President Trump

Jim Brown has ZERO regrets about the Oval Office meeting today with Donald Trump and Kanye West ... saying it was an incredible opportunity and he's thankful to 45.

West has made headlines today about his behavior during the sit-down ... which included a couple classic Kanye rants, a heap of Trump praising and even a hug between the two men.

Brown was there too -- mostly silent -- making some wonder if he regretted making the trip. But, when the NFL great left the White House he told throngs of media that couldn't be further from the truth.

"We had the opportunity to meet with the President of the United States which everybody doesn't have that privilege. With me, at 82 years old, the only thing I could talk about was how to help other people. So, it was very positive."

Brown went on behalf of his Amer-I-Can foundation which helps inner-city youth develop life skills -- and he told everyone Trump was very good to the whole delegation.

"This is the President of the United States. He allowed me to be invited to his territory, he treated us beautifully, and he shared some thoughts, and he will be open to talking when I get back to him. That's the best he could do for me."

10:00 AM PT -- Kanye told Trump why he wants the 13th Amendment abolished. He says, among other things, 13 is an unlucky number. Trump seems amused at the end of the video.

9:55 AM PT -- Kanye told Trump this in the Oval ... "My dad and mom separated so there was not a lot of male energy in my home and also I'm married to a family where, you know, there's not a lot of male energy. It's beautiful, though."

Kanye told Trump he feels like Superman when he puts on his MAGA hat.

Check out Kanye's full rant.

Kanye West is in the house ... he just arrived at the White House for his meet and eat with President Trump.

Ye rolled up for the lunch meeting in a black SUV and, although we couldn't see him through the tinted windows, some of his team members got out at the security gate bearing gifts -- a few boxes of Yeezy swag.

Kanye and 45 are talking shop on a list of pressing issues. Officially, their agenda will include prison reform, American manufacturing, creating jobs and preventing gang violence in Ye's hometown of Chicago. Sources close to Kanye tell us he'll also discuss having people formerly incarcerated work in his factories and urge other big companies to follow suit.

However, based on President Trump's own words Thursday morning, we know what he's really interested in is his garnering support from African-American voters ahead of the midterm elections.

Adding to the spectacle ... Trump will reportedly invite reporters in for at least a portion of the lunch. Can you say PHOTO OP?

It's likely Kanye and Trump will also bring up Colin Kaepernick. When Ye was here at TMZ last week, he said he'd reached out to Kaep to try and get him to D.C. for a peace summit with POTUS.

Trump's having a bunch of his celeb pals over today -- Kid Rock and John Rich of Big & Rich were also there to witness him signing the Music Modernization Act into law.

However, the luncheon will only be attended by Kanye, NFL legend Jim Brown, Ivanka and Jared Kushner. On the menu -- Caprese salad and roasted chicken with potatoes and asparagus.

Delish ... what could go wrong?

Donald Trump says he values Kanye West's passion for prison reform, but he sure sounded like the real reason for his lunch with Ye is because the rapper is a magnet for male African-American voters.

Trump was on "Fox & Friends" Thursday AM and gushed about his African-American poll numbers, especially with guys, after Kanye doubled down on his support for the Prez. He repeated his claim that his poll numbers with African-American men soared when Kanye told the world -- MAGA.

The President marveled at the power of Kanye West. It's pretty ironic ... the 2 celebs who have really stood out in terms of trying to influence voters in various ways are Kanye and Taylor Swift. They're on opposite sides of the spectrum, but they both appear impactful.

Kanye West and President Trump's agenda for their Thursday sitdown will include signing new legislation that could potentially put more money in Kanye's pocket.

POTUS is scheduled to sign the Music Modernization Act while Ye is at the White House. The bill -- which the House and Senate have already passed -- updates licensing and royalties to artists, songwriters and producers for music played on streaming services.

Kanye and Recording Academy Prez Neil Portnow will be present for the ceremonial signing of the bill.

As we told you, Ye was already scheduled to be at the White House for a separate lunch meeting with Trump ... where they'll reportedly talk gang violence in Chicago, prison reform and manufacturing jobs.

Now that we know, he'll be front and center to see Trump sign the bill -- we're hoping Kanye's got a remix up his sleeve. Just sayin' ...

Chelsea Clinton's picked up a few things from her parents -- such as how best to dodge questions about their nemesis, President Trump.

We got Chelsea at LAX Tuesday and talked Halloween -- what kinda costume ideas she has for her kids and herself, and her take on dressing up as 45. She was plenty chatty, but you gotta see how Chels deftly handled the Trump topic ... someone's had a master class in politics.

We're certain Bill and Hillary would be proud of how she shifted the convo. Classic Presidential debate move.

Chelsea might not know her Halloween costume yet, but she knows how to avoid taking the Trump bait.

Taylor Swift didn't shy away from her newfound passion for politics during an acceptance speech at the 2018 American Music Awards ... pleading for people to hit the voting booths next month for the midterm elections.

Taylor saved her political pitch for her final acceptance speech ... reminding everyone that people decide who wins AMAs, and who wins political offices.

Tay didn't say who to vote for this time ... because she's already made clear she's voting for Democrats running for U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives in her home state of Tennessee.

Taylor clearly didn't care about Donald Trump's message ... 'cause the Prez already told her to stay out of politics. Looks like the bad blood is still going.

Nikki Haley's all smiles after announcing she's resigning as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and it's a sign of things to come ... so she says.

We got Nikki Tuesday at Reagan National Airport in D.C. after she and President Trump announced she's leaving her gig at the end of the year ... a move she tells us is "all positive."

Haley's claimed her exit is simply about needing a break after serving nearly 2 years in the role and 6 years as South Carolina's governor before that. Obviously, a lot of people aren't buying it ... but that's Nikki's story and she's sticking to it here.

President Trump and Kanye West are officially teaming up to ... make America great again, and their plan will kick off with lunch at the White House.

Kanye and 45 are set to meet on Thursday, and their agenda will include discussing boosting American manufacturing and preventing gang violence, especially in Ye's hometown of Chicago ... according to the White House.

They'll also continue the convo on prison reform ... which Trump started with Kanye's wife, Kim Kardashian West, during a September meeting.

When he was here at TMZ last week, Ye said he'd been trying to encourage Colin Kaepernick to sit down with POTUS ... now he gets to work the other side.

This will be their first face-to-face meeting since late 2016 when the rapper, shoe and fashion mogul met with then President-elect in NYC.

It's official ... President Trump's got "Bad Blood" with Taylor Swift ... 'cause he just took a shot at her, responding to her diss of a Republican Congresswoman.

Trump was on the South Lawn Monday afternoon when he was asked about Taylor's foray into politics. Check it out ... about a minute-and-a-half into the vid, he turns to the camera, with a sly grin, and proceeds to rip Taylor ... saying she's clueless about the Congressional race in Tennessee. Then he drops a parting shot at her music and her poll numbers ... at least in the White House.

ICYMI ... Taylor announced she's voting for 2 Democrats in the Volunteer State, and blasted the voting record of Rep. Marsha Blackburn ... who's running for Senate.

One of Trump's most vocal supporters, Judge Jeanine Pirro, also offered Taylor some advice ... which sounded like it was taken straight outta Laura Ingraham's playbook.

On the other hand, comedian D.L. Hughley gave Taylor props for taking a stand. And, if you're wondering, he says hell yeah a singer can make a difference in a red state like Tennessee. As he put it, anything's possible when a game show host can become Prez.

3:20 PM PT -- Kavanaugh has reportedly been sworn in as the 114th Supreme Court justice in a private ceremony at court.

1:45 PM PT -- Trump congratulated the Senate on "confirming our GREAT NOMINEE" ... and says he will sign Kavanaugh's Commission of Appointment and swear him in later today.

There were no last minute surprises or curveballs -- Brett Kavanaugh got the votes he needed to be confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States ... but just barely.

President Trump's pick to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy was confirmed by the Senate Saturday with a tally of 50 to 48 ... including crucial "aye" votes from Senators Jeff Flake, Susan Collins and Joe Manchin.

Republican Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski was set to vote 'no' on Kavanaugh, but as a favor to Montana Senator Steve Daines ... she voted 'present' to offset his 'yes' vote so he could attend his daughter's wedding. It really didn't matter anyway.

The confirmation comes after weeks of drama and controversy stemming from allegations made by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party in the early '80s when they were both in high school.

Ford's claims led to a Senate hearing where both she and the judge testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee ... and a brief follow-up FBI investigation authorized by the Prez.

But, when it was all said and done, a majority of the Senate -- all but one Republican plus Manchin -- determined Ford's allegations were not corroborated and Kavanaugh was deserving of a spot on the highest court in the land.

If recent history with Neil Gorsuch is any indication, now that Kavanaugh's been confirmed ... he could be sworn in as early as Monday.

Before the Senate vote, Kavanaugh wrote a letter admitting he was overly emotional and said some things he shouldn't have during his testimony. However, he insists he'll be a "pro-law judge" who won't let partisan politics or public pressure influence his decisions.

Many people -- including Amy Schumer -- aren't buying it ... and have been consistently protesting Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court in D.C. this week.

Remember in January, when Hawaii residents received a terrifying text about an inbound ballistic missile with instructions to seek shelter immediately, but it turned out to be a false alarm?

Well, don't worry -- that's not going to happen with President Trump's new nationwide presidential alert texts ... it's a FEMA guarantee.

A spokesperson for the Homeland Security agency tells TMZ ... it has an infallible multi-step process in place to ensure the text system does not result in a major warning fail like what happened in Hawaii.

We're told for sending national alerts, the process begins with a special authentication procedure to make sure the person requesting to send it has the proper authority.

After verified approval, a 2-person "integrity check" procedure kicks in to ensure the alert contains the appropriate message and the info is properly formatted.

Finally, we're told the alert is only sent when BOTH of these alert operators have validated the content and format and hit the send button.

WWE legend Jerry "The King" Lawler says he was inundated with hate mail after attending a Donald Trump rally in Mississippi on Tuesday ... but tells TMZ Sports his haters got it all wrong!

The 68-year-old WWE Hall of Famer was sitting right behind Trump as he went on a pro-Brett Kavanaugh speech on Oct. 2 ... the same event where he mocked Kavanaugh's accuser, Christine Blasey Ford.

When we spoke with Lawler at Comic-Con in New York, The King explained that he wasn't necessarily at the rally to support Trump in a political capacity ... but as a friend and former colleague.

"We were asked by some people to go to the rally, and I went and unbelievably received from some social media some actual hate mail just for going to the rally of Donald Trump."

"But, I want to tell everybody ... I wasn't going there to see the President, I was going to see a fellow WWE Hall of Famer ... that's all."

President Trump's got a serious White House conspiracy on his hands -- or, we should say his heel ... because someone let him out in public with freakin' toilet paper stuck to his shoe!

Ok, you can insert your own metaphor here -- but this s**t really happened Thursday night as the leader of the free world boarded Air Force One ... bound for his rally in Minnesota.

Sure, it's hysterical to watch ... over and over and over.

Lindsey Graham says President Trump might not be deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize just yet, but if he wins it anyway ... liberals are going to lose it.

We got the South Carolina Senator on Capitol Hill Thursday evening and asked about the Prez being a favorite for the honor ... Graham says he's done a lot to deserve it by fighting ISIS and taking on Iran, but needs a little more help from North Korea.

As for the libs, Sen. Graham thinks if 45 manages to nab the Nobel, they'll be so distraught they'll head for the nearest window ... and take the leap.

Lindsey also throws some shade at past Peace Prize winner Barack Obama ... and a little at George W. too.

Brett Kavanaugh seems to be walking back his emotional outbursts at last week's Senate hearing over the allegations made against him by Dr. Christine Ford ... and he really wants you to believe he'll be a fair Supreme Court Justice.

President Trump's SCOTUS nominee penned a letter for The Wall Street Journal Thursday, in which he insists he's a "pro-law judge" who will not be influenced by partisan politics or public pressure ... and will "always strive to be a team player" with the other Justices.

He also admits he got "very emotional" during his testimony -- more than he's ever been -- but insists it's not who he is. He explains his behavior by saying it was the result of "my overwhelming frustration at being wrongly accused" and "my deep distress at the unfairness of how this allegation has been handled."

Kavanaugh adds ... "I might have been too emotional at times. I know that my tone was sharp, and I said a few things I should not have said. I hope everyone can understand that I was there as a son, husband and dad."

It seems like Trump's pick is trying to soften the blow with people who strongly oppose him being confirmed to the highest court in the U.S., which could happen this weekend.

Martellus Bennett wants Kanye West to keep Colin Kaepernick's name out of his mouth -- saying, "Why you trying to drag everybody else down into your sh*t hole?"

The ex-NFL star was at LAX rocking some Yeezy combat boots -- so, we had to ask if it was a show of support for the rapper who's been getting criticism for his support of Donald Trump.

Turns out, Marty B is anti-Kanye -- but he ain't about to light his shoes on fire.

Instead, Bennett says he simply won't buy another pair.

As for Kaepernick, we asked MB if he thinks Colin should take Ye up on his offer to meet with President Trump to hash out their differences.

Again, Marty was against the idea -- telling Kanye, "Don't try to drag other people in to make yourself feel like you're correct."

"Don't try to bring public figures who fight for black rights to help you and the foolishness that you're doing."

But, what about the spirit of reaching across the aisle?

"You wanna reach across the aisle to grab a bear? Or should you reach across the aisle to grab some greatness?"