Donald Trump blasts EU over illegal migrant crisis
'All of this is ultimately oriented towards not just trying to diminish Europe, but trying to fortify Europe,' Mr Hammer told Sky News host Rita Panahi.
'The American goal on Europe is to fortify and strengthen Europe, to try to make Europe a stronger place, a prouder place.'
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Sydney Morning Herald
29 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Albanese risks becoming a bystander to Trump's trade whims
Since Donald Trump unleashed global economic chaos with his 'liberation day' tariffs, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Australian exporters have been able to take comfort in one fact. Yes, the tariffs may be frustrating. Yes, they breach Australia's free trade agreement with the United States. But no other country in the world has been able to do any better. 'There's no doubt that there's no one that's got a better deal,' Albanese said following Trump's dramatic April press conference in the White House Rose Garden. That boast could quickly evaporate after Trump announced he plans to lift the baseline tariff rate for US imports from 10 per cent to somewhere between 15 and 20 per cent. As with everything in Trump's volatile universe, the situation is in flux and liable to change at any moment. Yet, a president who a few months ago was accused of 'always chickening out' on tariffs is emboldened and is leaning into his protectionist instincts. After an initial market freak-out, Trump's trade wars have had a milder impact on the US economy than first feared, encouraging him to double down on his 'tariff man' persona. That's a troubling sign for Australia, which risks becoming collateral damage in Trump's bid to squeeze more money from countries that export goods to the US. While Australia is not the focus of Trump's trade ire it has not been singled out for special favours either. That is despite the countries' alliance and the fact Australians buy more goods from the US than they do from us. Trump has an intuitive respect for great powers like China, Russia and India, but little regard for traditional American alliances, leaving middle powers like Australia in a tough position. The risk for Albanese is that he becomes a bystander to Trump's trade whims rather than a dealmaker able to influence them. The gold standard for dealing with Trump appears to be Britain's centre-left prime minister Keir Starmer. After a successful meeting with Trump at the White House in February, the US and UK announced a 'historic trade deal' that would lock in a 10 per cent tariff rate for British exports to the US and cut the tariff on UK steel exports from 50 to 25 per cent. As for Albanese and Trump, their relationship got off to a strong start with a friendly February phone call in which Trump committed to consider granting Australia an exemption to his steel and aluminium tariffs. Later that day Trump described Albanese as a 'fine man', another promising sign. Since then, there's been nothing to crow about. The mooted metals exemption never eventuated, and the pair did not have another phone call until after Albanese's election victory in May. Albanese has not been invited to visit the White House and a planned June meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada was cancelled when Trump returned early to Washington.
The Age
29 minutes ago
- The Age
Albanese risks becoming a bystander to Trump's trade whims
Since Donald Trump unleashed global economic chaos with his 'liberation day' tariffs, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Australian exporters have been able to take comfort in one fact. Yes, the tariffs may be frustrating. Yes, they breach Australia's free trade agreement with the United States. But no other country in the world has been able to do any better. 'There's no doubt that there's no one that's got a better deal,' Albanese said following Trump's dramatic April press conference in the White House Rose Garden. That boast could quickly evaporate after Trump announced he plans to lift the baseline tariff rate for US imports from 10 per cent to somewhere between 15 and 20 per cent. As with everything in Trump's volatile universe, the situation is in flux and liable to change at any moment. Yet, a president who a few months ago was accused of 'always chickening out' on tariffs is emboldened and is leaning into his protectionist instincts. After an initial market freak-out, Trump's trade wars have had a milder impact on the US economy than first feared, encouraging him to double down on his 'tariff man' persona. That's a troubling sign for Australia, which risks becoming collateral damage in Trump's bid to squeeze more money from countries that export goods to the US. While Australia is not the focus of Trump's trade ire it has not been singled out for special favours either. That is despite the countries' alliance and the fact Australians buy more goods from the US than they do from us. Trump has an intuitive respect for great powers like China, Russia and India, but little regard for traditional American alliances, leaving middle powers like Australia in a tough position. The risk for Albanese is that he becomes a bystander to Trump's trade whims rather than a dealmaker able to influence them. The gold standard for dealing with Trump appears to be Britain's centre-left prime minister Keir Starmer. After a successful meeting with Trump at the White House in February, the US and UK announced a 'historic trade deal' that would lock in a 10 per cent tariff rate for British exports to the US and cut the tariff on UK steel exports from 50 to 25 per cent. As for Albanese and Trump, their relationship got off to a strong start with a friendly February phone call in which Trump committed to consider granting Australia an exemption to his steel and aluminium tariffs. Later that day Trump described Albanese as a 'fine man', another promising sign. Since then, there's been nothing to crow about. The mooted metals exemption never eventuated, and the pair did not have another phone call until after Albanese's election victory in May. Albanese has not been invited to visit the White House and a planned June meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada was cancelled when Trump returned early to Washington.
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Why Sydney Sweeney's ‘good jeans' campaign is being compared to Nazism
'So American eagle admits they are naz****s [sic],' another said beside an 15-second clip of Sweeney cuddling a German shepherd dog. The comment received more than 4500 likes. 'Blong (sic) hair, blue eyes, HOLDING A GERMAN SHEPHERD!!! What were you all thinking? Did you know what you were implying? This is not ok,' another commenter said. Another clip featuring Sweeney wearing a low-cut singlet while working on a car attracted the observation: 'Leaning into eugenics is a WILD take. No thanks,' collecting more than 6000 likes in the process. An Instagram clip of Sweeney apparently crossing out the word 'genes' on a street billboard and replacing it with the word 'jeans' was also slammed. 'It's giving 'Subtle 1930's Germany', one comment read. Conservatives claim Sweeney However, the campaign has also had its defenders. 'Woke advertising is dead. Sydney Sweeney killed it,' said right-wing commentator Kyle Becker on X. ' There is no 'racist undertone', unless you choose to put it there. They're about the end of cancel culture, which demonises beauty, excellence, and virtue itself,' X user Kaizen D. Asiedu said. But the current digital fracas is not the first time US conservatives have tried to enlist Sweeney into the culture war. Last year Sweeney appeared on a Saturday Night Live sketch as a Hooters waitperson wearing a low-cut T-shirt, prompting widespread conservative commentary that her revealing outfit on the show signalled the end of woke culture. And Sweeney's interest in country music and trucks has also prompted some discussion about her leanings – as has her family. In 2023, Sweeny threw a 'surprise hoedown' for her mother's 60th birthday, with some family members photographed in 'blue lives matter' T-shirts, and others seen in red MAGA caps. Sweeney responded on X a few weeks later: 'You guys this is wild. An innocent celebration for my moms milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention. Please stop making assumptions,' she tweeted. Sweeny has remained tight-lipped about her political views but has said she is pro-choice and has also expressed support for LGBTQI+ rights on X. So what went wrong? Senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Adelaide's Adelaide Business School, Dr Amelie Burgess, says it is unlikely the American Eagle campaign was deliberately provoking the controversy. 'I think that backlash is always a risk even without being deliberately provocative,' she says. 'It's rare that a company like AE with a diverse young audience would lean into something so polarising.' Loading As she notes, the ad's messaging 'is intersecting uncomfortably with eugenics ideologies' but 'that group of people are not dominant in our society'. 'It's not a smart business move or a good societal move either.' Burgess believes it is more likely the misstep came from a lack of diversity among the American Eagle marketing team and Sweeney's own advisers. 'It's probably poor creative development and execution,' she says. 'You have that provocative wordplay and it's obviously not been properly assessed for cultural implication … and you have someone not very diverse leading that campaign. Loading 'Theres a benefit in having diversity across all business functions, but especially in marketing.' Burgess' research has shown that a lack of diversity can affect marketing imagery and messaging and make the company tone-deaf and slow to respond when issues do blow up. As for any longer-term damage, Burgess observes that we expect brands to be accountable these days, and there are consequences for such missteps. And although Sweeney's fan base can provide a buffer for a period, it won't necessarily last. 'That sustained controversy does erode that over time, and we have seen that … It depends on how the brand responds and how Sydney Sweeney responds.'
