Politics

The smashed-up Taylor Swift guitar has found a new home ... because someone bought the controversial item on eBay.

According to the e-commerce site, someone scooped up the guitar -- which was featured in a viral video at the end of September -- on Tuesday evening for a whopping $6,550 ... even amid doubts about the guitar's authenticity.

As TMZ previously reported ... Gary Estes, a Texas resident, spent $4,000 at a charity auction on a guitar advertised as bearing a Taylor Swift signature on it. Upon receiving the guitar at the auction, Gary was also handed a hammer ... and proceeded to smash it up.

Kamala Harris on Tuesday night leaned into the old adage that you want to elect someone you can have a beer with -- and she did exactly that with Stephen Colbert.

The Vice President sat down with Colbert on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" and the two discussed her campaign to become the next president of the United States with under a month left in her race against the Republican nominee, Donald Trump.

Colbert kicked things off, pointing out that ever since Kamala named Tim Walz as her VP pick everyone has been calling it the "vibe election."

The mayor of Aurora, Colorado is pushing back on Donald Trump ahead of the former president's campaign rally in town ... saying Trump's assessment of immigration issues in the city is way overblown.

Trump's campaign called Aurora a "war zone" in a Tuesday statement announcing Friday's rally ... claiming an influx of migrants is bringing chaos and fear to the city, with a Venezuelan gang terrorizing apartment complexes and forcing locals to flee their homes.

The campaign announcement makes it sound like Trump's going to keep fanning the flames and paint Aurora as a once-promising city besieged by dangerous migrants ... but the town's top elected official says, not so fast.

Mike Coffman, Aurora's Republican Mayor, said in a statement ... "The reality is that the concerns about Venezuelan gang activity have been grossly exaggerated."

Viral videos from back in August showing armed gang members allegedly taking over entire apartment complexes in Aurora -- part of the Denver metro area -- became a big talking point during the Trump campaign ... but Coffman says the situation is not as dire as Trump makes it seem.

Coffman says, "The incidents were limited to several apartment complexes in this city of more than 400,000 residents."

Despite the fact check, Coffman is welcoming Trump with open arms, and Coffman wants to use the visit as "an opportunity to show him and the nation that Aurora is a considerably safe city -- not a city overrun by Venezuelan gangs."

A source tells TMZ ... Coffman's office has NOT had contact with Trump's camp yet, but the Mayor's offer to show Trump around town and give DT a police briefing still stands. For the moment ... the only coordinating has been for security.

Mayor Coffman has no plans to attend the rally, we're told.

Melania Trump is recalling the first time her now-husband, Donald, made a pass at her ... revealing 45 went about the flirtation in an unconventional way.

The former First Lady shared the memory in her memoir, titled "Melania," confessing Donald approached her at a 1998 Fashion Week party ... while on a date with someone else.

As Melania put it ... the former prez made his way over to her at the industry event, even though he was escorted by an "attractive blonde woman" that evening.

Taylor Swift put to rest rumors she and Brittany Mahomes were on the outs during Monday night's Kansas City Chiefs game against the New Orleans Saints.

The pop star was strolling through a walkway at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City when she bumped into her pregnant buddy, Brittany, and the two embraced in a huge hug.

Check out the video ... after their warm greeting, Taylor and Brittany were all smiles as they briefly chatted before going their separate ways while the crowd cheered and shot cell phone footage of the encounter.

Sally Field is opening up about her own "illegal" abortion experience ahead of the November election ... as she hopes her story will resonate with voters.

The Oscar winner shared her "traumatic" story in a video posted to Instagram Sunday evening, where she confirmed she got pregnant at 17 just after graduating high school.

As she put it ... she didn't have family support or finances to go through with the pregnancy, and so, a family doctor arranged to take her to Mexico so she could get an abortion.

A protest over the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East turned ugly after a photojournalist lit himself on fire outside the White House.

Saturday night's demonstration in Washington D.C. was captured on video, which showed a man -- reportedly identified as journalist Sanuel Mena Jr. -- setting his left arm ablaze.

Check out the clip ... Mena staggered across the street in obvious pain after he turned his arm into a torch.

Donald Trump is returning to the place in Pennsylvania where he nearly lost his life, to pick up where he left off in his campaign rally before he was shot in the ear.

The Republican presidential candidate is rolling into Butler, PA, to hold a Saturday rally for his supporters after the July 13 assassination attempt at the Butler Farm Show grounds -- exactly where the horrific incident took place almost 3 months ago.

You may recall ... Thomas Crooks climbed to the roof of a building and fired a bullet that grazed Trump's right ear just inches from his skull as he stood on stage giving a speech. A Secret Service agent fatally gunned down Crooks, but not before the assailant shot to death one attendee and wounded two others.

George Lopez doesn't buy the idea that Melania Trump is a pro-choice supporter one bit, gauging from her choice in picking Donald Trump as a husband -- but he isn't giving the same scrutiny to the ongoing Diddy saga!!!

TMZ caught up with GL in NYC and the comedian couldn't help but scoff at Mrs. Trump's grand revelation that there should be no restrictions against abortion in the U.S. -- which totally contradicts DJT's ongoing presidential campaign.

Switching gears, George says he doesn't side with the nonstop wave of Diddy jokes on social media since the allegations started ... well, sort of.

Melania Trump is pro-choice, Will Smith is gassy and Rashee Rice's mom is being accused of sticky fingers ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Babcock break down where Melania stands in relation to her husband on the issue of abortion.

Donald Trump's supporters seemed to forget they're on the same side ... with a group of men getting into a physical altercation at a Michigan rally for the former prez.

The Trump campaign is hosting a rally at Saginaw Valley State University Thursday afternoon, where large crowds gathered in anticipation of 45's planned address in the swing state. But, the scene outside took a chaotic turn when 3 men got into an all-out brawl in the parking lot of the university.

Watch the video ... 2 men decked out in MAGA merch pummel another attendee wearing a hat and sweatshirt supporting the former president's 2024 campaign.

Fat Joe is still going hard for victims of the American healthcare system ... he's pumping a new “Power to the Patients” PSA, urging politicians to fix cryptic healthcare costs -- dropping it during crunch time of an election year!!!

That urgency is felt in the new ad ... Joe addresses political officials on both sides of the fence, with various American workers backing his every word.

“To every elected official and politician in America, the people stand united, desperate for you to listen,” Joe demands. “If you’re not advocating for prices and transparency in healthcare, you are compromising every single American across this country. Because when we can’t see prices -- hospitals, insurance, and their middlemen charge us whatever they want. Our very own healthcare system is robbing all of us. We just need the prices. That’s how our economy works!!!"

Melania Trump's husband may have once voiced support for a national abortion ban, but the former First Lady is making it clear she's 100% pro-choice.

In an excerpt from Melania's upcoming eponymous memoir, Donald Trump's wife passionately backs a woman's right to choose regarding abortion ... questioning whether the government should be allowed to dictate what a woman does with her own body.

She writes ... "Restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body. I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life."

Gary Estes, the Texas man who spent $4,000 to destroy a Taylor Swift guitar, is shaking off criticism following the highly debated viral moment.

The 67-year-old has spoken out in the aftermath of the controversial video, which saw him bidding thousands of dollars to obtain a guitar allegedly signed by the pop star ... only to smash it with a hammer directly after buying it.

Estes says he didn't have any "malicious" intentions behind the destructive gesture ... clarifying it "was just a joke" -- and one he didn't even come up with.

No need to ask J.D. Vance for any makeup tips ... because he's all-natural, baby! At least that's the scoop from George Santos.

Santos had to weigh in on the eyeliner drama after folks started buzzing about Vance’s makeup game post-VP debate Tuesday ... making it crystal clear in a spicy X post -- Vance "does NOT" dabble in the eyeliner department.

GS spilled the tea, saying he’s met Vance in person a few times and can totally vouch for those luscious, long eyelashes ... saying they're so dramatic they cast a shadow on his waterline ... especially under those bright studio lights.

Tim Walz was all about spreading the love at the Vice Presidential debate -- rocking a friendship bracelet that gave a massive nod to Taylor Swift's Kamala Harris endorsement.

Walz flashed the accessory during Tuesday's debate with J.D. Vance ... showing a few glimpses of it under his white sleeve as he gestured with his hands on stage.

It's not confirmed if Walz's bracelet is from the $20 Harris-Walz campaign merch that dropped after T-Swift's endorsement last month, featuring both candidates' names. But either way, it had Swifties buzzing with excitement!