Elon Musk sets up new political group
The billionaire businessman, 54, claimed he had taken the step of establishing the America Party after asking his followers if he should do so in an online poll on X on Friday.
It comes in the wake of Mr Musk falling out with Donald Trump, the US president.
In a post on X on Saturday evening, Mr Musk said: 'By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!
'When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste and graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy.
'Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.'
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Times
an hour ago
- Times
Hopes fade of deal to cut US tariffs on British steel exports
Ministers are increasingly pessimistic about reaching a deal to lower tariffs on UK steel exports to the US before a deadline set by President Trump for later this week. Trump in June exempted British steel and aluminium exports from new 50 per cent tariffs, while giving the UK government five weeks to finalise details of the trade deal. He warned that if an agreement was not completed by then the US 'may increase the applicable rates of duty to 50 per cent … on or after July 9'. • What do steel tariffs mean for UK-US trade deal? Despite talks between the two sides since, no agreement has been reached on what types of steel will be covered by a new zero-tariff quota system agreed in principle under the US-UK trade agreement. There has been concern that the largest steel producer in the UK, Tata Steel, may be ineligible for the scheme because it is not making steel from scratch in Britain as it replaces its old blast furnaces with new electric arc furnaces. The industry is also concerned that despite presently paying the lower 25 per cent tariff rate on imports, many US customers are holding off from making orders in the hope that a zero-tariff agreement will be struck in the coming weeks. Gareth Stace, director-general of UK Steel, the trade group, said the failure to get the deal over the line was costing the industry and time was 'ticking on'. He said: 'Every day of delay costs our steelmakers dearly. Contracts slip away, investment plans stall and uncertainty freezes business decisions. A swift and positive resolution is urgently needed to safeguard jobs, unlock growth and restore confidence in the UK steel sector.' He added: 'While the secretary of state continues to push forward negotiations to remove US tariffs, and we recognise his commitment to the future of the UK steel industry, time is passing without an end in sight.' Senior government sources said there was little optimism that an agreement could be reached on the steel element of the trade deal by Wednesday's deadline but were hopeful that Trump would not respond by increasing tariffs to 50 per cent. 'We are making progress but I think both sides recognise it is going to take a bit more time,' said a source. 'We are hopeful that July 9 is not a hard deadline from the American point of view and while we will not see tariffs fall to zero then neither will we see them double.' • Battle to protect Tata Steel from Trump trade tariffs Sources in the UK said there was a problem with 'bandwidth' within the US administration because July 9 also marks the expiry of the 90-day deadline Trump set countries to do a trade deal with the US or face his 'liberation day' tariffs of up to 50 per cent. So far, only Vietnam has agreed a trade deal in principle although it is possible that more deals will be agreed in the coming days. 'As far as many people in the administration are concerned, the UK deal is basically done,' a source said. 'While agreeing steel and aluminium quotas are critical for us, they are not currently a top priority in Washington.' Last week, Trump said the US would start sending out letters to countries with details of higher tariff rates that would start on August 1. The import duties would range from '60 per cent or 70 per cent tariffs to 10 to 20 per cent tariffs'. He did not say which countries would face the taxes nor whether the rates would only apply to certain goods. 'My inclination is to send a letter out and say what tariff they're going to be paying,' Trump said on Thursday. 'It's just much easier.' He added: 'We're going to be sending some letters out, starting probably tomorrow.'
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Trump's glamorous right hand woman gives behind-the-scenes access to her life with president
Donald Trump 's glamorous aide, Margo Martin, gave an inside look at her busy life with the president in a new Instagram post. Martin, 29, has been a longtime aide to the president and serves as his Special Assistant and Communications Advisor. She was propelled into the spotlight when a reporter mistook her for Melania Trump at one of the president's Miami court hearings in 2023 and has been a staple in the president's entourage since he started his second term. Martin detailed her jam-packed schedule working for the president in a new video posted on Sunday. 'DAY IN THE LIFE! 5.30am-1.30am in 50 seconds,' she captioned the video that's paired with the song 'Walking on a Dream' by electronic duo Empire of the Sun. 'Thursday, July 3rd, President Trump met with Edan Alexander, American citizen held hostage by Hamas for 584 days. Welcomed the Boston Red Sox to the Oval Office. Traveled to Des Moines, Iowa to kick off a yearlong celebration of America's 250th anniversary.' Martin started the day with a workout at the gym, wearing a black tank top and leggings paired with yellow trainers and her long blonde hair pulled back by a claw clip. She appeared to be drinking from a LIFEWTR Premium Purified Water Bottle, which sells for approximately $2.50, as she walked on the treadmill with her AirPods in. After the gym, Martin prepared herself a cup of coffee in her red Camp David mug using a white single-serve Keurig machine. She did her morning skincare while wearing an orange lobster and bows printed pajama set that retails for $86 on In My Sundays. Martin applied the Dior Backstage Blush to her cheeks, which cost $42 at Sephora and Ulta Beauty. She gave her hair some soft waves using a curling iron, then changed into a dress with a blue top and denim skirt before heading to the White House. The glamourous aide showed viewers around her office, including her desk and giant tumbler cup with the presidential seal. A framed copy Trump's mugshot on the front page of the New York Post was also on display. Martin then captured the president and first lady welcoming Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage in Gaza, who was released in May, to the White House. Afterwards, Martin showed Trump meeting with the struggling Boston Red Sox before heading out on Air Force One. Martin sat next to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Air Force One and ate a salad for lunch She show Trump dancing on stage at the Iowa State Fairgrounds to kick off the 'America 250' celebration She sat with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on the flight to Des Moines to promote his 'Big Beautiful Bill.' For lunch, Martin ate salad topped with steak, hard-boiled eggs, red onion, cucumbers, corn, olives, and a creamy dressing, as well as a fruit tart for dessert. She showed Trump dancing on stage at the Iowa State Fairgrounds to kick off the 'America 250' celebration. Martin treated herself to a lemonade from Campbell's Corn Dog stand before Trump and his team headed back to Air Force One. The team watched Fox News, and Martin dined on another dessert tart, a bowl of ice cream with one scoop of chocolate and one of vanilla, along with an arugula salad. A Liquid IV packet was also on Martin's plate. After landing back in Washington, DC, Martin showed Trump speaking to reporters along since DHS Secretary Kristi Noem before wrapping up their day.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Tony Blair's think tank worked on ‘Trump Riviera' plan for Gaza
Sir Tony Blair's think tank worked on a post-war plan for Gaza that included a 'Trump Riviera' inspired by Dubai. The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) fed into a project led by Israeli businessmen in which a manufacturing zone named after Elon Musk was also discussed. Fighting between the Israeli military and Hamas has been ongoing in Gaza for 20 months since the terror attacks of Oct 7 2023. Earlier this year, Donald Trump, the US president, released a provocative video of his vision for Gaza which included skyscrapers, bearded belly dancers and golden statues of himself. Members of staff at the TBI worked on lengthy dossiers for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) as part of its 'Great Trust' project. One document written by a TBI employee and shared with the group included the idea of a ' Gaza Riviera ' with artificial islands. A similar concept was shown in the video created by Mr Trump. The Financial Times, which first reported the plan, said the document suggested trade initiatives based around cryptocurrency and 'special economic zones' with low-tax regimes. It went on to claim that the war in Gaza, in which tens of thousands of people have died, had created a 'once-in-a-century opportunity to rebuild Gaza from first principles'. The document suggested the Strip would be able to go forward as a 'secure, modern, prosperous society'. Staff from the TBI also took part in a 12-person messaging group used for the budget, as well as producing a 'Gaza economic blueprint'. The TBI did not author or endorse the final-slide deck, which was submitted to the Trump administration and suggested paying half a million Palestinians to leave Gaza. Last week, it emerged that the BCG had previously modelled how much it would cost to relocate Palestinians from Gaza. This prompted a backlash because the group was involved in establishing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which had the backing of Israel and the US. The BCG would later go on to distance itself from the project. A spokesman for Sir Tony said the former prime minister had neither spoken to the people who prepared the plans nor commented on them. The spokesman added: 'The TBI team speaks to many different groups and organisations with post-war 'plans' for Gaza, but had nothing to do with the authorship of this plan. 'TBI staff participated in two calls, as they have done with many other people with 'Gaza plans' and interacting with them doesn't mean endorsement. 'The TBI document referred to is an internal TBI document looking at proposals being made by various parties covering all the different aspects of what a post-war Gaza could look like [...] but it was not produced in connection with the BCG work nor given to BCG.'
