Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Donald Trump Made a Questionable Comparison Between Paul Manafort and Al Capone, and Now People Are Giving Trump a History Lesson

Donald Trump Made a Questionable Comparison Between Paul Manafort and Al Capone, and Now People Are Giving Trump a History Lesson
The mug shots of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and infamous Mafia Don Alphonse "Scarface Al" Capone (Photo by Alexandria Sheriff's Office via Getty Images and United States National Archives)

Huh?

As with his stance on Russian cyber threats, President Donald Trump vacillates on his ties to his former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, as well as his opinion of Manafort's character. On the President's Twitter account, Manafort plays both villain and victim ever since his implication and indictment in the Mueller Russia investigation.

The trial of Paul Manafort began Tuesday, July 31, 2018. In Wednesday's Trump morning tweets, Manafort assumed both roles. First, Manafort was a bad hombre the government failed to warn the President about.


But two hours later, Manafort played victim to the same government Trump called out in his prior tweet. In the second daily mention for Manafort, Trump states:

Looking back on history, who was treated worse, Alfonse[sic] Capone, legendary mob boss, killer and “Public Enemy Number One,” or Paul Manafort, political operative & Reagan/Dole darling, now serving solitary confinement - although convicted of nothing? Where is the Russian Collusion?"

The second tweet had people perplexed. Several questioned why the President would want to associate the name of a man he's known for decades with a notorious criminal, even if it was to show Manafort in a positive light.

While others were surprised to find out why Alphonse "Al" Capone was trending on social media.

But one Twitter user put forward a pretty solid theory for the unusual comparison.

Still others in the Twittersphere decided to provide some facts on Al Capone for the President's perusal.

Maybe then Trump could discern the differences between Capone and Manafort —or Capone and Trump.

While some provided visual aids.

And one decided to clarify how Manafort, or rather the Russia investigation, compared to other recent investigations in Washington DC.

But others were still baffled or delighted by the President's tweet.

Trump and Manafort first became acquainted back in 1980 when Trump hired the Washington DC lobbying firm owned by Manafort, Roger Stone and Charles Black to represent his interests. Trump remained a client until the early 1990s.

After the FBI raid on Manafort's home in July 2017 though, the President began to distance himself, but still vouched for him. Trump stated:

I know Mr. Manafort—I haven’t spoken to him in a long time, but I know him—he was with the campaign, as you know, for a very short period of time—for a relatively short period of time."

But I’ve always known him to be a good man."

More from People/donald-trump

Jessica Simpson
Araya Doheny/Getty Images for Janie's Fund

Jessica Simpson Shares Sweet Note She Got From Delta Flight Attendant: 'Kindness Rules'

You never know how much of an impact you'll have on someone by showing them kindness.

Popular singer and songwriter Jessica Simpson realized that earlier this week while flying with Delta Airlines.

Keep ReadingShow less
Emmanuel Macron; Donald Trump
LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

People Think Emmanuel Macron Just Epically Trolled Trump With His Congratulatory Tweet

Notable political figures from around the world have begun sending congratulatory messages to Donald Trump after he won his second White House term in the 2024 election.

Early Wednesday morning, many world leaders from countries such as Australia, Canada, Israel, and Malaysia expressed their good wishes in the hopes of maintaining civil relations with the U.S. under Trump's leadership when he returns to the White House in January.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jason Kelce; screenshot from Awful Announcing's X (Twitter) video
ESPN

Jason Kelce Apologizes For Smashing Homophobic Heckler's Phone: 'I'm Not Proud Of It'

Last weekend while in State College, Pennsylvania, to watch a game between the Nittany Lions and the Ohio State Buckeyes, Jason Kelce stood up for his brother Travis Kelce in an unexpected way, with unfortunate consequences.

While Kelce was passing through campus, a troll walked behind him, recording, and asked him what it was like to have a brother who was dating Taylor Swift, all while calling Travis Kelce a homophobic slur.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lieutenant John Rodgers
Clark County Sheriff’s Office

Ohio Sheriff's Lt. Blames Sleep Meds For FB Posts Saying He 'Will Not Help' Democratic Voters

A sheriff's lieutenant in Clark County, Ohio, claimed he wasn't fully aware of what he was doing when he wrote a series of Facebook posts declaring he would not protect them if they voted Democratic in the 2024 election.

Uniform Patrol Lieutenant John Rodgers, who has worked for the Clark County Sheriff's office since 2002, wrote a series of Facebook posts explaining he would need proof a person didn't vote for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris before offering them aid or assistance.

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert O'Neill
Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Cantor Fitzgerald

Former Navy SEAL Roasted For Claiming Male Gen Z Harris Voters Would Be His 'Concubines'

Former Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill is regarded by many as an American hero, as he's credited as the man who took out Osama bin Laden in 2011 (though this is disputed by some of his former colleagues).

Since then he's been a vocal and outspoken supporter of Republican candidates on social media and started a podcast called "The Operator," but has mostly flown under the radar in left-wing circles.

Keep ReadingShow less