Tag: donald trump

EU Retaliates to Trump Steel & Aluminum Tariff by Imposing 50% Tariff on U.S. Spirits

A friend in the spirits business just sent me the following statement:

Distilled Spirits Council President and CEO Chris Swonger Statement in Response to the EU’s Announcement to Reimpose Tariffs on American Whiskey

It seems to me that EU leaders are being weenies once again. Trump imposed tariffs on the importation of EU steel and aluminum into the US because he wants to protect the U.S. steel and aluminum industries. Note that the EU has long maintained 20% VAT and other import duties on American steel and aluminum products, as well as all other US products imported into the EU.

Instead of negotiating about steel and aluminum—which most serious people regard as strategic industries that are critical for maintaining national security—the inveterate weenies at the EU decided to punish the American spirits industry by announcing a 50% import duty.

Punishing Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey distillers strikes me as grossly political, given that these spirits—which are very popular in Europe—are distilled in states that strongly supported Trump in the recent election.

In response to this announcement, Trump threatened to 200% tariff on all alcoholic beverages produced in the EU. I suspect that such a tariff would be absolutely devastating for the German beer industry, the French wine, champagne, and cognac industries, and for the Italian wine industry.

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President Trump’s Tariffs: A New Golden Age For American Aluminum Workers

President Donald Trump specialized in shattering conventional wisdom and challenging the status quo on his road to the White House in 2016. To this day, our president believes Americans are getting ripped off by unfair trade practices where country after country has gotten comfortable taking advantage of the United States due to our unparalleled generosity and wealth. So, he’s focused like a laser beam on fair trade and leveling the playing field so our manufacturing workers can compete with foreign competitors and prosper. President Trump has declared that by implementing targeted tariffs on foreign countries that hurt American workers, “our country will be extremely liquid and rich again.”

Having served as President Trump’s deputy campaign manager in 2016 and as an advisor to his campaigns in 2020 and 2024, I was delighted to see him reelected in 2024 with a huge mandate to fight for our manufacturing sector and usher in a “Golden Age” in America. Make no mistake, our 45th and 47th president is determined to finish the revolution on American trade policy that he began by fixing the mistakes of the Biden-Harris years and strengthening Section 232 tariffs on aluminum and steel. 

As part of the shock-and-awe action of his first one hundred days in office, President Trump signed new proclamations to bolster the fair-trade policy introduced during his historic first term in office. By elevating tariffs to 25% on aluminum and restoring the 25% levy on steel, the Trump administration is making clear that they have the backs of thousands of American aluminum and steel workers and are resolute in their mission to create a multitude of new manufacturing jobs. 

While the globalists in the economic establishment and mainstream media react to targeted tariffs with their customary Trump-deranged hysteria, American manufacturers reacted with both joy and relief because President Trump is making good on another campaign promise. It must be repeated again and again – because the fake news media refuses to tell the truth – that this president supports robust trade, but it must be trade that is fair and reciprocal. This is the linchpin of the policy.

Under the “America Last” mindset of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, foreign countries were free to exploit loopholes in Section 232 to flood the domestic aluminum and steel industry with cheap products. Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Argentina locked arms with D.C. swamp creatures to secure exclusions and exemptions, to the detriment of American workers. Australia’s aluminum exports into the U.S. have increased sharply and at the same time China and Russia have used loopholes to move aluminum through Mexico and Canada to flood our market. As a result of foreign countries cheating, Alcoa announced the permanent closing of its smelter in Washington State. Other closures have included a Century Aluminum plant in Kentucky, which idled production in 2022, and Magnitude 7 Metals in Missouri, which was forced to close in 2024. 

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U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick: Trump Wants No Taxes for Americans Earning Under $150,000 Annually

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick revealed that President Donald Trump aims to abolish federal taxes for all Americans earning under $150,000 annually.

Lutnick made the revelation during an interview with CBS News on Tuesday.

“I know what his goal is: No tax for anybody who makes less than $150,000 a year. That’s his goal. That’s what I’m working for,” Lutnick told CBS, underscoring a vision that would put thousands of dollars back into the pockets of American families.

Lutnick elaborated further in a separate interview with Fox News, detailing how Trump intends to finance this massive tax relief plan while balancing the budget.

According to Lutnick, the Trump administration is focused on driving revenue through tariffs, closing offshore tax scams, and slashing excessive spending, instead of squeezing the middle class for every last penny.

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Trump Backpedals On Controversial Plan: ‘No One Is Expelling Anyone From Gaza’

President Trump in a Wednesday press conference while hosting Irish prime minister Micheál Martin at the White House appeared to backpedal on his plan to turn Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East” by expelling all Palestinian inhabitants. 

Trump told reporters “Nobody is expelling any Palestinians” in response to a question on whether he still stands by his ultra-provocative remarks which were tantamount to calling for ethnic cleansing of the enclave.

“We’re working hard with Israel… to see [how] we can solve the problem,” Trump explained. 

The fresh remarks stand in stark contrast with his earlier February words spoken alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he said, “The US will take over the Gaza Strip… I see it as a long-term ownership position.” He had explained that Palestinians in Gaza would have to leave and be resettled elsewhere.

In the Wednesday back-and-forth with reporters he actually again called Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer a “Palestinian” and then quipped “He used to be Jewish. He’s not Jewish anymore.”

The White House position on Gazans being expelled to other countries is based on the prior explanation that “Gaza is currently uninhabitable and residents cannot humanely live in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance,” in the earlier words of US National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes.

But even many Republicans see the plan as completely unrealistic and absurd, given that for starters it would ensure years more of brutal war, and the likelihood that conflict would spiral over into other Arab countries.

Removal of the debris which has piled up in the demolished Strip could take years or even decades…

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Canada’s Navy Sails With US Ships as Trump Talks Annexation

As Donald Trump seeks to cripple Canada economically to pursue annexation, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) is assisting the US bid to stoke war with China. With far-right Trump supporters calling for the US to invade, Canada continues to assist US belligerence in Asia.

Last month HMCS Ottawa transited through the Taiwan Strait with a US warship. It was the first non-US warship to make the provocative move in 2025. A Chinese Navy commander claimed Canada’s actions “deliberately disturbed the situation and undermined the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait.”

It’s the sixth time an RCN vessel has transited through the waterway since Canada released its Indo Pacific Strategy in November 2022. The Indo Pacific Strategy calls on Canada to augment the regular number of warships in east Asia from one to three vessels.

A few days before traversing the Taiwan Strait HMCS Ottawa participated in a joint exercise with US and Filipino ships in the Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone. They said it “underscores our shared commitments to upholding the right to freedom of navigation…as well as respect for maritime rights under international law as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”

A month ago the Associated Press reported that Ottawa and Manila are in the final stages of negotiating a defense pact to boost joint military exercises. Canada’s ambassador in the Philippines David Hartman said the agreement “will enable us to have even more substantive participation in joint and multilateral training exercises and operations with the Philippines and allies here in the region.”

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Trump Sues Capital One: Banking Giant Accused of Political Bias

President Donald Trump’s business trust has taken legal action against Capital One, accusing the bank of shutting down its accounts in 2021 due to political bias, allegedly inflicting significant financial damage.

Filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on Friday, the lawsuit, brought by the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust and Eric Trump, alleges that the Virginia-based lender violated consumer protection laws in Florida and other states. The plaintiffs seek financial compensation for what they describe as an unjustified move that disrupted their business operations.

According to the lawsuit, Capital One informed Trump’s business in March 2021 that it would be closing hundreds of accounts holding millions of dollars within two months. The legal complaint broadens its argument by asserting that individuals and businesses across the country are being denied access to financial services due to their political views.

We obtained a copy of the lawsuit for you here.

“Plaintiffs have reason to believe that Capital One’s unilateral decision came about as a result of political and social motivations and Capital One’s unsubstantiated, ‘woke’ beliefs that it needed to distance itself from President Trump and his conservative political views,” the lawsuit states.

The filing further alleges that Capital One’s decision reflects an industry-wide trend aimed at pressuring individuals and businesses to conform to certain political ideologies. “Capital One’s conduct is but one example of a systemic, subversive industry practice that aims to coerce the public to shift and re-align their political views,” it claims.

However, Capital One has denied these allegations, asserting that its actions were not politically motivated. “Capital One has not and does not close customer accounts for political reasons,” a spokesperson for the bank said in a statement.

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Congressman Thomas Massie Faces Trump’s Wrath Over Dual Citizenship Proposal and AIPAC Stance

U.S. Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) has found himself at the center of a political firestorm after proposing a ban on dual citizenship for lawmakers, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from President Donald Trump and highlighted Massie’s ongoing tensions with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). The libertarian-leaning Kentucky congressman, known for his independent streak, has taken no financial contributions from AIPAC, a pro-Israel lobbying group, which some of his supporters claim has made him a target for political retaliation.

Massie’s proposal, first publicized in August 2024 via a post on X, calls for members of Congress who hold dual citizenship to renounce citizenship in all other countries. At a minimum, he argued, they should disclose such statuses and abstain from votes that specifically benefit those nations. “Dual citizens elected to United States Congress should renounce citizenship in all other countries,” Massie wrote, igniting a debate about loyalty and influence in American politics. While the proposal has not yet been formally introduced as legislation, it has gained traction among some conservative and populist circles, who see it as a way to ensure lawmakers prioritize U.S. interests.

The controversy escalated on March 10, 2025, when Trump announced on Truth Social that he would “lead the charge” to primary Massie, accusing the congressman of being an “automatic ‘NO’ vote on just about everything” and comparing him to former Representative Liz Cheney, whom Trump successfully helped oust in 2022. Trump’s ire appears to stem from Massie’s refusal to support a short-term government funding bill backed by the president, as well as his broader history of bucking party leadership. However, posts on X and comments from Massie’s supporters suggest that his stance on dual citizenship and his rejection of AIPAC funding may also be fueling the conflict.

AIPAC, a powerful lobbying organization that spent over $100 million in the 2024 election cycle to support pro-Israel candidates, has had a fraught relationship with Massie. In a June 2024 interview with Tucker Carlson, Massie claimed that every Republican congressman except him has an “AIPAC babysitter” – a liaison who lobbies them on behalf of the group’s interests. He has also criticized U.S. military aid to Israel, notably boycotting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress in July 2024 and calling for Israel to fund its own weapons if it targets civilian infrastructure in Lebanon. AIPAC, in turn, has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on attack ads against Massie in past primaries, though he easily won reelection in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District in November 2024 with no Democratic opponent.

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Trump seeks minerals refining on Pentagon bases to boost US output, sources say

U.S. President Donald Trump aims to build metals refining facilities on Pentagon military bases as part of his plan to boost domestic production of critical minerals and offset China’s control of the sector, two senior administration officials told Reuters.

The move is one of several planned for an executive order Trump could sign as soon as Wednesday after he told the U.S. Congress last week he would “take historic action to dramatically expand production of critical minerals and rare earths here in the USA.”

As part of the order, the Pentagon would work with other federal agencies to install processing facilities on its bases, according to the sources, who were not authorized to publicly discuss the administration’s deliberations.

Using military bases for processing would underscore the importance Trump is placing on critical minerals for national security. Fighter jets, submarines, bullets and other weaponry used by the U.S. military are built with minerals processed by Beijing.

Trump also plans to name a critical minerals czar, similar to steps previous presidents have taken to coordinate Washington’s focus on other areas, according to one of the sources. The plans are under discussion and could change before Trump signs the order, the sources added.

Some Trump administration officials were spooked by initial signs that China might restrict critical minerals exports as part of its retaliation for Trump’s tariffs or for other reasons, according to a person familiar with their thinking.

The U.S. National Security Council did not respond to requests for comment.

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Trump’s DOJ Launches Investigation Into Soaring Egg Prices

The Department of Justice under President Trump has officially launched an investigation into the staggering surge in egg prices, which is expected to rise by more than 40% in 2025.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, the DOJ has sent letters to major egg producers, demanding they preserve documents related to their pricing discussions with customers and competitors, as well as communications with Expana—formerly Urner Barry—a business publisher that tracks egg prices.

The investigation appears to be focused on determining whether major egg companies colluded to restrict supply and artificially inflate prices while raking in record-breaking profits.

The Biden administration’s economic disaster has already led to a crippling increase in food prices that have burdened American families. When Biden took office in January 2021, the average cost of a dozen eggs was just $1.47.

Fast forward to December 2024, and that same carton costs $4.15—a nearly 200% increase, according to the Federal Reserve of St. Louis.

Now, with some stores pricing a dozen eggs at $10 or higher, the Trump administration is stepping in to determine whether corporate price gouging has worsened the crisis.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest data indicates that the national average price of eggs has soared to an alarming $6.85.

According to ABC7, one company that has greatly benefited from this crisis is Cal-Maine Foods, the largest producer of fresh eggs in the United States.

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US Air Force Forced to Scramble F-16s Again After Two Aircraft Violates Airspace Near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago

In what is becoming an alarming pattern, U.S. Air Force F-16s once again had to intercept a civilian aircraft for violating restricted airspace near President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence this weekend.

This marks the second incursion in just two days.

The first incident occurred at approximately 8:50 a.m. on Saturday when a general aviation aircraft entered the restricted airspace. NORAD F-16s responded promptly, escorting the aircraft out of the area without further incident.

“NORAD and the FAA work closely together to keep the skies over America safe, with close attention paid to areas with Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR),’’ said Gen. Gregory Guillot, Commander, NORAD and US Northern Command.

“Adherence to TFR procedures is essential to ensure flight safety, national security, and the security of the President. The procedures are not optional, and the excessive number of recent TFR violations indicates many civil aviators are not reading Notice to Airmen, or NOTAMs, before each flight as required by the FAA, and has resulted in multiple responses by NORAD fighter aircraft to guide offending aircraft out of the TFR. Should the pilot of an aircraft happen to find itself intercepted by one of fighters or helicopters, they should immediately come up on frequency 121.5 or 243.0 and turn around to reverse course until receiving additional instructions on one of those frequencies.”

The second violation took place around 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, involving another civilian aircraft breaching the TFR.

According to a press release from NORAD, F-16s from the Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR) were deployed to intercept and escort the rogue aircraft out of the area.

During the interception, the F-16s deployed flares, to capture the pilot’s attention before safely guiding the aircraft out of the restricted zone.

“NORAD and the FAA work closely together to keep the skies over America safe, with close attention paid to areas with Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR),’’ said Gen. Gregory Guillot, Commander, NORAD and US Northern Command.

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