President Trump says he hears input from Melania Trump on Putin and Russia
While discussing new actions and threats aimed at pressuring Moscow to agree to a ceasefire deal, Trump twice on July 14 referenced remarks that Melania Trump ‒ who tends to keep a low profile ‒ has made to him in private about Russia's attacks.
"I go home, I tell the first lady, 'You know, I spoke to Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation.' And she said, 'Oh really? Another city was just hit,'" Trump said during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office.
More: Trump to send Ukraine weapons through NATO, threatens secondary tariffs on Russia
About an hour later, Trump told a similar story at a luncheon with the White House Faith Office, as he recounted the numerous times he thought a Russia-Ukraine peace deal was imminent.
"I'd get home, I'd say, 'First lady, I had the most wonderful talk with Vladimir. I think we're finished.' And then I'll turn on the television, or she'll say to me one time, 'Wow, that's strange because they just bombed a nursing home,'" Trump said, prompting laughs among the crowd at the White House State Dining Room.
More: Trump said he'd end Ukraine war in 24 hours. Now his patience with Putin is wearing thin.
Growing increasingly frustrated by Putin, Trump on Monday threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Russia and its trading partners if a ceasefire is not reached in 50 days. He also pledged that the United States would send weapons to NATO to assist in Ukraine's war efforts.
'I'm disappointed in President Putin because I thought we would have had a deal two months ago, but it doesn't seem to get there," said Trump, continuing his recent criticism of the Russian president.
More: Trump says he threatened to bomb Moscow if Putin invaded Ukraine, new audio shows
Trump said Putin is a "tough guy" who has "fooled a lot of people" over the years, but "he didn't fool me." The president indicated he's weary of fruitless negotiations and said he wants "action."
Melania Trump, a native of Slovenia, typically refrains from weighing in publicly on political and international affairs. Like she did during her husband's first term in office, she has often been absent from the White House since Trump's return to Washington.
Melania Trump last Friday joined her husband during a visit to Central Texas to meet with families of victims who died in recent devastating floods there. The first couple also attended Sunday's FIFA Club World Cup together at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A MAGA Voter's Reddit Post Breaking Down 5 Reasons They'll Be Voting "All Blue" In The Midterms Is Going Viral
As of late, Donald Trump's MAGA base has NOT been happy with him. From his mishandling of the Epstein files to bombing Iran, Trump seems to be backtracking on many of his campaign promises, and his support, even from high-profile names, is slipping. A Reddit post by a MAGA voter has recently gone viral for breaking down five reasons why they are abandoning Trump and planning to vote blue in the 2026 midterms. Related: At the start of the post, the MAGA voter explained their last-minute decision to vote for Trump on Election Day... They described feeling that Trump "got his ass beat" by Kamala Harris in the presidential debate, but did not like that the DNC was "open to big corporations and corporate donors." Their decision to vote for Trump also was inspired by Trump joining forces with RFK Jr., which they felt could improve nutrition policies. "Nutrition is a huge thing for me..." Related: The MAGA voter also assumed that Trump could end the Ukraine/Russia war due to his close relationship with Vladimir Putin. "I felt Trump would calm down the Ukraine/Russia basically say 'stop this shit' and create a calmer world for us." But, according to the MAGA voter, everything went south with the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files. "Guy thinks we're stupid. He campaigns on the Epstein files, realizes he's on there and now is telling us to stop worrying about it." The White House has called the Wall Street Journal's claim that Trump was notified by the Attorney General that his name was in the Epstein files a "fake news story." Related: The MAGA voter also called out Trump's attempts to get rid of the Department of Education. "I know he brought this up during his campaign, but I thought he'd be sensible enough to work across the aisle with Democrats on this matter, but this is insane." They also called out Trump's "Big, Beautiful, Bill" that they described as "abhorrently terrible." As well as Trump's tariffs increasing costs for young people. "Wtf is this guy thinking other countries will pay more. We're the ones having to foot the cost." They took issue with Trump's immigration and deportation policies call them "messed up," because Trump has given ICE "free will to do whatever." Related: And finally, the post ended with a promise to abandon Trump in the midterms. "I will absolutely be voting all blue come the midterms and will be voting for a sensible democrat next election." After reading the post, most people in the comments were not exactly applauding the MAGA voter for their switch-up. "Wow, this is someone who even seems to have paid more attention than most, but also somehow discounted 99% of things Trump said he'd do. I just can't with that level of cognitive dissonance," one user said. "'She didn't have any ideas that I considered fresh and new, so I figured I may as well vote for the guy who babbled utter nonsense instead,'" another user wrote sarcastically, referencing the voter's comments on the presidential debate. "This sounds like a lot of people in my family's rationale for voting Trump, who should have had enough common sense to think things through. They'll never admit they're wrong and vote democrat though. At least this person realized they were wrong, albeit way too late," this user wrote. "They really give him too much credit thinking these pie in the sky thoughts that'd he abolish everything he said he would, and replace it all with something way better, which he never had a plan to do." What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below. Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds:
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
U.S. slaps 20.56% anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber
The U.S. Commerce Department has decided to hike anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood to 20.56 per cent, with B.C. lumber organizations calling them unjustified, punitive and protectionist. The hiked softwood lumber duties come amid the growing trade war between Canada and the U.S., and represent the latest blow to B.C.'s beleaguered forestry industry. B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar described the long-awaited rate hike as a "gut punch" for B.C.'s forestry industry which has seen thousands of workers laid off over the last few years. "U.S. President Donald Trump has made it his mission to destroy Canada's economy, and there is no sector that has faced more of that than the forestry sector," he told CBC News. "This is a big deal for our workers. This is going to have a significant impact. It will lead to curtailments," he added. The B.C. government has been urging the federal government to prioritize the softwood lumber industry in trade discussions with the U.S., and Parmar said the hiked duties would also impact U.S. homeowners needing lumber to rebuild or renovate their homes. "This is going to mean that Americans, in particular middle-class Americans, are going to be paying more to the tune of $15,000 to $20,000 more USD to purchase or to build a home." The B.C. Lumber Trade Council says in a statement that if the U.S. department's pending review on countervailing duties is in line with its preliminary results, the combined rate against Canadian softwood shipped to the United States will be well over 30 per cent. In April, the preliminary combined rate on Canadian softwood lumber was reported to be 34.45 per cent, up from the previous 14.54 per cent. Friday's decision is a final determination, with Parmar saying it would go into effect in the U.S. Federal Register shortly.U.S. lumber producers have long maintained that Canadian stumpage fees, for harvesting on Crown land, are an unfair government subsidy. B.C.'s Independent Wood Processors Association says in a statement that the U.S. Commerce Department's decision this week to raise duties also includes a requirement for Canadian companies to retroactively remit duties for products shipped to the United States since Jan.1, 2023. WATCH | B.C. premier urges feds to prioritze lumber deal: Association chair Andy Rielly says in a statement that the requirement to pay duties on products shipped in the last 31 months could not only force small B.C. producers to shut down, but may also threaten operators' personal assets as they may have to risk using their homes as collateral to secure bonds to pay. Prime Minister Mark Carney said earlier this month that a future trade agreement with the United States could include quotas on softwood lumber, an area that has caused friction between the two countries for years before the latest trade war. Producer urges province to change conditions The United States has long been the single largest market for B.C. lumber exports, representing over half the market for the approximately $10-billion industry. But amid a series of challenges for the province's forestry industry — including a mountain pine beetle infestation that has killed hundreds of thousands of trees — mills have been closing around the province in recent years, and major forestry companies are opening up new mills in the United States. In 2023, numbers from Statistics Canada showed B.C. had lost more than 40,000 forest-sector jobs since the early 1990s. Kim Haakstad, the CEO of the B.C. Council of Forest Industries, said the B.C. government should work to improve the production environment in the province to prevent future mill closures. In a statement, the council said that by activating timber sales, fast-tracking permits and cutting through regulatory gridlock, the province could send a signal that it is serious about rebuilding a sustainable forest argued that if the industry could get production levels back to historic levels, it could help keep forestry-dependent communities vibrant into the future. "That will bring more than $300 million to the provincial government, as well, to help address the deficit situation we're in," Haakstad said. Kurt Niquidet, the president of the B.C. Lumber Trade Council, highlighted that Trump also has initiated a federal investigation into the U.S. imports of lumber and timber citing "national security," which could further impact B.C.'s forestry industry when combined with the tariffs. "Softwood lumber is quite important for the United States. They can only supply about 70 per cent of their softwood lumber demand, and they're importing 30 per cent from elsewhere," he told CBC News. "25 per cent of that's really coming from Canada, and British Columbia is the largest softwood lumber producer within Canada."
Fox News
27 minutes ago
- Fox News
Bongino promises a ‘dignified effort at truth' in cryptic X message
Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson discusses President Donald Trump's visit to Scotland, Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino's social media post on potential investigations and more on 'Fox Report Weekend.'
