A crypto entrepreneur purchased a banana and a roll of duct tape at an auction for $6.2 million.

The banana and duct tape were sold at auction to represent Maurizio Cattelan’s viral 2019 artwork, though they are not the originals.

The fresh fruit was purchased for 35 cents on the morning of the auction, which took place at Sotheby’s New York.

The Guardian reports:

In a competitive and fast-moving auction in which cryptocurrency bids were accepted, bidding started at US$800,000 and quickly leapt beyond the initial estimates, as bids flew fast within the room at Sotheby’s Upper East Side location as well as over the phone and online.

“I never thought I’d say ‘$5 million for a banana’,” auctioneer Oliver Barker quipped as the bidding approached its climax. The banana displayed at Sotheby’s was reportedly purchased for 35c earlier that day.

Jen Hua from Sotheby’s China office placed the winning bid on behalf of Chinese-born crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun, who will pay US$6.2m including the buyer’s premium.

For $6.2 million, Sun will receive the banana, a roll of duct tape, and instructions on how to tape it to the wall.

“This is not just an artwork, it represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community,” Sun said in a statement to Sotheby’s, obtained by The Guardian. “I believe this piece will inspire more thought and discussion in the future and will become a part of history.”

Sun plans to eat the banana, “honouring its place in both art history and popular culture.”

The original banana was taped to a wall at Art Basel Miami in 2019 and was offered for $120,000.

The banana was removed from the wall, eaten by New York performance artist David Datuna, and replaced with another.

The post Crypto Entrepreneur Buys Banana and Roll of Duct Tape for $6.2 Million Dollars — Plans to Eat it appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Here it is.

Matt Gaetz on Thursday announced he is withdrawing his nomination for US Attorney General after a meeting with senators.

The Deep State and media stenographers really ramped up their attacks against Matt Gaetz since Trump nominated him for US Attorney General last week.

The New York Times on Wednesday announced it obtained a leaked document from the federal alleged sex trafficking investigation of Matt Gaetz.

The release of the leak came shortly after the House Ethics Committee decided not to release its lawfare investigation report on sham allegations of sex trafficking and sexual relations with a minor against Matt Gaetz on Wednesday.

It should be noted that Attorney General Merrick Garland did not have evidence to press charges against Gaetz.

After relentless attacks over junk allegations, Matt Gaetz withdrew his nomination on Thursday.

“I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1,” Matt Gaetz said.

“I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history. I will forever be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I’m certain he will Save America,” Gaetz said.

I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance…

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 21, 2024

According to MSNBC, at least 5 Senate Republicans were a hard no on Gaetz:

• Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
• Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
• Susan Collins (R-ME)
• Markwayne Mullin (R-OH)
• Sen.-elect John Curtis (R-UT)

Breaking on @MSNBC:

At least five Senate Republicans were a ‘no’ on Matt Gaetz — McConnell, Murkowski, Collins, Mullin, Sen.-elect Curtis — and had communicated to other senators they were unlikely to be swayed.

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 21, 2024

The old guard RINOs strike again.

The post BREAKING: Here Are the GOP Senators Who Didn’t Support Matt Gaetz For Attorney General appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

“The View” co-host Sunny Hostin was once again forced to read a legal note about President Trump’s nominees Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth.

The media has been attacking Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee for Defense Secretary, with leaks about a years-old sexual assault allegation that was already investigated by police.

In 2017, Monterey, California, police investigated an allegation made by a married woman [Jane Doe] who claimed Pete Hegseth sexually assaulted her at a political event, but they found no evidence to support her claims.

Hegseth claimed the encounter was consensual.

Gaetz has denied the allegations and the Justice Department declined to bring charges after investigating the matter.

It should be noted that Attorney General Merrick Garland did not have evidence to press charges against the Republican lawmaker.

Sunny Hostin was forced to read another legal note about the allegations against Gaetz and Hegseth.

“I have a legal note. Matt Gaetz has long denied all allegations and has not been charged with any crime. Gaetz previously dismissed allegations that he paid for sex saying “someone is trying to recategorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends…” Hostin said before reading a second legal note.

“Another legal note. Pete Hegseth’s lawyer said he paid off the woman in 2023 to head off the threat of a baseless lawsuit,” Hostin added.

Joy Behar was peeved.

“Just call the show ‘Legal Note’ from now on,” Joy Behar said.

WATCH:

Dressed in an oversized sparkly silver suit, Sunny Hostin was forced to read ANOTHER legal note about the allegations against Matt Gaetz and a second legal note about Pete Hegseth.
“Just call the show ‘Legal Note’ from now on,” Joy Behar huffed. pic.twitter.com/GyP2QesXMw

— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) November 21, 2024

Earlier this week Sunny Hostin was forced to read a legal note out on air after smearing Matt Gaetz as a sex offender.

On Tuesday Hostin attempted to link Gaetz to the DOJ’s old recycled allegations of sex trafficking.

“How could you nominate someone with allegations of child trafficking across state lines and having sex with a 17-year-old,” Hostin said.

“My understanding further on in the interview they discuss the fact that once he found out she was 17 he stopped having sex with her.”

Hostin was then asked to read out a “legal note” clarifying the situation live on air.

“Matt Gaetz has long denied all allegations, calling the claims invented and saying in a statement to NBC News that this false smear following a three year criminal investigation should be viewed with great skepticism,” she said.

“The DOJ investigation was closed with no charges being brought.”

WATCH:

Sunny Hostin was legally obligated to read a statement for slandering Matt Gaetz and she did not like it one bit. pic.twitter.com/mPTchm4QHX

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) November 20, 2024

The post ‘The View’ Co-Host Sunny Hostin Forced to Read ANOTHER Legal Note About Pete Hegseth and Matt Gaetz – Joy Behar Peeved! (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson appears to have rebranded himself as a conservative solely to save his political career and secure a cushy job as Trump’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. 

Johnson is best known for jumping off the Democrats’ sinking ship late last year and switching party affiliation to Republican. But some of his now-deleted social media posts have resurfaced, exposing his radical left and anti-Trump views.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, Johnson is now vying for a spot in President-Elect Donald Trump’s cabinet, according to sources close to the administration.

Woke Anti-Trump Mayor Tries for HUD Cabinet Post

It is unclear whether he jumped on the Trump bandwagon last year with this intention or not, but some of his so-called previous views are so far left that his supposedly newfound views don't seem sincere. He wasn't a moderate Democrat who decided his party had gotten too radical. He is one of the radicals.

We reported yesterday on Johnson's January 30, 2017 tweet, decrying Trump's executive order “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States.” He incorrectly labeled the EO a “Muslim Ban” and stated, “this ill-advised executive order may actually make Americans less safe by fueling dangerous xenophobic sentiments…”

In a post responding to Governor Greg Abbott banning sanctuary cities, the open borders Mayor said, "Now, more than ever, we must stand w/ our immigrant community" and called on Texas to "resist the anti-immigrant efforts of the Rs." The post ended with the hashtag "NoBanNoWallNoRaids."

The Gateway Pundit further reported on the anti-Trump Mayor's praise for Obama in a 2018 tweet where he bashed Trump once again:

Johnson also praised Russiagate hoaxer Adam Schiff, James Comey, and Black Lives Matter in since-deleted tweets, The Gateway Pundit reported.

In addition to urging people to “stay woke” and saying that a Trump presidency is “everything we feared” for uninsured, LGBTQ, and minority individuals, Johnson also condemned a piece of legislation in Texas that would keep boys out of the girl's restrooms. He claimed that the bill "forces vulnerable #transgender Texans to be singled out and subject to further discrimination." Embedded in the post is a transgender flag image that reads "protect transgender youth."

In another tweet about the bathroom bill, he called on lawmakers to "protect our transgender community" while endorsing a claim by former Dallas Mayor Democrat Mike Rawlings that there's no danger for ladies in public restrooms.

He also praised the violence-inciting radical left Congresswoman Maxine Waters and praised her confidence and wokeness.

As recently as 2020, Johnson has openly supported Barack Obama. He announced in June 2020 that he was signing Obama's Mayors Pledge and focusing on "justice and equity." Obama's pledge, officially titled "The Reimagining Policing Pledge," calls for cities to "redefine public safety and combat systemic racism within law enforcement" by radically changing police policies, such as use-of-force policies. Dallas, Texas is still listed as a pledged community.

We don't need a DEI Marxist serving in the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The post More on Woke Liberal Dallas Mayor Who is Gunning for a Role in Trump Administration – Supports “Transgender Youth” and Boys Using Girl’s Bathrooms in Schools, Black Lives Matter, Open Borders appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

‘Shark Tank’ star and famed investor Kevin O’Leary

John Roberts: Here’s a breakdown of federal spending, just so that folks at home know where their tax dollars are going. Health care, 25%, Social Security, 20-25%, defense, 13-15%, safety net programs, 10%, interest on the national debt, 8-10%.

The way it breaks down is, 61% of spending is mandatory, 13% is on debt service, 26% is discretionary, which really will be the target of DOGE. That is a small piece of the pie to try to wring $2 trillion out of Kevin.

Kevin O’Leary: I don’t know I think health care could be another place of savings. We haven’t really used any technology there yet. We haven’t really digitized medical records. We really haven’t brought a mandate of AI into that. I think we could save a lot of money. The US has one of the worst IRR returns on health care spending when you can compare it to some of the European countries like Switzerland, or England, or France, they do a much better job, but they share the records on a much more ubiquitous basis that we do. We’re always concerned about privacy, but I think we could fix that too. But I like looking at everything.

I don’t see any reason why these two can’t just release the hounds and go nuts. Everybody’s interested to find out what they’re going to see, and I’d like to hear it myself because maybe it’s a means test on Social Security.

We have to fix this because the deficit is getting a little big right now, and the bond market is starting to get a little bit uneasy in the 10-year. I worry about that.

John Roberts:  Yeah, I mean, there’s no question that Social Security is something that might need to be looked at. But Simpson Bowles said, ‘Let’s look at that.’ And Republicans in Congress said, No, not going to touch that. So Elon Musk is having no end of fun with all of this.

America, his PAC, produced this tweet saying, ‘The Pentagon just failed its seventh audit in a row. The nation’s largest government agency is unable to fully account for its budget of over $824 billion. They don’t even know where billions of taxpayers money is going. Efficiency is coming.’ To which Musk retweeted with a comment, ‘Sounds like a job for Doge.’

He really looks like he’s looking forward to getting into the numbers here.

Kevin O’Leary: I rest my case, your honor. Here he goes. He’s just going to keep on these guys, hitting him every day to a billion people that are willing to listen, and the head squeezing begins.

I love head squeezing. This is fantastic.

They’re going to think he’s going to go away. No, he won’t. He’ll just keep going and going and going and going, and no one’s going to stop him. He owns a network.

We’ve never had anything quite like this, and I absolutely love it. This is terrific.

Watch:

The post Kevin O’Leary Weighs in on DOGE: ‘Release the Hounds’ (Video) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.