Can Trump strip Musk, Mamdani and others of their US citizenship?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Qatar Tribune
12 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Trump intensifies trade war with 30% tariffs on EU and Mexico
Agencies President Donald Trump on Saturday imposed a 30 percent tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union starting on August 1 after weeks of negotiations with the key trading allies failed to reach a more comprehensive trade deal. The fresh tariffs were announced in separate letters posted on Truth Social on Saturday. Earlier this week, Trump issued new tariff announcements for a number of countries, including Japan, South Korea, Canada and Brazil, as well as a 50 percent tariff on copper. The EU had hoped to reach a comprehensive trade agreement with the US for the 27-country bloc. The European Union had been bracing for the letter from Trump outlining his planned duties on the United States' largest trade and investment partner after a broadening of his tariff war in recent days. The EU initially hoped to strike a comprehensive trade agreement, including zero-for-zero tariffs on industrial goods, but months of difficult talks have led to the realization it will probably have to settle for an interim agreement and hope something better can still be negotiated. The 27-country bloc is under conflicting pressures as powerhouse Germany urged a quick deal to safeguard its industry, while other EU members, such as France, have said EU negotiators should not cave into a one-sided deal on US terms. Trump's cascade of tariff orders since returning to the White House has begun generating tens of billions of dollars a month in new revenue for the US government. US customs duties revenue shot past $100 billion in the federal fiscal year through to June, according to US Treasury data on Friday. Canada tariff Canada will face a 35 percent tariff on exports to the United States starting August 1, President Donald Trump said in a late-night letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney that upends negotiations between the close allies. The notice was the latest of more than 20 such letters Trump has issued since Monday as he continues to widen a global trade war, adding in an interview that countries which have yet to receive a letter from him would see a 15 percent or 20 percent levy. Canada's 35 percent tariff marks a step up from an existing 25 percent level, but products complying with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) are expected to remain exempt, a Trump administration official told AFP. Canadian energy resources are anticipated to still face a lower levy, the official said, while noting that Trump has yet to make final decisions on the matter. Trump told reporters Friday that Ottawa reached out following the release of his letter: 'I think it was fairly well received. It is what we need. So we'll see what happens.' Canada and the United States have been locked in trade negotiations in hopes of reaching a deal by July 21, but Trump's latest threat appeared to have shifted that deadline. Both Canada and Mexico are trying to find ways to satisfy Trump so the USMCA free trade deal uniting the three countries can be put back on track. 'Throughout the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses. We will continue to do so as we work towards the revised deadline of August 1,' Carney posted Thursday night on X. The USMCA replaced the previous NAFTA accord in July 2020, after Trump successfully pushed for a renegotiation during his first term in office. It was due to be reviewed by July next year, but Trump has thrown the process into disarray by launching trade wars after he returned to office in January. Canadian and Mexican products were swiftly hit by 25 percent US tariffs this year, with a lower rate for Canadian energy. Trump targeted both North American neighbors saying they did not do enough on illegal immigration and the flow of illicit drugs—particularly fentanyl—across borders. Canada contributes less than one percent of the drug to the illicit US supply, according to Canadian and US government data. Trump eventually announced exemptions for goods entering his country under the USMCA, covering a large range of products.
Al Jazeera
15 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Trump threatens to revoke citizenship of US comedian Rosie O'Donnell
United States President Donald Trump has said he might revoke talk-show host Rosie O'Donnell's US citizenship after she criticised his administration's handling of weather forecasting agencies in the wake of the deadly Texas floods. Trump's threats are the latest salvo in a years-long feud the two have waged over social media. 'Because of the fact that Rosie O'Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship,' the US president wrote on his Truth Social platform. Trump has long called for the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, but in recent weeks, he has suggested that he would remove US citizens that he disagrees with from the country. 'She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her. GOD BLESS AMERICA!' Trump wrote. Under the law, a president cannot revoke the citizenship of an American born in the US. O'Donnell was born in New York state. Trump's latest jab at O'Donnell seemed to be in response to a TikTok video she posted this month, mourning the 119 deaths in the July 4 floods in Texas and blaming Trump's widespread cuts to environmental and science agencies involved in forecasting major natural disasters. 'What a horror story in Texas,' O'Donnell said in the video. 'And you know, when the president guts all the early warning systems and the weathering forecast abilities of the government, these are the results that we're gonna start to see on a daily basis.' The Trump administration, as well as local and state officials, have faced mounting questions about whether more could have been done to protect and warn residents in advance of the Texas flooding, which killed at least 120 people earlier this month. Trump, on Friday, visited Texas and defended the government's response to the disaster, saying his agencies 'did an incredible job under the circumstances.' O'Donnell responded to Trump's threat in two posts on her Instagram account, saying: 'the president of the usa has always hated the fact that i see him for who he is – a criminal con man sexual abusing liar out to harm our nation to serve himself.' She added that he opposes her because she 'stands in direct opposition with all he represents'. O'Donnell has been a longtime target of Trump's insults and jabs. In 2014, when she opened up about her weight loss journey, Trump said on X that 'she felt 'shame' at being fat-not politically correct! She killed Star Jones for weight loss surgery, just had it!' During Trump's first presidency, O'Donnell told W magazine that she feared whether she would be able to 'live through' his presidency. Following Trump's inauguration for his second presidential term in January this year, she moved to Ireland earlier this year with her 12-year-old son. In a March TikTok video, she said that she would return to the US 'when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America'. Earlier this month, Trump said he may look at options to deport his former aide-turned-critic, Elon Musk, a naturalised US citizen. And last month, the White House said allegations that Democratic nominee for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has supported 'terrorism' in the past 'should be investigated', with the intent of revoking his citizenship.
Al Jazeera
19 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Iranian FM warns UN sanctions would ‘end' Europe's role in nuclear issue
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned that any snapback of United Nations sanctions on the country 'would signify the end of Europe's role in the Iranian nuclear dossier'. A clause in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and world powers, which United States President Donald Trump torpedoed in 2018 during his first term, allows for UN sanctions to be reimposed if Tehran breaches the deal. Araghchi also said on Saturday that Tehran was reviewing the details of a possible resumption of nuclear talks with the US. 'We are examining its timing, its location, its form, its ingredients, the assurances it requires' from Iran for possible negotiations.' Separately, Araghchi said any talks with major powers would focus only on Iran's nuclear activities, not its military capability. 'If negotiations are held … the subject of the negotiations will be only nuclear and creating confidence in Iran's nuclear programme in return for the lifting of sanctions,' Araghchi told diplomats in Tehran. 'No other issues will be subject to negotiation.' Last month, Israel unleashed large-scale strikes on Tehran's nuclear sites, its military leaders, nuclear scientists and residential areas, killing hundreds. Israel claimed its assault on June 13 was undertaken to 'roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival', according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But Iran said the war was an unprovoked aggression in violation of the UN Charter. In the frenetic days that followed, Iran retaliated, and the two countries exchanged daily barrages of missiles. The US later intervened on Israel's behalf, deploying so-called 'bunker buster' bombs and missiles to target the heavily fortified Fordow facility, as well as Natanz and Isfahan. The final act in the 12-day conflict came when Iran responded by targeting a key US base in Qatar, with Trump announcing a ceasefire in the hours that followed. After the conflict, Iran announced that it was suspending cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, amid a deep distrust for the organisation. Araghchi said on Saturday that cooperation with the nuclear agency 'will take on a new form' after President Masoud Pezeshkian last week signed a law suspending Iran's collaboration with the IAEA. 'Our cooperation with the agency has not stopped, but will take on a new form,' said Araghchi. The new law outlines that any future inspection of Iran's nuclear sites by the IAEA needs approval by the Supreme National Council. On Thursday, Pezeshkian warned that the IAEA had to drop its 'double standards' if it wanted to restore cooperation with Tehran. The president added that 'any repeated aggression against Iran will be met with a more decisive and regrettable response'.
