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Boston Globe
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
The view from Old Orchard Beach: many French Canadians say ‘non merci!'
Canadians, angered by President Trump's threats to make Canada the 51st state and by tariff increases, have been boycotting the United States in droves. On this longest day of the year, vacancy and Bienvenue signs were posted around town. The Canadian flag flew proudly just below Old Glory on Old Orchard Street. But there were also T-shirts for sale depicting Trump as a tattooed, muscle-bound 'Make America Great' hero in the front window of a nearby souvenir shop. Advertisement The sun peeked at the horizon at 5 a.m. near The Pier at Old Orchard Beach, on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Many hotels, motels, and campgrounds cater to French Canadians. They have bilingual staff and have built up decades-long relationships with their guests. Several restaurants here serve poutine, the popular Quebec dish of French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. With nearly 40 percent of summer visitors coming from Canada, many merchants worry this could be a long, frustrating summer. A local chamber of commerce spokesperson said reservations are down 10 percent to 20 percent this season. In addition to the political turmoil , officials blame the rainy weather and unfavorable exchange rates. The number of Canadian travelers to Maine has declined 25 percent this year compared to last year, according to Customs Border Protection. Some establishments are dropping their three-day minimum stay policy and are offering discounts. Advertisement Tourists strolled down Old Orchard Street heading for the beach. Is this throwback honky-tonk town set on a magnificent 7-mile beach in dire straits? Hopefully not. On Friday, there were several cars with Quebec plates driving around town and a few no vacancy signs. Most locals are sick of Trump talk. It's a short season and politics here are as welcome as seeing a fin slicing through the shallow water. But Rico Pettinicco, a longtime parking lot attendant, predicts the French Canadians will return. They love the beach too much. The draw of the ocean is more powerful than any one man. Tourists peered at a Trump T-shirt in the front window of a shop on Old Orchard Street in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. 'I had one Canadian guy come, and say, 'I'm not mad at you, we're mad at Trump. Besides, we like it here,' Pettinicco said. 'He said, 'How would you like Maine to become a province of Canada?' Then I thought about the free benefits and everything. Maybe it wouldn't be bad.' Adam Donovan of Friendship Oceanfront Suites says things are not as dire as advertised. 'The people that have been returning for a decade plus have been coming back, but not the newer families,' Donovan said. Consequently, there are bargains for others. Rachael O'Shaughnessy, an award-winning local artist, cleaned the beach under the pier at sunrise. Jolene Twombly-Wiser, a teacher from Denmark, Maine, got upgraded to an oceanfront balcony suite because of the lack of Canadian visitors. She says she misses hearing French amid the rolling waves. 'I love Canadians. They're some of the nicest people in the world,' Twombly-Wiser said. She is not a Trump fan. 'It's his way, right? To try to say shocking things as if they're normal and get everyone riled up,' she said. 'But there's a lot of people here that depend on that income. It's obviously already having an impact here. I'd love to see all the Canadians on the beach.' Advertisement The sun rose on the longest day of the year, Friday, June 20th, at 5AM. Rachael O'Shaughnessy is an award-winning local artist who helps to clean the beach starting before sunrise as inspiration for her art. She has noticed a difference this year — and not just fewer people. 'So far I see less garbage,' she said. She doesn't want to discuss politics. 'It's really a brutally difficult time,' she says. She just wants to enjoy the solstice sunrise. 'I think every single sunrise has a unique beauty. And every single one is worthy of my getting up.' The Pier at Old Orchard Beach has seagulls on patrol for French fries but plenty of empty tables. Fred Kennedy, the bilingual owner of the Alouette Beach Resort, did a CNN interview months ago after Trump insulted Canada. 'I thought I was pretty even tempered,' he said. But he received hate email from both Americans who thought he wasn't being loyal and Canadians who were upset at his tone. 'Canadians thought I was being nonchalant with their pride of being Canadian,' Kennedy said. 'Some of them were angry that I was saying everything is just fine.' Sunset illuminates a bar patron at The Pier at Old Orchard Beach. He learned that social media can be mean-spirited. 'People that never stayed with us tried to hurt my business by going on and writing negative reviews.' Since then, US-Canada relations seem to be improving, Kennedy said, with Trump being respectful to Canada's new prime minister, Mark Carney. Kennedy says his business is down only 3 percent this year. On the beach, a woman in a USA sweatshirt celebrates the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. 'This weekend is sold out,' he said, noting that it's a long holiday weekend to celebrate the French Canadian patron, Saint Jean Baptiste, and some sports teams are in town. A Montreal tourist who declined to give his name says this isn't about politics. It's about being with his family at a place that makes him feel welcome. Advertisement 'No, I'm not going on about Trump,' he said. 'I've come here 20 years now. And I'm coming for the beach.' The sky is not falling, Kennedy insists. It's a perfect beach day and everybody is happy. 'We all made it through COVID, right?' @font-face { font-family: BentonSansCond-Regular; src: url(" format('woff2'), url(" format('woff'); } @font-face { font-family: BentonSansCond-Bold; src: url(" format('woff2'), url(" format('woff'); } .dipupnext_hed { font-family: "MillerHeadline-Bold", "Times New Roman", Times, Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: .75px; text-align: center; font-size: 1.25em; line-height: 1; margin-top: 3px; color: #000; width: 100%; font-weight: 600; } .dipupnext_cap_cred { font-family: "BentonSansCond-Regular", "Times New Roman", Times, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: .5px; text-align: left; margin: 3px 0px 5px 0px; font-weight: 200; color: #000; text-decoration: none; text-align: center; } .dipupnext_photo { max-width: 100%; height: auto; padding-top: 15px; opacity: 1; } .dipupnext__form:hover { opacity: .5; text-decoration: underline .5px; } .dipupnext__form{ opacity: 1; } .picupnext__container { width: 100%; position: relative; margin: 0 auto; } .dipupnext__content { width: 100%; display: grid; grid-template-columns: 3fr; } .cdipupnextcontainer { display: block; width:100%; height: auto; margin:0 auto; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; overflow: hidden; } .upnext { font-family: "BentonSansCond-Bold", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.15; margin-top: .5rem; letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000; padding: 8px 8px 4px 8px; margin-top: 5px; letter-spacing: .5px; } .upnext:before, .upnext:after { background-color: #000; content: ""; display: inline-block; height: 1px; position: relative; vertical-align: 4px; width: 32%; } .upnext:before { right: 0.3em; margin-left: -50%; } .upnext:after { left: 0.3em; margin-right: -50%; } .theme-dark .upnext:before { background-color: #fff; } .theme-dark .upnext:after { background-color: #fff; } .theme-dark .upnext { color: #fff; } .theme-dark .dipupnext_cap_cred { color: #fff; } .theme-dark .dipupnext_hed { color: #fff; } @media screen and (min-width: 800px){ .dipupnext__content { grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr; grid-column-gap: 40px; } } UP NEXT Stan Grossfeld can be reached at
India Today
16-06-2025
- Business
- India Today
Trump family launches T1 mobile with ‘47 Plan' and MAGA branding
The Trump Organisation on Monday announced its latest venture -- Trump Mobile -- a new phone service and handset brand dubbed T1 Mobile. According to Eric Trump, who now leads the family business, the goal is to offer a patriotic, values-driven alternative in the crowded mobile market."Hard-working Americans deserve a wireless service that's affordable, reflects their values, and delivers reliable quality they can count on," Eric Trump gold-coloured phone, emblazoned with Trump's "Make America Great" slogan and priced at $499, will hit the market in August. While the phones won't be manufactured directly by Trump Mobile, the service will operate in partnership with the US's three largest network providers — Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. The launch of T1 Mobile -- with a monthly plan cheekily named "The 47 Plan" -- the monthly fee of $47.45 make reference to Trump's two terms, the 45th and the 47th. The service will include unlimited calls, texts and data and free roadside assistance and telehealth ACCUSED OF USING FEDERAL POWER TO TARGET RIVALSTrump's use of federal power to reward allies and punish adversaries has already drawn scrutiny in his second term. Critics point out that the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates telecom companies, has investigated outlets that Trump dislikes and even clashed with tech giants like Apple. Last month, he threatened a 25% tariff on iPhones made in India unless Apple shifted production to the Trump says Trump Mobile's edge is values-based service for patriotic phone venture comes amid a flurry of post-election deals: a $1.5 billion real estate partnership in Vietnam, a golf resort in Qatar, and booming merchandise revenue — including $3 million from coffee-table books, $2.8 million from Trump watches, and $2.5 million from Trump sneakers and Media & Technology Group, a Florida company that operates the Truth Social media platform, filed plans with security regulators Monday to launch an exchange-traded fund tied to the prices of two popular ETF is part of the Trump family's rapidly growing crypto empire, which includes a new stablecoin and launching and promoting president's most recent financial disclosure report reveals he made more than $57 million last year from World Liberty Financial, a crypto company he and his sons helped launch in inputs from Associated PressMust Watch
Int'l Business Times
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Int'l Business Times
Eric Trump Mocked for Declaring Trump Mobile Will 'Revolutionize' Cell Phones: 'The White House Is an Infomercial'
Eric Trump was widely mocked online after claiming that "Trump Mobile" would "revolutionize" the cell phone industry during a live Fox Business appearance announcing the new T1 Phone and wireless plan. The Trump Organization unveiled its latest licensing venture on Monday: a mobile phone service and device marketed under the Trump name. The company says Trump Mobile, also called T1 Mobile, will offer a gold-colored smartphone for $499, made by an undisclosed third-party manufacturer, AP News reported. Additionally, they'll offer a $47.45-per-month service plan dubbed "The 47 Plan"—a nod to Donald Trump's return as the 47th president. The plan will include unlimited data, free calls and texts, roadside assistance, and a telehealth prescription service. While the company emphasized American-made branding and conservative values, it will rely on existing 5G networks and third-party call centers. Eric Trump promoted the venture on Fox Business, telling viewers that "Trump Mobile is going to revolutionize cell phones," a claim that quickly drew derision from tech commentators and social media users alike. A promotional mock-up showed the phone emblazoned with "Make America Great" and an etched American flag, but critics pointed out that the Trump family is simply licensing its name and not designing or manufacturing the device or running the network itself. The backlash was swift. Online critics dubbed the product "another Trump GRIFT" and some joked that the White House had become "a continuous infomercial." Aaron O'Connell, Matt Cohen and Alexandra Turshen star in 'Made for Each Other.' Hallmark Media/Steve Ackerman Ethics experts again raised concerns over the Trump family using public office to fuel private ventures, especially with the Federal Communications Commission having recently investigated media outlets critical of the administration. Originally published on Latin Times
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Trump family's next venture, a mobile phone company
NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump family said it is licensing its name to a new mobile phone service, the latest in a string of ventures that have been announced while Donald Trump is in the White House despite ethical concerns that the U.S. president could mold public policy for personal gain. Eric Trump, one of President Donald Trump's sons running The Trump Organization, said the new venture called, Trump Mobile, will sell phones that will be built in the U.S., and the phone service will maintain a call center in the country as well. The announcement of the new mobile phone and service, called T1 Mobile, follows several real estate deals for towers and resorts in the Middle East, including a golf development in Qatar announced in April. A $1.5 billion partnership to build golf courses, hotels and real estate projects in Vietnam was approved last month, but the deal was in the works before Trump was elected. Even oversight of such a company, with the Trump name attached, raises ethical concerns. Trump has already used the federal government to reward his allies and punish his enemies. The Federal Communications Commission, the primary regulatory body overseeing mobile phone companies, has already launched investigations of media outlets Trump dislikes and, in some cases, is personally suing. Still, Eric Trump said Monday that consumers deserve a phone that aligns with their values. 'Hard-working Americans deserve a wireless service that's affordable, reflects their values, and delivers reliable quality they can count on,' he said in a statement. Trump criticized Apple last month because it planned to make most of its U.S. iPhones in India, and threatened to slap a 25% tariff on the devices unless the tech giant starts building the product in its home country. The company on Monday said the new, gold-colored phone available for $499 in August, called the T1 Phone, won't be designed or made by Trump Mobile, but by another company. The Trump Organization did not respond immediately to a request for more details. A mock-up of the phone on the company's website showed Trump's slogan, 'Make America Great' on the front and an etched American flag on the back. The service, which will cost $47.45 a month, is partnering with existing cellular carriers with access to a 5G network. The Trump service will offer free texts and calls, and unlimited data. It will also offer free roadside assistance and a telehealth service that will allow callers to get prescriptions. The name given to the monthly service offer, The 47 Plan, also makes reference to the presidency. Trump was the 45th president and is currently the 47th. By sticking to licensing, the Trump family is limiting its risk. Still, the new service faces big challenges if it hopes sell beyond the president's loyal MAGA fans. The Trump company tried to tap into Trump support among the middle class in the first term with a mid-priced hotel chain. Called American Idea, and unveiled like the phone service Monday under a giant U.S. flag in the Trump Tower atrium, it flopped. Despite taking in millions of dollars each year in various licensing deals and a string of new ventures, the Trump brand has taken a series of hits to its brand over the years. During his first term, the Trump name was stripped off residential buildings and hotels in Toronto, Panama and Manhattan. After the January 6 Capitol attack, banks refused to lend to the family business. The Trump International Hotel in Washington, since sold, lost money even though the family opened its doors to business executives, lobbyists and diplomats trying to shape U.S. policy. And the average condo in Trump branded residential towers has underperformed the broader market in several cities for years during and immediately after Trump's first term. In New York City, the value of Trump condos have fallen 2% in the past two years even though prices for condos built during roughly the same period have jumped. Those indexes rose 8% and 14%, respectively, according to CityRealty. He has had more success with some ventures launched during his second term. Trump's media company also announced Monday that it had filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to launch a new exchange-traded fund tied to the prices of the two most popular forms of cryptocurrency. Trump Media & Technology Group, the Florida company which operates the Truth Social media platform that the president uses to communicate with his followers, said the planned ETF will have 75% of its assets in bitcoin, the world's most popular cryptocurrency, and 25% in ether, the second-most popular. The planned ETF is another branch in the Trump family's rapidly growing crypto empire, which includes a new stablecoin and launching and promoting memecoins. The president's most recent financial disclosure report shows that he made more than $57 million last year from World Liberty Financial, a crypto company he and his sons helped launch in September. ___ AP Business Writer Alan Suderman contributed to this story. Bernard Condon, The Associated Press Sign in to access your portfolio
NBC News
09-04-2025
- Business
- NBC News
The U.S. and China are copying each other, giving rise to memes and mockery
President Donald Trump wants to bring back American manufacturing in ways that would reshape the United States economy to look more like China's. The campaign, which has led to a rapidly escalating trade war with China, has given ample social media fodder to Chinese and American observers alike. Announcing a series of sweeping tariffs in a move dubbed 'Liberation Day,' Trump said last week that this will lead factories to move production back to American shores, boosting the U.S. economy after 'foreign leaders have stolen our jobs, foreign cheaters have ransacked our factories, and foreign scavengers have torn apart our once beautiful American dream.' In a Truth Social post Wednesday, Trump announced that he is raising tariffs on goods imported from China to 125%, up from the 104% that took effect the same day, due to 'the lack of respect that China has shown to the World's Markets.' Meme-makers and Chinese government officials have in recent days begun pointing out the irony of Trump's tariff-driven manufacturing pivot through AI-generated satire and political cartoons that have percolated online, with many American users boosting the jokes. One video poking fun at the Trump administration's attempted pivot to American manufacturing has accumulated millions of views on X since a user posted it on TikTok earlier this week. The clip, seemingly generated with artificial intelligence, showed workers sewing garments and assembling mobile devices in a factory, followed by a screen touting: 'Make America Great Again.' Others reshared an old political cartoon depicting Trump, with nearly everything in the drawing, including the president's suit and the American flag he's raising, labeled as being 'Made in China' — all except for Trump's own gaseous product, which is labeled as 'Made in USA.' Official Chinese accounts have also gotten in on the fun. Last weekend, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, posted a meme appearing to mock Trump for imposing tariffs on several largely barren Antarctic islands inhabited by penguins rather than people. Some have been subtler with their critiques. On Monday, the Chinese Embassy reposted a clip of a 1987 speech given by President Ronald Reagan, whose economic agenda hugely influenced mainstream Republican economics today. In it, Reagan staunchly defends free trade. 'You see, at first when someone says, 'Let's impose tariffs on foreign imports,' it looks like they're doing a patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs. And sometimes, for a short while, it works. But only for a short time,' Reagan says in the clip, before launching into a list of consequences. Trump's calls to embrace domestic manufacturing come as China has pushed to make its economy look more like that of the U.S. Aiming to reduce its economic reliance on exports, China has been struggling to encourage domestic consumption, expanding subsidies for home appliances such as microwaves and rice cookers, as well as smartphones and other electronic devices. By contrast, Trump's vision for the United States, whose high consumption of Chinese-manufactured goods has helped propel China's economic rise, involves industrial revival for everything from aluminum refining to shipbuilding. At least in the short term, both the U.S. and Chinese goals are 'pipe dreams,' said Ian Johnson, formerly a senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. 'China has been trying for decades to promote consumption or to get people to consume more, but for a variety of reasons Chinese people aren't willing to do that,' Johnson said in a phone interview Tuesday, citing the lack of social safety net that drives high levels of personal savings. 'The government hasn't changed structural issues that hold back consumption,' Johnson said. 'So until they do that, that's not going to work.' On the U.S. side, Johnson said, 'it's difficult because the government is trying to turn back the clock and I don't think that's fully possible, no matter how high the tariffs are.' 'You're never going to bring back, for example, shoe manufacturing, or things like that, or textile manufacturing to the United States, because it's still going to be too expensive, even if you put 100% tariffs," he said. Some American manufacturing jobs, Johnson said, 'are just gone forever and are not going to come back. And in the case of China, their goal is more reasonable, but it would require huge changes in how the economy and society are structured.' Trump has alluded to his vision of American industrial revival in justifying mounting tariffs on Chinese goods, starting with 20% in additional tariffs he imposed in February and March, citing China's role in the international flow of fentanyl precursors. Last week, he announced a baseline 10% tariff on imports from all countries, with higher tariffs for dozens of specific trading partners — particularly China. On Wednesday, he announced that he will pause higher tariffs for 90 days on some trading partners that have not retaliated, although the 10% baseline tariff will remain in place for all countries. On Tuesday, before Trump announced the new 125% tariff, China vowed to 'resolutely take countermeasures to safeguard its own interests.' 'The U.S. threat to escalate tariffs on China is a mistake upon a mistake, further exposing the coercive nature of the U.S.,' the Commerce Ministry said in a statement. 'If the U.S. insists in its own way, China will fight to the end.' In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said China 'wants to make a deal, badly, but they don't know how to get it started.' 'We are waiting for their call. It will happen!' he wrote. The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not confirm whether any negotiations with the U.S. were underway. 'It seems to me that the actions of the U.S. do not reflect a genuine willingness to engage in serious dialogue,' ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular briefing in Beijing. 'If the U.S. truly wants to talk, it should demonstrate an attitude of equality, mutual respect and reciprocity.' The Trump administration says that menial jobs would be automated in revived U.S. factories, and that Americans working in them would be doing higher-level tasks. 'Our high-school-educated Americans — the core to our workforce — is going to have the greatest resurgence of jobs in the history of America to work on these high-tech factories, which are all coming to America,' Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday on CBS News' 'Face the Nation.'
