Donald Trump is due to attend a summit of Gulf leaders in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning, even as a backlash back home over Qatar’s proposed gift of a $400m luxury plane threatened to overshadow his “historic” tour of the Middle East.
The president continues to face criticism back home over a proposed deal for the Qatari royal family to transfer the aircraft to the Department of Defense to replace Air Force 1.
The first leg of Trump’s tour saw him signing a $142bn arms deal in Saudi Arabia and announcing he would lift sanctions on Syria and give the country a “chance at peace”.
In a speech to Saudi leaders, Trump also gave an ultimatum to Iran as he said he wanted to “make a deal” with the country and make “the world a safer place”, he said.
“But if Iran’s leadership rejects this olive branch and continues to attack their neighbours, then we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure, drive Iranian oil exports to zero like I did before.”Trump will end his tour with a stop in the UAE on Thursday.
Trump to attend summit of Gulf leaders
President Donald Trump will meet the leaders of Gulf states today in Riyadh and say “hello” to the Syrian president before travelling to Qatar.
In Qatar, the president is expected to visit the Amiri Diwan (office of the Emir of Qatar) and the Lusail Palace (royal residence of the Emir of Qatar), where a state dinner will be held.
On Thursday, he will travel to the United Arab Emirates.
Our live coverage has ended. Here’s a full breakdown:
House Democrat announces plan to file seven articles of impeachment against Trump
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Minnesota farmer Dan Glessing isn’t ready to get too upset over President Donald Trump’s trade wars.
Farm country voted heavily for Trump last November. Now Glessing and many other farmers are taking a wait-and-see attitude toward the Republican president’s disputes with China and other international markets.
China normally would buy about one row out of every four of the Minnesota soybean crop and took in nearly $13 billion worth of soybeans from the U.S. as a whole last year. More than half of U.S. soybeans are exported internationally, with roughly half of those going to China, so it’s a critical market.
Steve Karnowski and Kristin Hall report:
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Rhian Lubin reports:
Venezuelans ‘barricaded’ doors and ‘threatened to take hostages’ in ICE detention, Trump team alleges
In its latest demand to the Supreme Court to begin swiftly deporting immigrants from the United States, Donald Trump’s administration claims a group of Venezuelan men imprisoned in Texas tried to barricade themselves inside their unit, covered surveillance cameras and threatened to take hostages.
A group of 23 men the administration accused of being Tren de Aragua gang members “have proven difficult to manage,” according to a sworn statement in court documents from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official.
Read more from Alex Woodward:
Democrats and Republicans speak out on Trump’s plan to accept $400m ‘gift’ plane from ‘Hamas-supporting’ Qatar
But Trump’s plan threatens to turn a global symbol of American power into an airborne collection of ethical, legal, security and counterintelligence concerns.
Trump tried to tamp down some of the opposition by saying he would donate the plane to a future presidential library after his term ends. Democrats are united in outrage over the plan.
Even some of the Republican president’s allies have expressed concerns.
Here’s the AP:
Democrats and Republicans speak on Trump’s plan to accept $400m ‘gift’
In pictures: Syrians celebrate after Trump announces end of sanctions
MAHA at war: RFK Jr’s inner circle accusing each other of leaking false info in expletive-ridden phone call
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Calley Means, a special government employee for the Health and Human Services, accused The Wellness Company of leaking “provably untrue information” about his company, Truemed, to MAGA hardliner Laura Loomer.
Rhian Lubin has the story:
Tourists are cancelling trips to the US – and it’s not just Trump to blame
International travel spending in the United States is projected to fall by $12.5 billion, or seven per cent, in 2025, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
“Of 184 countries, the U.S. is the only one that’s seeing an absolute decline in international visitor spending,” Simpson said.
Doyinsola Oladipo reports:
Source: independent.co.uk
