Latest news with #WhiteHouse
Japan Times
an hour ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Trump says he will 'get the conflict solved with North Korea'
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he would 'get the conflict solved with North Korea,' while also saying that such a conflict "wouldn't involve us.' Asked about a report that the North Korean side had refused to accept a letter from Trump to Kim aimed at kick-starting long-stalled bilateral talks, the U.S. president did not answer the question, but instead touted his ties with Kim. 'I get along with him very, very well, and we'll get the conflict solved with North Korea,' Trump told reporters at a White House event. 'Somebody's saying there's a potential conflict, I think we'll work it out.' It wasn't clear what conflict Trump was speaking about, but the North has ratcheted up tensions with U.S.-allied South Korea in recent years by testing advanced weapons at an unprecedented clip. Trump also appeared to inadvertently spotlight fears among U.S. allies that, under his administration, Washington could put their security in jeopardy by not adhering to alliance commitments. 'If there is (a conflict), it wouldn't involve us,' Trump said. 'We're very far away from a lot of these places." NK News, a website that monitors North Korea, quoted an unidentified source earlier this month as saying that the United States had attempted to deliver a Trump-drafted letter multiple times through North Korean diplomats stationed at United Nations headquarters in New York, but they "bluntly" refused. It was not clear when the attempts had been made. Trump said in late March that his administration had been in touch with Kim, and that the two sides could engage each other 'at some point.' The U.S. leader, who met with Kim three times during his first term and became the first sitting American president to enter North Korea, has repeatedly called Pyongyang a "nuclear power," raising questions about whether he could pursue arms-reduction talks rather than return to the denuclearization efforts that ultimately failed in his first term in any attempt to reengage with Kim. White House officials, however, have ruled out such a scenario, saying that Trump 'will pursue the complete denuclearization of North Korea, just as he did in his first term." Trump has spooked U.S. allies like South Korea, which hosts 28,500 U.S, troops, with his transactional approach to the alliances, fueling doubts about Washington's commitment to protecting the country. Amid negotiations over punishing U.S. tariffs on South Korea, Trump and his team have at times sought to link trade and security issues, including demands that Seoul cough up more cash for its own defense and for hosting American forces. But regardless of the White House's approach to the Korean Peninsula, it's unclear if North Korea is even interested in returning to talks in the first place. Kim is in a vastly different position than in 2019, when the summit diplomacy between the two sides broke down. In the years since, it has prioritized its nuclear weapons and missile programs, testing a spate of advanced weapons. The country is now estimated to have assembled around 50 nuclear warheads, possess enough fissile material to produce up to 40 more and is accelerating the production of even more fissile material, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Last November, Kim called for a 'limitless' expansion of his country's military nuclear program. In January, he used a key ruling party meeting to announce North Korea's 'toughest' ever strategy to counter the United States, though details of that strategy were scant. Trump's decision to attack key Iranian nuclear sites earlier this month could also play into Kim's calculus, observers say, further cementing his view that parting with his nuclear weapons would spell doom for his regime. Still, the North has so far taken a muted approach to dealing with Trump himself — though it's unclear how long this period of relative calm will last before Pyongyang again attempts to capture his attention. Experts have said Kim could eventually try to shift Trump's focus to the North Korean nuclear issue with a dramatic missile launch or seventh nuclear test.
Daily Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Telegraph
Psychologists break down what is going on with Donald Trump
Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News. President Donald Trump happily dropped the F-bomb. So what does this say about his willingness to use the A-bomb? He's mercurial. He's unpredictable. He's inconsistent. And he's proud of it. The 79-year-old billionaire property developer and former game show host believes it's what sets him apart from America's governing 'elite'. A clearly exasperated Trump took to the White House lawn to blurt: 'We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f**k they're doing.' He was referring to Israel and Iran breaching the deadline for his unilaterally declared ceasefire. It seems to work. At least sometimes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to back down. He thanked the President for his 'immense appreciation for Israel' and decided to 'refrain from further attacks'. But Russian President Vladimir Putin was not so cowed when he was pommeled with similar bluster. The Don's outburst over a breached ceasefire was dismissed as 'emotional overstrain'. So, who is right? President Donald Trump's outburst shocked the world. Picture: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein That's a matter of personal politics. But Professor of Psychology Geoff Beattie believes such outbursts present a window into Trump's thought processes. 'Trump was clearly furious, and his language showed it,' the Edge Hill University academic writes. 'This was not a verbal slip – there was no immediate correction, no apology, no nonverbal indication of embarrassment. He just stormed off, clearly angry.' It's not what voters generally expect from their elected representatives. Statesmanship may have gone out of vogue decades ago. Along with transparency and accountability. Despite this, President Theodore Roosevelt's mantra of 'speak softly but carry a big stick' has largely remained an unwritten law of Western diplomacy since World War II. 'But Trump showed frustration, barely contained,' Professor Beattie states. 'His furious, aggressive response was like something straight out of an old psychology textbook.' Mind games Human beings have big opinions of themselves. They're supposed to be smart. To be cool, calm, collected. Civilised. After all, that's what's supposed to set them apart from mere animals. 'They find other ways of dealing with their frustrations,' Professor Beattie writes. 'They use their rational system of thought to find solutions… 'Perhaps, that's why many people feel shocked when they watch this US president in certain situations. To many of us, it all seems so basic, so unsophisticated, so frightening.' But Trump's MAGA followers believe it's all part of a mind game. They insist the President employs a sophisticated 'Mad Man' strategy when it comes to his politics, business and personal relationships. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump. Picture: (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson Put simply, it keeps his opponents off balance. They never know what to expect. But critics argue the tactic has a critical flaw: the 'Mad Man' card can easily back a player into a corner, where they must either go through with a bluff or lose face. It comes down to what's behind the poker face. Does Trump think fast, automatically - or unconsciously? Professor Beattie says this is evolution's basic, rapid-reaction system. 'It is an intuitive system designed to work in a world full of approach and avoidance, scary animals and friendly animals. It is heavily reliant on affect (emotion) to guide decision-making.' Or is everything Trump does the result of constant calculation? Professor Beattie says this second method of thinking is 'slower, more deliberative. It requires conscious effort and is used for complex thinking, solving difficult problems, or making careful decisions.' Good decisions, he argues, depend upon system two checking the advice of system one. 'But system one often jumps quickly and unconsciously to certain conclusions,' he adds. 'System two should check them, but often doesn't. Even when it would be easy.' Psychologists have broken down his actions. Picture: Remko de Waal / ANP / AFP / Netherlands OUT Action or reaction? 'It was a startling moment, even coming from a president who has publicly used that word, and other crude language, in the past,' states Tom Jones of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. Mainstream media was all over the unprecedented action taken over Iran's attempt to build an A-bomb. But it couldn't make up its mind on how to cover Trump's F-bomb. Some ran unedited video clips. Others used a dash or dot dot dot to mask what everybody already knew. Poynter's senior vice president, Kelly McBride, argues the truth should be presented unvarnished. 'When you're covering the President, there are very few moments that are completely unpredictable and unscripted — many more with this President than most, but still — and that was one of them. And I think the record should reflect the entire moment.' His swearing is not something commonly done by presidents. Picture: NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP Few dispute Trump's decision-making style emphasises immediacy and emotional conviction. This has proven effective in rallying supporters and generating an air of decisiveness. Especially when nobody dares to disagree with him. Prime Minister Netanyahu immediately complied with Trump's 'Do not drop those bombs' demand. But his office put a positive spin on things. 'President Trump expressed his immense appreciation for Israel — which achieved all of its war goals. The President also expressed his confidence in the stability of the ceasefire… (So) Israel refrained from further attacks.' But President Putin's mouthpiece was more barbed when his boss was labelled 'absolutely CRAZY!'. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declared: 'We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organising and launching this negotiation process. Of course, at the same time, this is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overstrain and emotional reactions.' Professor Beattie has made up his own mind. 'His decisions seem to be driven by strong emotions,' he observes. 'His response to events, opponents and issues are often passionate and visceral. This could lead to decisions being unduly influenced by personal feelings, first impressions based on arbitrary cues, and interpersonal perceptions, rather than anything more substantial.' Experts have said he is overrun by emotions. Picture: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein The wisdom of The Don Trump rose to the US Presidency out of the knockdown world of real estate and reality television. 'Many suggest that Trump's decision-making style reflects his background in the high-pressure and high-stakes world of business, where quick judgments and gut instinct can be advantageous in these sorts of competitive winner-takes-all environments,' Professor Beattie states. 'But the world at war is a more precarious place, where system one (reactionary thought) needs to be kept more firmly in check. 'Gut instincts may have a role to play, but that old lazy system two (considered thought) needs to be more vigilant. Especially, it would seem, in Trump's case.' Such personalities have other commonly associated traits. 'Commentators have described Trump as both narcissistic and authoritarian,' state John Moores University workplace relations researchers Neil Beasley and Madeleine Pickles. Many do not know what to think of it. Picture: ANGELA WEISS / AFP 'Yet, running parallel to these factors, one character trait is glaringly common among Trump supporters: sycophancy.' Yes-men (and women): They're in every office, busily 'kissing up' and 'kicking down'. 'When leaders are surrounded by 'yes-men', they're deprived of critical input that could challenge assumptions or highlight potential flaws,' Beasley adds. 'This can lead to cognitive entrenchment where decision-makers become overconfident and resistant to change. Bad decisions then proceed unchecked, often escalating into systemic failures.' But the brains behind Trump insist this is all just sour grapes. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said after US forces bombed Iran's nuclear facilities: 'Past presidents wanted to take this action, but they didn't have the guts to make the decision.' Columnist Debra Saunders points out for the Heritage Foundation think-tank that, despite all the hostility between Trump and Europe, 'NATO leaders are praising Trump for pushing for them to increase their contribution to NATO's defence spending'. 'At the time, Trump's remarks seemed a shocking breach of decorum,' she added. 'Now they have the ring of an alarm that needed to be sounded.' Jamie Seidel is a freelance writer | @ Originally published as 'Driven by strong emotions': Psychologists break down Trump's latest bizarre act
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
White House Absolutely Fuming Over Sculpture Showing Trump Dancing With Epstein
The White House failed to see the artistic value of a mysterious installation of a gold 'television' erected in front of the Capitol that plays a video of Donald Trump dancing shoulder-to-shoulder with child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The installation, which was created by unknown artists and is permitted to stay through Sunday, sits where last week's anti-Trump statue 'Dictator Approved' drew similar outrage. Press aide Abigail Jackson unloaded on the anonymous creators. 'Wow, these liberal activists masquerading as 'artists,' are dumber than I thought!' she said in a statement to The Washington Post. 'I've tricked them into taking down their ugly sculpture and replacing it with a beautiful video of the President's legendary dance moves that will bring joy and inspiration to all tourists traversing our National Mall. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' She finished: 'Maybe they will put this on their next sculpture,' she added. The new piece, which features a 15-second loop of Trump's dad dancing, and not just with the late disgraced financier, doubles down on the administration's own words. A plaque quotes last week's White House insistence that Americans are free to display 'so-called 'art,' no matter how ugly it is,' mocking officials who now gripe about being mocked. The stunt's aim, per its National Park Service filing, is 'to demonstrate freedom of speech and artistic expression using political imagery'—and has proven popular with tourists. Just who the artists are remains an art-world whodunit. The National Park Service permit lists a 'Mary Harris,' but no contact details. The Post reports that art sleuths suspect the name is a wink at labor-icon Mary Harris 'Mother' Jones, famous for rattling the powerful a century ago—suggesting the pranksters see themselves as her 21st-century heirs. The golden TV popped up in the same spot as last week's eight-foot statue 'Dictator Approved,' which showed a Trumpian thumbs-up squashing Lady Liberty's crown. That earlier piece quoted authoritarian leaders praising Trump and prompted the original White House crack about 'so-called 'art.'' Similar bronze tiki torches and poop-on-Pelosi-desk tableaux have mysteriously appeared in D.C., Philadelphia, and Portland since autumn, all unsigned but stylistically similar. Trump's cheek-to-cheek history with Epstein has dogged him for years, and his golden two-step with Epstein is hardly random B-roll. The future president socialized with the disgraced financier throughout the 1990s, once calling him a 'terrific guy' who liked 'beautiful women… on the younger side,' and flight logs unsealed during Ghislaine Maxwell's trial listed Trump aboard Epstein's jet seven times. Those links resurfaced this month when Elon Musk blasted on X: 'Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files.' The billionaire Tesla and SpaceX owner claimed the administration is sitting on the documents—a charge which he later deleted, apologizing for going too far. For now, tourists can soak up the D.C. sun watching Trump sway in silence with the sex offender. Meanwhile his press team, which has been approached for comment by the Daily Beast, keeps dancing around the Epstein question—while waiting to see what ignominious installation may pop up next.
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
‘Driven by strong emotions': Psychologists break down Trump's latest bizarre act
President Donald Trump happily dropped the F-bomb. So what does this say about his willingness to use the A-bomb? He's mercurial. He's unpredictable. He's inconsistent. And he's proud of it. The 79-year-old billionaire property developer and former game show host believes it's what sets him apart from America's governing 'elite'. A clearly exasperated Trump took to the White House lawn to blurt: 'We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f**k they're doing.' He was referring to Israel and Iran breaching the deadline for his unilaterally declared ceasefire. It seems to work. At least sometimes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to back down. He thanked the President for his 'immense appreciation for Israel' and decided to 'refrain from further attacks'. But Russian President Vladimir Putin was not so cowed when he was pommeled with similar bluster. The Don's outburst over a breached ceasefire was dismissed as 'emotional overstrain'. That's a matter of personal politics. But Professor of Psychology Geoff Beattie believes such outbursts present a window into Trump's thought processes. 'Trump was clearly furious, and his language showed it,' the Edge Hill University academic writes. 'This was not a verbal slip – there was no immediate correction, no apology, no nonverbal indication of embarrassment. He just stormed off, clearly angry.' It's not what voters generally expect from their elected representatives. Statesmanship may have gone out of vogue decades ago. Along with transparency and accountability. Despite this, President Theodore Roosevelt's mantra of 'speak softly but carry a big stick' has largely remained an unwritten law of Western diplomacy since World War II. 'But Trump showed frustration, barely contained,' Professor Beattie states. 'His furious, aggressive response was like something straight out of an old psychology textbook.' Mind games Human beings have big opinions of themselves. They're supposed to be smart. To be cool, calm, collected. Civilised. After all, that's what's supposed to set them apart from mere animals. 'They find other ways of dealing with their frustrations,' Professor Beattie writes. 'They use their rational system of thought to find solutions… 'Perhaps, that's why many people feel shocked when they watch this US president in certain situations. To many of us, it all seems so basic, so unsophisticated, so frightening.' But Trump's MAGA followers believe it's all part of a mind game. They insist the President employs a sophisticated 'Mad Man' strategy when it comes to his politics, business and personal relationships. Put simply, it keeps his opponents off balance. They never know what to expect. But critics argue the tactic has a critical flaw: the 'Mad Man' card can easily back a player into a corner, where they must either go through with a bluff or lose face. It comes down to what's behind the poker face. Does Trump think fast, automatically - or unconsciously? Professor Beattie says this is evolution's basic, rapid-reaction system. 'It is an intuitive system designed to work in a world full of approach and avoidance, scary animals and friendly animals. It is heavily reliant on affect (emotion) to guide decision-making.' Or is everything Trump does the result of constant calculation? Professor Beattie says this second method of thinking is 'slower, more deliberative. It requires conscious effort and is used for complex thinking, solving difficult problems, or making careful decisions.' Good decisions, he argues, depend upon system two checking the advice of system one. 'But system one often jumps quickly and unconsciously to certain conclusions,' he adds. 'System two should check them, but often doesn't. Even when it would be easy.' Action or reaction? 'It was a startling moment, even coming from a president who has publicly used that word, and other crude language, in the past,' states Tom Jones of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. Mainstream media was all over the unprecedented action taken over Iran's attempt to build an A-bomb. But it couldn't make up its mind on how to cover Trump's F-bomb. Some ran unedited video clips. Others used a dash or dot dot dot to mask what everybody already knew. Poynter's senior vice president, Kelly McBride, argues the truth should be presented unvarnished. 'When you're covering the President, there are very few moments that are completely unpredictable and unscripted — many more with this President than most, but still — and that was one of them. And I think the record should reflect the entire moment.' Few dispute Trump's decision-making style emphasises immediacy and emotional conviction. This has proven effective in rallying supporters and generating an air of decisiveness. Especially when nobody dares to disagree with him. Prime Minister Netanyahu immediately complied with Trump's 'Do not drop those bombs' demand. But his office put a positive spin on things. 'President Trump expressed his immense appreciation for Israel — which achieved all of its war goals. The President also expressed his confidence in the stability of the ceasefire… (So) Israel refrained from further attacks.' But President Putin's mouthpiece was more barbed when his boss was labelled 'absolutely CRAZY!'. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declared: 'We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organising and launching this negotiation process. Of course, at the same time, this is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overstrain and emotional reactions.' Professor Beattie has made up his own mind. 'His decisions seem to be driven by strong emotions,' he observes. 'His response to events, opponents and issues are often passionate and visceral. This could lead to decisions being unduly influenced by personal feelings, first impressions based on arbitrary cues, and interpersonal perceptions, rather than anything more substantial.' The wisdom of The Don Trump rose to the US Presidency out of the knockdown world of real estate and reality television. 'Many suggest that Trump's decision-making style reflects his background in the high-pressure and high-stakes world of business, where quick judgments and gut instinct can be advantageous in these sorts of competitive winner-takes-all environments,' Professor Beattie states. 'But the world at war is a more precarious place, where system one (reactionary thought) needs to be kept more firmly in check. 'Gut instincts may have a role to play, but that old lazy system two (considered thought) needs to be more vigilant. Especially, it would seem, in Trump's case.' Such personalities have other commonly associated traits. 'Commentators have described Trump as both narcissistic and authoritarian,' state John Moores University workplace relations researchers Neil Beasley and Madeleine Pickles. 'Yet, running parallel to these factors, one character trait is glaringly common among Trump supporters: sycophancy.' Yes-men (and women): They're in every office, busily 'kissing up' and 'kicking down'. 'When leaders are surrounded by 'yes-men', they're deprived of critical input that could challenge assumptions or highlight potential flaws,' Beasley adds. 'This can lead to cognitive entrenchment where decision-makers become overconfident and resistant to change. Bad decisions then proceed unchecked, often escalating into systemic failures.' But the brains behind Trump insist this is all just sour grapes. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said after US forces bombed Iran's nuclear facilities: 'Past presidents wanted to take this action, but they didn't have the guts to make the decision.' Columnist Debra Saunders points out for the Heritage Foundation think-tank that, despite all the hostility between Trump and Europe, 'NATO leaders are praising Trump for pushing for them to increase their contribution to NATO's defence spending'. 'At the time, Trump's remarks seemed a shocking breach of decorum,' she added. 'Now they have the ring of an alarm that needed to be sounded.'
Bloomberg
4 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Trump Turns on ‘Nice' Carney With Canadian Tech Tax Ultimatum
It had all been going so well. Since Mark Carney replaced Justin Trudeau as prime minister, Canada's relationship with the White House appeared to be functional again, on the mend after President Donald Trump's tariffs and overtures about making it the '51st state.'
