Trump makes world leaders look ‘impotent' as US border crossings ‘virtually' zero
'Border crossings are virtually zero, and we all know that immigration has really been a debacle for Western countries over the last half-century,' Ms Gada told Sky News host Rita Panahi.
'He's laying that bare, he's showing that it can be turned around, and it's just making the rest of the world leaders look totally impotent and feckless that they're not able to do this.
'Their populations are crying out for it.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
European countries announce $1 bn purchase of US weapons for Ukraine
The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Denmark will buy $1 billion of US weapons under a new NATO scheme to support Ukraine in its war against Russia, the countries announced Tuesday. The purchases from US stockpiles are the first under the so-called Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a mechanism launched by US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte last month. More are expected. The Dutch government said it would buy 500 million euros ($577 million) of weapons, and the three Scandinavian countries will jointly donate $500 million. All the governments highlighted the need to help Ukraine, which has faced mounting military pressure from Russia in recent months. "By supporting Ukraine with determination, we are increasing the pressure on Russia to negotiate," Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans posted on X. Brekelmans called near-daily Russian air strikes "pure terror" and warned that Moscow's advance into Ukrainian territory could pose a broader threat to Europe. "The more Russia dominates Ukraine, the greater the danger to the Netherlands and our NATO allies," he said. "Ukraine is not only fighting for its own security, but also for our security," Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson told a press conference to announce the Scandinavian initiative. Sweden will give $275 million towards the total. The Dutch package includes US Patriot missile parts and other systems for Ukraine's badly stretched front-line requirements, according to the defence ministry. The Swedish government said in a statement that the "support will include air defence systems, including munitions to Patriot, anti-tank systems, ammunition and spare parts". Washington is releasing weapons and military hardware for Ukraine from its stockpiles in $500 million tranches under the PURL mechanism. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the donations as "a very strong initiative that significantly boosts our ability to protect lives". "These steps are a new, real foundation for long-term security across all of Europe. Russia will never turn Europe into a continent of war," Zelensky said on X. Zelensky spoke with Trump on Tuesday, three days ahead of a deadline the US leader has set for Russia to make an initiative to halt the war. He said in a social media post that the two had discussed sanctions against Russia and "bilateral defence cooperation" but did not give details. The NATO secretary general praised the Netherlands for being the first country to announce funding to the new scheme and also welcomed the Scandinavian move. "Since the earliest days of Russia's full-scale invasion, Denmark, Norway and Sweden have been steadfast in their support for Ukraine. I commend these allies for their quick efforts to get this initiative off the ground," Rutte said in a statement. jll/mmp/jc/tw/js
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Trump signals tariffs on pharma, chips as trade war widens
US President Donald Trump signaled Tuesday that fresh tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals and semiconductors could be unveiled as soon as the coming week, as he presses on in efforts to reshape global trade. Trump's latest comments, in an interview on CNBC, come days before a separate set of tariff hikes takes effect on dozens of economies later this week. The sweeping tariff plans have sparked a flurry of activity as governments seek to avert the worst of his threats -- with Switzerland's leaders heading to Washington on Tuesday in a last-minute push to avoid punitive duties. But he appears set to widen his trade wars further. The US president told CNBC that upcoming tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals could reach 250 percent, while adding that he plans for new duties on foreign semiconductors soon. "We'll be putting (an) initially small tariff on pharmaceuticals, but in one year, one-and-a-half years, maximum, it's going to go to 150 percent," Trump said. "And then it's going to go to 250 percent because we want pharmaceuticals made in our country." Trump also said that Washington will be announcing tariffs "within the next week or so." He added: "We're going to be announcing on semiconductors and chips." - Concern for US economy - Trump has taken aim at products from different countries with varying tariff rates after imposing a 10-percent levy on almost all trading partners in April -- with excluded products targeted by sector. While Swiss leaders are seeking to stave off a US tariff hike to 39 percent come Thursday -- which excludes sectors like pharma -- Trump's plans for a steep pharma levy will likely be a point of contention in any talks. Pharmaceuticals represented 60 percent of Swiss goods exports to the United States last year. Besides probing pharmaceuticals and chips imports, Trump has already imposed steep duties of 50 percent on imports of steel and aluminum, alongside lower levels on autos and parts. In the same CNBC interview, Trump said he expects to raise the US tariff on Indian imports "very substantially over the next 24 hours" due to the country's purchases of Russian oil. This is a key revenue source for Moscow's military offensive on Ukraine. His pressure on India comes after signaling fresh sanctions on Moscow if it did not make progress by Friday towards a peace deal with Kyiv, more than three years since Russia's invasion. Moscow is anticipating talks this week with the US leader's special envoy Steve Witkoff, and the Kremlin has criticized Trump's threat of raising tariffs on Indian goods. Weak employment data last week pointed to challenges for the US economy as companies take a cautious approach in hiring and investment while grappling with Trump's radical -- and rapidly changing -- tariffs policy. The tariffs are a demonstration of raw economic power that Trump sees as putting US exporters in a stronger position while encouraging domestic manufacturing by keeping out foreign imports. But the approach has raised fears of inflation and other economic fallout in the world's biggest economy.
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
US DOJ to open grand jury investigation into political opponents over Trump-Russia probe
US Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered prosecutors to launch a grand jury investigation into whether former President Barack Obama's administration manufactured intelligence on Russia's interference in the 2016 elections. The Justice Department said late last month it was forming a strike force to assess claims made by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard about "alleged weaponisation of the US intelligence community". US President Donald Trump has leapt on comments from Ms Gabbard in which she threatened to refer Obama administration officials to the Justice Department for prosecution over an intelligence assessment of Russian interference. Fox News first reported that the attorney general ordered an unnamed federal prosecutor to initiate legal proceedings. The prosecutor is expected to present department evidence to a grand jury, which could consider an indictment if the Justice Department pursued a criminal case. The report cited a letter from Ms Bondi and a source. A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment. Referring to the probe in a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said: "The TRUTH always wins out. This is great news." Last month, Mr Trump accused Mr Obama of treason, alleging, without providing evidence, that the Democrat led an effort to falsely tie him to Russia and undermine his 2016 presidential campaign. Mr Trump won the 2016 election against Democrat Hillary Clinton. A spokesperson for Obama had denounced Mr Trump's claims, saying "these bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction." Ms Gabbard had declassified documents and said the information she released showed a "treasonous conspiracy" in 2016 by top Obama officials to undermine Mr Trump, claims that Democrats called false and politically motivated. An assessment by the US intelligence community published in January 2017 concluded that Russia, using social media disinformation, hacking, and Russian bot farms, sought to damage Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and bolster Mr Trump, who won that election. The assessment determined the actual impact was likely limited and showed no evidence that Moscow's efforts actually changed voting outcomes. Russia has denied it attempted to interfere in US elections. Reuters
