More than half a million concurrent viewers were tuned in to streamer Adin Ross‘ Kick channel on Monday afternoon to watch an interview with Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida. In addition to hearing the GOP presidential nominee rant about some of his favorite topics, they also saw Trump receive two expensive, potentially illegal gifts from Ross: a gold Rolex and a custom-wrapped Cybertruck.
Ross is a prolific 23-year-old streamer with millions of followers across Kick, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube, renowned for his boisterous energy and bro-ish antics that frequently cross a line into toxic territory. He has previously platformed the white supremacist Nick Fuentes, as well as the alleged sex trafficker Andrew Tate, a mentor of sorts. In March, Ross accidentally snitched on Tate as he planned to flee criminal charges in Romania. (Tate, who is awaiting trial, has denied the charges.) After several Twitch bans over the years, the last one permanent, Ross in 2023 moved to the streaming platform Kick, which allows gambling content and is barely moderated. “We can do whatever the fuck we want,” he told his fans at the time.
Ross began Monday’s Kick stream by acknowledging that many doubted he had really landed a Trump interview. “Today is going to be the most important stream I’ve ever done,” he said after Trump came out to 50 Cent‘s “Many Men (Wish Death)” and joined Ross before a small audience. “Everyone thought this was going to be fake,” he added. (Ross’ last blockbuster political interview, pitched as a conversation with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, instead saw him talking to a professional impersonator.)
Wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, Ross made no effort to sound or appear impartial. His questions set up Trump to complain about everything from supposed liberal bias in schools (“Even the teachers have been brainwashed,” the former president said) and border security (though, unusually, Trump did not mention Hannibal Lecter this time). Trump, for his part, praised Ross as an “outstanding” young man, predicted that the livestream would break viewership records, and said that his youngest son, Barron Trump, is a “big fan” of Ross. From Trump’s positive comments on Ross’ youth and his clout as an influencer, it seems he saw the chummy interview as a welcome advantage in an intensifying battle for the hearts and minds of Gen Z. Vice President Kamala Harris is likewise garnering support from prominent content creators and riding the momentum of Zoomer memes.
When he wasn’t bashing Harris and President Joe Biden — or calling Harris’ elevation to the top of the 2024 Democratic ticket a “coup” — Trump made dire predictions for the future of the country should he not win the election: “I don’t think it survives,” he said at one point. He also floated several of his characteristically bizarre claims about his term in office, saying that he once played Kim Jong Un the Elton John song “Rocket Man” and that before he became president, “You weren’t allowed to say ‘Merry Christmas.’ I got it back.” As Ross noted that he himself is Jewish, Trump continued, “Even if you’re Jewish, they like to say Merry Christmas. Every one of my Jewish friends say, ‘We love Merry Christmas.'”
Trump in particular commended Ross’ success in streaming and deference to him, drawing a sharp contrast between this friendly chat and a combative event hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists last week. In that appearance, Trump lashed out at ABC News congressional correspondent Rachel Scott over a tough first question on his past comments about Black people and links to white supremacists including Fuentes. During the same interview, Trump also made racist comments about Harris, falsely asserting that she had only ever claimed Indian heritage until “she happened to turn Black.” On Monday’s stream, Ross agreed that Scott had been “so rude” as Trump called her “horrible” and “nasty.” On the other hand, Trump said, Ross’ open endorsement of him for president was “ethical.”
Ross, who in the past has received Twitch bans for hateful slurs and once streamed explicit Pornhub videos to an audience that likely included many underage viewers, elsewhere sought to criticize Harris because “a rapper was twerking at her at a rally.” He did not mention the performer, Megan Thee Stallion, by name, and given his history as an edgy content creator, the scandalized routine rang somewhat hollow. But the more glaring indications that Ross was out of his depth came in the form of his gifts to Trump. First, he gave the former president a gold Rolex. “That’s a great watch company,” Trump said as he opened the box. “Now I know it’s worth it,” he added, seeming to joke that it had been worth his while to appear on Ross’ channel.
Then, toward the end of the livestream, Ross took Trump outside — they paused to greet Félix Lengyel, a Canadian streamer better known as xQc, who was wearing a shirt of Trump with gold and silver grills on his teeth — to reveal a Tesla Cybertruck wrapped with an image of Trump holding his fist up after being wounded in an assassin’s attempt on his life at a Pennsylvania rally last month. (Earlier in the stream, Ross had expressed his awe at the “badass” photo. “I got whacked,” said Trump, who described how brave his supporters were for not fleeing the scene. He did not comment on the one attendee who was killed or the two others seriously injured in the shooting.)
Brendan Fischer, deputy executive director of Documented, a watchdog group that tracks and investigates money in politics, tells Rolling Stone that Ross’ gifts appear to have been “provided to Trump in his capacity as a candidate and because he is running for office, and are therefore considered contributions” to his campaign — an interpretation supported by the Trump imagery on the truck. “It isn’t part of a pattern of gifts exchanged between him and Trump that preceded his candidacy,” Fischer points out.
Contributions are subject Federal Election Commission rules, Fischer explains — in this case, the $3,300 per election limit for individuals. What’s more, the definition of “contribution” encompasses any “gifts.”
“Giving gifts valued at tens of thousands of dollars to a candidate amounts to an illegal and excessive campaign contribution,” Fischer says. “I suspect that once Trump talks to his lawyers, we’ll get an announcement that he is turning down the gifts or donating them to charity.” The Trump camp’s national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, tells Rolling Stone that the campaign “will submit an advisory opinion to the FEC to seek guidance on how to handle the gifts.”
“The evidence suggests that Ross made or sought to make an illegal contribution, so he could face civil penalties,” Fischer says. “But it wouldn’t surprise me if Trump were to reject the gift and Ross were to plead ignorance of the law, in which case I suspect that the FEC wouldn’t spend too much time on the matter.”
Still, Trump at least got to sample the sound system in the Cybertruck as he and Ross gushed about Tesla CEO Elon Musk, another outspoken Trump supporter whom the former president had labeled a “genius” earlier in the livestream. The pair listened to “California Dreamin'” by the Mamas and Papas and “God Only Knows” by the Beach Boys, as well as tunes by Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson, whom Trump said he knew well. The pair decided to sign off by dancing in the driveway to the Village People’s “YMCA,” a favorite at Trump rallies. “That’s the best one,” Trump said of the song before showing off his moves and making one last pitch to young viewers: “Trump is going to keep TikTok going,” he said. “Whereas Biden and Harris have no idea what it means.” Trump had initially led a charge in Washington to ban the app, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, but completely reversed his position earlier this year while vying for the youth vote.
After the stream ended, Harris for President spokesperson Sarafina Chitika blasted Trump’s performance in a statement provided to Rolling Stone: “Donald Trump’s sad attempt to connect with young voters flopped because like the rest of America, Gen Z isn’t into an unhinged, tired man trying to increase their taxes, kick them off their parents’ insurance, deny climate change, rip away their freedoms, and force his Project 2025 agenda on their entire generation,” Chitika said. The Harris campaign described the stream in a statement as “a boring, low energy interview,” noted that Ross failed to meet his goal of surpassing a million simultaneous viewers, and observed that “Trump was so diminished he could barely be heard by frustrated viewers who repeatedly commented to turn up his mic.” (The sound problems were an irony given Trump’s complaints of faulty mics and difficulty hearing at the NAJB event.)
If Trump does try to hold on to his Cybertruck, he may want to heed the warnings of other owners reporting a variety of malfunctions and structural problems, which have already led to several recalls. Probably the safest thing to do would be park it out in front of the resort as a billboard. Or, to take a page from his new pal Ross, he could bring the vehicle out to a gun range and pump it full of 9mm rounds. American freedom at its finest.
The first day of the 2026 Republican National Convention at the American Airlines Center, on Sept. 9, 2026 in Dallas, Texas.
People of all colors listen as Donald Trump speaks on the first day of the Republican midterm convention.
Trump supporters at the Republican midterm convention.
Vladimir Putin addressing the audience during the Valdai Discussion Club meeting on Oct. 1
As Trump Dithers, Ukraine War Is Approaching a ‘Fatal Point of No Return’
The war in Ukraine is becoming increasingly dangerous, with the risk of escalation spilling further into Europe. As Russia and European governments trade explicit warnings that the conflict is spreading, the United States is pursuing diplomacy aimed less at stopping the carnage than restoring ties with Moscow.
With the Russian military making little progress on the ground in eastern Ukraine despite nearly five years of war and more than a million casualties, the Kremlin is intensifying aerial attacks. Ukraine, which has been the target of Russian missiles and drones since the war began in February 2022, is now experiencing a sharp uptick in attacks on infrastructure and populated areas that threaten to plunge parts of the country into cold and darkness over the winter.
The aerial blitzkrieg is intended to destroy Ukraine’s morale, infrastructure, and economy, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently told the Financial Times, citing intelligence intercepted by his country’s security services.
Zelenskyy told the paper that Russian President Vladimir Putin, in discussions with top Kremlin officials, had removed constraints on the bombardment campaign: “He said there are no rules now.”
U.S. disengagement from the conflict during Trump’s second term, coupled with the American president’s animosity toward Zelenskyy and Ukraine more generally, has only emboldened Putin. After promising he would stop the war “within 24 hours” after reelection, Trump’s tepid support for Ukraine and its European allies has increasingly convinced the Kremlin it has a chance to permanently rupture the NATO alliance.
At the Valdai Discussion Club on Thursday — an annual high-profile international summit in St. Petersburg — Putin said that continued European support for Ukraine was pushing the conflict toward a “fatal point of no return.”
The Kremlin has long described the war as an extension of a confrontation with the collective West. With more than 1.5 million active service members in the Russian military, about 44 percent of Moscow’s budget for 2027 is dedicated to defense and security spending. Around 700,000 Russian soldiers are serving on the front lines in Ukraine, where casualties remain staggeringly high.
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Meanwhile, Moscow is conducting a campaign of so-called “hybrid warfare” — with officials in multiple countries alleging that a series of drone attacks, arsons, and sabotage originated with Russian intelligence services. The Kremlin also continues to carry out targeted killings on European soil — and has even attempted to assassinate political dissidents in the United States, according to the FBI.
Russia’s belligerent activity has set alarm bells ringing across Europe.
Speaking at a NATO event on Thursday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the continent must brace for “severe hybrid attacks,” as Russia targets production facilities and logistics hubs by which Ukraine’s allies supply the beleaguered country with arms. Europe must be prepared to “respond quickly and very clearly” to Russian provocations, Merz said.
For its part, Moscow asserts that NATO is provoking conflict, citing recent unannounced military exercises near Kaliningrad — a Russian exclave on the Baltic coast. In a communiqué to NATO this week, Russian officials warned that action against Kaliningrad would initiate a serious response, “including nuclear weapons” in order to defend its territory, and “Russian strikes against decision-making centers in the alliance’s member states.”
“This is a war that Europe is waging against us,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters at the Valdai forum. When asked about hybrid attacks outside Ukraine that European leaders have attributed to Russia, he said his country was only targeting support for what it dubs the “Nazi regime” in Kyiv.
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As the sabers rattle louder, American engagement with Moscow and Kyiv comes in fits and starts, with no apparent overarching strategy.
Critics of the White House’s approach point to a recent trip by Trump’s friend and special envoy to the Middle East, real estate attorney Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law Jared Kushner, to Moscow and Kyiv. Their tour yielded headlines, but little progress toward negotiations between the warring parties — let alone toward ending the conflict.
“I hope they had a great discussion about opening a hotel or something,” one European official told Rolling Stone. “Because it was useless otherwise.”
Diplomacy via haphazard tête-à-têtes with the president’s personal envoys is almost certainly viewed as a sign of weakness by Putin, who is well aware that Trump hopes to claim normalized ties between the United States and Russia as a crowning foreign policy achievement.
The White House is considering a range of unprecedented diplomatic deals that would help keep Russia’s economy functioning while doing little to benefit Ukraine.
These proposals reportedly include an easing of economic sanctions if Putin agrees to release some political prisoners, and a potential multibillion-dollar oil deal ostensibly aimed at stabilizing energy markets and reducing gas prices.
With gas prices rising amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and midterm elections around the corner, Trump has made energy central to his Russia policy. Washington has called for an “energy ceasefire” — while Trump has blamed Kyiv for rising diesel prices in the United States.
While high oil prices are the result of a concatenation of crises, Ukraine has been targeting Russian oil refineries, producing fuel shortages and long queues for gasoline — in one of the world’s largest oil producers — over the summer.
Ukraine is also developing its own domestically produced tactical ballistic missiles. Ukrainian officials said Friday that one type of missile, the FP-7, had been successfully used in combat for the first time. But whether Kyiv can produce enough of them to create a meaningful deterrent is unclear.
As winter nears, the outlook for Ukraine is bleak. A recent attack on Kyiv consisted of nearly a dozen ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones in a single night. That many munitions slip through highlights the dire situation faced by Ukrainian defenders, who are running out of advanced missile interceptors. They also struggle to shoot down drones that are becoming increasingly numerous, sophisticated, and effective as the war drags on.
In recent months, Russia has adopted widespread use of an advanced drone, the Geran-5 — a jet-powered drone that bears an uncanny resemblance to the V-1 “buzz bombs” used by the Nazis to bombard London toward the end of World War II.
As with the German V-1 campaign against London 80 years ago, the targets are often indiscriminate. Even before the ramping-up of attacks this fall, 2026 was on track to be the deadliest year for Ukrainian civilians since the early months of the full-scale war in 2022.
The proliferation of Russian attack drones and ballistic missiles means that cities like Kyiv now spend much of each day under air alert. Even aside from the human toll and physical damage that the weapons inflict, officials estimate that the disruptions to daily life are costing the country as much as $45 million per hour in lost economic activity.
Since Friday, a series of drone attacks has targeted two of Kyiv’s major bridges spanning the Dnieper River. The damage has disrupted traffic between the capital’s “Right Bank” — with its historic core and city center — and its “Left Bank,” with its sprawling Soviet-era industrial and residential developments.
Ukraine is already experiencing a severe financial squeeze. Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi says the country is facing a $27 billion “funding gap” before the end of the year.
Ukrainian lawmakers warn the government could even run out of funds to pay soldiers. One serving member of the Ukrainian military, who spoke to Rolling Stone on background, said by the end of the summer, members of his unit had already begun experiencing “delays” in receiving their pay.
The Ministry of Defense disputes that soldier’s salaries could go unpaid, but acknowledges that “technical issues” had caused some delays.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy is under pressure from corruption scandals and resignations involving members of his inner circle. Polls show him potentially losing hypothetical match-ups against rivals, including former Ukrainian Armed Forces commander Valerii Zaluzhny. The country’s “long-admired cohesion” has begun to crack — an outcome that aligns with Russia’s strategic objectives.
But after nearly five years of war, both combatants are showing signs of political and economic strain.
Russia’s regular military conscription process — 120,000 new recruits are expected over the next three months — barely offsets the grievous casualties its military is experiencing at the Ukrainian front, with high estimates exceeding 1,000 casualties per day.
Some analysts believe the Kremlin is considering a massive mobilization in the wake of parliamentary elections. But Putin so far has merely called for an increase in the total number of active-duty military members by a little more than 15,000. Russia’s president remains wary of generating a meaningful anti-war movement inside Russia, while also facing pressure from hard-line nationalists expecting him to deliver victory.
Across Europe, governments are no longer treating a direct confrontation with Russia as a remote possibility. They are preparing for worst-case scenarios, particularly in the Baltic states and other countries that experienced Russian rule under the Soviets. Meanwhile, NATO insists that all members — including the United States — have an “ironclad commitment” to collective defense.
In 1914, at the outset of the First World War, few leaders understood how faulty strategic assumptions, entangling alliances, and lethal technologies were pushing the continent toward cataclysm.
But some did. On the eve of war, U.K. Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey famously wrote that “The lamps are going out all over Europe.”
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Across Ukraine, darkness will again become a feature of daily wartime life amid rolling blackouts as a hard winter looms. And the shadows are lengthening, far beyond its borders.
But in America, the White House dithers as the president has his attention elsewhere. Perhaps Trump’s new ballroom, at least, should be well lit.