Donald Trump issues major announcement on Fox News in humiliating blow to UK
Donald Trump has sparked outrage after a blasting attack on Britain's free speech laws during a live Fox News appearance, describing reports of individuals being jailed over social media posts as an alarming sign of decline under left-wing government.
The US President, who is currently spending several-day in Scotland combining business and diplomatic engagements, was asked about claims that British citizens had faced arrest for online remarks. His reply, aired live during a Fox News interview, was scathing.
Speaking about Air Force One to various media representatives when questioned about Brits being sent to jail for social media posts, Trump declared: "Are you saying that's taking place in the UK? Well we're hearing that. They said they cancelled Truth Social, I'll bet it's uncancelled very quickly. No it's very different. I see it in some countries, and you would never suspect it."
He went on to draw comparison between Britain's present atmosphere and socialist administrations, suggesting that freedom of expression was being targeted, the Express reports.
He went on to say: "Not only there I've seen it in other countries and then all of a sudden they become somewhat violent.
"You know when people go socialist over it you get the radical left or the left going and the countries actually become very mean. They become mean and incompetent simultaneously."
The comments come during Trump's prominent Scottish visit where he recently held discussions with Prime Minister Keir Starmer for bilateral talks centred on trade and international aid. However, despite the formal diplomatic setting, it was his televised interview that sparked controversy.
The President's journey to Scotland included the opening of a new golf course in Balmedie, named in honour of his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod.
While the event was designed to spotlight his business endeavours, the visit has been overshadowed by increased security measures, political backlash and now his explosive remarks on UK speech laws.
Over 7,000 police officers were mobilised to monitor Trump's movements, and he also had a meeting with Scotland's First Minister John Swinney.
Meanwhile, his discussions with Starmer centred around trade, aid for Gaza, and global stability - though there was little to none reference to domestic UK policies.
Trump's comments are set to escalate tensions with Starmer's Labour government, which has already come under fire over growing complaints about free speech and police crackdown.
As the state visit in September approaches, Downing Street may now be compelled to directly address the US leader's claims.
A broader look at UK enforcement revealed that police made over 12,000 arrests in 2023 for social media offences under the Communications Act 2003 and Malicious Communications Act 1988-averaging around 33 arrests per day.
Civil liberties organisations have raised concerns that the laws underpinning these cases are vague and often lead to arrests for speech that many argue should be protected
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
36 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Watch moment huge mushroom cloud erupts over Russian plant after massive Ukrainian strike in major blow to Putin
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THIS is the jaw-dropping moment when a huge fireball erupted over a Russian oil refinery during Ukrainian drone strikes. The vast mushroom cloud rose over the military-linked Novokuybyshevsk refinery in Russia's Samara region. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 Ukrainian drones struck the ELOU AVT-11 installation at the Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery Credit: East2West 8 A vast fireball erupted into the air following the strike Credit: East2West 8 It is just one of several blazes reported at strategic sites across Russia Credit: East2West 8 But it comes as Russia continues to brutally bombard civilian targets in Ukraine Credit: East2West 8 Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on during Russian-Laotian talks at the Kremlin Credit: Getty Images - Getty This plant supplies aviation fuel for Putin's combat aircraft, which have been used in barbaric attacks against Ukrainian civilians. Stunning footage shows flames erupting high into the air, engulfing the facility in a bright orange inferno. Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ claimed the attack led to fire surging 590ft into the sky. But, in a major blow to Vlad's war machine, it is just one of several blazes reported at strategic sites across Russia. read more in world news WHAT A JERK-ULES Brazen tourists anger locals with 'disrespectful' act at ancient site Elsewhere, another oil refinery was set alight in Ryazan - which is a critical supplier for the Russian capital Moscow. Fires were also reported at a military airfield Primorsko-Akhtarsk in the Krasnodar region - which is used for Russia's brutal drone strikes against Ukraine. A "major hit" was further reported on a Russian air defence radar company in occupied Crimea. One woman died in drone strikes on the Electropribor plant in Penza city - which makes special-purpose telecoms and cryptographic equipment to support Putin's war machine. As many as eight massive explosions were heard in the city during the drone strikes, according to reports. Ukrainian forces also reportedly hit military targets in the Rostov region, leading to one death. Trump says US is 'fully prepared' for war after moving subs towards Russia It comes as Russia continues to brutally bombard civilian targets in Ukraine. A total of 31 people died, including five children, after Putin's forces fired an Iskander missile into a residential tower block in Kyiv. Devastating Russian strikes against civilian targets have also been reported in the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions over the past week. It comes after Donald Trump ordered two nuclear submarines be positioned near Russia. The US President's patience with Putin has worn thin in recent weeks over the Russian tyrant's unwillingness to agree to a ceasefire. He also slashed his 50 day deadline for a peace deal down to "10 to 12" days - towards the end of next week. One of Putin's cronies hit back at Trump following this move, accusing him of fanning the flames of war. Ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said: "Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. "Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don't go down the Sleepy Joe road!" But Trump slammed Medvedev's comments as "foolish and inflammatory" as he ordered for the submarines to be sent out. "We always want to be ready, and so I have sent to the region two nuclear submarines," Trump said. "I just want to make sure that his words are only words and nothing more than that." He added: "A threat was made by a former president of Russia and we're going to protect our people." 8 Trump's patience with Putin has worn thin in recent weeks Credit: Reuters 8 Stunning footage shows flames erupting high into the air Credit: East2West
Times
37 minutes ago
- Times
Trump fires statistics chief over ‘rigged' jobs figures
President Trump has fired the head of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) after claiming jobs figures had been 'rigged' to suggest the economy was performing worse than expected. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump accused Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the government agency, of manipulating the numbers both before and after last year's presidential election to favour the Democrats over the Republicans. He did not provide any direct evidence to support his claims against McEntarfer, an economist who was nominated for the role by Joe Biden in July 2023. The latest statistics, released on Friday, showed only 73,000 jobs had been added in July, well below the expected figure of 110,000, while the numbers for May and June were revised downwards. 'In my opinion, today's jobs numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad,' Trump wrote, insisting that 'the economy is BOOMING under 'TRUMP' '. He added: '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.' The US labour secretary, Lori Chavez-De Remer, backed the move and claimed that 'a recent string of major revisions have come to light and raised concerns about decisions being made by the Biden-appointed Labor commissioner'. McEntarfer did not directly respond to the allegations but said in a statement on social media: 'It has been the honour of my life to serve as commissioner of BLS alongside the many dedicated civil servants tasked with measuring a vast and dynamic economy. It is vital and important work and I thank them for their service to this nation.' Her role will be taken over by the deputy commissioner of the BLS, William Wiatrowski, until a replacement is nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate. The decision to fire McEntarfer was criticised by several Republican senators as well as the previous commissioner of the BLS, William Beach, who was nominated by Trump. Beach said the sacking set a 'dangerous precedent' and described the allegation of faked figures as 'totally groundless'. In a statement issued jointly with another former commissioner, Erica Groshen, he said: 'This escalates the president's unprecedented attacks on the independence and integrity of the federal statistical system.' • Federal Reserve holds interest rates despite Donald Trump pressure The jobs estimates were produced in the same way every month and revisions were carried out every month 'to reflect slower-arriving, more-accurate information', he said, adding that Trump was seeking 'to blame someone for unwelcome economic news'. Rand Paul, Cynthia Lummis and Thom Tillis, the Republican senators, also questioned the reasons for dismissal. Tillis told NBC: 'If she was just fired because the president or whoever decided to fire the director just did it because they didn't like the numbers, they ought to grow up.' The latest report showed the manufacturing sector reported its third consecutive month of job losses, with factory jobs down by 11,000 in July, despite Trump's efforts to use tariffs to encourage companies to manufacture more goods in the US. Government lay-offs also weighed on payrolls, the sector losing 12,000 jobs. The US Department of Labor reported that hiring in May and June was weaker than it had previously stated. Employers added 258,000 fewer jobs across those two months than previously forecast. The unemployment rate rose to 4.2 per cent from 4.1 per cent in June. Trump remained unrepentant as he left the White House on Friday, telling reporters: 'I believe the numbers were phoney, just like they were before the election, and there were other times — so you know what I did? I fired her. And you know what I did? The right thing.'
The Guardian
37 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Good, mad and ugly: the US economy's performance under Trump
According to Donald Trump's White House, the US economy is booming, inflation is dead and jobs are surging. A blizzard of economic reports has cast a pall on such claims in recent days. This week's data on Trump's early economic record was mixed – good, mad and ugly – with jobs numbers so weak he reached for the catchphrase he once used to build himself into a reality TV star: you're fired. The picture is chaotic, with robust headline growth in the world's largest economy, wild swings in trade, and a remarkable slowdown in the labor market. For six months, Trump has staged an extraordinary campaign to overhaul the global economy and extract concessions from Washington's allies and rivals by threatening and imposing steep tariffs on their US exports. But the unpredictable, erratic rollout of this strategy has already had bizarre consequences. On the surface, at least, this week's deluge of data opened with good news: the US economy returned to growth in the second quarter, with gross domestic product (GDP) – a broad measure of economic health – expanding at a rate not seen since last summer. But this followed an unexpected contraction in the first quarter, and underlined some more concerning figures, such as a 15.6% drop in private domestic investment. Businesses have been struggling to keep up with the hour-by-hour jerks and jolts on sweeping economies policies. Yes, there was good growth in the last quarter but in the first six months, the US economy grew at a mediocre 1.2%. The Wall Street Journal called it 'the weirdest GDP report ever'. Delve a bit deeper, and you start to see how the US economy is grappling with a series of extraordinary forces as Trump hammers out his trade strategy. Firms spent much of the first quarter waiting for the president to reveal his plans for tariffs: which countries would be targeted, at what rates, and when. They stockpiled, triggering an unprecedented surge in imports that pushed growth into the red. In the second quarter, however, as Trump started to ramp up his economic attacks, imports tumbled at an equally astonishing pace. Net exports – how much a country exports more than it imports – boosted GDP. This is Trump's least favorite chart. Despite his many public demands, threats and attacks, the Federal Reserve has not yet cut interest rates this year. Why? Jerome Powell, the central bank's chair, has repeatedly argued it should wait and see the impact of the president's trade strategy before moving. Fed officials are worried that inflation – despite Trump's claims that it has collapsed on his watch – has actually remained stubborn, and might rise as a result of his tariffs. This has gone down extremely poorly in the White House, where officials are counting down the weeks until Powell's term as chair ends next May. Data released on Friday fundamentally changed the way US policymakers and politicians think about the economy. Until then, many inside the Fed thought everything was broadly ticking over nicely – and Trump administration officials claimed they were overseeing a boom in activity. But July's employment report revealed far fewer jobs were created that month than economists had expected, and revised down estimates for May and June by an astonishing 258,000. Job creation has stalled. 'Look, this jobs report isn't ideal,' Stephen Miran, chairman of the White House council of economic advisers, told CNN, before suggesting that fading uncertainty around trade and fiscal policy would lead to significant improvement. 'It's all going to get much, much better from here,' he added.
