US President Trump 'caught off guard' by Israeli strikes in Syria
Israel had launched strikes on the capital Damascus and the southern Druze-majority city of Sweida, saying it aimed to put pressure on the Syrian government to withdraw its troops from the region amid ongoing clashes there.
Trump "was caught off guard by the bombing in Syria and also the bombing of a Catholic church in Gaza", Leavitt told reporters at a press briefing.
"In both accounts, the president quickly called the prime minister to rectify those situations," she continued.
Netanyahu had visited the White House earlier this month, his third trip since Trump returned to power on Jan 20.
"The president enjoys a good working relationship with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, and stays in, you know, frequent communication with him," Leavitt said.
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Straits Times
24 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Trump arrives in Scotland for golf and bilateral talks as EU trade deal nears
US President Donald Trump waving as he disembarks from Air Force One at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, in Prestwick, Scotland, on July 25. EDINBURGH/LONDON - US President Donald Trump, dogged by questions about his ties to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, arrived in Scotland on July 25 for some golf and bilateral talks that could yield a trade deal with the European Union. Mr Trump told reporters before leaving the US that he will visit his two golf properties in Scotland and meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Scottish leader John Swinney. Mr Trump said he and Mr Starmer would discuss the US-British trade deal and perhaps even 'improve' it, but gave no details. He said Washington was also working hard on a possible trade deal with the European Union, which he said was very keen to make a deal. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said later she would meet Mr Trump in Scotland on July 27. 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Straits Times
30 minutes ago
- Straits Times
US judge reaffirms nationwide injunction blocking Trump executive order on birthright citizenship
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Business Times
30 minutes ago
- Business Times
Trump's self-defeating trade agenda
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Earlier this month, for example, Trump announced a trade deal with Vietnam that imposes a 20 per cent tariff on Vietnamese imports, but only if Vietnam eliminates its own tariffs on US goods and its exports contain no Chinese components; otherwise, the rate jumps to 40 per cent. While that's lower than Trump's original rate of 46 per cent, it's still far higher than the 11 per cent that Vietnamese policymakers reportedly believed they had negotiated. Indonesia, for its part, accepted a 19 per cent tariff in exchange for granting most US goods duty-free access to its domestic market. So much for fairness and reciprocity. Similarly, tariffs on Chinese goods jumped from 10 per cent to 145 per cent, then were returned to 10 per cent – at least temporarily. But the average US tariff on Chinese imports still stands at 51.1 per cent, and Trump could raise it again if the two countries fail to reach a trade deal by Aug 12. Trump has also threatened to impose 30 per cent tariffs on the European Union (EU) and Mexico. While EU policymakers are hoping to avoid the tariffs through negotiations, they are reportedly considering retaliatory 'anti-coercion' measures of their own. Adding to the uncertainty are the president's tariff hikes and new restrictions on commodity imports. Since January, the US has raised steel, aluminium and copper tariffs to 50 per cent and imposed a 25 per cent tariff on auto parts. Although he claims that his deal with China will ensure US access to rare earth minerals, their status remains in limbo amid ongoing trade tensions. More than one million different tariff rates The entire process has been marked by confusion and inconsistency. For example, the administration imposed tariffs on imported urea – a key fertiliser input – from Qatar and Algeria, but not from Russia. As a result, by May, Russia was supplying 64 per cent of urea imports to the US, double its previous share. As if that weren't enough, some of Trump's actions serve no discernible economic purpose. Most notably, he has threatened to hit Brazil with 50 per cent tariffs to pressure its government not to prosecute former president – and Trump ally – Jair Bolsonaro. Likewise, he reimposed tariffs on aluminium and steel imports, despite clear evidence that job losses due to increases in input costs were far greater than the employment gains in protected industries during his first term. When tariffs vary by country and can change at a moment's notice, chaos is inevitable. There are currently more than 10,000 tariff classifications covering imports from over 160 countries. This means there could be more than one million different tariff rates, leaving customs officials and shippers to navigate an increasingly unmanageable system. Many of Trump's tariffs are ostensibly intended to strengthen national security, but it's difficult to see how targeting allies like Canada helps achieve that goal, especially since cutting off foreign suppliers would only drive up the cost of defence procurement. Moreover, allied countries could help the US increase production of certain goods when necessary, thereby supporting domestic capacity. Trump's tariffs will harm the US economy in several significant ways. For starters, contrary to his claims, raising tariffs does not reduce trade deficits. In fact, it undermines investment and trade, as well as increases the real cost of imported goods and provokes retaliation – hurting exports. The irony is that increased domestic production, spurred by protectionist policies, reduces the volume of imports – and with it, tariff revenues. In some cases, tariffs work at cross purposes: steel tariffs, for example, raise input costs for automakers. Consequently, tariff revenues will likely fall far short of the administration's expectations. As for job creation, some firms benefiting from tariff protection may invest in automation to replace human workers, especially in industries that rely on low-skilled labour. By contrast, firms in import-competing or export-oriented sectors are likely to respond to ongoing uncertainty over future tariffs by delaying capacity expansion. Another troubling consequence of the current tariff regime is the increasingly visible rise of crony capitalism, as a steady stream of foreign officials and American business executives descends on Washington to lobby for tariff exemptions and protections. Six months into his second presidency, it is abundantly clear that there is no coherent rationale behind Trump's tariffs. They are costly and haphazard, undermining economic growth and turning the free market that once drove US productivity into a breeding ground for rent-seeking and corruption. PROJECT SYNDICATE The writer, a former World Bank chief economist and former first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, is senior research professor of international economics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and senior fellow at the Center for International Development at Stanford University
