Politics

Stevie Wonder's over all the political hate out there ... declaring he's got a different North Star in his life -- and, it ain't about Democrats or Republicans.

The legendary singer-songwriter was spotted walking in Los Angeles Tuesday night ... and, he was asked what he thought about Donald Trump's inauguration landing on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Wonder says he's out on politics ... calling the whole arena complete and total BS -- and, he says he's done paying it any attention.

Donald Trump's celebration of becoming the 47th president of the United States came to a screeching halt Tuesday morning when he attended church in D.C. -- and got roasted by a bishop in front of the entire congregation.

Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance sat in a pew watching Mariann Budde -- the Episcopal Bishop of Washington -- give DT a tongue-lashing for some of his political policies inside Washington National Cathedral.

Some of Donald's family -- wife Melania, daughter Tiffany, and daughter-in-law Lara -- were sitting with him for Budde's Trump-trashing sermon.

Luke Hoffman, one of the nearly 1,500 January 6 rioters pardoned by Donald Trump, is feeling "thankful" following the executive order ... and has no plans to apologize for his role in the attempted coup.

We caught up with Luke on "TMZ Live" Tuesday, less than a day after POTUS used his freshly restored executive powers to pardon his supporters who stormed the Capitol 4 years ago.

Luke -- who pled guilty to assaulting law enforcement during the incident -- says he is "very grateful" to get home to his family, with the hope of returning to his everyday life.

It's not just the political climate heating up -- D.C.'s escort services have seen a massive surge with Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration this week, TMZ has learned.

One unnamed Washington D.C. sex worker tells TMZ she’s called out sick from her regular hotel job in order to accommodate the rising demand for her side gig ... with a busy influx of visitors flooding the city for the inauguration. She tells us it’s fascinating how big events like this rev up the industry, with customers craving both companionship and connection while in D.C.

Another unnamed escort says it’s not just during the inauguration -- this escort, who caters to high-end clients, says more women have been getting into adult work over the last 6 months, mostly driven by fears about job security and diminishing wages under Trump's new administration.

Wendy Williams' guardianship woes are commanding the attention of at least one New York lawmaker ... who's making a big push so her family can easily visit her.

Anthony Palumbo, a N.Y. state senator, tells TMZ ... today, he is re-introducing a piece of legislation that would change guardianship laws regarding family visitation in the state.

According to Palumbo, "Karilyn's Law" would allow families to visit loved ones by filing a motion with the court ... the guardian would then have 10 days to show the court if the person intending to visit is displaying inappropriate conduct -- and if not, they can visit.

Donald Trump busted out some "Y.M.C.A."-style dance moves at the inaugural ball … but VP J.D. Vance’s kiddos were the real scene-stealers, matching his energy with some adorable moves of their own!

J.D.'s daughter Mirabel was totally feeling the vibe at the inauguration's indoor parade at D.C.'s Capital One Arena Monday … bouncing along to the music and letting all that energy out.

J.D. got swept up in the moment, scooping up Mirabel in his arms, while Usha juggled their little guy, Vivek -- who seemed more fascinated by her earring than the whole inauguration buzz.

Comedian Luenell is keeping it real about Dave Chappelle's 'SNL' monologue, where he called for compassion as America embarks on a new chapter with President Trump in charge.

Luenell didn’t hold back when speaking to TMZ at LAX ... saying while she understands Chappelle’s plea for compassion for Trump’s administration, it’s useless 'cause compassion isn’t something they’ve ever shown.

Check out the clip, 'cause Luenell dives deeper into why she's not feeling any optimism for Trump's presidency, and calling it straight-up insulting that his inauguration fell on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

1/21/25, 9:00 AM PT -- Elon Musk has responded on his platform, X, to accusations he performed a Nazi salute, twice, in a speech after Donald Trump's inauguration yesterday.

He re-tweets a Libs of TikTok post featuring Democratic politicians with their arms up at similar angles ... Musk comments, "The legacy media is pure propaganda. You are the media now."

Elon Musk gave a speech to enthusiastic Donald Trump fans Monday, hours after the presidential inauguration ... and he made a gesture that harkened back to a dark time.

At Capital One Arena, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO strode to the podium, laughing maniacally, and thanked the cheering crowd ... and then slapped his right hand hard to his chest, and extended it out in front of him, palm down -- in what looks very suspiciously like a Nazi salute. He then repeated the same action to those seated behind him.

The provocative signal has many people online and on-air comparing the expression to the WWII-era "Sieg Heil" salute to Nazi Germany dictator Adolf Hitler. That salute reportedly derives from an Ancient Roman Empire salute, more commonly performed with the slapped chest. Both salutes are generally associated with fascist history in Europe.

Billy Ray Cyrus was hit with brutal tech issues during his performance at the Liberty Ball to celebrate Trump’s inauguration -- and yeah, it was a total cringe-fest.

It all went down Monday night, and Billy was already on the struggle bus -- rocking a hoarse voice, no band, and attempting an a cappella version of Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" ... yeah, the one he featured on.

It was already heading toward an epic fail, and Billy seemed to know it -- trying to hype up the crowd to sing along. But then ... dun, dun, dun -- his guitar cut out.

President Donald Trump offered his fans a unique way to experience his trials and tribulations at an inauguration party last night ... providing photo opportunities next to his mug shot and at a McDonald's drive-thru window.

At the Liberty Ball, attendees could walk up and have their mugs shot next to Trump's Georgia booking photo ... and move on to stand next to a cutout of Trump waving from a McDonald's drive-thru.

At one of several inauguration festivities held last night, many party people enthusiastically lined up, including MAGA luminary Laura Loomer, who captioned an X post, "Today was awesome."

Donald Trump celebrated becoming the 47th president deep into the night Monday — and that meant dancing to "YMCA" — only this time he put a different spin on his routine.

The newly crowned commander in chief stood onstage — brandishing a sword — along with wife Melania and VP J.D. Vance and his better half Usha at the inaugural ball in D.C.

Trump's favorite tune "YMCA" by the Village People was blaring throughout the Walter E. Washington Convention Center as he shimmied to the music — and swung the sword, which was handed to him to cut a large cake.

Jake Paul was head and shoulders above Mike Tyson in November, but their roles were reversed in their first run-in since their fight ... with El Gallo giving Iron Mike a lift during Donald Trump's wild inauguration party!!

The two boxers came face-to-face at No. 47's big bash in D.C. on Monday ... and if there was any speculation over how they felt toward each other after Paul's big victory a few months prior, their encounter was proof they were back to being buddy-buddy.

Paul and Tyson -- decked out in snazzy tuxedos -- had the whole congregation watching on as the internet superstar bent down and put the former heavyweight champ on his shoulders ... and everyone erupted in cheers when they executed the move.

Jimmy Fallon tackled one of the most talked about topics at Donald Trump's inauguration Monday — Melania's hat!

The 'Tonight Show' host stepped out onstage for his opening monologue last evening sporting a wide-brim black hat with a white stripe around it.

Funny thing was it mirrored the hat Melania was wearing at DT's swearing-in ceremony as the 47th president, which looked similar to the one donned by the McDonald's Hamburglar character.

Donald Trump is transforming everyday White House business into a spectacle worthy of an audience ... including the signing of several executive orders.

Check it out ... hours after he was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, Trump hit the stage at the Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., where he put pen to paper and signed off on a number of his previously announced executive orders.

While the signing of an executive order is often done in the Oval Office in front of members of the press, DT chose to shake things up on inauguration day and essentially give the POTUS paperwork the WWE treatment ... signing the documents in front of a cheering crowd of his supporters.

Theo Von will have something hilarious to share on his next podcast episode after attending Donald Trump's 2nd inauguration ... and Logan Paul plays a major role in the story.

Check it out ... Logan is filming himself while taking in the speeches at the Capitol Building Monday morning, when Theo, who is seated right in front of him at the inauguration, tumbles backwards without warning.

The accident prompts quite a reaction from others in the crowd, who look over at Theo -- with a mix of concern and frustration. Someone noticeably shushes the group, even as Logan is asking Theo if he's alright ... and declares he predicted an accident like this would occur.

Hillary Clinton couldn't keep her composure during Donald Trump's 2nd inaugural address ... openly laughing at the president following his "Gulf of America" announcement.

Check it out ... as Trump -- who had just been sworn in as the United States' 47th president -- reiterated his plan to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America," HC burst out laughing ... and prompted a bit of side eye from her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

The former Secretary of State did try to stifle her laughter ... watch the video, you can see her bury her chin in her chest as Trump continued to address the nation.