[🇺🇸] USA News/Views

[Saif]

Trump’s foreign policy moves on day one

Donald Trump said he planned to impose 25% tariffs on both Canada and Mexico and withdrew from a signature international climate treaty during an impromptu, wide-ranging news conference from the Oval Office where he tackled topics from trade wars to TikTok and said he was “not confident” that th

www.thedailystar.net

Trump’s foreign policy moves on day one

Photo: AFP A photo illustration shows the front pages of some of Britain's national newspapers, dominated by the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States of America, in London on January 21, 2025.

Donald Trump said he planned to impose 25% tariffs on both Canada and Mexico and withdrew from a signature international climate treaty during an impromptu, wide-ranging news conference from the Oval Office where he tackled topics from trade wars to TikTok and said he was "not confident" that the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel would hold.

The offhand remarks came as Trump signed a flurry of executive orders on domestic and international politics, including a decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organisation, which analysts have warned could hamper efforts to fight future pandemics.

The US was withdrawing from the organisation, the order said, due to "the organisation'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." The US is the largest funder of the Geneva-headquartered organisation.

Trump also signed an executive order on Monday evening declaring a 90-day pause in the disbursement of US foreign development assistance, effectively leaving millions of dollars in aid in limbo, dependent on a decision by Marco Rubio, who was confirmed as secretary of state by the Senate as the first cabinet member of the new Trump administration.

Trump also reversed Biden administration sanctions on violent Israeli settlers in a concession to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid a crucial ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

The decisions came fast and furious in the first hours of Trump's presidency and indicated how US foreign policy would take a sharp and idiosyncratic turn under the new president's vision of an "America first" foreign policy that values US interests above all.

On trade, the US president punted on a campaign pledge to issue tariffs on Canada and Mexico on day one of his new administration. However, he said he would issue the new tariffs on the North American neighbours on 1 February in what would mark an extraordinary about-face in US trade policy that would considerably raise prices for American consumers.

"We are thinking in terms of 25% on Mexico and Canada because they're allowing vast numbers of people … to come in, and fentanyl to come in," Trump said. "I think we'll do it Feb 1."

Mexico was the US's largest trading partner in 2023 with a total two-way goods trade of $807bn, an amount that surpassed US trade with China, according to the US State Department.

At the same time, Trump made news in breezy remarks on topics from a ban on TikTok to his discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the three-year-old war in Ukraine.

Asked about the war in Ukraine, Trump said he would meet Putin "very soon" and said that his Russian counterpart was "destroying Russia" by refusing to negotiate a ceasefire with Ukraine.

On whether he could broker a ceasefire, he said: "I have to speak to President Putin, we're gonna have to find out. He can't be thrilled. He's not doing so well. I mean, he's grinding it out."

He was confident that he could convince Saudi Arabia to normalise relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords, a signature policy of his previous administration.

But when asked whether he could maintain the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, he said he was "not confident. That's not our war, that's their war."

"I think they're very weakened on the other side," he said, referring to Gaza and the militant group Hamas. "I looked at a picture of Gaza. Gaza is like a massive demolition site. That place has really got to be rebuilt in a different way."

Asked whether he was ready to help Gaza rebuild, he said "maybe," and then launched into an offhand discussion that harkened back to his days as a real estate developer.

"You know Gaza is interesting it's a phenomenal location," he said. "On the sea, best weather… some beautiful things could be done with it."

Source: The Guardian​

 

[Lulldapull]

He'll turn Gaza next into a fukking Jurassic park themed 'Great Adventure' Disneyland location from the sounds of it.

Irans watching all his moves and will play spoiler.

 

[Saif]

Produce in US or pay tariffs

US President Donald Trump issued a blunt warning to global elites in a video message to the World Economic Forum yesterday: Make your product in the United States or pay tariffs.

www.thedailystar.net

Produce in US or pay tariffs
Trump tells Davos elites

​

• Federal judge blocks Trump's bid to restrict birthright citizenship​
• Saudi crown prince promises Trump $600b trade, investment boost​

US President Donald Trump issued a blunt warning to global elites in a video message to the World Economic Forum yesterday: Make your product in the United States or pay tariffs.

Beamed on a giant screen in the Swiss Alpine village of Davos, Trump received a loud round of applause from political and business A-listers who had eagerly awaited his appearance all week.

Speaking from the White House, Trump touted his plans to cut taxes, deregulate industries and crack down on illegal immigration.

But he also had a tough message.

"Come make your product in America and we will give you among the lowest taxes of any nation on earth," Trump said.

"But if you don't make your product in America, which is your prerogative, then very simply you will have to pay a tariff."

In his wide-ranging speech, Trump made a link between the war in Ukraine and oil prices.

Trump said he would ask Saudi Arabia and the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to bring down crude prices.

"If the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately," he said.

The US leader then fielded question from the top executives of Bank of America, Blackstone investment firm, Spanish group Banco Santander and French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies.

Trump is always a top draw in Davos, making waves at two previous in-person appearances during his first term in 2018 and 2020.

But showing up this year was tougher as the forum happened to start on the day of his inauguration in Washington on Monday.

Scores stood in line to hear him speak. Some in the audience included European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde, Polish President Andrzej Duda and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

Trump already gave Davos a taste of what is to come since his inauguration on Monday.

He has threatened tariffs on China, the European Union, Mexico and Canada, pulled the United States from the Paris climate pact and renewed his claim the Panama Canal, just to name a few.

His plans to cut taxes, reduce the size of the US federal government and deregulate industries likely found a sympathetic ear amongst many businesses, though economists warn the policies could rekindle inflation.

US trade partners and rivals already had a chance to react in Davos earlier this week, as they brace for a second round of his America First policies.

Without invoking Trump's name, Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang warned: "There are no winners in a trade war."

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said Brussels was ready to negotiate with Trump.

But she also underscored the European Union's diverging policy with him on climate, saying the bloc would stick by the Paris accord.

World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala called on cooler heads to prevail during a WEF panel discussion on tariffs on Thursday, warning that tit-for-tat levies would be "catastrophic" for the world economy.

Meanwhile, a federal judge in the United States put a temporary block on Trump's attempt to restrict birthright citizenship.

The ruling imposes a 14-day halt on the enforcement of one of the most controversial executive orders Trump signed hours after being sworn into office for a second term.

It comes after a flurry of lawsuits were filed by a total of 22 states, two cities and numerous civil rights groups.

"This is a blatantly unconstitutional order," senior US District Judge John Coughenour was reported as saying during the hearing in Washington state.

"I've been on the bench for over four decades, I can't remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one is," said Coughenour, who was appointed to the bench by a Republican president, Ronald Reagan.

Birthright citizenship is fundamental to America's national identity, with the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution decreeing that anyone born on US soil is a citizen.

It says, in part: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

Trump's order was premised on the idea that anyone in the US illegally, or on a visa, was not "subject to the jurisdiction" of the country, and therefore excluded from this category.​

 

[Saif]

Rubio says Trump serious about buying Greenland

US president Donald Trump is serious about seeking to buy Greenland, secretary of state Marco Rubio said Thursday, after Denmark was rattled by his threats to take over the autonomous Danish territory.

www.newagebd.net

Rubio says Trump serious about buying Greenland
Agence France-Presse . Washington 31 January, 2025, 22:35

Marco Rubio

US president Donald Trump is serious about seeking to buy Greenland, secretary of state Marco Rubio said Thursday, after Denmark was rattled by his threats to take over the autonomous Danish territory.

In an interview, Rubio played down the threat of the United States using military force against Denmark, a NATO ally, but said of Trump’s remarks on Greenland, ‘This is not a joke.’

‘President Trump’s put out there what he intends to do, which is to purchase it,’ Rubio told SiriusXM Radio.

‘This is not about acquiring land for the purpose of acquiring land. This is in our national interest and it needs to be solved,’ Rubio said.

Referring to NATO guarantees to Denmark, Rubio said: ‘We have a defence ag Residents chant slogas while holding banners during a protest against the Congolese government and expressing support for the M23 armed group in Goma on Friday. reement with them to protect Greenland if it becomes under assault.’

‘If we’re already on the hook for having to do that, then we might as well have more control over what happens there,’ he said.

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen has rallied European allies over the threats from Trump, with whom she was said to have had a tense telephone conversation.

Rubio said that while he was not on the phone call with Frederiksen, Trump ‘just speaks bluntly and frankly with people.’

‘And ultimately I think diplomacy in many cases works better when you’re straightforward as opposed to using platitudes and language that translates to nothing,’ Rubio said.

Rubio voiced concern that rival China, looking for Arctic access, would gain ground in Greenland through state-run companies.

‘It is completely realistic to believe that the Chinese will eventually, maybe even in the short term, try to do in Greenland what they have done at the Panama Canal and in other places,’ Rubio said.​

 

[Saif]

Trump set to order steep tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada, China

US President Donald Trump is expected to sign an order on Saturday imposing hefty new tariffs of 25% on goods from Mexico and Canada and 10% on imports from China, threatening to ignite a trade war that could disrupt more than $2.1 trillion of annual trade. Trump, who is working from his Mar-a

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Trump set to order steep tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada, China
REUTERS
Published :
Feb 01, 2025 23:53
Updated :
Feb 01, 2025 23:53

US President Donald Trump is expected to sign an order on Saturday imposing hefty new tariffs of 25% on goods from Mexico and Canada and 10% on imports from China, threatening to ignite a trade war that could disrupt more than $2.1 trillion of annual trade.

Trump, who is working from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida this weekend, said on Friday that there was little that the top three US trading partners could do to forestall the tariffs.

Just 12 days into his second term, Trump is upending the norms of how the United States is governed and interacts with the wider world. On Friday, he pledged to proceed with the levies despite acknowledging they could cause disruption and hardship for American households.

A model gauging the economic impact of Trump's tariff plan from EY Chief Economist Greg Daco suggests it would reduce US growth by 1.5 percentage points this year, throw Canada and Mexico into recession and usher in "stagflation" at home.

"We have stressed that steep tariff increases against US trading partners could create a stagflationary shock - a negative economic hit combined with an inflationary impulse - while also triggering financial market volatility," Daco wrote on Saturday.

That volatility was evident on Friday, when the Mexican peso and Canadian dollar both slumped after Trump vowed to fulfil his threats. US stock prices also fell and Treasury bond yields rose.

Trump set the Feb 1 deadline to press for strong action to halt the flow of the opiate fentanyl and precursor chemicals into the US from China via Mexico and Canada, as well as to stop illegal immigrants crossing US borders.

But during a lengthy White House exchange with reporters, Trump brushed aside the notion that his threats were merely bargaining tools:

"No, it's not ... we have big (trade) deficits with, as you know, with all three of them."

He also said revenue was a factor and the tariffs may be increased, adding: "But it's a lot of money coming to the United States."

Trump did, however, mention a potential carve-out for oil from Canada, saying that tariff rate would be 10%. But he indicated that wider tariffs on oil and natural gas would be coming in mid-February, remarks that sent oil prices higher.

At nearly $100 billion in 2023, imports of crude oil accounted for roughly a quarter of all US imports from Canada, according to US Census Bureau data.

HIGHER COSTS

Trump acknowledged that higher costs could be passed on to consumers and that his actions may cause short-term disruptions, but said he was not concerned about their impact on financial markets.

Jake Colvin, president of the National Foreign Trade Council, which represents major US companies, said imposing tariffs on key trading partners "could impact the cost and availability of everything from avocados to air conditioners to cars and risks shifting the focus of our relationships away from constructive dialogue."

Although Trump speaks of "charging" other nations for tariffs, they are paid by importing companies, and sometimes passed on to consumers.

Automakers would be particularly hard hit, through tariffs on vehicles assembled in Canada and Mexico. Their vast regional supply chain, where components can cross borders several times before final assembly, would further exacerbate these costs.

And Trump said import taxes were also being considered on European goods, as well as on steel, aluminum and copper, and on drugs and semiconductors.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the tariffs would be implemented immediately, and details would be published on Saturday. It typically takes weeks for tariffs to take practical effect.

RETALIATION EXPECTED

Trump's move is expected to draw retaliatory tariffs, potentially disrupting more than $2.1 trillion in annual two-way US trade with its top three trading partners.

Canada has drawn up detailed targets for immediate retaliation, including duties on Florida orange juice, a source familiar with the plan said.

Its broader list of targets could cover C$150 billion ($103 billion) worth of US imports, but it will hold public consultations before acting, the source said.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has also threatened retaliation, but said she would "wait with a cool head" for Trump's decision and was prepared to continue a border dialogue with him.

China has been more circumspect, but vowed to defend its trade interests.

A spokesperson for Beijing's embassy in Washington said: "There is no winner in a trade war or tariff war, which serves the interests of neither side nor the world."​

 

[Saif]

End China’s influence of canal or face US action

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday warned Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino that Washington will “take measures necessary” if Panama does not immediately take steps to end what President Donald Trump sees as China’s influence and control over the Panama Canal.

www.thedailystar.net

End China’s influence of canal or face US action
US top diplomat Rubio warns Panama

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday warned Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino that Washington will "take measures necessary" if Panama does not immediately take steps to end what President Donald Trump sees as China's influence and control over the Panama Canal.

Mulino, after the talks with the top US diplomat in Panama City, signaled he would review agreements involving China and Chinese businesses, and announced further cooperation with the US on migration, but reiterated that his country's sovereignty over the world's second busiest waterway is not up for discussion.

Rubio delivered a message from Trump that China's presence - through a Hong Kong-based company operating two ports near the canal's entrances - was a threat to the waterway and a violation of the US-Panama treaty, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.

"Secretary Rubio made clear that this status quo is unacceptable and that absent immediate changes, it would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights under the Treaty," Bruce said.

Rubio did not spell out exactly what steps Panama must take or what US retaliation would look like.

Upon returning to office, Trump threatened to take control of the Panama Canal, built by the United States in the early 20th century and handed over to Panama in 1999, claiming the canal is being operated by Beijing.

He has refused to rule out use of military force over Panama, drawing criticism from Washington's Latin American friends and foes alike. On Sunday, Trump said that he did not think troops would be necessary, but that Panama had violated the agreement and the United States would take back the canal.​

 

[Saif]

US startup Apptronik raises $350 mln to create humanoid robots

US-based robotics firm Apptronik has secured $350 million in a recent funding round, spearheaded by B Capital and Capital Factory, with additional backing from Google’s parent company Alphabet. The funding will be used to scale production of the company’s humanoid robot, Apollo, which is...

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US startup Apptronik raises $350 mln to create humanoid robots

Apollo, the humanoid robot built by Apptronik, Inc. at Austin, Texas, US. Photo: Reuters/Evan Garcia/File photo

US-based robotics firm Apptronik has secured $350 million in a recent funding round, spearheaded by B Capital and Capital Factory, with additional backing from Google's parent company Alphabet.

As per a report by Reuters, the funding will be used to scale production of the company's humanoid robot, Apollo, which is designed to automate tasks in supply chains, such as moving packages in warehouses and manufacturing facilities.

The investment places Apptronik alongside other robotics players, such as Tesla and Nvidia-backed Figure AI, in the rapidly evolving field of humanoid robotics, states the report. With AI advancements at the forefront, these companies are racing to develop robots capable of performing increasingly complex tasks. Elon Musk's Tesla, for instance, has made significant strides in its Optimus robot, which is intended to assist with household chores.

As per Reuters, Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas described the funding as a pivotal moment for the robotics industry, likening it to the rapid growth seen in large language models (LLMs) in 2023. He pointed to 2025 as a key year for robotics, anticipating major developments in the field.

Apptronik aims to extend Apollo's use beyond logistics, with plans to explore applications in sectors like healthcare and elder care. The company has also confirmed partnerships with Google DeepMind's robotics team, automotive giant Mercedes-Benz, and logistics firm GXO. However, details regarding these commercial agreements remain under wraps, adds the report.​

 

[Saif]

Trump deporting people at a slower rate than Biden's last year in office

US President Donald Trump deported 37,660 people during his first month in office, previously unpublished US Department of Homeland Security data show, far less than the monthly average of 57,000 removals and returns in the last full year of Joe Biden's administration. A senior Trump administratio

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Trump deporting people at a slower rate than Biden's last year in office
REUTERS
Published :
Feb 22, 2025 01:10
Updated :
Feb 22, 2025 01:10

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conduct an arrest as part of US President Donald Trump's wide-ranging immigration crackdown in Chicago, Illinois, US January 26, 2025 in a still image from video. Photo : Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Handout via REUTERS/Files

US President Donald Trump deported 37,660 people during his first month in office, previously unpublished US Department of Homeland Security data show, far less than the monthly average of 57,000 removals and returns in the last full year of Joe Biden's administration.

A senior Trump administration official and experts said deportations were poised to rise in coming months as Trump opens up new avenues to ramp up arrests and removals.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Biden-era deportation numbers appeared "artificially high" because of higher levels of illegal immigration.

Trump campaigned for the White House promising to deport millions of illegal immigrants in the largest deportation operation in US history. Yet initial figures suggest Trump could struggle to match higher deportation rates during the last full year of the Biden administration when large numbers of migrants were caught crossing illegally, making them easier to deport.

The deportation effort could take off in several months, aided by agreements from Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, and Costa Rica to take deportees from other nations, the sources said.

The US military has assisted in more than a dozen military deportation flights to Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Ecuador, Peru and India. The Trump administration has also flown Venezuelan migrants to the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay. Trump said in late January that his administration would prepare to detain up to 30,000 migrants there despite pushback from civil liberties groups.

The military-assisted deportations could grow considering the Pentagon's vast budget and ability to surge resources, according to Adam Isacson, a security expert with the Washington Office on Latin America think tank.

EXPANDING DEPORTATIONS

Meanwhile, the administration is moving to make it easier to arrest deportable migrants without criminal records and to detain more people with final deportation orders.

Last month, the Justice Department issued a memo allowing ICE officers to arrest migrants at US immigration courts, rolling back a Biden-era policy that limited such arrests.

On Wednesday, the US State Department designated Venezuela's Tren de Aragua and seven other criminal gangs and cartels as terrorist organizations. Under US immigration law, alleged gang members designated as terrorists and people with ties to the groups could become deportable.

The Trump administration is also pulling from ICE’s investigative arm, the Justice Department, the IRS, and State Department to assist with arrests and investigations.

Jessica Vaughan, a policy director at the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors lower levels of immigration, said those investigative agents could help crack down on employers who hire workers without legal status and people who have final deportation orders.

“Those are all harder cases,” Vaughan said. “In the case of a worksite operation, you've got a lot of planning to do, some investigation that precedes it, all of which takes a lot of time.”

During Trump’s first three weeks in office, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested about 14,000 people, border czar Tom Homan said last week. That amounts to 667 per day - twice last year’s average but on pace for a quarter million arrests annually - not millions.

ICE arrests spiked to around 800-1,200 per day during Trump’s first week in office, then fell off as detention centers filled up and officers surged to target cities returned home.

“It's going to be like turning a supertanker for the first few months,” Isacson said. “The civilian part of the US government can only do so much.”

During Trump's first month in office, ICE doubled arrests of people with criminal charges or convictions compared with the same period a year ago, according to data provided by DHS.

While arrests have risen, ICE detention space remains a limiting factor. The agency currently holds around 41,100 detainees, with funding to hold 41,500.

About 19,000 of those detainees were arrested by ICE while about 22,000 were picked up by US border authorities, according to agency data published in mid-February.

Of the 19,000 arrested by ICE, around 2,800 had no criminal record, according to the same agency data. The figure was up from 858 in mid-January, before Trump took office.

The Republican-led US Senate on Friday passed a bill to provide $340 billion over four years for border security, deportations, energy deregulation and additional military spending. But the party remains divided on how to move forward with the funding plan, with Trump pressing for the funding to be combined with tax cuts.​