Trump's make-believe tariffs can still hurt us all. Here's why
If US President Donald Trump announces a tariff on Truth Social, but never actually imposes it, did it exist? If news that tariffs are coming prompts companies to 'front-run' the levies, do they even need to happen? If tariffs are imposed, importers pay them, and yet, there's no seeming effect on prices, need we worry about them?
'The boy who cried tariffs continues to warble his perplexing ballad of random numbers from the White House,' complained Ms Danni Hewson of London investment house AJ Bell this week. 'Investors are listening, and nodding to acknowledge the latest verse, but largely getting on with business as usual. Most are probably waiting for the wolf to actually show up before properly evaluating the danger.'
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Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump hits Scottish golf course as protesters set to rally
Find out what's new on ST website and app. US President Donald Trump (left) and his son Eric at Mr Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Scotland on July 26. Turnberry, Scotland - US President Donald Trump played golf on the first full day of his visit to Scotland on July 26, as protesters prepared to take to the streets across the country. Mr Trump emerged from his Turnberry resort with son Eric and waved to photographers following his arrival in Scotland on July 25 evening. His presence has turned the picturesque and normally quiet area of southwest Scotland into a virtual fortress, with roads closed and police checkpoints in place. Officers on quad bikes or horses, others on foot with sniffer dogs, patrolled the famous course – which has hosted four men's British Opens – and the sandy beaches and grass dunes that hug the course. The 79-year-old touched down July 25 at nearby Prestwick Airport , as hundreds of onlookers came out to see Air Force One and try to catch a glimpse of its famous passenger. The president has professed a love of Scotland, where his mother was born, but his controversial politics and business investments in the country have made for an uneasy relationship. Speaking to reporters on the tarmac, Mr Trump immediately waded into the debate surrounding high levels of irregular migration. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Students hide vapes in underwear, toilet roll holders: S'pore schools grapple with vaping scourge Singapore 'I've tried everything': Mum helpless as son's Kpod addiction spirals out of control Singapore Almost half of planned 30,000 HDB flats in Tengah to be completed by end-2025: Chee Hong Tat Singapore From libraries to living rooms: How reading habits take root in underserved S'pore children Asia Johor faces healthcare worker shortage amid population boom, pull of higher Singapore salaries Asia Death toll climbs as Thai-Cambodia clashes continue despite calls for ceasefire Asia Thousands rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur for resignation of PM Anwar Asia Shunsaku Tamiya, who brought perfection to plastic race car models, dies at 90 'You better get your act together or you're not going to have Europe anymore,' he said, adding that it was 'killing' the continent. Mr Trump's five-day visit has divided the local community. 'A lot of people don't trust Trump and I'm one of them. I think the man is a megalomaniac,' retiree Graham Hodgson said. 'He's so full of himself. I think he's doing a lot of damage worldwide with his tariffs. And I think it's all for the sake of America, but at the moment I think America is paying the price as well for his policies.' But at Prestwick Airport a boy held a sign that read 'Welcome Trump' while a man waved a flag emblazoned with his most famous slogan – 'Make America Great Again'. 'I think the best thing about Trump is he's not actually a politician yet he's the most powerful man in the world and I think he's looking at the best interests of his own country,' said 46-year-old Lee McLean, who had travelled from nearby Kilmarnock. 'Most politicians should really be looking at the best interests of their own country first before looking overseas,' he said. As the police rolled out a massive security operation, the Stop Trump Coalition announced demonstrations on July 26 near the US consulate in Edinburgh and another in Aberdeen, where Trump owns another golf resort. Police are also monitoring any other protests that might spring up near Turnberry. Mr Trump has no public meetings in the diary for July 26, but he is due to discuss trade with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on July 27 and meet UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. AFP
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
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Business Times
8 hours ago
- Business Times
Nasa says thousands of employees set to resign from space agency
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