FIRST ON FOX: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sent a fiery prerecorded video to be broadcast before the World Health Assembly, which gathers member states of the World Health Organization, on Tuesday outlining why President Donald Trump is withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO. 

"Like many legacy institutions, the WHO has become mired in bureaucratic bloat, entrenched paradigms, conflicts of interest and international power politics," Kennedy said in a video exclusively shared with Fox News Digital. 

"While the United States has provided the lion’s share of the organization’s funding historically, other countries such as China have exerted undue influence over its operations in ways that serve their own interests and not particularly the interests of the global public."

Kennedy's video aired Tuesday, just after 7 a.m. Eastern Time. Fox News Digital had asked the WHO earlier on Tuesday if the group planned to air Kennedy's video, and was directed to an ongoing livestream of health and foreign leaders addressing the body. 

Video messages from foreign leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte were aired during the meeting Tuesday morning, as well as live remarks from Vice Premier of China Liu Guozhong, according to Fox News Digital’s review of the assembly’s livestream. 

TRUMP ORDERS US WITHDRAWAL FROM WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

The World Health Assembly kicked off Monday in Geneva, where the WHO's 194 member states convened its 78th annual meeting. Kennedy's office sent the video to be featured during the assembly's meeting Tuesday morning, alongside other videos of world and health leaders addressing the body. 

This year, the WHO member states are anticipated to sign a "pandemic agreement" that aims "to safeguard the world from a repeat of the suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic," according to the body. 

Kennedy's video addressed the pandemic specifically, saying the World Health Organization's handling of COVID-19 was riddled with "failures" and exposed that the WHO "capitulated" to China. The WHO is a specialized agency focused on international health that is overseen by the United Nations. 

"The WHO, under pressure from China, suppressed reports at critical junctures of human-to-human transmission and then worked with China to promote the fiction that COVID originated from bats or pangolins rather than from Chinese government-sponsored research at a biolab in Wuhan," Kennedy said. 

"Not only has the WHO capitulated to political pressure from China, it's also failed to maintain an organization characterized by transparency and fair governance. … The WHO often acts like it has forgotten that its members must remain accountable to their own citizens and not to transnational or corporate interests," he continued. 

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Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office this year announcing the U.S.' intention to withdraw from the WHO due to its mishandling of the pandemic, as well as a host of other issues the president took issue with, such as "onerous payments" that didn't match contributions from other member states. 

"The United States noticed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020 due to the organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states. In addition, the WHO continues to demand unfairly onerous payments from the United States, far out of proportion with other countries’ assessed payments," Trump's EO stated. 

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Kennedy continued in his video that "global cooperation on health is still critically important to President Trump and myself" while knocking the WHO for repeated "failures" during the pandemic that the body has since further embraced through its anticipated "pandemic agreement." 

"It isn't working very well under the WHO. As the failures of the COVID era demonstrate, the WHO has not even come to terms with its failures during COVID, let alone made significant reforms. Instead, it has doubled down with the pandemic agreement, which will lock in all of the dysfunctions of the WHO pandemic response."

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"We're not going to participate in that," Kennedy said. "We need to reboot the whole system, as we are doing in the United States. Here in the United States, we're going to continue to focus on infectious disease and pandemic preparedness, but we're also fundamentally shifting the priorities of our health agencies to focus on chronic diseases, which are prevalent in the United States."

• President Trump is visiting the Middle East as Trump-branded projects expand in the region.
• The Trump Organization is involved in new developments in UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
• Trump is visiting all three countries on his trip.

President Donald Trump is heading to the Middle East for the first international diplomatic trip of his second term, with plans to visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. His family business has expanding interests in all three countries.

The Trump Organization, run by the president's eldest sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr., has recently announced its involvement in a number of new projects in the three countries — two of which were unveiled just in the last few weeks.

The planned developments will add to the dozens of Trump-branded properties around the world, including residential towers, commercial hotels, private golf clubs, and public golf courses in North America, Europe, and Asia. But a major area of focus for the company right now appears to be the oil-rich, largely authoritarian-run countries of the Middle East.

While Trump is no longer directly in charge of the Trump Organization, his family's business deals have raised a number of ethical concerns and potential conflicts of interest during both his presidential terms.

Here are the Trump Organization's current real estate dealings in each country Trump is visiting.

United Arab Emirates

In late April, the Trump Organization announced the development of an 80-story Trump International Hotel & Tower in Dubai, UAE.

The project is in partnership with Dar Global, the London-listed international arm of Saudi real estate development company Dar Al Arkan, which has close ties to the Saudi government, according to The New York Times.

The new property will join the country's Trump International Golf Club, which first opened in Dubai in 2017, about a month after Trump entered his first term in office.

Qatar

The Trump Organization announced another deal at the end of April: a Trump International Golf Club Simaisma outside of Doha, Qatar, in partnership with Dar Global and Qatari Diar, a state-owned real estate firm.

Dar Global will serve as the owner and developer of the property, which will use the Trump name under license, according to the real estate firm's press release.

The project is set to include an 18-hole golf course, golf club, and Trump-branded luxury villas as part of the $5.5 billion-dollar Simaisma development along a 4-mile strip of Qatar's coast.

Because Qatari Diar is directly owned by the Qatari state, the development appears to violate the Trump Organization's second-term ethics commitment, which promises to limit new business with foreign governments.

The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, but a spokesperson for the company previously told the Associated Press that its agreement was with Dar Global, not with Qatari Diar.

However, the press release announcing the agreement clearly mentions both companies, including in a statement from Trump Organization Executive Vice President, Eric Trump.

"We are incredibly proud to expand the Trump brand into Qatar through this exceptional collaboration with Qatari Diar and Dar Global," Eric Trump said in the press release.

Saudi Arabia

The Trump Organization has several projects lined up in Saudi Arabia.

The Trump Organization last year announced the development of a 47-story Trump Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia — again in partnership with Dar Global.

Eric Trump posted a video rendering of the sleek Trump-branded beachside tower on X in December, writing, "Incredibly proud to officially launch a project that has been underway for many months, Trump Tower - Jeddah!"

The luxury residential tower overlooking the Red Sea is scheduled for completion in 2029, according to Dar Global.

The Trump Organization is involved in two other Saudi real estate developments, both in the capital city of Riyadh, Dar Global announced in a December press release.

The Trump Organization will license its name to the Trump-branded properties, which will be fully owned and operated by Dar Global, according to the press release.

During a press briefing on Friday, a reporter asked White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt if Trump was planning to conduct any personal business during his trip this week.

She responded that it was "frankly ridiculous that anyone in this room would even suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit."

• Dell is flattening its organizational structure and cutting down management layers.
• Vice presidents will now have at least 15 direct reports, while other senior staff will have 20 reports.
• A flatter structure will help Dell move faster in an AI-driven world, the company said.

Dell is pushing for a flatter organizational structure with senior managers being asked to oversee larger teams, Business Insider has learned.

Under the changes, vice presidents and above will be required to have at least 15 direct reports, and directors and senior managers will have 20 people reporting to them.

"We continually evolve our business so we're set up to deliver the best innovation, value and service to our customers and partners. This includes redefining how work gets done, with a flatter structure and fewer management layers so we can move faster in today's AI-driven world," a Dell spokesperson told BI.

BI understands that the reorganization will result in fewer management layers, which is intended to speed up decision-making and empower team members to get stuck into work.

Throughout April, divisions across Dell were informed of the changes to their senior management structure.

In one such memo, sent on April 29 and seen by BI, Karen Plotkin, senior vice president of client solutions strategy, announced a reorganization of the Client Solutions Group product operations team, including the departure of a longtime manager.

Some managers have been let go, while others have had their role classification changed from "M" for manager to "I" for individual contributor, which indicates an employee who has no direct reports, BI understands.

One Dell employee, who asked not to be named as they are not authorized to speak to the media, described the new attitude to management as "flatter, leaner, and more with less." Another described the reorg as being focused on "spans and layers," referencing a common term in management for the breadth and depth of an organization's structure.

The restructuring of management is part of a longer-term evolution of Dell's business strategy and structure.

Over the last two years, Dell staff numbers have fallen by 25,000. The company now has about 108,000 global employees.

In August 2024, the company significantly restructured its sales division, which it told workers was necessary to prepare for "the world of AI." As part of the restructuring, Dell laid off workers, though it did not specify how many.

The company told workers in January it was "retiring" hybrid work and called employees to return to the office five days a week from March.

Dell had a hybrid working culture on place for more than a decade prior to the pandemic, employees have told BI.

Dell celebrated its 41st anniversary over the weekend.

"The next 41 will be even bigger and more fun," CEO Michael Dell wrote on X in a post marking the anniversary, adding that the company would be powered by AI.

Are you a Dell employee with insight to share? Contact these reporters via email at [email protected] and [email protected], or via Signal at Polly_Thompson.89 and jyotimann.11. Reach out via a nonwork device.

• President Donald Trump's family business is cashing in on the 2028 buzz.
• It would be patently unconstitutional for Trump to seek a third term.
• Trump and his allies have still mused and occasionally joked about that possibility.

President Donald Trump's family business is cashing in on his flirtation with a 2028 run, even though it's unconstitutional for him to seek the White House again.

On Thursday, the Trump Organization began selling a hat, T-shirt, and can cooler that all say Trump 2028.

"The future looks bright! Rewrite the rules with the Trump 2028 high crown hat," the item description reads for a $50 red hat.

The T-shirt, which includes the message "Rewrite the rules" is $36. A pair of can coolers is $18.

Eric Trump, pictured wearing the hat in one of the photos, wrote on X, "A wonderful compliment! #NeverSayNever," quoting a conservative commentator who said it was an obvious troll that the president would seek a third term.

Trump left the day-to-day operations of the Trump Organization to his sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr. Trump's former campaign store continues to operate. It does not sell 2028 merchandise.

Trump has repeatedly mused about seeking a third term, which would violate the 22nd Amendment. He told NBC News last month that he was "not joking" about the possibility.

"A lot of people want me to do it," Trump said. "But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it's very early in the administration."

Former Trump White House advisor Steve Bannon, who remains close to the president, recently told Business Insider that he is continuing to work on the details of such a run.

Trump has found unprecedented ways to profit from his public service.

During his first term, his company operated a hotel in Washington, DC. Just before his inauguration, the then-president-elect launched a meme coin. Earlier this week, the company that runs $Trump, the president's cryptocurrency, said the top 220 holders would get a dinner with the sitting president.

The White House deferred comment to the Trump Organization. A representative of the Trump Organization didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

• I'm an interior designer in NYC, and I see people make costly mistakes when setting up closets.
• These include not having proper lighting and failing to maximize storage with adjustable systems.
• I also hate seeing people waste vertical space and use cheap shelf and rod materials.

Designing a closet might seem straightforward, but there are common pitfalls that can turn a functional space into an expensive regret.

As an interior designer in New York City, I've seen how thoughtful planning can make a closet more efficient, beautiful, and enjoyable to use.

Here are the five biggest mistakes I see people make when organizing and designing a closet — and how to avoid them.

Failing to install proper lighting

Good lighting is crucial in a closet, yet it's often overlooked.

A dark closet makes it difficult to see your clothes, leading to frustration and underutilization of the space. Proper lighting, such as LED strips or recessed bulbs, can highlight your wardrobe and give the closet a luxurious feel.

When sourcing lighting for a closet, it's best to avoid harsh fluorescent lights, which are notorious for casting unflattering shadows.

Using cheap shelving and rod materials

Shelves and rods made from cheaper materials can sag or break over time as you pile heavy clothes and shoes onto them. Then, you'll have to spend more money to repair or replace them.

Instead, invest in durable materials, such as wood and metal, from the start. Not only do they last longer, but also they can give your closet a polished, custom look.

Not maximizing vertical space

One of the most common mistakes people make in their closets is only focusing on eye-level storage solutions and not utilizing vertical space.

Tall cabinets, double-hang rods, and ceiling-height shelves can help you make the most of every inch of your closet.

Use the upper sections to store seasonal items or accessories that aren't needed daily, and keep a foldable step ladder nearby so you can reach higher shelves.

Overlooking adjustable storage systems

Fixed systems are limiting and may not serve you well as your clothing collection evolves and wardrobe changes. Instead, investing in adjustable solutions ensures your closet remains functional for years to come.

I suggest opting for shelves, rods, and organizers that can be easily removed or shifted to different heights, allowing you to customize your closet layout over time.

Not planning out drawer storage

Closets are not just about hanging space — drawers, dividers, and trays are essential for storing smaller items like jewelry, belts, and shoes.

Otherwise, it can be easy for accessories to get lost or add clutter to your space.

Consider incorporating specialized storage solutions into your closet, like pull-out trays for watches or dividers for socks and scarves, to keep your wardrobe essentials tidy and accessible.

• Google Cloud restructured its strategy team to "respond faster" to the market.
• One of the biggest changes has been made to boost sales productivity, per an internal memo.
• Cloud has become a crucial part of Google's business in the AI race.

Google has shaken up its Cloud group yet again, this time consolidating teams in its strategy unit.

Staff in Google Cloud's strategy and operations team were told in February that the reorganization would help the company "respond faster to market demands," according to a memo sent by Google Cloud's Go-To-Market COO Greta Krupetsky and seen by Business Insider. She described the new structure as a "network model" in the memo, which will better support Cloud's various sales teams.

Google has been streamlining many of its internal teams across the company over the past two years in an effort to move faster. Krupetsky said the latest reorg included consolidating its core Business Services into one team led by Google Cloud managing director Abhi Sharma to "help increase sales productivity." A new central "Deal Management" team has also been created under Google Cloud COO Francis deSouza, who joined the company earlier this year.

The unit will include a new "Business Functions - Customer Experience Organization" led by Erez Wohl, managing director at Google Cloud. Wohl's previous strategy and operations functions will now report to Krupetsky.

"We continue to evolve our business to meet our customers' needs and the significant opportunity ahead. We will continue to invest in areas that are critical to our business and ensure our long-term success," a spokesperson told BI in a statement.

The memo mentions a "small number" of roles being cut as part of the reorganization. Those cuts, which BI reported on last month, included some roles being moved to other regions including India and Mexico City, according to an internal employee-crowdsourced document. BI also reviewed several internal job postings for roles within Google Cloud's Go-To-Market Strategy and Operations team based in Mexico City.

Google's Cloud group has become a crucial part of the company's efforts to compete in artificial intelligence. Google Cloud sales hit $11.96 billion in the fourth quarter, up 30% from the previous year, though falling short of analyst expectations. Investors are closely watching Google's Cloud business, which is still smaller than those of rivals Amazon and Microsoft.

Google previously said it plans to spend $75 billion in capital expenditure this year.

Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at [email protected] or Signal at 628-228-1836. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• The Trump Organization sued Capital One over the termination of its accounts after January 6, 2021.
• The lawsuit alleges it was "de-banked" because of President Donald Trump's political views.
• The suit was filed as Capital One is seeking federal regulatory approval for its Discover merger.

President Donald Trump's family business empire has sued Capital One over what it described in court papers as the bank's "reckless" decision to terminate hundreds of its accounts after the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.

The Trump Organization alleges in the lawsuit, filed Friday in Florida's Miami-Dade Circuit Court, that Capital One "de-banked" the company's accounts that held millions of dollars because of Trump's political views.

"Plaintiffs have reason to believe that Capital One's unilateral decision came about as a result of political and social motivations and Capital One's unsubstantiated, 'woke' beliefs that it needed to distance itself from President Trump and his conservative political views," the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit puts Capital One in a somewhat precarious position with the Trump administration. The bank still must obtain approval from federal bank regulators for its proposed $35 billion merger with Discover Financial Services.

Trump, during his 2024 presidential campaign, repeatedly pledged revenge against his political rivals and critics if reelected.

Adam Levitin, a Georgetown Law professor who specializes in financial regulation, said in a blog post that Capital One should be able to "easily" get the case dismissed but that it might not matter "because the Trump Organization has them over a barrel."

"If Capital One doesn't pay up, the implicit threat is that the Trump administration will move to block the Capital One-Discover merger and generally make life unpleasant for Capital One," Levitin wrote in the post on the Credit Slips blog.

"The real question here is whether Capital One is going to fight this, and, if so, how hard," Levitin continued in the post. "Capital One should win this one if it litigates, but it will likely come at the cost of their merger with Discover. Paying a few million to the Trump Organization in a settlement is a very low cost for greasing the wheels for the merger."

Levitin didn't return a request for comment.

The financial consultant and author Todd Baker called the lawsuit "an example of what might be called the 'protection racket' approach to government."

Less than two weeks ago, the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau dropped a lawsuit accusing Capital One of cheating customers out of $2 billion in interest payments, Baker noted.

The lawsuit and pending Discovery deal now "sends a clear message: It sure would be a shame if something happened to your little merger," said Baker, who teaches at Columbia University's law and business schools.

"I did you a favor; now do me a favor, and I'll do you another favor," he added. "By any definition other than the Supreme Court's, this is quid pro quo corruption."

The White House didn't comment for this story. The Trump Organization and Capital One didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

George Hay, a professor at Cornell Law School who was the chief economist for the Justice Department's antitrust division, told Business Insider most antitrust observers "probably believe that the proposed merger was highly pro-competitive, making Discover into a much more serious competitor."

Hay said the DOJ "would be taking a big risk" if it moved to sue to block Capital One's acquisition of Discover "when the chances of winning are so small and it would be hard to get the career staff to get on board with such a case."

But getting the merger approved by federal regulators may be another story, the antitrust law expert said.

"A banking authority may simply be able to say no" without having to prove the case in court, Hay said.

The Trump Organization — which is helmed by Trump's son Eric Trump, who's also named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit — said in a statement last week that it was seeking "to hold Capital One accountable for the millions of dollars in damages they caused, not just to our company, but to the many dozens of properties, hundreds of tenants and thousands of Trump Organization employees who relied on these accounts for their livelihoods."

"This lawsuit, and those that follow, are necessary steps to protect the integrity of American business practices and to ensure that no company or individual is unfairly targeted for their beliefs, affiliations, or business activities," the Trump Organization said. "We will not stand by while big banks misuse their power to stifle businesses and harm innocent Americans."

The lawsuit accuses Capital One of 'unlawful, deceptive, and reckless conduct'

The lawsuit against Capital One says Trump's real estate and golf resort company and its affiliated entities have transacted "tens of millions of dollars" through the bank for decades.

In March of 2021, Capital One "without warning or provocation" notified the plaintiffs that more than 300 of their accounts would be terminated, the lawsuit and the Trump Organization's statement said.

"In essence, Capital One 'de-banked' Plaintiffs' Accounts because Capital One believed that the political tide at the moment favored doing so," says the lawsuit, which accuses the bank of "unlawful, deceptive, and reckless conduct."

The lawsuit, which seeks damages, alleges violations of several states' consumer protection and fraud laws.

Aaron Klein of the Brookings Institution think tank told BI that when he researched America's debanking problem, Eric Trump and the Trump Organization were hardly the victims he had in mind.

"People are kicked out of the banking system all the time," he said. "The No. 1 reason is they don't have enough money because the bank account fees are too damn expensive."

Klein, a senior fellow and Miriam K. Carliner Chair at Brookings, also said the timing of the lawsuit was notable.

"It's quite interesting timing that right before the biggest bank merger that's currently pending, this allegation is made about activity that occurred years ago. When Trump himself was talking about debanking at Davos he didn't mention this," Klein added. "One thinks he might have mentioned it then."

• Business Insider spoke to professional organizers about the things to get rid of before spring.
• The experts suggest getting rid of unused kitchen appliances and food-storage containers.
• The change in seasons is a great time to organize your closet and donate anything that's unworn.

With spring getting closer, now is a great time to tidy up around the house and get rid of items that are taking up valuable space.

To help make this process easier, Business Insider spoke to three professional organizers about the best things to toss or donate before the season changes. Here's what they said.

It's time to get rid of appliances you don't use.

Although it's fine to hold onto the blender you use to make a daily protein shake, Hope Kerner of All Things Neat by Hope told BI it's important to rethink the trendy kitchen appliances taking up unnecessary space.

"People tend to buy air fryers and giant blenders and panini presses, and if you don't use it, it's just taking up valuable real estate in your cabinets," she said.

It's also a good time to sort through old utensils.

Checking the quality of utensils in the kitchen is not only a good way to free up space but also a smart choice for your safety.

Consider tossing cracked or damaged ones, like wooden spoons or silicone spatulas, which can be difficult to clean and harbor bacteria.

If you have dull knives you don't use anymore, sharpen them or take them out of the kitchen.

"Knives become dull if they're not maintained, and then they become dangerous," Kerner said. "Good cookware and good knives are essential in the kitchen."

Plastic food-storage containers take up a lot of space in cabinets.

Kerner also recommended sorting through the plasticware taking up space in the cabinet.

Although people buy containers of all shapes and sizes, they're often forgotten items left in the back of the cabinet, taking away valuable storage space in the kitchen.

Sort through your clothing before the new season.

Nathalie Navarro of Todo en Orden RD said the change of seasons is the best time to evaluate the clothes in your closet.

Although this can be an emotional process, Navarro said it's important to remain rational while sorting through the racks. For example, it's probably smart to donate a forgotten sweater or jeans that fit a little too tight.

"The questions people need to ask themselves are: If I keep it, will it take up space in my closet? If I get rid of it, do I have the financial means to buy it again? And lastly, do I already have a good replacement for it?" she told BI.

Meghan Cocchiaro of Organized by Meg also emphasized the importance of sorting through your closet to welcome a new season. "Clothing is a great category to go through when seasons change," she said.

As the weather warms up, it's a good idea to organize the garage.

As the seasons change, Cocchiaro told BI it's a good time to tackle organizing the garage.

Getting rid of bulkier items like cardboard boxes and outdoor equipment, as well as duplicates of certain items, can help free up space.

For example, it's unlikely you'll need six rakes, but putting all your gardening equipment in one spot can help you take stock of what you have.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) appeared to defy President Donald Trump’s executive order to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization (WHO) after the U.S. agency said it would participate in a conference with the global organization.

The CDC confirmed this week that it will go ahead and partake in a biannual conference on the influenza vaccine led by the WHO.

"CDC will be actively participating virtually at the WHO vaccine consultation meeting for the recommendation of viruses for 2025-26 Northern Hemisphere Vaccine this week," a CDC spokesperson told Fox News. 

The agency did not clarify if it received an exemption from Trump’s executive order, which required all officials to stop working with the WHO. 

TRUMP OPEN TO CONSIDERING RE-ENTRY INTO WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: ‘THEY’D HAVE TO CLEAN IT UP'

Trump signed the executive order to withdraw the U.S. from the WHO just hours after taking office last month. The president cited reasons such as WHO's "mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic," the "failure to adopt urgently needed reforms," and "unfairly onerous payments" forced on the U.S. 

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Days after signing the order, Trump said during a Las Vegas rally that he was open to potentially rejoining the WHO if the global body were "to clean it up a bit."

The WHO issued a statement shortly after Trump's order, lamenting the president's decision and expressing hope that the U.S. will rethink the move.

During Trump's first term, in July 2020, he took steps to withdraw the U.S. from the WHO but his successor, former President Joe Biden, eventually reinstated the nation's participation in the global health initiative. 

Fox News Digital’s Alex Schemmel contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said he was open to potentially rejoining the World Health Organization (WHO), just days after he signed a Day One executive order that withdrew the U.S. from the international group.

During a rally at Circa Resort & Casino in Downtown Las Vegas, the president told those in attendance that it was unfair a country like China, with a population much greater than the U.S., was only paying a fraction of what the U.S. was paying annually to the WHO.

"We paid $500 million a year and China paid $39 million a year despite a much larger population. Think of that. China's paying $39 million to have 1.4 billion people, we pay $500 million we have – no one knows what the hell we have, does anyone know? We have so many people pouring in we have no idea," Trump told rally goers on Saturday.

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"They offered me at $39 million, they said 'We'll let you back in for $39 million,' they're going to reduce it from [$500 million] to [$39 million], and I turned them down, because it became so popular I didn't know if it would be well received even at [$39 million], but maybe we would consider doing it again, I don’t know, they have to clean it up a bit."

An analysis of national contributions to the WHO from NPR found that the U.S. pays for roughly 10% of the WHO's budget, while China pays about 3%.

Trump withdrew the U.S. from the WHO in an executive order issued hours after he was sworn into office last week. The president cited reasons such as WHO's "mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic," the "failure to adopt urgently needed reforms," and "unfairly onerous payments" forced on the U.S. During Trump's first term, in July 2020, he took steps to withdraw the U.S. from the WHO but his successor, former President Joe Biden, eventually reinstated the nation's participation in the global health initiative.

The president's complaints about the U.S. paying too much to the WHO mirror his complaints about U.S. participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well. During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week, Trump said he was asking all NATO nations to contribute 5% of their gross domestic products to NATO defense spending.

NATO set a threshold of 2% that countries must pay in 2014, but, according to Trump, "most nations didn't pay" until he began pushing for other countries to contribute more. Still, according to NATO’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte, countries like Spain, Italy and Canada have yet to even meet that 2% contribution. 

Following Trump's demands that NATO members spend 5% of their gross domestic product, he questioned whether the U.S. should be spending anything on NATO at all, telling reporters from the Oval Office that the U.S. was protecting NATO members, but those same members are "not protecting us."

"I'm not sure we should be spending anything, but we should certainly be helping them," Trump said from the Oval Office. 

The White House declined to comment for purposes of this story. 

Newly-inaugurated President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the U.S. to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO).

In 2020, Trump started the ball rolling toward extricating the U.S. from the United Nations agency, but President Joe Biden reversed course after taking office in 2021.

"The United States intends to withdraw from the WHO. The Presidential Letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations signed on January 20, 2021, that retracted the United States’ July 6, 2020, notification of withdrawal is revoked," Trump's order declares.

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"The Secretary of State shall immediately inform the Secretary-General of the United Nations, any other applicable depositary, and the leadership of the WHO of the withdrawal," the order instructs.

The U.S. Senate voted 99-0 on Monday to confirm Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to serve as Secretary of State — Rubio voted for himself before resigning from the Senate.

Trump's order calls for the Secretary of State and director of the Office of Management and Budget to "pause the future transfer of any United States Government funds, support, or resources to the WHO;" "recall and reassign United States Government personnel or contractors working in any capacity with the WHO;" as well as "identify credible and transparent United States and international partners to assume necessary activities previously undertaken by the WHO."

TRUMP FAILED TO DELIVER ‘DAY 1’ PROMISE TO GRANT CLEMENCY TO ROSS ULBRICHT, FOUNDER OF SILK ROAD

The WHO issued a statement on Tuesday lamenting Trump's decision, and expressing hope that the U.S. will rethink the move.

"The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the Organization," the globalist body noted. "We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe."

Trump signed a flurry of orders after taking office on Monday.

One of them declares it U.S. policy "to recognize two sexes, male and female," which "are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality."

NANCY PELOSI SLAMS TRUMP'S ‘SHAMEFUL’ PARDONS OF JAN 6 DEFENDANTS

Trump is only the second president in U.S. history to win election to two non-consecutive terms — the first was Grover Cleveland in the 19th century.

Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report

• President Donald Trump is known for having a penchant for the bold strokes of a Sharpie marker.
• His handwritten notes are the subject of iconic images, as well as internet jokes and ridicule.
• From executive orders to hurricane forecast maps, here are seven times Trump wielded his signature pen.

Former President Donald Trump has been known to use a Sharpie as his writing utensil of choice — wielding it on presidential documents and fan autographs alike.

The former president displayed a penchant for using the distinctive black marker on documents throughout his first presidency. The bold strokes can be seen on anything from executive orders to speech drafts to allegedly altered hurricane maps.

Trump loved to use a Sharpie so much that he even reached out to the stationary company to design a custom pen for him to sign documents, emblazoned with his mountain-peak-like signature.

In a four-part HBO series done in partnership with Axios in 2018, he made no secret of his love for a Sharpie pen — and how much he hated using government-ordered writing utensils traditionally used by presidents.

"I was signing documents with a very expensive pen and it didn't write well," Trump said, referring to the government pen. "It was a horrible pen, and it was extremely expensive."

He added: "And then I started using just a Sharpie, and I said to myself, 'Well wait a minute, this writes much better and this cost almost nothing.'"

Trump's distinctive bold Sharpie signature made an appearance long before he even entered the White House.

The Trump Organization — but not Trump himself or his children — in 2022 faced charges of criminal tax fraud, falsifying business records, and filing false tax returns in a scheme to defraud the state.

After the trial kicked off, documents from the Trump Organization were presented to jurors by the trial's first witness, Jeffrey McConney, the company's longtime controller.

McConney identified the signatures — in distinctive bold Sharpie — on some half-dozen documents, which included important letters and payroll documents, as that of the former president.

In a May 1, 2005 letter detailing an overhead projection, Trump personally authorized a $6,500-a-month lease for a Manhattan apartment to be lived in exclusively by his longtime chief financial officer.

"In other words, Donald J. Trump authorized Donald J. Trump to sign the lease" for the apartment, Joshua Steinglass, one of the two lead prosecutors, said during the trial.

The president wasn't only reaching for a Sharpie to sign off on important documents, but also for campaign speech notes.

Trump's notes were clearly visible to cameras — aided by his tendency to hold them up to the crowd for emphasis.

At a campaign rally in Virginia in 2016, Trump touted national polling numbers and talked about Jeff Sessions, who was an early supporter of Trump's presidential campaign in 2016.

Trump also mentioned Ashley Guindon, a Virginia police officer who was killed on her first day on the job, and he vowed to "restore law and order [and] respect [for] the men and women who protect," per his notes.

It wouldn't be a Trump press conference if his bold Sharpie notes weren't visible from afar.

In a press conference ahead of declaring a state of emergency amid the spread of COVID-19 in March 2020, Trump briefed the nation on the distribution of ventilators and respirators ahead of the rapidly spreading respiratory disease that was then shrouded in mystery.

In his notes, the president jotted down to mention how "good govs are getting it done, bad ones are not."

"We're really backing up the governors. The governors have to go out and do their things and you have a lot of governors, they've done a fantastic job," Trump said during the press conference on March 22, 2020. "You have some that haven't. Usually, it's the ones that complain that have the problems."

He added: "But we've had a great relationship as an example with Governor Cuomo, with Governor Newsom," noting them specifically due to the "hotbeds" of infection that were transpiring in their states respectively.

But Trump's felt-tip marker wasn't exclusively reserved for paper — he once signed his $147-million border wall that replaced the old wall.

One of the platforms that Trump infamously campaigned on for his first presidential campaign was building a wall at the border, which eventually came to fruition — though not to completion — during his first administration.

In September 2019, he paid a visit to a border wall construction in Otay Mesa, a neighborhood in San Diego County, California. With a hefty price tag of $147 million, the 14-mile section of steel beams, concrete, and rebar replaced the construction of a decades-old wall that was previously installed in the 1990s.

"You can fry an egg on that wall," Trump told the reporters and officials gathered during his visit, referring to the wall's design to absorb heat.

And without fail, the president brought out a Sharpie to sign one of the slats of his beloved border wall, which he said was at the request of the border patrol agents at the site.

"I autographed one of the bollards," he said. "There are a lot of bollards. That's a lot of bollards."

Perhaps one of the notorious moments the president put Sharpie-to-paper was when he allegedly altered a forecast map of Hurricane Dorian, in a superficial scandal later dubbed "SharpieGate."

In September 2019, ahead of the devastation brought in by Hurricane Dorian, the president said the storm was headed to Alabama.

"In addition to Florida - South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, will most likely be hit (much) harder than anticipated," Trump tweeted at the time. "Looking like one of the largest hurricanes ever. Already category 5. BE CAREFUL! GOD BLESS EVERYONE!"

In a bid to quell public panic regarding the former president's errant forecast, the Birmingham branch of the National Weather Service set the record straight, blatantly correcting his prediction.

"Alabama will NOT see any impacts from Dorian," the agency said in a tweet the same day. "We repeat, no impacts from Hurricane Dorian will be felt across Alabama. The system will remain too far east."

But Trump doubled down once again on his claims and refused to accept the NWS' forecast, instead presenting a map of Hurricane Dorian's path with a black Sharpie stroke extending the storm's path over Alabama. The incident later became known as "SharpieGate," prompting its fair share of internet mockery and memes in its wake.

—The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) September 4, 2019

 

#SharpieGate wasn't the only time the former president's scrawl prompted iconic internet discourse.

During Trump's first impeachment inquiry, Gordon Sondland, former US Ambassador to the European Union, delivered damning testimony publicly confirming the quid pro quo request from Trump to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The articles of impeachment were related, in part, to Trump's reported efforts to strong-arm Zelensky into launching politically motivated investigations against the Bidens ahead of the 2020 election and withholding vital military aid while doing so.

But like Trump's persistent spoken words in denying the accusations of quid pro quo, his written ones echoed the same denial, as written in bold Sharpie on Air Force One stationary in 2019.

"I want nothing. I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo," he wrote. "Tell Zelensky to do the right thing. This is the final word from the pres of the US."

And, of course, the note had its heyday on the internet as people turned it into Eminem jokes, Pearl Jam setlist jokes, and lyrics of a Morrissey song.

On his second Inauguration Day in 2025, Trump showed his love for Sharpies hadn't faded since he left office after his first term.

On the first day of his second administration, Trump showed the world his love for Sharpie pens persists.

He signed a flurry of executive orders to usher in his second non-consecutive term in the White House, including a freeze on federal hiring, a return-to-office mandate for federal workers, and an order to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Accord — each bearing his name in thick Sharpie strokes.

The president's supporters appear to share his penchant for the black permanent marker, with one fan in the inaugural audience calling for Trump to toss him a pen after signing an order with it. Trump did, throwing each Sharpie he used to sign the orders into the crowd. 

FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans is pushing to completely block U.S. funding for the World Health Organization (WHO).

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, policy chair for the conservative House Freedom Caucus, introduced the bill on Tuesday and argued the international health body "doesn't serve our interests and doesn't deserve our money."

He also attacked WHO member countries’ current effort to draft an international pandemic preparedness treaty, accusing the organization of a bid to consolidate and further its own influence.

"Taking money from hardworking families struggling with the aftermath of Biden's inflation crisis to send it to a bunch of leftist ‘public health’ tyrants in Geneva is unacceptable," Roy told Fox News Digital.

LASSA FEVER DEATH REPORTED IN MIDWESTERN STATE, CONTACT TRACING BEGINS

"I am confident that President Trump will cut the WHO's funding off — as he did last time — but this legislation will ensure that no future administration can restart it."

At least a dozen GOP lawmakers are backing the bill.

A significant number of Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump, have been critical of the WHO, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

E. COLI OUTBREAK LINKED TO MCDONALD’S BURGERS: HOW TO SPOT THE SYMPTOMS

Trump announced he was halting funding to the WHO during his first term in April 2020, a move that drew blowback from the U.S. medical community, Politico reported at the time.

"Fighting a global pandemic requires international cooperation and reliance on science and data," Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association, told the outlet.

However, conservatives in Congress have viewed the organization as a power-hungry group that did not take U.S. interests into account.

The U.S. is currently the biggest contributor to the WHO, according to World Population Review. The organization's website states that 60% of its funding comes from member states.

Roy’s "No Taxpayer Funding for the World Health Organization Act" would stop all contributions to WHO, both committed and other voluntary funding.

WHO DIRECTOR CALLS FOR WORLD PANDEMIC TREATY TO PREPARE FOR DISEASE X

A spokesperson for WHO said the body was focused on maintaining its relationship with the U.S. when reached for comment on Roy's bill.

"The WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in December, at a press conference, that the new U.S. administration has not yet taken office and it requires time, like any new government, to do so. As Dr Tedros has said, WHO will do everything to cooperate with the incoming U.S. administration to continue to strengthen global health security," the spokesperson said.

"I would add that the WHO-US partnership, and America’s contribution to global health security more broadly, has protected and saved millions of lives in America and around the world. WHO values greatly its relationship with the US and is committed to maintaining and strengthening it."

• Donald Trump and Dana White have enjoyed a decadeslong friendship predating presidential politics.
• In each of Trump's three presidential campaigns, White lined up behind the president-elect.
• During the 2024 race, the mixed martial arts leader also appeared on Trump's first TikTok video.

Donald Trump might be the only person who can attend an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight and outshine the headliners — even UFC CEO Dana White doesn't draw the same type of reaction.

In November, Trump set the crowd off by walking into UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden to join his entourage, which included Elon Musk, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Trump's cabinet nominees.

White stands at the center of it all. In just under three decades, White has turned his sport, once on the fringe of pop culture, into a spectacle that even a president-elect couldn't resist.

Trump and White's decades-long friendship has been mutually beneficial. White has repeatedly said he will never forget how Trump offered a grand stage to his sport when few others would. Trump successfully deployed White's cohort of podcasters and influencers, led by Joe Rogan, in his 2024 election win.

"Nobody deserves this more than him, and nobody deserves this more than his family does," White told the energetic crowd at Mar-a-Lago as it was apparent that Trump had been elected to a second term. "This is what happens when the machine comes after you."

Here's a look at the decadeslong relationship between Trump and White over the years:

Donald Trump gave a big early boost to UFC

In 1990, Trump opened Trump Taj Mahal, a billion-dollar prized jewel in Atlantic City, that businessman billed as the 8th Wonder of the World. At its peak, it was the biggest casino in town.

Trump needed big acts to fill the casino's arena, which Elton John had christened. In 2001, Trump took a chance on the UFC, which was still trying to escape its brutalist stigma. The sport that then-Sen. John McCain, famously called "human cockfighting" in the 1990s, couldn't even put on an event in Las Vegas.

Trump's UFC event came at a pivotal moment

Shut out of Nevada, UFC staged its fights in a series of smaller venues around the country and the world. White considered the invitation to the Taj Mahal a sign of legitimacy.

"Nobody took us seriously," White has repeatedly said. "Except Donald Trump."

Trump's backing came during a crucial time in the company's history. In January 2001, a month before the Trump-hosted fight, casino moguls Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta purchased UFC. They picked White, Lorenzo's friend and a manager for two of mixed martial arts' biggest fighters, as the president.

Under White's leadership, UFC's popularity skyrocketed

By September 2001, UFC was in Vegas. Four years later, White led UFC onto the airwaves on SpikeTV, cashing in the popularity of reality TV competitions with "The Ultimate Fighter."

It helped that in 2004, Trump welcomed Tito Ortiz, one of the sport's biggest stars, onto the first season of NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice," the glitzier spin-off to Trump's smash reality TV hit.

The Ultimate Fighter was a big success, increasing the company's popularity.

White locked in UFC's voice

If White is the face of UFC, Rogan is undoubtedly its voice. His association with the company even predates White's time as president. After the Fertitta brothers purchased UFC in 2001, White offered Rogan a full-time gig as a color commentator. Rogan has said it's in his contract that he'll leave the UFC if White ever exits, too.

Rogan's profile grew alongside the UFC, considering his association with mixed martial arts was part of why he became the host of NBC's "Fear Factor."

The comedian cashed in on his bigger profile in 2009, starting what was then a weekly commentary show. By the time Trump first ran for president in 2016, "The Joe Rogan Experience" was one of the most popular podcasts in the world.

Business didn't get in the way of Trump and White's friendship.

While he's known for real-estate, Trump has sought out many other partnerships and business ventures to varying degrees of success. In 2008, Trump partnered with Affliction, a clothing brand, to launch a competitor in the mixed-martial arts space. Their promotion even landed Russian fighter Fedor Emelianenko, whom White and the UFC had previously sought to sign.

The venture lasted only two fights. According to The New York Times, White sometimes criticized his friend, pointing out his inexperience in operating such a company, "Donald Trump owns casinos."

White and Trump remained close. The UFC head even vowed that he would never fully go after Trump, a nod to the real estate mogul's early support.

White was once far from a conservative firebrand

In 2010, White campaigned with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada as he sought to hang onto his seat amid a difficult year for Democrats. Reid won, and Democrats held onto a slimmer US Senate majority.

According to The Times, White's politics mirrored Trump's in that both businessmen viewed the enterprise through a transactional lens. Trump faced criticism in the 2016 GOP primaries for previously supporting leading Democrats like Hillary Clinton.

White spoke as if he was a stranger at the 2016 Republican National Convention.

Few major establishment Republicans spoke at Trump's 2016 convention. Enter White, one of a handful of longtime Trump friends who extolled the virtues of the man who would soon become the Republican Party's presidential nominee.

White even alluded to the fact that his attendance might appear odd.

"My name is Dana White. I am the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. I'm sure most you are wondering, 'What are you doing here?'" White told the crowd in Cleveland. "I am not a politician. I am a fight promoter, but I was blown away and honored to be invited here tonight, and I wanted to show up and tell you about my friend, Donald Trump — the Donald Trump that I know."

White returned to the trail again in 2020.

Ahead of Trump's reelection bid, White said Trump's time in the White House only deepened their relationship.

"We've actually become even closer since he's become the President of the United States," White said during a 2020 campaign rally. "When somebody becomes the President of the United States, you don't ever expect to hear from them again. And I understand it. It absolutely makes sense. This guy is so loyal and such a good friend."

The COVID-19 pandemic made White a conservative star

The COVID-19 pandemic devastated the live event business. Sports, including the UFC, were no exception. White saw an opening as the four major professional leagues struggled through discussions on how to return.

White tried to get the UFC to return with an event on tribal land in California, but that effort was postponed amid Disney and ESPN's uneasiness. In turning to Gov. Ron DeSantis' Florida, White found a much more receptive audience — even if the first fight didn't allow any fans. UFC 249 in May was the first major sporting event since the pandemic's beginning.

Trump delivered a video message congratulating White on the event.

"Get the sports leagues back, let's play," Trump said in a video recorded outside of the Oval Office. "Do the social distancing, and whatever you have to do, but we need sports. We want our sports back."

Out of power, Trump found refuge at the UFC

After leaving the White House, Donald Trump wasn't welcomed in many places. Following the January 6 Capitol riot, the two biggest professional golf governing bodies rebuked him. The Professional Golf Association even stripped one Trump-owned course of the right to host one of the PGA's major four tournaments.

In July 2021, the Manhattan District Attorney indicted the Trump Organization, setting off an array of legal headaches that didn't abate until after the 2024 election. A week later, Trump entered to mostly cheers in Las Vegas as he prepared to take in UFC 264.

Trump made the UFC central to his 2024 bid

Trump officially launched on TikTok at UFC 302 in June 2024. The fighting promotion's audience was also the perfect place for the former president's campaign, given his advisors' emphasis on attracting young men.

White's broader orbit suddenly intertwined with the former president's comeback campaign. Trump, and later his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, made a point of appearing on podcasts geared toward this demographic. The Nelk Boys, Theo Von, Adin Ross, and "Bussin' with the Boys" all shared close ties to White. Trump appeared on each of their respective shows.

@realdonaldtrump

Launching my TikTok at @UFC 302.

♬ original sound - President Donald J Trump

White spoke at Trump's pre-election rally at Madison Square Garden.

White energized the crowd at Trump's Madison Square Garden rally just days before the election, where he said that Vice President Kamala Harris wouldn't bring "change" to the country.

And he emphatically praised Trump in advance of an election that was seemingly tied in most of the swing states.

"He is the most resilient, hardest-working human being that I've ever met in my entire life," White said during his remarks.

Celebrating his win, Trump turned the mic over to White

Dana White just thanked

Adin Ross, Theo Von, Nelkboys and Joe Rogan for the Trump victory #Election2024 pic.twitter.com/GYye6c9onc

— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) November 6, 2024

As Trump spoke to an adoring crowd at Mar-a-Lago and to the nation, he invited White to make remarks, and the UFC president wasted no time singing the praises of the president-elect.

"He keeps going forward — he doesn't quit," White bluntly said. "He deserves this. They deserve it as a family."

White also name-checked podcast hosts that had welcomed Trump into the so-called "Manosphere."

A former UFC spokesperson will have a key role in Trump's White House

One of Trump's key White House aides also has ties to UFC. Steven Cheung, who will be the White House communications director, was a spokesperson for UFC before he left to join Trump's 2016 campaign.

Cheung's brash statements, particularly those bashing DeSantis during the 2024 primary season, received considerable attention and drew comparisons to how closely they mirrored Trump's own rhetoric.

Just before Trump took office, Meta tapped White for a new role.

Trump may have helped out White again. In January 2024, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the UFC executive would join the technology company's board. Zuckerberg's move was widely seen as a play to curry favor with Trump and his orbit.

White might be done in the political arena

White wasn't very political before he campaigned for Trump. He has said that his outspokenness may be an exception only reserved for his friend.

"I'm never fucking doing this again," White recently told The New Yorker. "I want nothing to do with this shit. It's gross. It's disgusting. I want nothing to do with politics."

• The Trump Organization announced its ethics plan for Donald Trump's second term.
• The president-elect's private company said Trump would be walled off from day-to-day duties.
• Unlike in 2017, the company is leaving the door more open to some foreign transactions.

The Trump Organization on Friday announced that President-elect Donald Trump will be walled off from the day-to-day management of his privately held company.

Unlike in 2017, Trump's company is not agreeing to a blanket stop on new foreign business transactions. Instead, a five-page ethics plan calls only for a limit on transactions with foreign governments.

"The Company will not enter into any new material transactions or contracts with a foreign government, except for Ordinary Course Transactions," says a copy of the plan, obtained by CNBC.

The language would seem to allow business dealings like the Trump Organization's work with LIV Golf, a competitor to the PGA financed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, to continue. LIV is set to return to Trump National Doral in Florida for an April tournament.

Noah Bookbinder, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said the company's plan was little more than a rehash of Trump's first-term ethics policies.

"We saw during the first four years of the Trump presidency, a tremendous of the mixing of the business of the presidency with all kinds of interests, companies, people bring business to business Donald Trump seemingly as a way to kind of curry favor with him," Bookbinder told Business Insider. "What we're seeing this time is Donald Trump potentially taking the same ethics guidelines that didn't work during his first presidency and then dialing them back some."

Many policies outlined in a five-page document mirror Trump's promises when he took office in 2016. One of the main similarities is that the Trump Organization has again appointed an outside ethics advisor. Bill Burck, co-managing Partner of Quinn Emanuel and a former George W. Bush DOJ official, will serve as the advisor.

According to the plan, Burck will review acquisitions over $10 million, leases involving more than 40,000 sq. ft., and new debts of more than $10 million. He will also review deals with the US government as well as with state and local governments.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the ethics plan. The Journal also reported that the Trump Organization wants to reclaim its former Washington, DC, hotel. Congressional Democrats sued Trump when he was in office, alleging he was partly violating the US Constitution's emoluments clause by renting out hotel rooms to foreign governments. In 2021, the Supreme Court threw out the remaining emoluments-related lawsuits.

Trump has significant assets outside of his eponymous firm. He has a significant stake in Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of his social media platform Truth Social. Trump's shares are a large part of the reason why his net worth is now estimated to be over $6 billion.

• Donald Trump will have a chance to leave a big imprint on the alcohol industry.
• Weeks before Trump took office, the Biden administration moved to expand the warning on alcoholic drinks.
• Like Biden, Trump is a teetotaler.

Donald Trump once said that not drinking was "one of my only good traits." Just before he left office, former President Joe Biden, a fellow teetotaler, and his administration left Trump an opportunity to leave a lasting imprint on the billion-dollar beverage industry.

Earlier this month, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released a bombshell report warning that alcohol consumption can increase cancer risk. Murthy also called for an expanded warning label on all alcoholic beverages that would include cancer risk, similar to the warning label on cigarettes.

Trump's aversion to alcohol is well documented. During his first presidency, he was observed toasting his fellow world leaders with Diet Coke. During his second inauguration, Trump toasted his Vice President JD Vance with a glass of Diet Coke.

Trump has said that his brother Fred's struggle with addiction led him to avoid drinking and smoking entirely. Fred Trump Jr. died in 1981 at the age of 42, the result of a heart attack attributed to alcoholism.

"I had a brother, Fred. Great guy, best-looking guy, best personality, much better than mine," Trump said during a 2018 news conference. "But he had a problem. He had a problem with alcohol, and he would tell me, 'Don't drink. Don't drink.' He was substantially older, and I listened to him and I respected (him)."

It remains to be seen how Trump will move forward. A spokesperson for the Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Trump has generally opposed more stringent regulations. His first administration also rejected an advisory committee's advice to urge men to cut back on alcohol consumption. Adding warning labels to alcoholic beverages would require congressional action, though Trump's support of such a measure would likely influence a more obedient GOP.

Alcohol played a major role in one of the biggest stories from Trump's first administration: the contested confirmation of now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Kavanaugh said during his Senate hearing that he "liked beer," but bristled when Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota asked if he had a drinking problem.

"I watched him. I was surprised at how vocal he was about the fact that he likes beer," Trump said at the time. "This is not a man that said that he was perfect with respect to alcohol."

Trump was "extremely put off" by Kavanaugh's comments about drinking, Mark Meadows, a former White House chief of staff, said in his book "The Chief's Chief."

The former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon, is also expected to face questions about his drinking during his confirmation hearings. Like Kavanaugh, Hegseth has faced allegations that his drinking habits fueled sexual misconduct. (Both men have strongly denied any wrongdoing.)

Trump has a personal stake in the discussion. His hotels and golf clubs all sell alcohol, and the Trump Organization owns a winery in Charlottesville, Virginia. And while Trump doesn't drink, that didn't stop him from once hawking his own vodka brand.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump has nominated to lead the Health and Human Services Department, also doesn't drink. Kennedy has been sober for years after a highly publicized history with drugs, including a 1983 arrest for heroin possession.

There is a growing push among public-health groups for lawmakers to take a tougher approach to regulating alcohol. The industry routinely spends millions of dollars lobbying Congress.

Trump previously defended Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest beer company, when some of his closest allies and supporters urged a boycott of the company in response to its brief partnership with the transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

"Anheuser-Busch is a Great American Brand that perhaps deserves a Second Chance? What do you think?" Trump wrote on Truth Social in 2023.

At the time, Trump was preparing to attend a major GOP fundraiser hosted by a top Republican lobbyist for the beverage giant.

Regardless of how 2024 went for you, 2025 is another chance for all of us to make the new year better than the one that came before it. New Year’s resolutions are usually set with the best intentions, but it’s no secret many people fail after just a few weeks — old habits die hard. It’s important to have a support group, people who can cheer you on during those particularly hard days. But it’s also important to have the right tools to make achieving your goals easier. Whether you’re trying to get healthy, be more organized, read more or anything in between, there are tech tools that can make your journey smoother and more enjoyable.

Fitness tracker

If you’re attempting to turn over a new, healthier leaf, you’re not alone. Fitness trackers (and their companion apps) are highly sought after this time of year because they can help you stick to those new movement, hydration and sleep habits you’re trying to build. The Xiaomi Mi Band 8 is a good option, not only because it’s affordable at $50, but because it does pretty much everything a beginner needs. It tracks daily steps, calories, sleep and more, and it has a two-week battery life so you can keep it on all the time and rarely have to remember to charge it.

If you’re already a runner or a cyclist (or want to be one), we recommend upgrading to the Fitbit Charge 6 instead. You’ll get all of the basic fitness tracking features you'd expect like daily step, sleep and activity tracking, along with onboard GPS for mapping outdoor workouts and Fitbit Pay for contactless payments. That way you’ll be able to go for a run in the morning and stop to grab a coffee without bringing your phone or your wallet with you.

Smartwatch

If you’d rather invest in an all-purpose wearable that also has serious fitness chops, the Apple Watch SE is a good choice. While it doesn’t include all the bells and whistles that the pricier Series 10 does, it still offers the same core experience. It tracks all-day activity and heart rate, and watchOS finally offers basic sleep tracking, too. In addition to built-in GPS for outdoor workouts, it tracks dozens of exercises and supports fall detection, as well as high and low heart rate alerts. It’s also quite good at automatically recognizing when you’re working out and prompting you to start tracking your efforts. On top of all that, the Apple Watch excels when it comes to table-stakes smartwatch features: You’ll be able to send and receive text messages from the device, as well as control music playback, smart home devices and more.

Android users should consider the Fitbit Versa series of smartwatches. The latest model, the Versa 4, has many of the same features as Apple’s most affordable wearable including all-day activity tracking and heart rate monitoring, built-in GPS and even more advanced sleep tracking capabilities. It also has a lot of features you won’t find on an Apple Watch like Alexa voice control, Google Maps and Wallet integration and a days-long battery life (up to six days to be precise). There are smart alerts as well, so you’ll get notified when your phone receives calls and texts. At $200, the Versa 4 is decently priced on a regular day, but you can often find it on sale for close to $150 — that could make it a good options for anyone on a budget, not just those with Android phones.

Workout classes

Finding exercise classes that you actually enjoy can make working out feel like less of a chore. You may prefer going through your local gym — that push to get out of the house and into a dedicated exercise space can be really effective for some — but there are plenty of on-demand fitness classes as well that you can participate in from the comfort of your living room.

I’ve tried my fair share of these services and my favorite has been Peloton. No, you don’t need one of the company’s expensive bikes or other machinery to take advantage of their classes. Access to the app-only version costs $13 per month and it lets you take HIIT, strength, yoga and even outdoor running classes, many of which require little to no equipment. If Peloton isn’t your speed, Apple Fitness+ is a good alternative, especially now that anyone with an iPhone can subscribe and take classes, regardless of whether they own an Apple Watch. Alo Moves is another good option for those who prefer yoga and pilates workouts.

If you can’t afford another monthly subscription fee, the internet has tons of free exercise resources — you just have to work a little harder to find the ones you jibe with most. I highly recommend Fitness Blender, a free website where you can watch hundreds of workout videos and even set a schedule for yourself, assigning routines to specific days of the week. I like the quality and consistency of their videos, but you may connect more to YouTube workouts if they’re taught by instructors you like; Heather Robertson and Move with Nicole are two personal favorites.

Habit tracker

Accountability is key when you’re trying to build new habits, so keeping track of your progress is crucial. While you could go deep down the bullet-journal rabbit hole, a habit-tracking app is probably the easier option. Done and Strides are two iOS options that let you log when you’ve completed a new habit you’re trying to build or when you avoided a bad habit that you’re trying to break. You can get pretty granular, customizing how often you want to do a task, set reminders to log, review stats and more.

Both apps have paid tiers you’ll be asked to subscribe to after you create a few trackable habits. If you’d rather avoid yet another subscription, consider an app like Streaks, which can be all yours for a one-time fee of $6. As for Android, there’s Habitica, which turns habit tracking to an 8-bit RPG game where you level-up your custom avatar by checking things off your list.

To-do list apps

The new year provides an opportunity to get back on track, and one way to do that is by finding organizational tools that work for you — and making sure they’re as uncomplicated as possible. The worst thing that could happen is that your to-do list or note-taking system ends up being so cumbersome that you avoid using it. Keeping all of your necessary tasks in your head may work on easy days, but it can quickly get overwhelming when you have a million things to handle in both your personal and professional life. I’m a fan of Todoist and Things (the latter of which is for iOS and macOS only) because both are detailed enough for big work projects, but simple enough for personal tasks. Both also have a Today view, which will show everything across all of your projects that need attention immediately.

While Todoist has a free tier, you’ll pay $80 to get Things for iOS, iPadOS and macOS. Microsoft’s To Do is an alternative that, while less involved than Things, is free and works on almost every platform including Windows, iOS and Android, among others. You can keep it simple and just have a task list and a grocery list, or you can go deeper and add due dates, sub-tasks and even share lists with family members.

If you don’t want to bother with another service, you can always opt for the reminders app that (most likely) came preinstalled on your phone. That would be Reminders for iOS users and Google Keep for Android users. Google Keep also doubles as a note-taking app, which will be a better solution if you’ve been jotting down ideas for new projects on Post-It notes you inevitably lose. Apple Notes is the default option for this on iOS devices, and it’s come a long way in recent years with new features like interlinked notes, inline and annotatable PDFs and native support for scanning documents using the iPhone’s camera.

Password manager

If you’re looking to up your digital security game in the new year, a password manager is a great place to start. I’m partial to 1Password (as are we as a whole at Engadget), but there are plenty of other options including Bitwarden, NordPass and Dashlane. After saving all of your passwords for various accounts, you only need to remember one (hence the name) to log in to your 1Password account and access all of the others. The service has browser extensions Chrome, Edge and others that will let you seamlessly log in with just a few clicks, and 1Password has apps for most platforms including iOS and Android, so you can use it on all of your devices.

The Password Generator feature helps you create a new, secure password whenever one of yours has expired. LastPass has this too, and Dashlane even has a free tool that anyone can use to make more secure passwords. Not only does this take the onus of coming up with a strong key off your shoulders, but it also makes it easy to override old credentials with new ones.

Cable and accessory organizer

One of the consequences of the past few of years is the dual-office life. Many of us now work both from home and from an office, and the last thing you want to do when you arrive in either place is rummage around your backpack only to realize that you’ve left your mouse, charging cable or dongle at your other desk.

An organizer bag can prevent this before it happens — we recommend BagSmart tech organizers thanks to their utilitarian, water-repellent designs and their multiple pockets and dividers. They also come in different sizes, so you can pick the best one for your commuter bag. If you want something a bit more elevated, Bellroy’s Desk Caddy is a good option. It’s pricier but for the money you get a more elegant silhouette, higher-quality materials and a design that sits upright when full and has a front panel that fully folds down to give you a good view of what’s inside.

Computer docking station

It’s all too easy for your work-from-home setup to get really messy really quickly. When you’re going through your busiest times at work, the last thing you’re thinking about is cable management, but dedicating a bit more effort to tidying up your workspace can make your day to day more efficient and more enjoyable.

We recommend some sort of docking station to keep your laptop, monitors, accessories and the like in check. There are plenty of options out there, regardless of if you use a macOS or Windows machine, or even a Chromebook. We like Satechi’s Dual Dock for MacBooks thanks to its unique design that allows it to sit under your laptop, and the fact that it plugs into two USB-C ports at once. This means you can connect to two external displays (provided you have an M2-powered MacBook or later), which will be handy if you have an elaborate workstation on your desk. Kensington’s Thunderbolt 4 dock is a good all-purpose option for other non-macOS laptops.

There are also USB-C hubs and adapters out there that can give you similar organization while on the go, albeit in a less elegant package. UGreen's Revodok Pro is an affordable solution that includes an HDMI port, microSD and SD card readers, an Ethernet slot, two USB-C connections and three USB-A sockets. It also supports 100W power pass-through, so you can charge your laptop through the hub while using it.

Multicookers and air fryers

Eating healthier, or even just avoiding takeout multiple times a week, can be challenging in part because it usually means cooking more at home. This can be hard to even start if you’re not used to cooking for yourself and don’t have the basic tools to do so. On top of that, cooking takes time — much more time than ordering a meal from an app on your phone. But tools like an Instant Pot can cut your active cooking time down drastically. You can find a plethora of recipes where you simply throw a bunch of ingredients into the pot, set it and forget it until it’s time to eat.

We recommend the Instant Pot Duo for beginners because it’s relatively affordable and combines seven different cooking methods into one appliance, including rice cooking, steaming, pressure cooking, slow cooking and more. If you’re primarily cooking for yourself and a partner, the three-quart model will serve you just fine, but we recommend the six-quart model if you’re routinely cooking for four or more.

Whereas the Instant Pot and multicookers as a whole had their moment a few years ago, air fryers are the big thing now thanks in part to the fact that they let you cook so many different foods quickly and with less oil or other fat. The best air fryers come in all shapes and sizes (and from many companies), but our top pick also comes from Instant Brands. The Instant Vortex Plus air fryer doesn't take up too much space on a countertop, includes six cooking modes and it comes with an odor-removing filter that prevents too much of that cooking smell from wafting out of the machine as it runs. We also appreciate that, unlike most other air fryers, this one has a window that lets you see into the machine during cooking so you can keep an eye on the doneness of your food.

Recipe organization

One of the best things about cooking at home is finding recipes that you love so much that you want to make over and over again. You’ll want to keep those recipes safe and readily available so you can refer to them when you need a quick weeknight meal or a dish to bring to your next family reunion. Recipe cards are a great way to do this, and you’ll build up your rolodex of delicious meals over time. If you’d rather have a cookbook of sorts that you fill in yourself over time, opt for a recipe book instead.

If you’d rather keep your arsenal of recipes accessible at any time, anywhere from your phone, Paprika’s recipe management app is the best solution I’ve tried. The $5 app basically acts as your digital recipe box, allowing you to enter your own as well as save them from the internet. You know those hundreds of words that precede online recipes, in which the author divulges their entire life story before telling you their secret to making deliciously moist cornbread? Paprika strips all of those unnecessary bits out and only saves the ingredient list and the instructions. You can also make grocery lists and keep track of pantry staples in the app, so don’t be surprised if it quickly becomes one of your most-used kitchen tools.

Reading apps

Don’t take your habit of doom-scrolling into the new year. You could instead use the internet to find other things to read and the free Libby app is a good place to start. Powered by Overdrive, it connects you with your local library’s digital collection, allowing you to borrow and download all kinds of e-books, audiobooks, magazines, graphic novels and more. Libby also has a tag system that you can use to “save” titles for later without actually putting a hold on them (although you can do that in the app, too). If you find a bunch of audiobooks you eventually want to get to, you can give them all a “TBR” tag so you can quickly find them and borrow one when you need new reading/listening material.

As someone who uses Libby on a regular basis, I love how easy it is to borrow from my local library without leaving my home. However, there have been numerous times in which my library doesn’t have a title I’m looking for. If that happens to you often, you may want to consider a subscription service like Kindle Unlimited or Everand (formerly Scribd), both of which give you unlimited access to a wide library of e-books for $10 per month. And for audiobook lovers, your options are Amazon’s Audible or Libro.fm, the latter of which lets you choose the local bookstore you want to support with your purchases.

Ereader

Ereaders are still around because so many people recognize how much better it can be to read e-books on a dedicated device — especially one with an high-contrast, e-paper display. Sure, you could read on your smartphone or a tablet, but staring at those screens all day long can be tiring for your eyes. An ereader like the Kobo Clara Colour or the Amazon Kindle is a better choice not only for its more comfortable display, but also because it focuses your attention on reading. (If you’ve ever picked up your smartphone intending to finish a chapter only to be distracted by email or Facebook, you know how crucial this is.)

The Clara Colour is our current top pick in our best ereader guide, thanks to its 6-inch color E Ink display, adjustable brightness and temperature, weeks-long battery life and handy Overdrive integration for checking out digital library books. But if you already get most of your e-books through Amazon, the latest Kindle is the best option. You can listen to Audible audiobooks, too, if you connect a pair of wireless earbuds to the ereader. Kobo’s device primarily gets books via the Kobo Store, but it also supports various file types like EPUB, PDF and MOBI.

• Business Insider spoke to professional organizers about what to get rid of before the new year.
• The end of the year is a good time to go through your holiday decor and outdated clothing.
• Expired food and beauty products shouldn't make their way into the new year.

The end of the year is a great time to do some decluttering. However, it can be difficult to decide what should stay and what should go.

To make things easier, Business Insider asked professional organizers about the best things to get rid of before the new year. Here's what they said.

Get rid of expired items.

The end of the year is a great time to toss expired items, from food and beverages to old beauty products.

Ashley Coleman, founder of home organization company Done Neatly, told BI that starting with bathroom products is a great way to jump-start your decluttering journey.

She also said to go through your kitchen cupboards and pantry for expired canned goods and toss what can't be kept.

The end of the year is a good time to go through your holiday decor.

Styles and preferences naturally change throughout the year, so December can be a good time to get rid of old holiday decor, broken ornaments, and other items that have remained in your holiday-decoration bins and boxes.

Nikki Bell, founder of Just Us Organizing, suggests taking note of what items you didn't decorate with this holiday season and getting rid of them.

Kids' spaces should be decluttered during the holiday season.

Bell said December is a good time to go through kids' toys and clothes since they are likely to receive an influx of new items at the end of the year.

She said it's a good idea to get rid of these items while kids are enamored by their new gifts and will likely have an easier time parting with some of their old things.

Sort through your outdated and worn clothing.

As the year draws to a close, the experts suggest going through your closets and looking for outdated, worn clothing.

Bell said it can be freeing to get rid of the sizes that no longer fit or feel good to wear.

Jamie Hord, cofounder of Horderly, said getting rid of one item for every new item you bring into the home is a good way to maintain order when accumulating new clothes throughout the holiday season.

It's time to go through your kitchen gadgets.

Coleman told BI it's important to look in your kitchen drawers and get rid of items that you don't use or have multiples of.

She said it's easy to develop a small stockpile of niche kitchen gadgets, but you shouldn't hold onto items "just in case" you may need them later.

Bell also said to purge old kitchen tools that have been replaced by newer ones.

Empty boxes take up valuable space.

Having a stash of empty boxes in the house is an easy way to collect dust.

Bell said unless someone is actively using the box to store their item or moving within the next few months, unused boxes from small appliances take up too much space in a room.

Keep sentimental items to a minimum.

Nostalgic items are hard to part with, but all three organizers emphasized the importance of scaling down your collection to only the most beloved items.

After all, a collection of old concert t-shirts or sports trophies can take up a lot of space in the closet, basement, or garage.

In addition to these mementos, Bell said to look through your trinkets and gifts from friends and relatives. After taking a closer look, you might just find some of the items aren't as sentimental as you thought they would be when you first received them.

"I try to keep one thing a year. And that makes that thing even more special and important to me," she told BI.

• The Container Store, a home storage and organization chain, filed for bankruptcy on December 22.
• I visited the store's Manhattan location in September.
• I loved the wide variety of options but concluded I'm not the store's target customer for now.

Before I moved to New York City, everyone warned me about the shoebox apartments I'd have to get used to.

They weren't wrong.

Living in a one-bedroom apartment definitely requires some innovative storage solutions. In the past year, I've looked to stores like Target, Ikea, Walmart, and Amazon for homeware items, but I can't stop my Type-A mind from searching for options to make my space more efficient.

Enter The Container Store, a home storage and organization retailer founded in 1978 in Texas. The company now has 102 stores across the US.

However, while the company boasts a cult-like following, sales have struggled. On December 22, the company filed for bankruptcy, revealing in court documents that it's $230 million in debt. Still, CEO and president Satish Malhotra said, "The Container Store is here to stay."

The filing comes after months of other documented financial struggles. In June, The Container Store reported that first fiscal quarter sales were down 12.2% compared to the same period in 2023. The following month, Modern Retail reported that the company hadn't "posted a full-year profit" since 2021.

In September, I visited The Container Store's Sixth Avenue location in Manhattan to see if the storage solutions were right for me and if I could understand the brand's sales decline.

Here's what I found.

When I entered the Manhattan store, I was happy to see it lived up to its name, with aisles and aisles of — you guessed it — containers.

As soon as I stepped inside, I was shocked at the massive space. According to the retailer's website, stores have "an average size of approximately >24,000 square feet (18,000 selling square feet)."

Though this location spanned just one floor, all I could see were aisles and aisles of items lining its perimeter and throughout its center.

The store was largely sectioned by the room you're looking to organize, such as the closet, bathroom, kitchen, garage, office, and more.

I started with the closet section and loved the look — but not the price — of these Drop-Front Shoe Boxes.

During my visit, a case of six was on sale for $59.99, but I still couldn't justify purchasing these, given that my boyfriend and I easily have about 30 pairs of shoes — it would cost us about $300 at a minimum.

But even if we were comfortable justifying the price, I wouldn't expect these boxes to be very apartment-friendly given their size; one case of six measures 11 1/16 inches by 14 7/16 inches by 7 1/4 inches.

As much as I would love to include these in a future dressing room, I had to pass.

As expected, there were plenty of decorative bins, like this Scalloped Maize Storage Bin.

This one was a good size at 11 inches by 15 inches by 8 1/2 inches and retailed for $29.99.

There was no shortage of hangers.

My favorite was the Non-Slip Velvet Suit Hangers, which retailed for $9.99 for a 10-pack.

Though I didn't need any more hangers, I would definitely consider purchasing from here in the future, thanks to the wide selection of colors and materials.

I loved these jewelry boxes by Stackers.

There were plenty of drawer options customers could "stack" to build their perfect custom jewelry box, which I loved.

However, I had difficulty locating the prices of each drawer type on the shelves.

The Stackers Belt Organizer seemed like a great practical gift for the holidays.

This belt organizer, retailing for $24.99, could sit on a closet shelf or in a drawer next to similar organizers.

Moving on to bathrooms, there were plenty of countertop organizers.

There were plenty of decorative storage options, from soap dispensers and toothbrush holders to apothecary jars and trays.

But I don't understand the appeal of acrylic.

The Luxe Acrylic Large Tray pictured above satisfies an itch in my brain that loves the aesthetically pleasing bathrooms I see on Pinterest and TikTok.

But, having been fooled by acrylic pieces, I think these dishes seem more trouble than they're worth. Given the likelihood of dried water, toothpaste, and soap drips, this tray could easily become an eyesore, just like my old acrylic toothbrush holder did.

These pieces don't appear to serve much purpose, especially at a cost of $24.99.

I was shocked to see this makeup organizer retailing for $60.99.

As smart as this storage kit looked, I would never spend this amount when similar options on Amazon are sold at fractions of the price.

And I'm not sure how useful a toilet roll dispenser could really be.

Maybe I'm missing out — and maybe it speaks to the space I have in my bathroom — but for $49.99, I'd rather just grab a new roll of toilet paper from the pack when I need it.

However, I really liked these hair tool storage options.

My hair dryer and diffuser attachment have a bad habit of getting tangled under my sink, so I could see this being a great addition to my bathroom that would be worth the $25.

And I enjoyed browsing the mock closets by Custom Spaces.

One thing I didn't know about The Container Store before my visit was that it has staff designers available to help curate "Custom Spaces."

In collaboration with acquisitions Elfa and Closet Works, "Custom Spaces" was identified as a key part of the company's growth strategy.

Launched in November 2022 as a rebranded expansion of the company's "Custom Closets," The Container Store's Custom Spaces "is defined by three areas of the home: Closet Spaces, Living Spaces, and Garage Spaces," the company said at the time.

As part of this effort, The Container Store launched a new "Garage + Elfa" line in October 2023 and expanded its "Decor+ by Elfa" line in June 2024. Elfa was not included in the bankruptcy.

My favorite section to explore was all of the aisles dedicated to kitchens.

Look at all these storage options!

These Montana Jars were added to my holiday wishlist immediately.

These jars appeared straight out of my Pinterest dreams and seem perfect for holding baking ingredients like flour and sugar.

The collection includes three jar sizes: 1.5 quarts, 2 quarts, and 3 quarts. They retail for $19.99, $21.99, and $26.99, respectively, making the full collection about $69.

Plastic and stainless-steel scoops were also available on another shelf nearby.

This water bottle organizer also deserves a spot in my cabinets.

YouCopia's Upspace Bottle Organizer 2-Shelf holds eight to 10 bottles and costs $24.99.

This bakeware organizer makes great sense, especially in a small living space.

Even if I'm not happy with its $65.99 price tag.

I also appreciated this shopper-friendly display for mapping drawer organizers.

If you're looking for something specific, visit the store with measurements in mind so you don't have to guess what product would best fit your space.

However, I wasn't sold on this $45 spice rack.

Call me picky, but I wouldn't like picking through the bottles to find the spice I'm looking for, and I'm not a huge fan of labels.

But if you are a fan of labels, they have plenty.

Near the crafting section were packs of labels for kitchens, laundry rooms, bathrooms, playrooms, and more.

Each pack from the "Everything Organizer Collection" retailed for $12.99.

I moved on to more storage options for clothing.

This section included plenty of laundry baskets to choose from.

I have closet organizers like these, which've been a lifesaver for small spaces.

They're perfect for maximizing closet space when there isn't much room for dressers.

I also found a few kid-friendly storage options.

These animal-themed bins seemed perfect for a child's bedroom or an elementary school classroom, but I was a bit surprised by the cost.

For example, the peacock storage cube was listed for $19.99, but another unpictured sloth cube was listed for $26.99.

There were also sets of rainbow-colored storage bins and rolling chests.

I was surprised to see Jason and Kylie Kelce while walking through the garage section.

Malhotra told Modern Retail in July that the brand is "starting to do more collaborations."

"I think the partnership we did with the Kelces was really encouraging for customers to see," he said. "Oftentimes, they think that expense is a reason why things are not done, and they look at someone like the Kelces and they go, 'Obviously money is not an issue for them.' Their issue was knowledge, time, and solutions, and that's why they wanted to work with The Container Store."

There were plenty of options for trash cans, too.

Ranging in size, color, and material, I loved the variety available.

I also enjoyed browsing the office and stationery sections.

There were so many trinkets, pens, and notepads to choose from.

There were fun options, like this candy-themed highlighter pack.

I would've loved having these in my pencil pouch in elementary school.

I liked the simplicity of this to-do list by Ramona & Ruth.

If I didn't already own four different notebooks and calendars, this would've been a very easy $15.99 out of my wallet.

I was also surprised by the number of seemingly random trinkets available.

Like this beginner crochet kit.

Here's another example: mushroom bookmarks.

I'm still unsure if this design makes much sense, but it is cute.

At this point, I started losing track of what aisles I'd already toured.

There were just so many choices.

Here are some more options in case you haven't seen enough.

The Weathertight Clear Totes looked like a great choice for reusable moving boxes and basement storage.

Prices ranged from $14.99 for a 6.5-quart tote to $34.99 for a 74-quart tote.

And who doesn't love a clearance section?

The store's clearance options were robust, with different plates, bowls, glassware, decor pieces, and more.

My favorite clearance item was this marble wine chiller.

Though this definitely wasn't a need, I'm disappointed I didn't snag one while it was on sale for $29.40.

Overall, my trip to The Container Store made me realize that I'm probably not the brand's target audience ... for now.

Malhotra told Modern Retail in July, "There will always be a cheaper alternative to a plastic bin. Our objective is not to compete there because we don't have the scale and buying power to do so."

Instead, he said it's about offering "a white glove experience" through Custom Spaces and the brand's merchandise. He added that The Container Store differentiates itself from the Walmarts and Targets of the world by spending time with customers to help them choose the right products for their space.

Therefore, it seems that The Container Store is looking to target shoppers who have an established home base and plan to invest in it for years to come.

As a 20-something-year-old who plans to bounce from rental to rental for the next few years, I'm nowhere near that phase of my life. So, buying more expensive organizers that may only fit my current apartment isn't worth it.

However, if you have the money, space, and time, I completely understand falling in love with The Container Store. But for now, my visits will simply remain sources of inspiration.

The Container Store did not reply to a request for comment from Business Insider.