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When then-former president Donald Trump introduced a line of NFTs in December 2022, he was widely mocked for it. The digital trading cards alternately depicted Trump as a muscle-bound superhero, a cowboy, and an astronautlike some antiquated fever dream of inspirational masculinity. Coming so soon after a stinging midterm election, in which nearly as many Trump-backed candidates in competitive races lost as those who won, it seemed like a desperate, cringy cash grab from a political supernova, mid-explosion. All the ridicule around Trumps stratospheric self-image, however, turned out to be a blip. Crucially, the NFTs sold out in less than 24 hours, raising an estimated $4.4 million, and like seemingly every obstacle in Trumps charmed political career, he incurred no lasting damage from the episode. Now that Trump has resumed his presidency, his White House has apparently internalized this lesson. Its official X account now regularly blasts out similarly cringy portraiture, culminating over the weekend in AI-assisted images of Trump as the next pope and a shredded Sith Lord from Star Wars. Government channels are reaching uncharted levels of embarrassment, having ratcheted up the 4chan factor both to emphasize Trumps world-beating dominance and communicate official policy. And they may just be getting warmed up. Ever since the inauguration in January, the White Houses X account has served up a cosmic gumbo of horn-tooting and antagonistic trolling. Reflecting the presidents relentless command of the attention economy, it often retweets various characters from the Trump Cinematic UniverseJD Vance, Elon Musk, and Kristi Noem, for instancein between provocative posts designed to reach maximum eyeballs. The account codified its house style for the latter early on with an exhibition of mirthful hostility. Viral entries in this genre included an ASMR video about deportations, a Valentines Day card about deportations, and a Studio Ghiblistyle AI rendering of, well, more deportations. Last weekend, however, the account went into overdrive. Beyond the AI rendering of Pope Trump, in the wake of Pope Franciss recent death, and the May the Fourthtimed image of the president wielding a red lightsaber, there were similar posts celebrating the ostensible defunding of PBS and NPR, several posts mocking the groundswell of support for mistakenly imprisoned immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, some celebrating Trumps attacks on DEI, and a 46-hour video entitled Lo-Fi MAGA Video to Relax/Study To, slowly listing Trumps accomplishments next to a cartoon-Trump writing from the Resolute Desk. (The use of the word study in that title suggests which age group this account is tweeting for.) While the tweet depicting Trump as Pope Franciss successor had the furthest reach, with 103 million views, and proved the most contentious, with Catholics responding in an uproar, the Star Wars post might be the most mortifying of the bunch. Why is Trump more yoked than a Wrestlemania contestant, for instance? And why is his lightsaber incorrectly the color of the bad guys in the Star Wars universe? (Or correctly colored, as Luke Skywalker himself joked.) Theres a world of difference between Candidate Trump selling worthless digital trinkets cosplaying various boyhood fantasies, and the White House tweeting such pap from the perch of the presidency. Now that these dispatches come from the communications apparatus of the U.S. government, theyre more than just embarrassing or cringe. Considering that, as some are pointing out online, all White House tweets are preserved in the Library of Congress, these goofy-cruel schoolyard taunts will now have a permanent echo in American history. Coming right on the heels of the Bidens administrations blissfully boring institutional tone, the Trump 2 White Houses X account is giving rocket-ship-level whiplash. Social channels during Bidens term were so comparatively tame, it was kind of a big, boundary-pushing deal in 2022 when some of Bidens staffers and a Democratic Senator posted Dark Brandon memes, depicting Biden as a supernatural mastermind equipped with fiery eye-lasers. It was an even bigger deal when Biden himself posted the meme in a playful tweet following last years Super Bowl. What is happening on the official White House X account these days, however, would seem like an escalation even if it came straight after Trumps first term. Between 2017 and 2020, the presidents Twitter account was a constant source of brazen, combative, and often inflammatory posts, while the official accounts generally maintained a more traditional posture. With sanitized summaries of all the unfurling chaos, the official White House account acted as a normalizing Zamboni, cleaning up after Trumps headline-generating posts, to preserve the thin veneer of politics as usual. Now, the administrations official communications channels are in sync with Trumps belligerent, reality-defiant brand, but with the juvenile posting sensibility of X owner Musk to boot. Any given day on X might find the White Houses account framing Trumps personal beliefs as those of the U.S. governmentand woe betide those who share any opposing views. This unified front suggests a deep erosion within the U.S. government of any remaining distance between Trump and Not Trump. Its a show of supremacy so clear, one couldnt even miss it from a galaxy far, far away. It seems to be gaining a following, too. On Monday morning, Semafor released a report that the White Houses X account had< href="https://www.semafor.com/newsletter/05/04/2025/semafor-media-never-go-back"> garnered two billion impressions in Trumps first 100 days. For an administration that so clearly thrives on generating attention of any kind, it seems like a big win. The billions of impressions the White Houses Trump-y posts keep racking up only underscores how all of this will look in posterity, though. Theres a good reason the Library of Congress has no wood engravings of a buff Abe Lincoln freeing Americas slaves with a turbo-musketand its not because AI didnt exist back then.
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E-Commerce
Prioritizing growth to sell is a perfectly reasonable business strategy. Being acquired by a larger group at some point (like Poppis recent sale to PepsiCo) makes sense for manyto generate cash flow for expansion, take a shortcut to economies of scale or market penetration, or just cash in for early retirement. But not for me. Early on in my business journey at Bulletproof, we considered a buyout from a renowned global comms agency. But when they starting asking for growth projections and questioning whether we could achieve them, we walked away. We went on to smash those projections within three yearsthats when I truly started to realize we would be better off independent. Really, who would want to report to someone who doesnt believe in your vision? Putting independence first Growing a good business is about relevance, internal culture, and excellencequalities that risk dilution under a larger group. You can so easily lose your way and what you stand forjust look at the recent headlines around Ben and Jerrys, with original CEO, David Stever, ousted for the political activism that was always at the heart of the original business. Also, as you relinquish control, you invariably compromise on how you pursue innovation or map the future. Its why Ive always put independence first. But if you dont want to bank on acquisition in your strategy for scale, how can you nurture expansion, while retaining your independent spirit? In fact, independence and global success go together quite nicely, you just need to embrace the right mindset. Always striving for relevance Different leaders will always have different qualities, but independence, to me, is about embracing a certain restlessness. A business shouldnt just be about creating great work, but about being at the cutting edge of cultureabout being relevant. For that, you need to be constantly moving, searching, never settling. We could be a perfectly good business of 50 people in London, sticking to a clearly defined nichevery well-off but ultimately very bored. Or we can be the business that doesn’t settle, one that embraces new technology, new opportunity and innovation without having to deal with interminable layers of approval. Its a choice you need to actively make and embrace. Embracing imperfection To do so, though, you need to allow yourself to make mistakes. In fact, being able to make mistakes, without being dragged over the coals for every misstep, is one of the biggest luxuries of independence. Weve made many mistakes at Bulletproof. For example, we messed up when we thought we could crack New York without having people on the ground and soon learned that it wouldnt work. From a personal point of view, I made the mistake of thinking I could do it allrun the business and be the creative head. For a long time, I didnt accept that there were people better suited to running parts of the business. Its a mistake I wish Id made a lot earlier. You dont grow a business, you grow people. So being independent is about embracing that imperfection and learning from those gaffes along the way. If you dont, you never progress. It goes hand-in-hand with persistence. As a business founder or leader, you take things personally, so youre protective over the business and its people. But you have to learn from mistakes and move on quickly. The right approach to scale Pursuing scale as a marker of success has its place. But progress means that you must grow for the right reasonsand without compromising quality. For us, scale is about growing talent and capabilities to complement our strengths. Its never about scale for the sake of it. For example, we dismissed the idea of franchising our name for global expansion, even though we received a few approaches. Maintaining control over quality was far more important than spreading our name in this way. A better way to think about scale is that its all about the right talent. Hard work, determination, nurturing, kind individuals who attract the right work and embody your values. If you get this right, you can scale. Articulate your vision To ensure that quality, you also need convictionand vision. People can help you with every other aspect of running a business, but the vision needs to come from the top. It needs to be both externally and internally facing. That way you will always have a road map of what you want to achieve and why, and youll always know how to take your team on that journey, At Bulletproof, our vision is to challenge the creative agency networks through doing the most compelling, commercially creative work on the planet. To prove there is a different way of doing things. Keep your fighting spirit But underpinning it all needs to be a fighting spirit. Things start to fall apart when you think youve made it Dont forget the early days, which invariably are hard. I didnt come from a lot, for example. You should always nurture the mindset to spot the opportunities when they present themselves. Diageo is now one of our largest clients, but it all started with a $20,000 brief for a cocktail in a can. Sometimes businesses reach a certain size and only go for the million-dollar briefsbut thats not how you grow, especially not as an independent business. You can see this fight, this alertness to opportunity, in many of the worlds most respected entrepreneurs. These leaders always look to evolve their enterprises, both into new markets and within their business practices, and their fight and drive keeps them relevant. Nikes Phil Knight is a great example. His book Shoe Dog is a personal favorite. In it, he speaks so honestly about what they went through, and the hustle of the early days. Its what makes running a fiercely independent business so rewarding. With it will come the growth that is truly rewardingand the freedom to say no when a buyer comes knocking.
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E-Commerce
“Well, it took a minute,” said Spike Lee, surveying the glittering Met Gala crowd during cocktail hour through bright orange glasses that matched his New York Knicks cap. “But we’re here now, that’s the most important thing.”Lee was referring to the fact that for the very first time, the Met Gala was making a point of celebrating Black style and Black designerssomething he felt was an overdue milestone, but a very welcome one. Tonya Lewis Lee, left, and Spike Lee attend The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. [Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP] “Long overdue,” Lee repeated. “But we’re here to celebrate. And who knows what’s gonna happen because of this event? There’s gonna be reverberations around the world.” Serena Williams attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. [Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP] Lee was echoing an excitement that many of the approximately 400 guestsluminaries in sports, music, fashion, film, theater and moreshared as they sipped cocktails or toured the gala’s accompanying exhibit, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” The show is an exploration of Black menswear from the 18th century onward, with dandyism as a unifying theme. Alex Newell attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. [Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP] Another film director, Baz Luhrmann, was touring the exhibit, designed by curator Monica L. Miller, a Barnard professor who literally wrote the book on dandyism: “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. He, too, mused on the importance of this year’s theme.“Sometimes the subjects are fun, sometimes you go, that’s interesting. But this is a subject where you go, why has light not been shone on this before?” Luhrmann said. “Black sartorial power on culture is so great but how much talk has there been about it?” Whoopi Goldberg attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. [Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP] Thinking of a departed friend For Whoopi Goldberg, the most important person of the evening wasn’t actually there. It was her late friend, André Leon Talley, the fashion editor and personality who was so important to Black style, and with whom she’d attended previous galas.Talley, who died in 2022, is honored in the exhibit; there’s a caftan he wore, among other objects. And Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton has said he was an inspiration for the show. Colman Domingo attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. [Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP] “I think they did him proud,” Goldberg said during cocktails. “I’m very happy to be here again, but spectacularly happy to see how they took care of him.”Asked what Talley would have thought of the show, she guessed he’d say: “I’m glad you understand.” And she added: “What better way to honor him?”Goldberg was dressed head to toemeaning mini-top hat to spats-inspired shoes, to handbagin Thom Browne.“He said. ‘Will you come?'” Goldberg said of Browne, whose suits, particularly, are hugely popular. “And I said, when you’re done, just put it on me, and I’m good. I feel incredible.” Lupita Nyong’o attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. [Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP] So what is dandyism? It was a favored topic of conversation; every guest had a slightly different way of defining what a dandy is. For director Lee, it was simple: “Doing your own thing.” For Audra McDonald, it was about “a sense of reclaiming” one’s own identity and worth. The Broadway actor, currently starring in “Gypsy,” was among the first guests examining the exhibit, along with her husband and fellow actor, Will Swenson. Al Sharpton attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. [Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP] Over at cocktails, the Rev. Al Sharpton was describing dandyism as a form of activism: the silent kind.“It means to me that even in the midst of being in a socially limited situation, we celebrate. I refuse to submit to just having a menial job. I’m gonna dress up . I’m gonna tip my hat. It’s a sense of rebellion without having to speak it.” A crucial sense of timing Sharpton was full of praise for the Met having chosen this moment to honor Black style.“It comes at a very important time,” he said. “To make a statement of diversity at the highest cultural levelwhich is the Met Galawhen diversity is under attack by the highest office in the land is more than if I could do a hundred marches. This is a monumental night.”Broadway actor Alex Newell agreed. It was the performer’s third Met Gala in a row, but this one had a special meaning.“It’s nice to see us represented this way,” Newell said. “Just when it is needed the most.” Simone Biles attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. [Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP] A flower-filled night sky Once gala guests climb the steps outside and enter the museum’s Great Hall, they encounter each year a monumental centerpiece, usually floral.This year, it was hundredsthousands?of flower petals suspended from the ceiling, with lighting evoking a starry sky. The petals also hung over the Great Hall staircase, which guests ascended to greet the awaiting receiving line of gala hosts.The petalsmade of fabric, truth be toldwere meant to symbolize narcissus flowers, and there were also reflecting pools, nodding to the myth of Narcissus.The greeting was not only visual but musical: An orchestra, accompanied by swaying singers, played favorites like Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” and Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing,”Guests then either proceeded to view the exhibit, or head straight to cocktails in the airy Engelhard Court. Often, they seem to prefer socializing, but this year the exhibit was filled with guests. Honoring Oscar (Wilde, that is) One of the more famous dandies, historically speaking, was Oscar Wilde. And so there was symmetry in the fact that Sarah Snook the “Succession” star was dressed in a way Wilde would have liked.It was certainly intentional. Snook now is appearing on Broadway in “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” the stage adaptation of Wilde’s 1891 novel in which she plays all 26 roles. Sarah Snook attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. [Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP] “Yes, There’s definitely an echo,” Snook said with a smile, about her striking (and aristocratic-looking) black suit. “Oscar would be happy.”Snook said she was enjoying her night off at the gala conveniently for the many guests from Broadway, theaters are dark on Mondays.“I’m loving the celebration of beautiful things,” Snook said of her gala experience. There are always first-timers At every Met Gala, there are newbies and they’re often rather starstruck. One of them was model Christian Latchman, 19, wearing a dramatic white ensemble that combined trousers with a long skirt.If he looked familiar, that’s because Latchman is the face in the photograph on the cover of the exhibit’s massive hardcover catalog.Asked to sum up his feelings about the evening, he said simply: “Astonishment. That’s the word for it.” Keith Powers attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. [Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP] Also new to the gala was actor Keith Powers, who sat on the sidelines, soaking it in. Was it all intimidating? Overwhelming? “All of the above,” he said. “It makes me anxious and happy, and inspired.” A call to dinner, tuba included Cocktails are fun, but dinner at the Met Gala sounds even more fun that’s where guests get an A-plus musical performance, for one thing.But music also accompanies the call to dinner. This time, it was the New York-based High and Mighty Brass Band who did the honors, snaking through cocktails with drums, trombones, a tuba and trumpets.Then guests headed off slowly to dinner, where they feasted on a menu by chef Kwame Onwuachi. Dinner began with papaya piri piri salad, and moved on to creole roasted chicken with a lemon emulsion, and cornbread with honey curry butter and barbecue greens. Dessert? That was a “cosmic brownie” with powdered sugar doughnut mousse. For more coverage of the 2025 Met Gala, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/met-gala Jocelyn Noveck, AP National Writer
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E-Commerce
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