EXCLUSIVE: Countdown’s Rachel Riley has opened up about the struggles of parenting during the summer holidays and the challenges she and husband Pasha Kovalev face when trying to bring up their chldren

Rachel Riley has admitted that it is “really hard” to be a parent during the summer holidays. The Countdown star famously met her husband Pasha Kovalev when they competed on Strictly Come Dancing together in 2013, and they went on to have Maven, six, and four-year-old Noa together.

But as the summer holidays have kicked in, Rachel, 40, who shot to fame fresh out of university when she was chosen to replace Carol Vorderman on Channel 4’s long-running letters and numbers game, has explained just how tricky it is to manage schedules, especially as she and her husband are both self-employed.

She said: “Pasha’s going to be going on tour from September through to November. So he’s about to get really busy and disappear. So we’re just at the moment, for the school holidays, we’re tag-teaming who’s around and who’s not. And every time, someone gets a bit of work or someone says, ‘Can we go and do this?’, you’re just lining up diaries and making sure it works. As a working parent, it’s really hard.”

But like many parents, Rachel and Pasha just seem to make it work despite the challenges and she insisted that comes from neither of them striving for perfection, and claimed that children don’t really need both parents around at any given time.

She said: “I think the secret is not to worry about being perfect. They don’t need both [parents] around all the time, either. I always think there’s more pressure on the mums than the dads to be there. Things are obviously different in different households, but if your kids are happy, then it doesn’t really matter.”

Even though Strictly Come Dancing is the reason they met, Rachel explained that by the time the BBC Saturday night favourite comes around, she won’t have time to tune in to see how the likes of EastEnders star Lacey Turner, singer Delta Goodrem and Kim Kardashian’s hairdresser Chris Appleton fare on the dancefloor.

When asked if she will be watching the new series, she said: “Well, by the time it comes on, Pasha will be on tour, so he won’t even be here. And I’ll be with the two kids by myself, so it will be all about trying to get through the bath and bed routine really.”

Around her busy schedule, Rachel is heading up Energizer’s Summer Safety Swap campaign she believes is something all parents need to hear about after finding out that one in five parents admitted they would not know what to do if their child swallowed a Lithium Coin battery, often found in key fobs and digital scales amongst other small electronic devices.

She said: “With something like lithium coin batteries, it’s a 999 emergency, and you’ve got a red light straight away. again. As a parent there are so many things where it’s like, ‘Danger of this!’ and ‘Life hack here!’ And then some things are actually really serious and you can’t ignore.

“If it comes in contact with saliva, it goes bright blue to alert the parent. It tastes disgusting, so to discourage kids putting them in their mouth, and it’s got child-proof packaging, if you’ve got any loose batteries, or any devices where the screws are dodgy, and then dispose of them properly by taking them to a supermarket or a hardware store because they can’t go in the bin.

“For me, it’s just about starting to talk about it because too often this sort of thing you might only hear about once there’s been a horrible tragedy.”

Rachel has partnered with Energizer to encourage families to check their homes for hidden battery hazards and replace old lithium coin batteries with the new Energizer® Ultimate Child Shield™ batteries, the world’s only lithium coin battery that prevents ingestion burns if swallowed

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The homeowner was gobsmacked to find something rather beneficial and useful in their kitchen during renovations – and many others said they were jealous of the find

In Wales, home renovations can easily cost six figures. But if you do embark on a project yourself, it’s likely you might come across a few surprises along the way like this couple who “won the lottery” after ripping up their old carpet.

That said, it takes a lot of patience to renovate an entire home, with the total price often over what you originally budgeted for. It happens when you uncover unexpected issues, like damp and mould, which all add up in the end. But in the off chance you are refurbishing, you might find something which will benefit your way of living – which is what happened to one homeowner.

When renovating their 1916 home, the person thought the discovery was a simple patch job, but it turned out to be even more exciting than that.

They said in a Reddit post: “I am currently in the process of renovating the kitchen in my 1916 house and came across what looked to be a patch job that I was not expecting.

“On a video call with my dad, we figured out in the basement that there was a patch of floor that didn’t make sense. To end the night, I decided to remove the sheetrock to get a look and lo & behold there is an old pantry!

“We obviously did not account for this in our initial plans, but I am dead set on reviving this corner and making use of it to add some original touches to the house, as over a 100 years of changing hands there isn’t a ton of original things like this left.”

The person shared the post in a bid to inform “fellow old house lovers”.

In the Reddit post, it also shows the dry wall and then inside the pantry where it racked up thousands of upvotes and dozens of comments.

One said: “I was immediately jealous and went ‘Ooooooooo’.” Another replied: “Lol, I did too. I have always wanted to find a secret room.”

While a third chimed in: “Seriously who covers over a PANTRY?! Awesome discovery. Love the paint colours!” Others had a theory that the owners would have covered it to have a continuous line of cabinets or counter space.

Someone else wondered whether something was left behind it. But the original poster said “just some nails in the drawer”, although they were hoping for millions of pounds.

The bitter divorce battle between Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans is finally over, with a judge ruling that the Fantastic Four actor has to increase maintenance payments to his ex-wife.

The actors went to court in Los Angeles for a nine day hearing in March, with a judge granting Gruffudd’s request to renew a restraining order against Ms Evans for five years.  

High court judge Michael J Convey said the actress had harassed and abused Gruffudd, 52, and his new wife, Bianca Wallace, causing them distress.

However, on finances, the judge has now found mostly in support of Ms Evans, 58, meaning the Welsh actor will have to up his payments as she requested.

Gruffudd claimed to have overpaid her by $400,000 but after hearing evidence from forensic accountants hired by both sides the judge ruled he had only overpaid by $27,000.

Ms Evans, who moved out of Beverly Hills and into Encino, had told the court that she had been suffering financial hardship since their split in early 2021. 

They have daughters Ella, 16, and Elsie, 12, and the judge noted that she has them ‘100 per cent’ of the time.

The actor will pay 10 per cent of his gross income to Ms Evans, which amounts to $1,862 a month. That reflects the terms of a pre-nuptial agreement which they signed before their marriage which lasted for 14 years.

Gruffudd had asked to pay nothing to his ex-wife because of her ’emotional abuse’. He had previously agreed to pay $3,579 in child support.

Friends of Ms Evans said she was ‘deeply relieved’ that the legal action was now over. 

One added: ‘She is appalled that so much money was spent on lawyers and on bitter arguments and just wants to move on with her life.’

The judge ruled that $168,000 in a Coutts savings account was indeed Ms Evans’ personal money, but criticised her for not disclosing it to the court in a ‘timely’ manner which he said ‘impaired her credibility.’

The nature of four accounts belonging to Gruffudd was also the subject of a dispute, with the actor initially saying that they were community property and then changing his tune. The judge was not persuaded by that change.

A judge has ruled the actor must increase his maintenance payments despite ‘domestic violence’ campaign against him and wife Bianca

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Ioan married Bianca Wallace in April last year (pictured together in 2024) 

However in a written judgment, Judge Convey wrote that Gruffudd’s ‘persuasive case’ against paying his ex wife failed because the online harassment was a ‘misdemeanour’ offence rather than a crime.

Referencing Alice’s online harassment campaign, he said: ‘First and foremost, she committed domestic violence upon Ioan and his wife, Bianca. 

‘This campaign was found to be relentless and continuing through this trial. And while she stated she recognised her conduct and has started to take responsibility for it – with apology and through professional mental health care – there must be a long history of no violence before this Court can conclude she has taken full responsibility for her conduct. 

‘There was ample, persuasive and credible evidence that Alice’s conduct had a profoundly negative impact on Ioan’s and Bianca’s emotional state, for several years and continuing. This prevented Ioan from staying fully and gainfully employed to the same extent as he was during the marriage.’ 

He went on: ‘Another important and weighty factor was Alice’s lack of sincere and sustained effort over an extended time, to cease the abusive behaviour (she could start by staying off social media).

‘She has the benefit of receiving spousal support, while she has very recently engaged in a pattern and campaign of violence against Ioan and Bianca. 

‘But she was not convicted of a crime, and she is fortunate that she is ‘protected’ by the terms of the PMA (pre marital agreement). There is a strong, public policy argument for the principle that Alice should not benefit – some might argue, profit – from her violence, but the seemingly unfair result must achieve today under the Family Code and by the terms of the PMA contract.’

Ms Evans’ attorney, Janina Verano, told the court in March that when the actress embarked on her online harassment of her ex-husband in 2021, ‘It was the end of COVID, she was isolated, she was facing the loss of her marriage.’

Any hope of reconciling with Gruffudd was ‘crushed’ when she found he had fallen in love with Ms Wallace, who had worked as an extra on the TV series Harrow, in which he starred. ‘She lost her mind, she was devastated,’ said Ms Verano.

The attorney went on: ‘Alice is in a very different place. She has moved on with her life.’

Ms Verano insisted that Ms Evans’ abusive emails and texts had stopped. ‘There are no threats. Alice has deactivated her Twitter account,’ she told the court.

She added that while some of the actress’s more recent social media posts ‘talk about what she’s been through….they are not meant to disturb Ioan’s peace. Alice’s conduct has changed quite a bit.’

The three-year restraining order imposed on Ms Evans in August 2022 impacted her ability to work and travel, said Ms Verano, who told the court that she had lost jobs because of it. 

She also said that flying into the USA with her daughters, Ms Evans and the girls are always detained at airports, ‘which frightens the girls because they’re afraid she might end up in jail.’

She said that renewing the restraining order, which includes the ‘stay away’ clause requiring Ms Evans to keep 100 feet away from Gruffudd, would mean that her daughters would have to choose which parent shows up at their school graduations and other family events.

CAIRO (AP) — Iran and the Gulf Arab state of Oman have made progress toward a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a potential breakthrough that could help wind down the war in the Middle East, regional officials said Tuesday.

Under the emerging agreement, ships would enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman, with service fees charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, two regional officials told The Associated Press.

They said negotiations are still underway and that the final agreement could take a different form. They said any deal would be linked to lifting the U.S. blockade on Iran’s ports. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations unfolding behind closed doors.

Any agreement formalizing Iran’s control of the strait would mark a significant strategic victory for Tehran. For that reason, the U.S. could seek to block the deal by refusing to lift the blockade. The strait was an open international waterway before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.

However, U.S. President Donald Trump is also under mounting pressure to end an unpopular war that has driven up gas prices ahead of midterm elections and drawn down U.S. supplies of some munitions. In recent days, he has again whipsawed between threatening massive strikes and voicing support for diplomatic efforts.

US officials confirm progress without giving details

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters at the State Department, said “there’s been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet. We’re hoping that will happen very shortly.”

Rubio has previously ruled out any deal that would give Iran control over the strait, saying last month that it would create a “very dangerous precedent” for other parts of the world.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that “there is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the strait and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict.”

Asked whether there would be tolls for movement through the strait, Bessent said: “I think it would be freedom of movement, and even though things are still a little dicey there over the past few days, we saw quite a few ships coming out even now.”

The potential agreement between Iran and Oman was first reported by The New York Times.

Trump says this is Iran’s ‘last chance’

A fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas transited the waterway before the war. Iranian attacks on ships have largely shut it down, causing a spike in the price of fuel, fertilizer and other goods, and rattling economies far beyond the Middle East.

Trump said Monday that the U.S. was in talks with Iran, saying it was Tehran’s “last chance” to reach a deal and avoid another U.S. military escalation.

Delta Air Lines is ending service to the Caribbean nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines next month, with no plans to resume the route.

The airline’s final flight to Argyle International Airport on St. Vincent will depart September 5 from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, a Delta spokesperson told Channel 2 Action News Monday. Delta said it is working to rebook passengers who had flights scheduled after that date.

The route was originally expected to pause for the season and resume December 19, but Delta has since confirmed it will be permanently discontinued. According to the St. Vincent Times, the decision to remove the route from Delta’s system was officially made May 23.

“The final scheduled flight will operate on Sept. 5, 2026, and the route will not return as previously planned on Dec. 19, 2026,” Delta told Channel 2 Action News in a statement. “Customers with affected bookings will be contacted directly about alternate travel options, and Delta apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause.”

The airline did not provide a specific reason for canceling the St. Vincent route, saying it “routinely evaluates a variety of factors when making network decisions, including customer demand, seasonality, aircraft availability, operating costs and broader operational considerations.”

The Independent has contacted Delta for comment.

Delta launched nonstop flights from Atlanta to St. Vincent in December 2025, initially offering daily service before reducing flights to five times a week during the slower fall season.

Delta will continue operating flights to other Caribbean destinations, including Nassau, Punta Cana, Curaçao and Grenada.

U.S. travelers can still reach Saint Vincent and the Grenadines through several airlines serving Argyle International. American Airlines has frequent nonstop flights from Miami and seasonal nonstop service from Charlotte. JetBlue also operates nonstop flights from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport multiple times a week.

Caribbean Airlines offers additional options from New York and Miami, though its flights typically require a connection through Caribbean hubs such as Trinidad or Barbados rather than nonstop service.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is known for its beaches, rainforests and volcanic peaks. Tourism is a major part of the nation’s economy, with visitors drawn to activities such as snorkeling, diving, hiking and sailing.

Anthony Buxton rang police to confess to killing Michelle, before two bodies were found at their home

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A man rang the police to admit to killing his wife before taking his own life, an inquest heard.

The mental health of Anthony Buxton, 71, had been declining in the months before he strangled 69-year-old Michelle.

Cornwall Coroner’s Court heard Mr Buxton had alerted the ambulance service after attacking his wife on the evening of September 24 last year. When the police forced entry to their home on Treclago View, Camelford, they discovered the pair with fatal injuries, reports CornwallLive.

Both were declared dead a short time later by paramedics. PC Jacob Double, who was one of the first officers on the scene, said he and a colleague were responding to a 999 call from a man stating “he had killed his wife”.

“As we were travelling further information came to light, which stated in the call to ambulance a female voice could be heard groaning and saying, ‘help’, and a male voice was heard saying, ‘I’ve done it, no one can stop me, I’ve killed her’,” Pc Double said in a written statement.

The officer and his colleagues forced entry to the property and found the couple unresponsive inside. Paramedics declared them both dead a short time later.

Post-mortem examinations found Mrs Buxton had died from compression of the neck, while Mr Buxton died from a stab wound to his chest. The couple’s son, Daniel, told the inquest his father had become unusually quiet in the months before his death and was becoming paranoid.

“Eventually it got to the point where mum seemed to be struggling and dad was getting quite anxious and really not wanting to tell us any information and would get defensive when pressed,” Mr Buxton, a civilian police worker, said.

“It was anxiety trying to assuage any fears he might have. We installed CCTV cameras in the house because he was concerned there was an overarching delusion he had.

“He had this idea or beliefs that an organised crime gang was targeting him and had access to the house and had bugged the house with microphones and cameras, and his family were in danger. The overarching goal of this crime gang was to exhort Mum and Dad for police secrets from me because I work for the police.”

Georgina Clark, from the Cornwall Partnership Mental Health Trust, said Mr Buxton had been referred to them by his GP on August 29 and an assessment was carried out on September 2.

“Because of Mr Buxton’s age and the possibility of an organic cause, as there had also been mention from the GP of short-term memory loss over the past couple of years, it was felt it should be discussed with the dementia and older people’s service first,” she said.

“The assessing clinician took that to the duty worker and had that discussion and what they said was that he noted to be presenting with severe anxiety and that would need to be treated first as someone who is very anxious that can affect their ability to retain memory.”

Andrew Cox, senior coroner for Cornwall, asked Ms Clark: “Mr Buxton was not a natural fit for any service because he is not typically presenting as a dementia patient, and he is too old to fit into the early intervention for psychosis?

“You are left with having to make a best fit where there isn’t an obvious pathway for him to follow? Is that fair?”

She replied: “To a degree. I think that service would be offered by the community mental health team.”

The inquest heard Mr Buxton was referred to the community mental health team who felt talking therapies would be appropriate to deal with his anxiety. Detective Constable Tom Graham, who investigated both deaths, said there was no evidence of third party involvement.

Mr Cox returned a conclusion of unlawful killing for Mrs Buxton and said her husband had taken his own life. “I think what has become apparent subsequent to these events is that no one had the full picture,” he said.

“What is abundantly clear from the papers is that no one, family members or mental health practitioners, seriously felt that Michelle was at risk of harm from her husband Anthony. I have accepted as fact that on September 24 Anthony strangled his wife, and I’m also further going to accept the evidence from the police that having done that he’s then stabbed himself in the chest.

“If Anthony had survived, he would inevitably have been charged with a homicide offence.”

Addressing the family, the coroner added: “This is a dreadful set of circumstances, completely unexpected, and you have my deepest sympathies for what has occurred.”

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Officers were called to Yewdale Avenue in Breightmet at around 3.30am on Tuesday, August 4.

There they found a woman with ‘significant injuries’, who was pronounced dead at the scene, while a 36-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder.

A spokesperson said: “Officers responded to reports of an assault on Yewdale Avenue, Bolton at around 3.15am this morning.

“Upon attendance, they located a woman, aged in her 40s, unresponsive with significant injuries.

Crime Scene Investigation officers were at the scene (Image: Phil Taylor)

“Despite the best efforts of emergency services, she was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

“One man, aged 36, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody for questioning.

“A scene will remain in place, and we will have an increased police presence in the area as enquiries continue.”

The North West Ambulance Service confirmed that they were also called to Yewdale Avenue in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

A house was taped off (Image: Phil Taylor)

A spokesperson said: “We were called at around 3.15am to a private address.”

Residents in the largely residential street said that they had seen the police at work for hours throughout the day as an investigation got under way.

UPDATES – Murder arrest after woman found dead as neighbours ‘shell-shocked’

A resident said: “About 4am this morning, police came flying down Yewdale Avenue, I came out of my house, saw a gentleman on the floor being cuffed.

“I’ve been here since 4am, there’s a crime scene here at the moment.

A cordon was in place (Image: Phil Taylor)

“There were at least eight or nine units that turned out.

“There’s been a shift change where some units have left and other units have turned up.

“I’ve spoken to some of the neighbours and they’re shell-shocked that it’s happened.”

Another woman said she looked to see what was happening that morning.

She said: “It was then that they turned up, there was screaming.”

She added: “The front was all barricaded up so they had to go around the back.”

The woman said that an ambulance had been on the scene for a few minutes earlier in the morning.

Lisa Fryett and her partner Simon Batchelor, both from Essex, were hospitalised with life-threatening injuries after becoming caught in a devastating Spanish wildfire last month.

A British woman has died in Spain just weeks after a devastating wildfire left her and her partner in critical condition.

Lisa Fryett and Simon Batchelor, both from Essex, were staying near Bédar and Los Gallardos in Spain when the blaze broke out in nearby villages.

The couple were rescued from the fire and rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries following the blaze on July 14, with a GoFundMe update from a page set up to support the family confirming that Lisa has since passed away, surrounded by her family in Spain.

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The arrests relate to activity at the Bolton House Road site in Wigan, which has long been a source of complaints from residents about foul odours.

The four individuals arrested include a 41-year-old and a 35-year-old from Wigan, a 24-year-old from Leeds, and a 59-year-old from Liverpool.

The man from Leeds was also arrested in connection with waste dumping at the Cave’s Inn Pits Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) near Shawell in Leicestershire.

Residents have long complained about foul odours coming from the site (Image: Supplied)

Last year, a fire at the site forced the closure of nearby schools.

The incident took a week to bring under control, highlighting the serious risks posed by the illegal waste operations.

Sue Longstone, director of operations for the North at the Environment Agency, said: “The illegal dumping at Bolton House Road and Cave’s Inn Pits are atrocious attacks on our communities, and we share the public’s utter disgust at these horrendous crimes.

“Our teams have been working relentlessly on these investigations, and our arrests are a vital step in collecting new evidence and progressing it further.”

The Environment Agency announced the arrests as part of an ongoing investigation, supported by the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit and police forces from Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and West Yorkshire.

The investigation is part of wider efforts to tackle organised waste crime.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham described the impact of the crimes as “shocking” and commended the joint action taken by the Environment Agency and police.

Mr Burnham said: “I have stood on Bolton House Road and seen what local people have had to live with.

“It is shocking – an ocean of rubbish piled up next to a primary school, and families unable to escape the smell in their own homes.”

He said the arrests represent the beginning of tougher action against waste crime gangs.

Mr Burnham said: “This is not fly tipping.

“This is organised crime, and it is local communities that are paying the price.

“For too long, this issue has been ignored. But not on my watch.

“Today’s action by the Environment Agency and the police is just the start of our plans.

“The days of making easy money from waste are over.”

The government has pledged to fully fund the clean-up of the Wigan site and is working with the council to recruit a specialist contractor for the job.

To prevent further illegal dumping, Wigan Council has installed concrete blocks at the entrance to the site.

Any information can be reported to the Environment Agency via its 24-hour incident hotline at 0800 807060 or anonymously via Crimestoppers.

At the end of June – in the run-up to America’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence – President Donald Trump staged the White House’s first-ever professional sporting event. And while the UFC Freedom 250 evening of mixed martial arts was ostensibly part of the July 4 jamboree, Trump took the opportunity to promote his family’s business interests.

Fighters were paid bonuses in US$1 stablecoins, the cryptocurrency owned by the Trump family, while the event itself cost a reported US$60 million, much of which was taxpayers’ money.

The US president’s ability to make money while in office has been a focus of attention since his financial reports for 2025 were made public at the end of June. His reported revenue jumped from US$622 million in 2024 to US$2.2 billion in 2025, the first year of his second term.

While he and his family claim that there is no conflict of interest, there is little doubt that Trump has been able to profit from his position. But how does his financial gain as president stack up with some of his recent predecessors?

The Kennedy family were famously wealthy. The family’s patriarch, Joseph Kennedy, put some of his money into trusts for his children, allowing John Fitzgerald, Robert Francis and generations of future Kennedys to pursue politics without financial worry or conflicts between business and public service.

Kennedy’s successor Lyndon B. Johnson owned significant land and a small media empire in Austin, Texas with his wife Lady Bird, all of which was put into a blind trust and officially controlled without the Johnsons’ involvement while he was in office.

During the 1972 election cycle, Time magazine reported that incumbent president, Richard Nixon had improved his finances by just over US$300,000 during his first presidential term, noting that he was “not yet a millionaire”. Most of Nixon’s financial assets were tied up in property and his civil service pension.

Jimmy Carter’s famous peanut farm assets were put into a trust when he won office, and he left the presidency in $1m of debt following droughts in Georgia. Ronald Reagan, who succeeded Carter and was not a businessmen but a film actor-turned-politician, came to office with some assets. His assets – valued in 1981 at about US$4 million, mainly made up of his two properties – were also held in trust while he was in office.

George W. Bush made almost US$15m selling his stake in the Dallas-based Texas Rangers baseball franchise in 1998, while he served as governor of Texas. Barack Obama earned money from royalties on book sales while in office, but both he and Bill Clinton have amassed considerable wealth since leaving office.

None of these presidents appeared to leverage their presidency or their image to earn money while in office in the way that Trump has during his second term. Instead, they tended towards waiting until the post-presidency years.

Lucrative memoirs

Making money post-presidency is hardly a new story– the likes of James Buchanan and Ulysses S. Grant penned memoirs to earn money as far back as the 19th century. Nixon penned a well-paid memoir and made a lucrative and famous series of television interviews with David Frost in 1977 that earned him a base payment of $600,000 – over $3 million in 2026.

Perhaps the most lucrative of these post-presidential careers has belonged to Bill Clinton. Still a relatively young man of 54 when he left office, he moved into a public speaking and advising career. By 2016, he had made US$189m, US$38m of which had come from memoirs and other writing projects.

Barack Obama followed suit, pre-selling the rights to his memoirs immediately after leaving office for in a combined book deal with his wife Michelle reported to be US$60m.

Obama waited until he had officially stepped down before publicly concluding negotiations with Penguin Random House, taking the same pains as his predecessors to avoid the accusation of conflicting interests between his public service and private business.

Cashing in on the presidency?

No modern president has come close to Trump’s earnings, either while in office or after leaving.

In his first term Trump made attempts to differentiate his businessman persona from his new profession. Sean Spicer, his first White House press secretary, announced in 2017 that Trump was donating his first quarter earnings to the National Park service, a tradition he continued throughout his presidency. But he still amassed business revenues of US$2.4b – more than his predecessors by a considerable margin.

But even this could well be dwarfed by the amount of money Trump stands to make in his second term, if the first year is any guide. The 47th US president continues to argue that he follows the same path as other presidents and that his wealth is managed at arms’s length by external trusts and partnerships.

But the recent launch of Truth API – a paid-for data feed which gives access in “milliseconds” to posts on TruthSocial, a social media platform launched by Trump in February 2022 – has led to calls from his political opponents for the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate. Posts by the president and other powerful people on the platform are known to move markets.

A recent poll by CNN has found that nearly two-thirds of Americans believe that Trump has gone too far in pursuing his personal business interests while serving as president. Whether this will hurt his party’s prospects in the midterm elections in November is yet to be seen. But what is clear is that the immense amount of money the US president has earned – and the power he wields over regulatory systems – now blurs the lines between public office and private business in a way that few other American leaders have.