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Fauci denied being ‘muzzled’ by Trump early in pandemic, emails show

White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci had little patience for claims his messages in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic were being restricted by the Trump administration, a tranche of newly public emails shows.

The more than 3,200 pages of emails, obtained by BuzzFeed News and covering a period between January and June 2020, are dotted with messages to Fauci from public health experts and ordinary Americans alike asking variations of the same question: “Have you been muzzled?”

That’s the subject line of a March 1, 2020, email to Fauci from a man named Thomas Murray, who describes himself as a “nuclear/aerospace engineer who subsequently obtained an MPH [Master of Public Health degree] at the University of Washington.”

“The news media is reporting that the White House has muzzled you. Is that true?” asked Murray, who further asked Fauci to “let me know if I should stay silent or become noisy.”

As COVID-19 started becoming a threat last year, Dr. Anthony Fauci started receiving emails from people asking if he was being censored by the Trump administration. He denied the assertions.

Source: Fauci denied being ‘muzzled’ by Trump early in pandemic, emails show

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Trump blasts Biden for ‘destroying our country’

Former President Donald Trump blasted President Biden on his handling of China, the Middle East and the crisis at the southern border, saying his successor is “destroying our country.”

“All he had to do is nothing,” the former president said on Newsmax’s “Dick Morris Democracy” on Saturday. “We won’t have a country; they’re destroying our country.”

Trump said his administration’s work on the Mexican border was overturned by Biden and created the situation that exists there today.

“If he would have done nothing, we would have had right now the strongest border in history,” Trump told Dick Morris.

Source: Trump blasts Biden for ‘destroying our country’

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From the Desk of Donald J. Trump: Liz Cheney is a warmongering fool who has no business i… | Donald J. Trump

Donald J. Trump

11:45am May 5, 2021

Liz Cheney is a warmongering fool who has no business in Republican Party Leadership. We want leaders who believe in the Make America Great Again movement, and prioritize the values of America First. Elise Stefanik is a far superior choice, and she has my COMPLETE and TOTAL endorsement for GOP Conference Chair. Elise is a tough and smart communicator!

Source: From the Desk of Donald J. Trump: Liz Cheney is a warmongering fool who has no business i… | Donald J. Trump

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Trump creates ‘Office of the Former President’ in Florida | Fox News

Former President Trump on Monday established an official post-presidency office in Palm Beach County, Fla., to oversee his affairs, Fox News has learned.

A statement from Trump’s office said the Office of the Former President will be responsible for his “correspondence, public statements, appearances, and official activities.”

“The Office will also “advance the interests of the United States and … carry on the agenda of the Trump Administration through advocacy, organizing, and public activism.”

Source: Trump creates ‘Office of the Former President’ in Florida | Fox News

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Here Are Some Of The Government-Funded Perks Trump Could Get After Leaving Office

The government helps former presidents set up an office after becoming private citizens, footing the bill for “suitable office space” and handing them up to $150,000 per year to pay office staff in their first 30 months after leaving the White House (their staffing budget sinks to $96,000 a year after that), under the Former Presidents Act.

At least three former White House staffers plan on joining Trump’s office, Politico reported Wednesday: assistants Molly Michael and Beau Harrison and press aide Margo Martin (they could not be reached for comment).

Security might be an ex-president’s priciest perk: Trump and his wife Melania are entitled to Secret Service protection for the rest of their lives, an expense that cost millions per year when he was in office, and Trump opted to extend taxpayer-funded Secret Service details for his adult children for the next six months, the Washington Post reported.

Most presidential libraries are built using private donations and then operated by the taxpayer-funded National Archives and Records Administration, though Trump’s plans for an official library and museum remain unclear.

BIG NUMBER

$3.85 million. That’s the total amount of money budgeted for former presidents’ expenses in the 2020 fiscal year, not including security, according to records from the General Services Administration. That figure includes pensions, staffers’ salaries, printing services and other office expenses for every former president.

KEY BACKGROUND

Before departing Washington for his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, Wednesday morning, Trump vowed to his supporters, “we will be back in some form.” His exact post-presidency ambitions remain unclear. Beyond operating a modest government-funded office, he could return to the helm of the Trump Organization after handing day-to-day control to his adult sons in 2017, but the business faces headwinds. Trump currently has at least $1 billion of debt per Forbes’ estimates, and after a mob of his supporters broke into the U.S. Capitol building two weeks ago, a few companies declared their unwillingness to continue doing business with him. The Trump Organization did not respond to a request for comment.

Source: Here Are Some Of The Government-Funded Perks Trump Could Get After Leaving Office

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Supreme Court shuts down 2 Trump emoluments cases – POLITICO

The Supreme Court has effectively shut down two lawsuits alleging that former President Donald Trump was violating the Constitution by profiting from his public office, the court said Monday.

The announcement may indicate that the justices are looking to put the Trump era behind them and are not eager to wade into disputes about his personal or business affairs.

Source: Supreme Court shuts down 2 Trump emoluments cases – POLITICO

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Do Palm Beach residents want Don Jr and Kimberly to move in? 

Thirty people currently living in the pricey Admirals Cove development near Jupiter, Florida, have written to the manager of their owners’ association to express concern about the Trumps.

  • Donald Trump Jr and Kimberly Guilfoyle are relocating to Palm Beach County
  • The pair have bought two waterfront mansions in Admirals Cove near Jupiter
  • They are likely to relocate from New York in March but locals are unimpressed
  • The general manager of the property owners association received 30 messages
  • Some said their arrival was a ‘nightmare’ and would bring ‘disharmony’
  • Others were concerned about security threats and ‘notoriety’
  • Ivanka and Jared are also moving to Florida, with a new home near Miami 

Source: Palm Beach resident DON’T want Don Jr and Kimberly to move in 

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How Trump will hand off the ‘nuclear football’ to Biden – CNNPolitics

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump will not be in attendance Wednesday to watch as his successor Joe Biden is sworn into office, but his absence will have little impact on what may be one of the most important moments of Inauguration Day, the handing off of the “nuclear football.”

The “football,” which contains the equipment that Trump would use to authenticate his orders and launch a nuclear strike, is carried by a military aide who accompanies the President at all times — up to the second he officially leaves office on January 20.
Typically, the football would be handed off to another military aide standing on or nearby the inauguration viewing stand as Biden takes his oath of office.

But on Wednesday, that exchange will happen a bit differently as Trump is currently expected to depart Washington, DC, for Florida before Biden’s inauguration ceremony.

The nuclear football will likely travel with him, experts say, meaning there will be at least two briefcases in different locations, presenting a unique challenge of ensuring the transfer of authority goes smoothly.

While that process may play out slightly differently than it has in years past, there are safeguards in place to ensure a seamless transition of nuclear control from one president to the next, regardless of circumstance, according to Stephen Schwartz, a nonresident senior fellow at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Source: How Trump will hand off the ‘nuclear football’ to Biden – CNNPolitics

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Analysis: With Trump’s exit, the Fox News presidency will come to an end – CNN

A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter.

Four years ago, Fox News headed into the Trump presidency with an unprecedented opportunity. It was not only the primary source of news for the Republican Party, but also the primary source for President Trump himself. The network could have used the opportunity to act responsibly. It could have leveraged its contacts within Trump’s inner circle and the GOP to double down on reporting and break some real news. It could have — at the very least — delivered the cold hard truth to the millions who relied on it for accurate, reliable information.
But it did none of those things. Instead, Fox chose to run in the opposite direction. The propagandists on the network were empowered like never before while the so-called “straight news” hours became Trumpier and Trumpier. Its hosts scored dozens of Trump interviews, but, in most cases, instead of pressing him with tough questions, they egged on his worst tendencies. Even when not talking directly with him, the hosts were speaking directly to him. And they egged on those poor tendencies by feeding him a steady diet of hyper-partisan stories and outright disinformation. While it is officially called the “Trump presidency,” there is a good case to be made that it should be referred to as the “Fox News presidency.”
Now, that is all coming to an end.

Source: Analysis: With Trump’s exit, the Fox News presidency will come to an end – CNN

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Donald Trump’s 11th-hour pardons keep with tradition, even if those pardoned do not – CNNPolitics

(CNN)President Donald Trump’s expected batch of 100 pardons and commutations on the penultimate day of his presidency won’t be the highest of his recent predecessors. But his record of clemency could very well be the most controversial.

Unlike past presidents, Trump has shown little interest in using the Justice Department’s Pardon Attorney system for assessing requests for executive clemency. Instead, petitioners are approaching the White House directly, calling or emailing senior adviser Jared Kushner, chief of staff Mark Meadows or White House counsel Pat Cipollone — when they can’t get a hold of Trump himself.
Many of the people Trump has chosen to pardon so far fall along predictable lines: associates such as Roger Stone and Michael Flynn who remained loyal to him through their legal troubles; criminals with friendly or familial ties to the administration, such as Jared Kushner’s father Charles; celebrities or people connected to celebrities, such as Rod Blagojevich; and those whose cause was taken up by conservative media, such as Blackwater security guards who massacred Iraqi civilians.
He has pardoned or commuted the sentences of some people serving lengthy prison terms for low-level offenses, such as Alice Johnson, who spoke at the Republican National Convention.

But by and large, Trump’s pardon record has broken with historical norms. Many of the high-profile criminals he has pardoned have shown little contrition or remorse for their crimes and few have argued they were wrongfully convicted.He is expected to adhere to that record on Tuesday when he issues around 100 pardons or commutations. The final batch of clemency actions is expected to include a mix of criminal justice reform-minded pardons and more controversial ones secured or doled out to political allies. White collar criminals, high-profile rappers and a prominent eye doctor from Palm Beach, Florida, who is in prison after being convicted on dozens of counts of health care fraud, are expected to be on the list.

Source: Donald Trump’s 11th-hour pardons keep with tradition, even if those pardoned do not – CNNPolitics

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Trump tweets he is skipping Biden’s inauguration – CNNPolitics

(CNN)President Donald Trump said he would not attend his successor’s swearing-in, a day after his top aides cajoled him into releasing a video conceding he would soon be departing office.

“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th,” Trump tweeted, making formal what many had long assumed: that Trump would eschew the traditional step of personally demonstrating the peaceful hand-off of power to President-elect Joe Biden. He’ll be the first outgoing president to skip his replacement’s inauguration in more than 150 years.
It came as Trump faces an uncertain final stretch in office. His top aides delivered a blunt warning to him Thursday as he sat sullenly in the West Wing and watched as his Republican allies, Cabinet secretaries and former senior staffers criticized or denounced him one by one.
His daughter Ivanka Trump, White House counsel Pat Cipollone, chief of staff Mark Meadows and others told Trump there was a real chance he would be removed from office — whether by his own Cabinet or lawmakers — if he did not more forcefully denounce the actions of his supporters who attacked the US Capitol the day before.
Trump did not initially want to issue a video decrying the loyalists whose actions he largely supported — and whom he said he “loved” a day earlier — but he told aides to prepare a speech and then he would decide.
Once he read over the brief script they had prepared, Trump agreed to record it Thursday evening — a relief to the senior staff, though concerns lingered he could backtrack during his final days in office given his actual position has remained unchanged: that he lost the election unfairly.

Source: Trump tweets he is skipping Biden’s inauguration – CNNPolitics

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White House releases 46-minute ‘address’ by Donald Trump complaining about losing the election | Daily Mail Online

It’s statistically impossible that I lost’: White House releases 46-minute ‘address’ by Trump complaining that he lost the election and pleading with the Supreme Court to OVERTURN Biden’s victoryThe president posted a 46-minute video with his unsubstantiated claimsHe complained about voting machines and ballots that came in election night Predicted what he was saying ‘will be demeaned and disparaged’Said he didn’t want a revote but wanted to ‘overturn’ the election ‘immediately’He called the election a ‘total catastrophe’ Trump said it ‘may be the most important speech I’ve ever made’

Source: White House releases 46-minute ‘address’ by Donald Trump complaining about losing the election | Daily Mail Online

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In Harsh Rebuke, Appeals Court Rejects President Trump’s Election Challenge in Pennsylvania – The New York Times

“Voters, not lawyers, choose the president,” a judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in the 21-page repudiation of President Trump’s legal effort to halt Pennsylvania’s certification process.

Source: In Harsh Rebuke, Appeals Court Rejects President Trump’s Election Challenge in Pennsylvania – The New York Times

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Newt Gingrich: If election riots break out, Trump should follow Lincoln’s advice | Fox News

There is something obscene and repulsive about American businesses having to board up store windows on the eve of an election because they know their government cannot protect them from anti-American barbarians and thugs.

In Lincoln’s Lyceum Address of January 1838, titled “On the Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions,” he described mobs as the enemy of law-abiding citizens. He also captured the exasperation of citizens when government does nothing to suppress the mobs.

Lincoln, who was only 28 at the time, said this about mobs:

“Having ever regarded Government as their deadliest bane, they make a jubilee of the suspension of its operations; and pray for nothing so much, as its total annihilation.

Source: Newt Gingrich: If election riots break out, Trump should follow Lincoln’s advice | Fox News

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Election 2020 live updates: Trump to stage another five rallies; Biden focusing heavily on Pennsylvania – The Washington Post

With the race drawing to a close, the president plans to hit an array of battleground states while the Democratic challenger hunkers down in a key one, with a side trip to Ohio also on the schedule.

Source: Election 2020 live updates: Trump to stage another five rallies; Biden focusing heavily on Pennsylvania – The Washington Post

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette backs Trump in first GOP endorsement since 1972 – Axios

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette endorsed President Trump in an editorial piece published late on Saturday, writing that he “has put America first, just as he said he would.”

Why it matters: The Post-Gazette, which endorsed former President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, has not supported a Republican presidential nominee since 1972. The paper is also based in a swing state that is crucial to Trump’s victory.

What they’re saying: “We share the embarrassment of millions of Americans who are disturbed by the president’s unpresidential manners and character — his rudeness and put-downs and bragging and bending of the truth.”

  • “None of this can be justified. The president’s behavior often has diminished his presidency, and the presidency. Most Americans want a president who makes them proud.”
  • “We too prefer the first-class temperament and demeanor of a Winston Churchill, a Dwight Eisenhower, a Franklin Roosevelt, a Ronald Reagan, or a Barack Obama (whom this newspaper enthusiastically supported in 2008 and 2012). None of them are on the ballot this year.”

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette backs Trump in first GOP endorsement since 1972 – Axios

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Lawrence County Action Group Announces Get-Out-The-Vote Rally – Ellwood City, PA news

Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 24th for a series of Lawrence County Blue Splash rallies.

The Lawrence County Action is hosting a day of Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) rallies in Ellwood City & New Castle. The event is set to begin on Saturday at noon and last until 5:00 p.m.  Space is plenty for social distancing and masks will be required to enter and can be provided to attendees.

The day of rallies starts in Ewing Park in Ellwood City for a ‘Splash at Ewing’ rally that will include music with introductions of local leaders, recorded speeches from Joe Biden, and others from Angela Valvano. Materials will be provided for supporters and important election day information will be provided. A ‘Ridin’ with Biden caravan will leave Ewing Park and travel throughout Lawrence County.

At 2:00 p.m., a ‘Revved Up at the Riverwalk’ rally is planned in Downtown New Castle with important up-to-date information and marketing items to help GOTV. The caravan of decorated vehicles is expected to arrive at the Riverwalk. The rally event, scheduled to last until 4:00 p.m., will offer music, face painting, photo ops, and speakers from local, state and national levels with Lawrence County Commissioner Loretta Spielvogel making introductions.

At 4:00 p.m., a third and final rally will take place at the Street of Lawrence County as the ‘Ridin’ With Biden’ caravan will continue throughout the street of downtown New Castle. Attendees will be asked to look for the lead truck and line the streets, while social distancing, to enjoy the decorated caravan as it concludes its journey through Lawrence County.

For more details and discussion on this planned event, please visit the Lawrence County Action Facebook.com EVENT PAGE

Source: Lawrence County Action Group Announces Get-Out-The-Vote Rally – Ellwood City, PA news

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President Trump to visit Johnstown, Pa. on Tuesday, campaign officials confirm | WTOV

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WJAC) — President Donald Trump’s campaign confirmed Saturday that he will be making a stop in Johnstown this week.

The Trump campaign says the President will host a “Make American Great Again” Rally at the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The event will be open to the public with doors opening at 4 p.m.

For ticket information, click here.

Source: President Trump to visit Johnstown, Pa. on Tuesday, campaign officials confirm | WTOV

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‘Thanks, But No Thanks:’ Trump Campaign Reportedly Exploring Holding Event In Pittsburgh On Monday – CBS Pittsburgh

The Trump campaign is reportedly “exploring” a visit to Pittsburgh next week.

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Reports say this potential visit from President Donald Trump would not be a rally, where typically hundreds or even thousands could be in attendance.

But the possibility of the president being here, while still having the coronavirus, is not sitting well with some local leaders.

Here’s what a New York Times reporter tweeted last night:

Mayor Bill Peduto responded on Twitter, as well.

Mayor Peduto’s assumption is correct.

However, according to the CDC, if you think or know you had COVID-19, you can be around others after 10 days since symptoms first appeared, have had 24 hours with no fever without the use of medications and you find other symptoms of the virus are improving.

On Wednesday, Sean Conley, President Trump’s doctor said the 74-year-old has been fever-free for more than four days and symptom-free for over 24 hours.

At this point, the Trump campaign has not publicly announced a visit to the city.

We’re also hearing from County Executive Rich Fitzgerald about the President possibly stopping by.

Source: ‘Thanks, But No Thanks:’ Trump Campaign Reportedly Exploring Holding Event In Pittsburgh On Monday – CBS Pittsburgh

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Trump expected to carry out duties ‘without disruption,’ his doctor says

President Trump’s physician released a memo early Friday in which he said he expects the commander-in-chief “to continue carrying out his duties without disruption.”

“This evening I received confirmation that both President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” Dr. Sean Conley wrote.

“The President and First Lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence,” he continued.

Source: Trump expected to carry out duties ‘without disruption,’ his doctor says

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Democrats see fundraising boom with wild Trump-Biden debate

  • Joe Biden and his party scored a huge fundraising windfall during and after Tuesday night’s acrimonious debate with President Trump.
  • The Democratic fundraising website ActBlue processed close to $8 million between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., according to the site’s live ticker.
  • Rufus Gifford, Biden’s deputy campaign manager, tweeted on Wednesday that he had never received so many “calls/texts/emails from people wanting to give money to the campaign,” than he had in the previous 12 hours.

Source: Democrats see fundraising boom with wild Trump-Biden debate

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Have questions about the election? Target 11 gets answers from woman in charge of elections in Pa. – WPXI

WPXI’s RIck Earle began a one-on-one interview by asking Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar if she feels an added pressure because of the importance Pennsylvania will likely play in deciding the Presidency?

“It’s a critical state for either candidate. Do you feel added pressure?” Earle asked.

“I don’t have a low stress job, but I have the best team in the world,” Boockvar said. “They are working around the clock to make sure every Pennsylvanian gets to vote in a safe secure and accessible election.”

Boockvar is gearing up for the Nov. 3 general election and for an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots because of health concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We had almost 1.5 million ballots cast by mail in the primary, and a little over I think over 1.3 million in person. So that was the first time ever that more voters chose to vote by mail than in person, which is great. Allegheny County was one of the top, I think the top county in the state in terms of mail-ins, so we might see 3 million Pennsylvanians take advantage of it in the general election,” Boockvar said.

PENNSYLVANIA ELECTION RESOURCES

Source: Have questions about the election? Target 11 gets answers from woman in charge of elections in Pa.

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Thousands of supporters pack Unity airport, nearby roads, to hear Trump campaign speech | TribLIVE.com

Traffic was backed up for miles on the roads approaching Arnold Palmer Regional Airport on Thursday evening as thousands of Trump supporters turned out for the president’s campaign appearance near Latrobe.

The president spoke in a hangar at L.J. Aviation, at the airport in Unity, but a viewing screen was set up outside for the overflow crowd. Many parked along roads and hiked to the airport grounds.

Source: Thousands of supporters pack Unity airport, nearby roads, to hear Trump campaign speech | TribLIVE.com

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First night of RNC 2020 was very effective, to media’s dismay

The first night of the Republican National Convention was, all in all, sensationally effective — and effective in ways that the mainstream media and its Twitter chatterers clearly found it impossible to understand.

America’s opinion leaders loathe Donald Trump so much that it remains a great puzzlement to them how he can retain the support of even 42 percent of the population, rather than, you know, zero.

The implicit theory they share is the “deplorables” theory — that anyone who wants Trump to be and remain president is, at root, a bad person or someone too easily tempted by false promises and evil lies.

If they had ears to listen, they might be able to understand it better after tonight. The message of Night One was twofold.

First, the case was that Trump has done many things to help individual people in extremis — working to release hostages, deregulating certain types of medical treatments, fighting entrenched interests, and leading a strong economy until COVID came along to kill it.

Twitterati laughed at the supposed awkwardness with which Trump interacted with frontline COVID workers and hostages, but what they missed was Trump’s good cheer as he talked to them. These exchanges were actually less weird than the ones last week in which Biden talked to party activists over Zoom.

And second, the case was that Democrats are supporters of urban chaos and socialist policies that will make American lives less safe and will help immiserate the American middle class.

Source: First night of RNC 2020 was very effective, to media’s dismay

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Trump announces he’ll posthumously pardon Susan B. Anthony, convicted of voting illegally as a woman in 1872 – ABC News

President Donald Trump announced he will posthumously pardon for Susan B Anthony, a suffrage movement leader found guilty of illegally voting as a woman in 1872.

Trump made the announcement alongside first lady Melania Trump, wearing white, at a White House event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment — which ensured women the right to vote. It was ratified on Aug. 18, 1920, 14 years after Anthony died.

Source: Trump announces he’ll posthumously pardon Susan B. Anthony, convicted of voting illegally as a woman in 1872 – ABC News