and his people wasted no time, trying to turn his hush money problems into campaign money.

Trump clearly had a feeling he'd be found guilty in his hush money trial, because he had a memo ready to blast out, claiming he was a "political prisoner" ... calling the case "RIGGED" and a witch hunt.

He then went in for the kill ... "YOUR SUPPORT IS THE ONLY THING STANDING BETWEEN US AND TOTAL TYRANNY! .. So I need 10 MILLION TRUE MAGA PATRIOTS to chip in and proudly shout: I STAND WITH TRUMP!:"

A mayoral candidate in Mexico was assassinated at point-blank range -- and the murderous act was caught on camera ... with the killer himself being gunned down too.

Be warned, this video is extremely graphic -- Alfredo Cabrera is seen smiling and greeting supporters in the middle of his final campaign rally stop in Coyuca de Benitez, Guerrero, Wednesday ... just moments before he's brutally shot, which was being filmed.

The perpetrator isn't fully visible in the clip ... but you can see a gun in their hand, boldly pointed at the back of Cabrera's head just as he's about to address 300 supporters -- and then they fire.

Sarah Palin went running to court this week to get a legal forcefield around her to keep a guy away, who actually has a history of stalking ... tied to none other than her own daughter.

The former Alaskan governor -- and one-time presidential VP candidate -- got a temporary restraining order Wednesday in Palmer, Alaska ... where she told the judge she needed protection against somebody named Peter Paul Ferrero. There's a hearing on this matter scheduled for next month.

It's troubling news for one major reason -- namely, Ferrero has previously been charged and convicted of stalking over an encounter with Bristol Palin 10 years ago ... when she alleged he showed up at her house in Wasilla -- and wouldn't scram when she told him to.

8:22 AM PT -- A rep for the Trump campaign tells TMZ ... "This is a completely fabricated and bull*** story that was already peddled in 2016."

They add, "Nobody took it seriously then, and they won’t now, because it’s fake news. Now that Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrats are losing the election, they are bringing up old fake stories from the past because they are desperate."

Rumblings about Donald Trump allegedly saying the n-word have circulated for years -- but now, an ex-producer on "The Apprentice" is definitively claiming ... yeah, he said it.

Jason and Kylie Kelce are not only welcome in Margate, NJ ... but they've also been invited to have a free meal on the mayor's dime -- this after an out-of-control fan threatened the couple wouldn't be allowed inside town limits after turning down a photo request!

Mayor Michael Collins hit up X on Wednesday to address the controversy just hours after the uncomfortable interaction went viral online ... where a woman was seen arguing with the Kelces, all because Jason and Kylie wanted to enjoy a night out without interruption.

"On behalf of the City of Margate, I'd like to formally apologize to Jason & Kylie Kelce for the experience they had in Margate City over the holiday weekend," Collins wrote.

Jill Biden is promising some semblance of decorum for the first 2024 Presidential debate ... teasing how the moderators will put a stop to any rambling with the hit of a switch.

The First Lady stopped by "The View" Wednesday morning, where FLOTUS promised the audience -- and a concerned Sara Haines -- that Pres. Joe Biden and Donald Trump's mics will be turned off during the forthcoming debate to prevent the candidates from talking over one another.

She says this was a key point in the debate agreement, as she noted ... "They've built that in where they're gonna turn off those mics so that somebody can't ramble, or scream at somebody. Not that my husband would be the one doing that."

Taylor Swift fans are putting pressure on the singer to speak out about the Israel-Hamas war ... even going as far as demonstrating at the "Eras" tour over in Europe.

Following an airstrike on Rafah Sunday -- which reportedly killed 45 Palestinians -- several celebs have spoken out on social media, calling for a ceasefire. Taylor, however, has been noticeably silent ... prompting the hashtag #SwiftiesforPalestine to gain traction on X.

Several Swifties have even recently expressed their pro-Palestine stance at her "Eras" tour in person as well ... creating Free Palestine friendship bracelets and holding signs -- which read "We Demand Swift Action" and "Speak Now" -- encouraging TS to take a stand.

Sarah Silverman's comedy style has changed quite a bit since she first burst onto the scene -- and she says there's a very good reason for it ... Donald Trump.

The comedian recently hopped onto David Duchovny's 'Fail Better' podcast, where she explained how Trump becoming president inspired her to ditch the "arrogant ignorant" persona she became known for when in the 2000s.

She noted that her first comedy special and subsequent Comedy Central show was all centered on a character/shtick she was putting on ... which was an offensive caricature of herself.

Hope you're well rested from the holiday weekend ... because we have some TMZ TV Hot Takes to share.

First up, on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles break down Robert De Niro's appearance outside Donald Trump's trial ... where the Oscar winner went toe-to-toe with supporters of 45.

Dennis Quaid is primed to join the Trump train for the upcoming U.S. Presidential election ... and he's making some pretty unfiltered statements about his pick, with choice language.

The actor went on "Piers Morgan Uncensored" this week, and he flat out said ... he's voting for Trump come November. He says it makes sense to him seeing the state of politics nowadays ... adding he couldn't care less about the backlash or what people say about DT.

As DQ eloquently put it ... "People might call him an a**hole, but he's my a**hole."

Robert De Niro is putting himself directly in the line of fire with Donald Trump's furious supporters ... who called him every name in the book, but he shouted right back at 'em.

The actor was almost literally Daniel in the lions' den Tuesday morning in downtown Manhattan, where De Niro came face-to-face with an angry MAGA mob -- they shouted "F*** you," and called him a traitor ... to America and Italians and Jewish people. Other obscenities made mention of Robert's mother.

He was surrounded by security guards as he made his way through the crowd, but did stop at one point to yell back, "We're trying to be gentlemen in this world, the Democrats. You are gangsters! F*** you!!!"

Cardi B doesn't want any WAP censored on her timeline -- 'cause she's sticking up for XXX content ... this after Candace Owens proposed it should be completely illegal.

Candace recently called for a pornography ban on her X account, arguing its true intentions were to psychologically control and weaken men -- and amid all the pushback, Cardi herself chimed in with her opinion ... and as it turns out, she's very pro-porn.

Cardi's thoughts on the subject came courtesy of an IG comment she left on a blog that published Candace's recent tweet about this ... and it's clear CB wants to keep porn around.

PETA is looking to tap Stormy Daniels for its next campaign ... and it seems like the project will take a major jab at Donald Trump, TMZ has learned.

In a letter sent to the adult film actress -- obtained by TMZ -- PETA invites SD to collaborate on its next PSA, which rails against horse racing.

The campaign is set to release ahead of the Belmont Stakes and references Stormy's past sex confession involving the 45th prez ... where she alleged Trump lasted no more than 2 minutes in bed.

Judge Judy is railing on liberal D.A.'s whom she says are ruining these United States of America ... making the country unsafe.

America's most famous jurist told Fox News Digital, she knows exactly why we're having increasing crime problems ... "When society starts to make excuses for bad behavior and react to criminality based upon the excuses, it fell apart."

She says liberal D.A.'s are excusing crimes based on the offender's background, and that, she says, "created a scenario where bad people got rewarded."

You're in luck if you want to golf like Dwight Eisenhower ... TMZ Sports has learned the former president's used clubs and custom bag are about to go up for sale!

But, ya better have some deep pockets if you wanna cop the kit and stripe Ike's driver -- as we're told the set's expected to fetch around $80,000!!!

Heritage Auctions officials tell us the rare pieces of sports equipment will hit their auction block later this summer ... and the interest is expected to be large.