Donald Trump wants Beyoncé prosecuted over support for Kamala Harris's campaign
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Irish Times
10 minutes ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on Trump's week: out of the rough for now
This week, not for the first time, Donald Trump was accused of cheating at golf. Video footage from a round at a Scottish course appeared to show an aide surreptitiously placing a ball in a more favourable position. The metaphor is almost too easy. In both golf and politics, the US president plays a game in which rules are negotiable and perception trumps process. Yet even by the standards of his tumultuous presidency, Trump had reason to feel buoyed this week. Two significant trade deals – one with the European Union, the other with Japan – allowed him to claim vindication for his unorthodox approach to international economics. He has long argued that the global trading system short-changes the US and that tough talk and tougher tariffs would redress the balance. His critics, including most mainstream economists, have warned of retaliation, inflation and lost jobs. But, so far, the economic data has not borne out those dire predictions. Stock markets remain steady and recent opinion polls suggest Trump is regaining public trust in his handling of the economy. Flush with this perceived success, he has pushed further. New and broader tariffs were announced on Friday, targeting countries he claims have taken advantage of American goodwill such as Canada and Brazil. At the same time, he has signalled a shift on Russia, threatening imminent fresh sanctions unless progress is made on the Ukraine conflict. But warning signs are emerging. Revised labour market data revealed a marked slowdown in job creation over the last quarter. That followed a disappointing GDP report indicating that consumer spending – a key pillar of US growth – is cooling. The Federal Reserve, long a punching bag for the president, may now be forced to re-evaluate its reluctance to cut interest rates when it meets in September. READ MORE The bigger picture remains murky. Few details of the much trumpeted trade deals have been finalised. Implementation timelines are vague. So far, the primary impact of Trump's tariff policy has been to inject uncertainty into the global economy, not least in Ireland. The Department of Finance warned this week that the latest round of US tariffs could reduce Irish job creation by as much as 70,000 over the next five years. This is a serious threat, though not an existential one. The true risk lies in the White House's apparent addiction to drama. If the remainder of Trump's presidency continues to be defined by impulse, personal grievance and sudden policy shifts, then this current period of relative calm could prove fleeting. For now, he may feel like a winner. But in politics as in golf, it is not how you start that counts. It is where the ball finally comes to rest.
Irish Times
10 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Trump orders firing of labour statistics commissioner after dismal employment report
Donald Trump on Friday ordered that the commissioner of the US Labour Department's Bureau of Labour Statistics be fired after data showed weaker than expected employment growth in July and large downward revisions to the prior two months' job counts. Erika McEntarfer was nominated by Mr Trump's predecessor Joe Biden to serve in the role in 2023 and was confirmed by the US Senate the following year. It was not immediately clear whether Ms McEntarfer, whom Mr Trump accused of faking the jobs numbers, had been fired. 'We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified,' Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social. The US president claimed that Ms McEntarfer had 'faked' employment figures in the run-up to last year's election, in a bid to boost his Democrat rival Kamala Harris's chances of victory. He insisted that the US economy was, in fact, 'BOOMING' on his watch. There is no evidence to back Mr Trump's claims of data manipulation by the bureau, the statistical agency that compiles the closely watched employment report as well as consumer and producer price data. The White House did not respond immediately to questions about Mr Trump's post. His comments come at a time when the Trump administration's mass lay-offs of federal government workers have raised concerns about the quality of US economic data, long seen as the gold standard. Earlier this year, commerce secretary Howard Lutnick disbanded two expert committees that worked with the government to produce economic statistics. Mr Lutnick has also floated the idea of stripping out government spending from the gross domestic product report, claiming 'governments historically have messed with GDP'. The bureau has already reduced data collection for its consumer price data and producer price reports. Economists attributed the sharply slower job growth to Mr Trump's trade and immigration policies. The report showed the US economy created only 73,000 jobs last month. Data for May and June were revised sharply down to show 258,000 fewer jobs created than had been previously reported. – Reuters (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Trump orders nuclear submarines moved near Russia
US president Donald Trump on Friday said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in regions near Russia in response to threats from former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. 'I have ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,' Trump said in a social media post that called Medvedev's statements highly provocative. Trump said he ordered the submarines moved 'just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that. Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.' [ Frustration about regulation could lead tech companies to pull back from Europe, US warns Opens in new window ] Trump and Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, traded taunts in recent days after Trump on Tuesday said Russia had '10 days from today' to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or be hit, along with its oil buyers, with tariffs. Moscow, which has set out its own terms for peace in Ukraine, has shown no sign that it will comply with Trump's deadline. Medvedev on Monday accused Trump of engaging in a 'game of ultimatums' and reminded him that Russia possessed Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort after Trump told Medvedev to 'watch his words.' Medvedev has emerged as one of the Kremlin's most outspoken anti-Western hawks since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022. Kremlin critics deride him as an irresponsible loose cannon, though some Western diplomats say his statements illustrate the thinking in senior Kremlin policy-making circles. - Reuters (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025
