Trump threatens 200% tariff on foreign drugs
Manufacturers have lost jobs during Trump's term but he argues the tariffs are needed to reverse the trend. He is now eyeing the drug industry too. Trump told his Cabinet he wants to hit pharmaceutical imports with tariffs 'at a very, very high rate, like 200%.' He hinted at giving businesses about eighteen months before the new rules take hold.
Warning shot on foreign trade
Trade tensions might not stop at copper and drugs. Trump said letters were sent this week to 14 foreign leaders, warning them about fresh duties.
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'Some' countries could see import tariffs as high as 70 percent, he said.
'It's a better way,' Trump said. 'It's a more powerful way. And we send you a letter. You read the letter. I think it was well crafted.'
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These letters mark the end of a 90-day negotiating window Trump set up to force talks with countries he believes undercut US interests.
No love for wind farms
The president again took aim at renewable energy, calling wind power costly and unreliable.
'We need the kind of things that's going to fire up our plants and it's not going to be wind,' Trump said. He argued wind turbines ruin scenery and deliver energy only when the wind blows.
Trump claimed countries that avoid wind and solar are 'smart' and said the US is 'brilliant' for pushing traditional energy sources instead, with coal as his clear preference.
Dollar defence
Trump has set his sights on keeping the US dollar as the world's top currency. He warned that losing the dollar's global reserve status would be disastrous.
Speaking firmly, he said: 'It would be like losing a war, a major world war. We would not be the same country any longer. And we're not going to let that happen.'
To back that up, Trump floated a 10 percent tariff on BRICS countries that are exploring ways to bypass the dollar.
'I'm just saying, if people want to challenge it, they can, but they're going to have to pay a big price,' he said. 'And I don't think any of them are willing to pay that price.'
Backing Bondi over Epstein controversy
Trump defended Attorney General Pam Bondi after new questions surfaced over the Justice Department's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.
When a reporter pressed Bondi at the Cabinet meeting, Trump cut him off and said asking 'about a guy who's been talked about for years' was a 'desecration' given urgent crises like the severe Texas flooding.
Bondi previously told Fox News a client list was 'sitting on my desk' but clarified this week she meant the wider Epstein file.
Unimpressed with Putin
Pressed about Russia's war in Ukraine, Trump didn't hold back.
Speaking at the Cabinet table, he said Vladimir Putin is 'killing a lot of people' on both sides. When asked if he planned any new moves, Trump replied, 'I wouldn't be telling you.' He admitted the war had turned out 'tougher' than expected.
Powell under fire
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is back in Trump's firing line. Trump said he would support Congress investigating Powell for lying under oath.
'I think he's terrible,' Trump said bluntly. He wants Powell to resign, arguing the Fed has refused to cut interest rates quickly enough while the impact of new tariffs unfolds.
Iran Strike and Military Image
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth used the meeting to draw a line between the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan under Biden and Trump's recent decision to bomb Iran.
Hegseth said the Iran operation 'reversed what happened in Afghanistan. You saw the debacle of what Biden allowed to happen in Afghanistan, and what that did to our image.' The strike, he claimed, helped 'reestablish American leadership and deterrence.' Trump himself called the Afghanistan pull-out the 'most botched up mess I've ever seen.'
Texas Floods and Relief Work
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shared an emotional account of visiting Texas after severe floods.
'Very emotional, but also just so tragic,' Noem said, admitting she had 'kind of fallen apart' during the trip. She made clear the federal government does not directly handle disasters but supports states like Texas that lead their own recovery.
'We're cutting through the paperwork of the old FEMA streamlining it, much like your vision of how FEMA should operate,' Noem said to Trump, adding that community spirit proves 'God created us to take care of each other.'
Trump said he will visit the flood-hit areas on Friday.
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