Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appeared on Lara Trump’s Fox News show on Saturday evening to quell any suspicions as to who was taking the lead in the administration on tariffs and the trade war.
“He’s totally in the driver’s seat,” he said of Donald Trump to the president’s daughter-in-law.
Lutnick went on to say that the president will personally participate in trade negotiations with the top 10 or 15 most important countries “because he can understand their economies the best.”
In his on-again, off-again tariff regime, Trump continues to push forward with his 145 percent tax on Chinese goods but has exempted major categories of electronics, including smartphones, computers, and semiconductors, customs officials announced Friday.
The move comes despite Trump officials saying the tariffs were meant to bring tech manufacturing back to the U.S., and that there wouldn’t be exceptions. The electronics exemption is seen as a win for the Big Tech companies.
It comes after Trump’s “Liberation Day” announcement with sweeping tariffs and fears of a global trade war, since which Trump has modified his plans, including a 90-day pause, despite pledges he wouldn’t back down.
Trump says fate of ICE deportees at notorious prison up to El Salvador president
The Trump administration stated on Saturday that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland resident mistakenly deported to El Salvador, is “alive and secure” at a terrorism confinement center there.
Despite an earlier statement claiming he would bring Abrego Garcia back if instructed by the Supreme Court, Trump appeared to deflect, saying that those deported “are now in the sole custody of El Salvador … their future is up to President B and his Government.”
Read on…
BlackRock CEO thinks we might already be in a recession
As the stock market turbulence prompts fears that the U.S. could soon be in a recession, an investment management firm executive believes we’re already there.
In just a week’s span, the market has endured historic drops — after the president unveiled his new “Liberation Day” tariffs — and historic gains — after Trump announced a 90-day pause. But with some levies still in effect and others set to return in a few months, the gains haven’t curbed fears of uncertainty over the future of the U.S. economy.
Kelly Rissman reports from New York.
ICYMI: Judge allows Trump administration to deport Columbia student
An immigration court judge has determined that Donald Trump’s administration can deport a Columbia University student activist for his involvement in pro-Palestine demonstrations on campus.
The administration’s claims that Mahmoud Khalil poses “adverse foreign policy consequences” for the United States is “facially reasonable,” according to assistant chief immigration judge Jamee Comans.
The arrest of Khalil — who is currently detained in a Louisiana facility more than 1,300 miles from New York, where his U.S. citizen wife is imminently expected to give birth — has sparked international outrage and fears that the Trump administration is moving to crush political dissidents, starting with campus demonstrations against Israel’s devastating campaign in Gaza and U.S. support.
Alex Woodward reports.
Watch: Trump enters UFC 314 in Miami with family and Cabinet members
President Donald Trump entered the arena with Kai Trump, Dana White, and Congressman Byron Donalds, among others.
Also seated near him in addition to those who flew down from Palm Beach, were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and his wife, Cheryl Hines.
President Trump also shook hands with Joe Rogan, Shaquille O’Neal, and Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports (who has been critical of the administration in recent weeks).
Watch: Lara Trump asks Lutnick if president is in driver’s seat on trade deals
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appeared on Lara Trump’s Fox News show this evening to assure Americans that President Donald Trump is in the driving seat on trade negotiations and tariffs.
Lutnick went on to say that the president will personally participate in negotiations with the top 10 or 15 most important countries “because he can understand their economies the best…”
AOC and Bernie Sanders blast Trump and Musk at largest anti-oligarchy rally yet
A staggering 36,000 people protested Donald Trump’s administration in Los Angeles Saturday, at the largest rally to date of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “Fighting Oligarchy” tour
In fiery remarks, the New Yorker laid into the president, accusing him of “manipulating the markets” for his billionaire friends with his “tariff shuffle” this week, in which Trump pulled a dramatic U-turn on the implementation of his trade war against U.S. commercial partners and allies.
Taking to the stage at Gloria Molina Grand Park in Downtown Los Angeles, Sanders noted that the crowd went back half a mile, before saying that Musk had said most of the people attending these rallies were paid organizers. He asked the crowd: “Anybody here get paid to come today?”
The question was met with a resounding: “No!”
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Wall Street Journal: Trump is ‘making it up as he goes’ on tariffs, hurting US and allies
Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal flamed Donald Trump in yet another critical editorial, this time accusing him of “making it up as he goes,” with his tariff decisions hurting the United States and its allies.
“You almost have to smile” when the president claims the shuddering economy is “all going according to plan,” scoffed the editorial Thursday.
The “reality is that Mr. Trump is making it up as he goes, and it would help if he had an actual strategy to deal with China,” the newspaper added.
Mary Papenfuss has the story.
Trump takes questions on short flight to UFC fight
On his 23-minute flight from Palm Beach to Miami for the UFC fight this evening, President Donald Trump came back to the press cabin to speak with reporters for about three minutes on Iran talks, Russia talks, the Texas Senate primary, and tariff exemptions.
“So we’re going to the fight. We have lots of fights going around the world, and I think we have a lot of good news coming soon about some of those fights, and we’ll see how it goes. But it’s been a, it’s been an interesting weekend. I think we have some pretty good news coming on some of the conflicts.”
On the talks this weekend with Iran in Oman, the president said: “I think they’re going OK. Nothing matters until you get it done. So I don’t like talking about it.”
On talks with Russia about ending its war on Ukraine, Trump said: “I think Ukraine-Russia might be going OK. And you’re going to be finding out pretty soon. There’s a point at which you have to either put up or shut up. We’ll see what happens, but I think it’s going fine.”
Asked about tariff exemptions for electronics and the possibility of upcoming semiconductor tariffs, the president said: “I’ll give you that answer on Monday. We’ll be very specific. But we’re taking in a lot of money. As a country, we’re taking in a lot of money.”
And on the Texas Senate primary between Ken Paxton and John Cornyn, Trump said: “They’re both friends of mine. They’re both good men. And I don’t know. We don’t know who else is running, but these two— Ken, John —they’re both friends of mine. So I’ll make a determination at the right time.”
In a response to a separate question, the president noted that inflation is down and immigration numbers are down at the border.
Courtesy of tonight’s Out of Town pool reporter Brett Samuels of The Hill
ICYMI: Trump exempts phones, computers and other electronics from his tariffs on Chinese goods
Josh Marcus reports from San Francisco.
Trump heads to Miami for UFC Fight 314
President Donald Trump is currently flying down to Miami from Palm Beach to attend UFC Fight 314.
The president is being joined by, among others, Elon Musk, FBI Director Kash Patel, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and communications director Steven Cheung.
He will return to Mar-a-Lago after the fight and is scheduled to be back by 1 a.m.
Source: independent.co.uk
