Don Jr. traveling to Romania before controversial election
Why it matters: MAGA heavyweights, including Trump Jr., Vice President Vance and Elon Musk erupted after Romania's top court annulled the first round of the country's presidential election over worries of Russian meddling — lambasting it as evidence that European countries are silencing the right.
Vance in particular has argued European elites pretend to care about democracy while ignoring the will of their voters, if those voters happen to choose "extreme" candidates.
Catch up quick: Romanian government intelligence indicated that Moscow ran digital influence operations to benefit ultranationalist candidate Călin Georgescu, who had praised Russian strongman Vladimir Putin and won the election's first round.
Trump Jr. slammed the decision at the time as "another Soros/Marxist attempt at rigging the outcome & denying the will of the people," referencing Democratic megadonor George Soros.
The latest: The new first round of voting will be held on May 4, with a runoff penciled in for May 18. Trump Jr. is visiting on April 28.
The Romanian Constitutional Court last month barred Georgescu from running.
Zoom in: Trump is traveling to Romania to attend Trump Business Vision 2025, a business event, as part of a speaking tour organized by Salem Media, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The person said Trump Jr. will not meet with government officials publicly or privately.
Trump Jr.'s tour will also take him to Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
39 minutes ago
- New York Post
EU suspends $1.7B in aid to Ukraine after Zelensky curbs watchdog agencies
The European Union is freezing $1.7 billion in aid to Ukraine because President Volodymyr Zelensky approved a bill curbing the war-torn nation's top anti-corruption agencies. The EU said it is withholding more than a third of its funding meant to reward Ukraine for good governance standards after Zelensky signed the controversial bill last week, according to the New York Times on Saturday. The new law gives a politically appointed Ukrainian prosecutor general more power over Kyiv's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). Advertisement While Zelensky quickly also put measures into place to ensure the agencies' independence after national outcry — the first wartime protests against his administration — concerns remain over his commitment to route out the corruption that has plagued Ukraine for decades. 5 Protests erupt in Kyiv last week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky approved a bill curbing the nation's top anti-corruption agencies. Getty Images 5 Zelensky quickly put measures in place to strengthen the agencies' independence following mass backlash in Ukraine and around the world. Getty Images The EU established its Ukraine Facility fund last year to reward Kyiv, pledging nearly $60 million over three years to help its war recovery efforts and prepare the country to enter the bloc. Advertisement But Kyiv has fallen short of meeting the EU's standards, with European officials slamming last Wednesday's rush legislation. The EU's decision to withhold some of the funds from Ukraine is not final and that the money pledge can be restored as long as Ukraine meets its requirements, officials said. Marta Kos, the EU's commissioner for expansion, said the bloc was 'seriously concerned' over Ukraine's move to inject political influence into the two agencies tasked with prosecuting corruption at the highest level. Advertisement 5 Last week's protest was the first of its kind since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. REUTERS 5 Critics demand Ukraine keep its vow to eliminate corruption in Kyiv, a promise made during the 2014 'Revolution of Dignity.' AFP via Getty Images The NABU and SAPO were established after Ukraine's 'Revolution of Dignity' in 2014, when leaders promised the public to weed out decades of corruption in Kyiv after ousting pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. Zelensky had vowed to keep the anti-corruption efforts going through his administration, but his criticism over the agencies grew louder when they began investigating and charging people inside his inner circle, including former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov. Advertisement The president initially claimed that a tighter leash was needed against the NABU and SAPO to rid the two agencies of 'Russian influence' and to address why some cases have been stalled for years. 5 Opponents say internal corruption is hindering Ukraine's ability to defend itself against the Russian invasion. Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images But thousands of Ukrainians then took to the streets to demand the NABU and SAPO remain independent, claiming that the rampant corruption in Kyiv is hurting the nation's ability to defend itself against the ongoing Russian invasion. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was among the world leaders who called Zelensky to roll back the bill and ensure the corruption issues are addressed. Kyiv also has until Thursday to appoint a head of its Economic Security Bureau to continue receiving assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF had vowed to provide Ukraine with $15.6 billion in aid to be distributed over four years as long as Kyiv moves forward with its anti-corruption campaign. Zelensky had previously refused to appoint Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi, the man who led the case against Chernyshov, as the head of the bureau despite a nomination from an independent commission. The position remains open, with no word yet on who would fill it.
Bloomberg
40 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Stock Investors Expect Rally as Europe Clinches US Trade Deal
Investors expect automakers and luxury goods makers to lead a relief rally in European stocks when the market reopens on Monday, after the US and European Union agreed to a trade deal. The pact, which will see the bloc face 15% tariffs on most of its exports including autos, was announced Sunday by President Donald Trump after a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The European leader said the rate would be all inclusive, though Trump said it did not include pharmaceuticals and metals.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
US-EU deal sets 15% tariff on most goods and averts threat of trade war
The United States and the European Union have agreed to a trade deal setting a 15% tariff on most goods, US President Donald Trump announced, staving off higher import taxes on both sides that might have sent shockwaves through economies around the world. The announcement came after Mr Trump and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen met briefly at Mr Trump's Turnberry golf course in Scotland. Their private meeting was a culmination of months of bargaining, with the White House deadline of August 1 approaching for imposing punishing tariffs on the 27-member EU. 'It was a very interesting negotiation. I think it's going to be great for both parties,' Mr Trump said. The agreement, he said, was 'a good deal for everybody' and 'a giant deal with lots of countries'. Ms von der Leyen said the deal 'will bring stability, it will bring predictability that's very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic'. Mr Trump said the EU had agreed to buy some 750 billion dollars' (£558 billion) worth of US energy and to invest 600 billion dollars (£446 billion) more in America, as well as making a major purchase of military equipment. The US leader said: 'We are agreeing that the tariff straight across for automobiles and everything else will be a straight across tariff of 15%. 'We have a tariff of 15%. We have the opening up of all of the European countries.' Ms von der Leyen said the 15% tariffs were 'across the board, all inclusive' and that 'indeed, basically the European market is open'. Before the meeting began, Mr Trump pledged to change what he characterised as 'a very one-sided transaction, very unfair to the United States'. 'I think both sides want to see fairness,' the Republican President told reporters. His EU Commission counterpart spoke of rebalancing. Ms von der Leyen said the US and EU combined have the world's largest trade volume, encompassing hundreds of millions of people and trillions of dollars. She added that Mr Trump was 'known as a tough negotiator and dealmaker'. 'But fair,' Mr Trump added. For months, Mr Trump has threatened most of the world with large tariffs in hopes of shrinking major US trade deficits with many key trading partners. More recently, he had hinted that any deal with the EU would have to 'buy down' the currently scheduled tariff rate of 30%. During his comments before the deal was announced, he pointed to a recent US agreement with Japan that set tariff rates for many goods at 15% and suggested the EU could agree to something similar. Asked then if he would be willing to accept tariff rates lower than that, Mr Trump said 'no'. Joining Ms von der Leyen were Maros Sefcovic, the EU's chief trade negotiator; Bjorn Seibert, the head of von der Leyen's Cabinet; Sabine Weyand, the commission's directorate-general for trade, and Tomas Baert, head of trade and agriculture at the EU's delegation to the US. The US and EU seemed close to a deal earlier this month, but Mr Trump instead threatened the 30% tariff rate. The deadline for the Trump administration to begin imposing tariffs has shifted in recent weeks but is now firm, the administration insists. 'No extensions, no more grace periods. August 1, the tariffs are set, they'll go into place, Customs will start collecting the money and off we go,' US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick told Fox News on Sunday. He added, however, that even after that 'people can still talk to President Trump. I mean, he's always willing to listen'. Without an agreement, the EU said it was prepared to retaliate with tariffs on hundreds of American products, ranging from beef and car parts to beer and Boeing planes. If Mr Trump eventually followed through on his threat of tariffs against Europe, it could have made everything from French cheese and Italian leather goods to German electronics and Spanish pharmaceuticals more expensive in the United States.
