Trump Turns WHCD Speech Into Rambling List of Gripes and Personal Attacks
A live look at the Trump administration, the Iran war, and other developments shaping Washington and the nation.
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🔴 BREAKING (11:00 p.m. ET): Trump Ends Hourlong Speech With Attacks on Award-Winning Reporters
Donald Trump has finally concluded more than an hour of remarks that began with light after-dinner banter and devolved into a bitter series of grievances, partisan attacks, and complaints about journalists and political rivals.
Trump initially played the good sport, shaking hands with White House correspondents honored for tough coverage of his administration. During the later portion of his speech, however, he singled out two of those journalists: CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and the Wall Street Journal’s Josh Dawsey.
“I want to personally congratulate CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on receiving her award. It’s all about me. It’s a fake. She shouldn’t get the award,” Trump said of Collins’ coverage of his contentious 2025 Oval Office confrontation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“It was a fake, but I didn’t mind,” Trump said.
“I said, Caitlyn, congratulations, but it was fake. There’s no question about it.”
The president then repeated a sexist attack he has previously used against Collins, telling her to smile more when questioning him about subjects including the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender with whom Trump socialized for years.
“But she’s a young, attractive woman. She never smiles,” Trump said.
“I said, ‘Kaitlan, do you have a smile? Smile. You have a nice position. You’re at CNN fake news. You should be a happy person.’ So smile, Kaitlan, just smile.”
Trump later turned to Dawsey, who received the Aldo Beckman Award for overall excellence in White House coverage and was part of the Journal team honored for its Epstein birthday-letter reporting.
“Then you have writer Josh Dawsey,” Trump said.
“He’s been killing me for years … and yet tonight, he shakes my hand. He hugs me. Everything nice. He kills me.”
“He writes more stories than any human being. There’s nobody that writes more than Josh. He’ll write four stories about me a day,” Trump went on.
“He’s hit the big time and he’s a workhorse, and yet he’s almost unhireable.”
“He’s almost unhireable,” the president repeated—even though Dawsey, formerly of The Washington Post, was hired by the Wall Street Journal.
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🔴 BREAKING (10:40 p.m. ET): Trump’s Rally-Style Speech Falls Flat Before Press Corps
Nearly an hour into his address, Donald Trump’s remarks have increasingly resembled one of his campaign rallies—complete with personal attacks, political grievances, complaints about news coverage, and familiar boasts about his record.
The difference was the audience. Instead of speaking to a room packed with enthusiastic supporters, Trump faced hundreds of journalists who frequently responded to his extended remarks with silence. Prepared jokes that typically draw cheers at his rallies elicited little or no laughter.
Trump almost entirely abandoned the self-deprecating humor traditionally expected from presidents at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. He instead attacked Democrats and journalists, touted what he described as his accomplishments, and recycled disputed claims about investment commitments secured by his administration.
At one point, the president put on a “Trump 2028” cap—another reference to seeking a constitutionally prohibited third term. The gesture received a markedly different response from the room than it typically gets before his supporters.
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🔴 BREAKING (10:30 p.m. ET): Trump Says Obama’s 2011 Roast Flattered Him—and Did Not Spur His Presidential Run
After an extended, rally-style string of attacks on Democrats, President Donald Trump struck an unexpectedly conciliatory tone toward former President Barack Obama, insisting he enjoyed being roasted at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Trump’s remarks had included familiar attacks on California Gov. Gavin “Newscum” Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“I have been here actually quite a few times, people don’t realize, and there’s one time in particular when Barack Hussein Obama hosted it,” Trump said.
“Do you know who that is? And he hit me hard, but actually he hit me with respect.”
“I have watched this clip thousands of times,” Trump said.
“They keep playing it because they think that was the evening I decided to run for president. It was not. In fact, I loved the evening. I looked at my wife, I said, ‘Can you believe it? All these people, that’s all they’re doing, is talking about me. I love this dinner.’”
“It’s true, and Obama was nice. He, you know, it’s amazing how things work out. He actually showed a picture of the White House with a big Trump on top. Like I put a sign and, you know, I’m sort of doing that when you think about it, right? I mean, I think he wasn’t really wrong, but no, he was respectful. He was good.”
During the 2011 roast, Obama mocked Trump’s promotion of the false conspiracy theory that the president was not born in the United States, ridiculed his Celebrity Apprentice persona, and displayed a doctored image labeled “Trump White House Resort and Casino.”
The roast, Trump insisted Friday, “had nothing to do” with his decision to run for president five years later.
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🔴 BREAKING (10:15 p.m. ET): Trump’s Dinner Speech Veers Into Personal Attacks on Rivals and Media Figures
President Donald Trump’s correspondents’ dinner address shifted from light, canned jokes into a series of deeply personal attacks on political rivals and media figures he dislikes—many of which drew little audible laughter from the room.
Trump began the segment with a joke targeting Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“I hope that everyone finally got to enjoy their entire very delicious beef tenderloin, very special beef. And I want you all to know that Bobby Kennedy, who’s right here personally, ran over the cow in his car. And he cut it up, and he brought it here for you to eat tonight,” Trump said.
“So it’s very fresh. And Bobby also suggested an appetizer featuring his favorite cut of male raccoon roadkill. But we drew the line at that.”
The president then turned to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, mocking both men over their weight.
“For the heaviest of the heavyweights,” he said, imagining a fight, “we will have sloppy Chris Christie, one of the sloppiest … human beings you’ll ever meet, fighting. I would say I could mention the governor of Chicago, but I’m going to mention instead Jerry Nadler. And they’re fighting for a big piece of cheesecake. Big fat piece of cheesecake,” Trump said.
Trump also targeted Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, ridiculing her for pausing before answering a foreign-policy question at the Munich Security Conference.
He went after Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California, who led the first impeachment inquiry into Trump following his effort to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into announcing an investigation of Joe Biden.
The president also returned to familiar attacks on former CNN anchor Don Lemon, comedian Rosie O’Donnell, and rock musician Bruce Springsteen.
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🔴 BREAKING (10:00 p.m. ET): Trump Uses Correspondents’ Dinner Address to Make Case for White House Ballroom
Donald Trump turned part of his address to the White House Correspondents’ Association into an extended sales pitch for the ballroom his administration is building on the site of the demolished East Wing.
“Everyone is now really warming up the new White House military center, drone port, highly protected ballroom,” Trump said.
“We have our ballroom. The windows are this thick,” Trump said.
“I said to the people, ‘Well, if a bullet hits, what happens?’ ‘Nothing. Nothing. It bounces right off. Sir, this is the greatest bulletproof glass.’”
Trump appeared to argue that the April attack strengthened the case for hosting future gatherings inside the new ballroom.
“We’re building something’s going to be amazing, and in light of what we went through, I think, people understand it,” Trump said.
“It’s going to be amazing, a phenomenal- one of the biggest drone ports anywhere in the world, right on the roof,” Trump went on, and on.
“Protecting the White House, not only the ballroom and what’s underneath. You know, it’s supposed to be a top military secret, what’s underneath.”
“Very complex stuff. It was the military’s dream to have it built,” Trump added.
“I wanted to have a ballroom because for 150 years they wanted it. And then the generals came to see me and they said, ‘Sir, you’re building something. This gives us an opportunity to do something that will be so unbelievable.’”
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🔴 BREAKING (9:45 p.m. ET): Trump Jabs at Reporters, Praises Secret Service Officer Who Confronted April Gunman
President Donald Trump lightly mocked journalists gathered at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner before praising the Secret Service officer who confronted the gunman charged with attacking the original event in April.
“Many of you were there with me and some showed extreme bravery, like Pete Hegseth, Steve Miller, Tom Holman,” Trump said.
“They were standing on tables and most of you were under the tables,” the president added.
Trump then praised the Secret Service officer who confronted Cole Allen, who allegedly rushed through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun outside the ballroom. The officer’s name has not been publicly released.
The president said he had been “psyched” to deliver a stinging critique of the press at the original dinner, but decided to offer gentler remarks at the rescheduled gathering.
“This speech,” Trump warned, “is going to be such a letdown.”
His address has largely remained within the boundaries of light, after-dinner fare, although he continued to needle the journalists in attendance.
“This place is the really the largest group of Trump Derangement Syndrome people ever put together at one time,” the president said.
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🔴 BREAKING (9:30 p.m. ET): Trump Begins Remarks at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
President Donald Trump has begun his remarks at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, opening with unusually warm words for the journalists gathered in the ballroom. The address is being livestreamed here.
The president described the journalists as “amazing people. A lot of people that I like, some I don’t like it all, but I respect most of them. I must say that you do a great job, amazing job, and it’s an honor.”
Trump then boasted about having previously operated the hotel hosting Friday night’s dinner, which was formerly the Trump International Hotel before becoming the Waldorf Astoria.
He followed that with a joke about seeking a constitutionally prohibited third presidential term, before quickly adding, “I’m only kidding.”
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🔴 BREAKING (9:00 p.m. ET): Trump Shrugs as Journal Team Behind Epstein Letter Scoop Receives Award
Donald Trump theatrically shrugged as the Wall Street Journal team that revealed a bawdy birthday letter bearing his name and sent to Jeffrey Epstein received the White House Correspondents’ Association’s Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability.
CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer noted during the presentation that Trump had sued the newspaper over the story. The president has denied writing the letter to Epstein, the late convicted sex offender with whom he socialized for nearly two decades.
The honor was among several journalism awards presented for coverage of Trump and his administration—often to reporters and news organizations the president has publicly harangued, threatened, or taken to court over reporting he considered unflattering.
Trump played the good sport, shaking hands with each winner, including CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins, who received the broadcast award for excellence in presidential news coverage under deadline pressure. Trump previously criticized Collins for not smiling as she attempted to question him about Epstein’s victims.
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🔴 BREAKING (8:45 p.m. ET): WHCA Plays AI-Generated Founders Video Before Leadership Handoff
The White House Correspondents’ Association treated guests to a cringeworthy AI-generated video depicting the founders of the American republic raising a toast to the assembled press corps.
“By the way that was AI, in case you missed it,” outgoing association President Weijia Jiang of CBS News pointed out before handing the organization’s leadership to her successor, Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich.
Heinrich married Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick last month. During an exchange with Heinrich in May, President Donald Trump dodged her question, mocked her then-fiancé, and threatened to drive Fitzpatrick from office over what he portrayed as disloyalty.
“Her husband votes against me all the time. Can you imagine? I don’t know what’s with him. You better ask him what’s with him,” Trump said.
“He likes voting against Trump. You know what happens with that? It doesn’t work out well. I don’t know why he does.”
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🔴 BREAKING (8:20 p.m. ET): Rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner Is Underway
The rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is underway at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C., three months after gunfire brought the original gathering to an abrupt end.
The April dinner was abandoned after a man rushed through a security checkpoint outside the ballroom. President Donald Trump was onstage Friday night as association President Weijia Jiang, a CBS News correspondent, delivered her opening remarks.
“Let’s try this again, because one thing about this press corps is, we always have a follow-up,” she began.
“Many of you were also with us in April. You came as guests, but within moments, you went to work.”
“An assassination attempt on our president is an attack on democracy itself,” she said.
“Tonight, our message is this: we are back. We will not be intimidated. We refuse to let an act of violence have the final word.”
Trump is expected to address the gathering shortly. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president—who has repeatedly attacked the nonpartisan media as “the enemy of the people”—would deliver “a combination of unifying yet vicious, and serious yet hilarious” remarks.
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🔴 BREAKING (4:00 p.m. ET): Trump Administration Admits It Canceled Energy Grants on Political Grounds
The Trump administration has acknowledged in federal court that billions of dollars in Energy Department grants were selected for cancellation “based solely” on the political identity of the states receiving the funding—contradicting its public claim that the projects were cut following individualized economic reviews.
In a July 15 court filing, the Energy Department stipulated that the White House Office of Management and Budget selected 284 grants from a broader list of 624 awards recommended for cancellation.
With one exception, the 284 grants selected were tied to states that backed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election and had two Democratic-caucusing senators. Roughly 340 grants in states that voted for Donald Trump, or had at least one Republican-caucusing senator, were not canceled—even though the Energy Department had also recommended their termination.
The department admitted that the October cancellations were not based on “any programmatic, statutory, cost-reduction, or performance-based factor,” and that the decision was “based solely on the political identity of the grant recipient’s state.”
That admission undercuts the Energy Department’s October 2025 announcement, which said it was terminating 321 financial awards supporting 223 projects to save approximately $7.56 billion. At the time, the department claimed that individualized reviews found the projects did not adequately serve the nation’s energy needs, were not economically viable, and would not deliver a positive return for taxpayers.
Read the court filing below:
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🔴 BREAKING (3:00 p.m. ET): Trump to Host Advanced Nuclear CEOs After Reactor Milestone
Donald Trump will host executives from four advanced nuclear reactor companies at the White House on Friday to celebrate the successful startup of their experimental reactors.
The chief executives of privately held Antares Nuclear Inc., Deployable Energy, Aalo Atomics, and Valar Atomics Inc. will join Trump in the Oval Office.
The companies’ test reactors reached “criticality”—the pivotal stage at which a nuclear fission chain reaction becomes self-sustaining and produces a steady release of energy. Antares’ Mark-0, Valar’s Ward 250, and Deployable Energy’s Unity reached the milestone through the Energy Department’s Reactor Pilot Program, while Aalo announced that its reactor achieved criticality by July 4.
Administration officials described the projects as the first privately funded, non-light-water advanced reactors to achieve criticality in the U.S. in more than 40 years. Although criticality represents an important technical milestone, it does not by itself mean that a reactor is ready to generate power commercially.
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🔴 BREAKING (2:30 p.m. ET): Trump’s New Tariffs Face Immediate Court Challenge
Donald Trump’s newest tariffs were hit with a legal challenge within hours of taking effect, opening another courtroom battle over the limits of presidential power to impose import taxes.
The Liberty Justice Center, a libertarian advocacy group that successfully challenged earlier Trump tariffs, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York on Friday.
The challenged duties took effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday, immediately replacing a temporary 10% global tariff that expired after 150 days. Invoking Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, the administration imposed tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on 60 economies, accusing them of failing to enforce prohibitions on imports produced with forced labor.
The Liberty Justice Center argues that forced labor is being used as a pretext to preserve Trump’s wall of tariffs after the Supreme Court struck down the sweeping global duties he imposed last year.
“The administration allowed one global tariff to expire and immediately replaced it with another under a different statute,” said Sara Albrecht, chair of the Liberty Justice Center.
“Changing the statute doesn’t change the law. Every tariff authority has limits, and every administration must respect them.”
The group previously represented businesses that successfully challenged Trump’s 2025 global tariffs.
Read the court filing below:
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🔴 BREAKING (2:20 p.m. ET): Trump Threatens EU With Tariffs After $1 Billion Google Fine
Donald Trump threatened the European Union with “substantial” tariffs after Brussels imposed a series of steep penalties on U.S. technology companies, including a €890 million ($1 billion) fine against Google.
“The United States of America is not a ‘PIGGYBANK’ for Europe, nor will we allow it to be!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The threat came one day after the European Commission penalized Google for two violations of the Digital Markets Act. Regulators found that Google favored its own services in search results and restricted app developers from directing customers to alternative—and often cheaper—purchasing options outside Google Play.
Trump said the United States would “immediately” launch an investigation “into the practice of ‘ROBBING’ American Companies and, in turn, the American Taxpayer.”
“The European Union will pay a very big price for this illegal and highly unethical conduct, which I have consistently warned them about.”
Trump also cited previous EU penalties against Apple, Meta, Amazon, and other American companies as evidence that the bloc was unfairly targeting U.S. businesses.
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🔴 BREAKING (1:15 p.m. ET): Trump Says U.S. Was ‘Disinvited’ From Canadian Bridge Opening
Donald Trump complained that the United States was “disinvited” from today’s celebration marking the completion of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, claiming his administration had rewritten the financial agreement so the U.S. would receive half of its profits.
Canada celebrated the completion of the six-lane bridge over the Detroit River on Friday without U.S. or Michigan officials. The multibillion-dollar crossing between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit is scheduled to open to traffic Monday and will become a critical route for trade and travel.
“Canada disinvited the United States of America to the opening of the Gordie Howe Bridge, which is fine, considering they are paying substantial TARIFFS to the United States, but the original Deal on the Bridge, which was terribly negotiated by a previous Administration, no longer stands,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“We changed the terms of the Deal so that the United States of America now gets 50% of the Profit.”
Under the proposed agreement in principle, Canada would make annual payments equal to 50% of net bridge and crossing-related revenue for the first 15 years of operation. The money would go into a U.S.-Canada economic development fund controlled by the U.S. government.
The ceremony was originally intended to bring officials from both countries together. Canada canceled the joint event after Trump announced 50% tariffs on most Canadian goods, saying it would be inappropriate to celebrate together amid the renewed trade conflict.
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🔴 BREAKING (12:30 p.m. ET): 25 States and D.C. Sue Trump Administration Over FEMA Disaster Aid Conditions
A coalition representing 25 states and the District of Columbia has sued the Trump administration, accusing it of using federal disaster and counterterrorism grants to pressure states into adopting the White House’s election and immigration policies.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in Rhode Island, challenges conditions imposed by the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency. The plaintiffs call the requirements an unlawful “campaign of coercion” involving more than $740 million in Homeland Security Grant Program funding.
States would be required to use a federal system to verify the citizenship of every registered voter, transition to paper-ballot systems, conduct mandatory post-election audits, and follow other election procedures. Noncompliant states could lose at least 20% of their funding—and potentially their entire awards.
The lawsuit also challenges requirements that states assist federal immigration enforcement and a provision allowing FEMA to cancel grants it decides no longer align with agency priorities. Courts previously blocked similar attempts to condition the same emergency funding on cooperation with the administration’s immigration agenda.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the administration had already lost similar court battles and predicted its latest effort would also fail. FEMA dismissed the lawsuit as partisan opposition to what it described as commonsense election-security measures.
Read the full court filing below:
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🔴 BREAKING (11:15 a.m. ET): Netanyahu to Meet Trump at White House Amid Tensions Over Iran War
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, his office announced, as tensions mount between the two leaders over the handling of the war with Iran and Trump threatens to escalate U.S. military action.
“As part of the visit, the prime minister will meet with President Trump at the White House on Tuesday and attend the funeral service for Senator Lindsey Graham, a friend of Israel,” Netanyahu’s office said, adding that he will depart for Washington on Monday.
Netanyahu and Trump have met six times since the president returned to office last year, but Tuesday’s talks will mark their first face-to-face meeting in five months.
During their last meeting in February, Netanyahu made the case for a joint offensive against Iran. Trump joined him in launching that military campaign weeks later.
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🔴 BREAKING (11:00 a.m. ET): Iran and Iraq Deny Report Tehran Rejected U.S. Cease-Fire Proposal
Iran and Iraq are pushing back on a New York Times report published Thursday that Tehran rejected a U.S. cease-fire proposal delivered by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, with both governments disputing the account.
The report said the proposal was the only offer on the table, but Iranian officials were not interested in a temporary agreement that left the question of control over the Strait of Hormuz unresolved.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency described the account as “completely diversionary and misleading.” Its report said the proposal called for a “temporary 10-day ceasefire,” although full details have not been released.
“Iran has always regarded diplomacy as having intrinsic value,” an unnamed Iranian official said, according to IRNA.
“The problem of the escalation of conflict in the region stems exclusively from the United States’ breach of its promises and violation of the commitments contained in the June 18 memorandum of understanding.”
Baghdad has also denied that al-Zaidi carried a U.S. proposal to Tehran. His trip to Iran followed a recent White House meeting with President Donald Trump.
The Iraqi prime minister’s media office said the “claims” in the report were “completely baseless and had no connection to reality.”
The office urged media outlets “to verify information, rely on official sources and refrain from circulating unsubstantiated reports or claims attributed to anonymous sources.”
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🔴 BREAKING (10:35 a.m. ET): Trump to Return to Correspondents’ Dinner Under Heightened Security
Donald Trump will address the White House Correspondents’ Association at its rescheduled dinner later tonight, nearly three months after a shooting at the Washington Hilton brought the original event to a chaotic end.
The April 25 black-tie gathering was halted after Cole Tomas Allen, a California resident, tried to force his way through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun outside the ballroom where Trump, members of his Cabinet, journalists, and other guests were taking their seats.
Secret Service agents tackled Allen in an area one floor above the ballroom. One agent was wounded during an exchange of gunfire, and Trump and other VIPs were evacuated. Organizers initially attempted to resume the dinner before abandoning the event.
Allen pleaded not guilty in May to charges that include attempting to assassinate the president. He was also charged with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon.
Tonight’s dinner has been moved to the Waldorf Astoria hotel and will take place under heightened security. Secret Service Director Sean Curran said an advance team was implementing a comprehensive security plan at the venue.
“We do expect bad people to show up,” Curran said.
“It’s just a reality of where we are, but we’re treating it no differently than any other site that the president goes to.”
The April gathering marked Trump’s first presidential appearance at the correspondents’ dinner, an event he boycotted throughout his first term. The rescheduled dinner is expected to draw about 700 guests, down sharply from the roughly 2,600 people who attended in April.
First lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio—all of whom attended the original dinner—will be notable absentees. A White House spokesperson attributed their absences to “prior commitments.” Other members of Trump’s Cabinet are expected to attend.
*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
🟢 Opening Summary:
WASHINGTON (July 24, 2026)—Hello, and welcome to The Developer’s U.S. news and politics live blog, including our continuing coverage of the war in Iran.
This live blog will be updated frequently as developments come in. Check back often, and refresh the page for the latest updates.
Donald Trump’s decision to impose a fresh round of tariffs on dozens of U.S. trading partners has drawn sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers and concern from some of the president’s own allies.
The administration’s formal action covers 60 economies, representing more than 80 countries when the European Union’s 27 member states are counted individually.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced that the Trump administration “is imposing tariffs on more than 80 countries for their failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor.”
The new duties, ranging from 10% to 12.5%, will replace a temporary 10% global tariff that was set to expire after the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s earlier tariff program. The administration says the affected trading partners have failed to crack down on forced labor, but Rep. Linda Sánchez, a California Democrat, dismissed that justification as a sham.
“President Trump isn’t serious about combating forced labor. He’s trying to make an end-run around the Supreme Court and Congress to reimpose his illegal tariffs,” Sánchez wrote on social media.
She continued:
“If he was serious, he would not be applying the same tariff rate to China, one of the worst forced labor abusers in the world, as he does to countries like Australia. Then again, unlike China, Australia, doesn’t manufacture any Trump corporation products.
This is the same administration that gutted funding to combat forced labor through cuts to the Bureau of International Labor Affairs and rolled back worker protections here at home, while encouraging companies to profit off some of the world’s worst forced labor abusers through his proposed US-China Board of Trade.
We need to take forced labor seriously. But that includes addressing our problems here at home, including by taking on the export of goods made with American prison labor. Slapping more tariffs on every country that upsets the president isn’t the way to do it.”
“Trump is hell-bent on raising your prices,” Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Pennsylvania Democrat, said in a statement on Trump’s latest tariffs.
“His new tariffs are a nationwide sales tax that will only serve to make life harder for Americans just trying to make ends meet.”
Some of the president’s own allies have also raised concerns about the political and economic consequences of another round of tariffs, Politico reported.
One person close to the White House, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said:
“Everything that you do that’s not focused on affordability is not helpful. This might not be a negative five, but it’s a negative 0.5. Anything that you’re doing that is not on the plus side of the scale is a problem.
When you announce new tariffs, it’s not like, okay, well, let’s see what they do. It’s, ‘Oh crap, those are the bad things.’”
Another White House source told Politico:
“I think Republicans are comfortable with the threat, even though that has some market impacts. But actual revenue coming away from people’s pocketbooks is not what Republicans are happy with.
Any conversation about tariffs, unless it’s reducing them, is a bad conversation for Republicans.”
Read the Explainer here:
Also Developing
Brazil’s government has rejected the Trump administration’s claim that it and dozens of other trading partners failed to enforce bans on forced labor. It called the new 12.5% U.S. tariff on Brazilian imports “completely arbitrary and unjustified.”
The Pentagon’s official online tally of service members killed in the ongoing Iran war does not include four soldiers who died during renewed fighting over the weekend. Their names were, however, included in a Pentagon release detailing Wednesday’s dignified transfer of their remains to the United States.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said “it’s very hard to deal with President Trump when he changes his mind every single day. One day the prime minister [Canada’s Mark Carney] is with him side by side, and next thing you know, President Trump turns on him like a rabid dog.”
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*This is a developing story. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
Partying during wartime is not a good look…
As always, thank you for your breaking news. I was especially curious about the WHCA dinner. Thankfully you summarized it up so I didn't have to listen to " his " speech.