Donald Trump accused of 'throwing shade' at Prince Harry and Meghan with cryptic quip
Donald Trump has been accused of taking another swipe at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle - this time on his trip to Scotland.
The US president has been visiting his golf courses in both Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire over the last few days - and also holding talks with the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. The pair took part in a joint press conference, where Trump fielded questions on a range of topics as the PM watched on. At one point in the proceedings, Trump began to talk about his love of the Royal Family, with King Charles set to host him on a state visit in the coming weeks.
He said: "Being with Charles, Camilla and everybody, I've got to know a lot of the family members. They are great people. They are really great people."
However, he followed up with: "And in that sense, I think the UK is very lucky, you could have people that weren't great people. I don't know if I can say that, but you could have people that weren't."
And to some on social media, they took his words as "calling out" Harry and Meghan, with Trump known to not be a fan of the Sussexes.
Harry has long been berated by Trump since he and Meghan took the dramatic decision to quit as working royals and move to the United States more than four years ago.
Back in 2020, at the time of the last US election campaign between Mr Trump and Joe Biden, the Sussexes appeared in a video urging Americans to 'vote against hate speech'.
While they did not specifically mention anyone by name, the remarks were interpreted as referring to Mr Trump and therefore an endorsement of Mr Biden, with some claiming it was a breach of the Sandringham Summit agreement, which was written up when the couple quit their royal duties in 2020. Later, Mr Trump spoke out, saying he was "no fan" of Meghan.
Fast forward to earlier this year, Harry has found himself in the centre of a row over his visa, which allows him to live in California.
After admitting to using marijuana, cocaine and psychedelic mushrooms in his controversial memoir Spare, a lawsuit from the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation argued that the US Government should release records about the Duke's US visa application to show whether his drug use was disclosed.
Back in February, Trump ruled out deporting Harry, he took a brutal dig at Harry's wife, Meghan, saying: "I'll leave him alone. He's got enough problems with his wife. She's terrible." And Harry appeared to hit back during a speech at the Invictus Games by criticising the "weak moral character in the world".
After the royals' summer break, Trump will be hosted by the King and Queen at Windsor Castle during his unprecedented second state visit to the UK.
The US president will be accompanied by his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, on his state visit to the UK from September 17 to 19, Buckingham Palace said.
This will be Mr Trump's second state visit to the UK – an unprecedented gesture towards an American leader, having previously been feted by a state visit in 2019. In February this year, Keir Starmer presented the US president with a letter from the King as he invited him for the visit during a meeting at the White House.
As the pair were sat next to each other in the Oval Office, Sir Keir handed the president the personal invitation, later saying, 'This is truly historic and unprecedented'. After reading it, Mr Trump said it was a 'great, great honour', adding 'and that says at Windsor – that's really something'.
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Exclusive: India pauses plans to buy U.S. arms after Trump's tariffs
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One of the people said the defence purchases could go ahead once India had clarity on tariffs and the direction of bilateral ties, but "just not as soon as they were expected to." Written instructions had not been given to pause the purchases, another official said, indicating that Delhi had the option to quickly reverse course, though there was "no forward movement at least for now." India's defence ministry and the Pentagon did not respond to Reuters' questions. Delhi, which has forged a close partnership with America in recent years, has said it is being unfairly targeted and that Washington and its European allies continue to trade with Moscow when it is in their interest. Reuters is reporting for the first time that discussions on India's purchases of Stryker combat vehicles made by General Dynamics Land Systems and Javelin anti-tank missiles developed by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), opens new tab have been paused due to the tariffs. Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in February announced plans to pursue procurement and joint production of those items. Singh had also been planning to announce the purchase of six Boeing P8I reconnaissance aircraft and support systems for the Indian Navy during his now-cancelled trip, two of the people said. Talks over procuring the aircraft in a proposed $3.6 billion deal were at an advanced stage, according to the officials. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics referred queries to the Indian and U.S. governments. Raytheon did not return a request for comment. India's deepening security relationship with the U.S., which is fuelled by their shared strategic rivalry with China, was heralded by many U.S. analysts as one of the key areas of foreign-policy progress in the first Trump administration. Delhi is the world's second-largest arms importer and Russia has traditionally been its top supplier. India has in recent years however, shifted to importing from Western powers like France, Israel and the U.S., according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute think-tank. The shift in suppliers was driven partly by constraints on Russia's ability to export arms, which it is utilizing heavily in its invasion of Ukraine. Some Russian weapons have also performed poorly in the battlefield, according to Western analysts. The broader U.S.-India defence partnership, which includes intelligence sharing and joint military exercises, continues without hiccups, one of the Indian officials said. India also remains open to scaling back on oil imports from Russia and is open to making deals elsewhere, including the U.S., if it can get similar prices, according to two other Indian sources. Trump's threats and rising anti-U.S. nationalism in India have "made it politically difficult for Modi to make the shift from Russia to the U.S.," one of the people said. Nonetheless, discounts on the landing cost of Russian oil have shrunk to the lowest since 2022. India's petroleum ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. While the rupture in U.S.-India ties was abrupt, there have been strains in the relationship. Delhi has repeatedly rebutted Trump's claim that the U.S. brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after four days of fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May. Trump also hosted Pakistan's army chief at the White House in the weeks following the conflict. In recent months, Moscow has been actively pitching Delhi on buying new defence technologies like its S-500 surface-to-air missile system, according to one of the Indian officials, as well as a Russian source familiar with the talks. India currently does not see a need for new arms purchases from Moscow, two Indian officials said. 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Canada is trying to salvage its relationship with Mexico after falling out with Trump
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They've benefited from trilateral trade deals with the U.S. for 31 years: first the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994 and subsequently the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement that replaced it in 2020. But the relationship between the two countries has been beset by allegations of betrayal on both sides and memories of fraught negotiations with Trump. Top officials virtually stopped talking in November after former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mused about cutting a trade deal with the U.S. without Mexico, suggesting the U.S. and Canada were more aligned on issues like China. A few days later, Trudeau flew to Mar-a-Lago for a surprise visit with U.S. President Donald Trump, stunning Mexican officials. It seemed as if Canada had already developed a strategy for dealing with Trump while Mexico was wringing its hands, one Mexican official said. An infuriated Sheinbaum directed her lieutenants to stop dealing with the Canadians, at least until Trudeau left office, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Nine months later, Canada finds itself on the back foot with Trump while Mexico is reveling in its relative success. Last week, Trump gave Mexico a 90-day pause on new tariffs going into effect, keeping the rate at 25%, while raising tariffs on Canada to 35%. Now, in a remarkable about-face, Canadian officials are on a campaign to win back Mexico's favor and save the trilateral trade deal Trudeau suggested he was willing to ditch, according to two people with knowledge of the countries' tense relationship. That treaty continues to shield a large number of Canadian and Mexican exports to the U.S. from Trump's latest rounds of tariffs. Carney said on Tuesday that "it's important to preserve" the trilateral agreement while Canada's foreign minister and finance minister traveled this week to Mexico for a two-day visit with top officials. Asked by Reuters whether the purpose of her visit was to repair shattered ties with Mexico, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said: "It is extremely important for Canada to have a resilient relationship with Mexico, and indeed, I'm here to kick start that relationship." Sheinbaum, on X, reiterated that message. "We're strengthening the relationship between our countries," she wrote. A spokesperson for Sheinbaum declined to comment. Whether they repair their partnership and become a tightly-knit bloc in negotiations with the U.S. will have lasting consequences not only for the three countries but the thousands of companies that depend on free trade in the region, from automakers to medical suppliers, three trade analysts said. 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The source said the bad blood with Mexico stemming from the 2018 negotiations is part of the reason Canadian officials expressed interest last year in a bilateral deal with the U.S. "If there are Mexicans who feel Canada betrayed them, they should look in the mirror." After Trudeau came away from Mar-a-Lago empty-handed at the beginning of the year, the relationship became openly hostile with him and Trump trading barbs. Sheinbaum, meanwhile, insisted on staying on Trump's good side, virtually at any cost, according to three people familiar with her strategy. As the Canadians fell into a deeper rut with Trump, Carney, who replaced Trudeau as prime minister in March, sought to make amends with Mexico by inviting Sheinbaum to attend the Group of 7 summit in Canada. Sheinbaum delayed accepting for nearly three weeks but eventually assented. Trump left the summit early without meeting Sheinbaum, a development that 'worried' Mexico's president, one of her advisors said. Carney's invitation and Sheinbaum's attendance appeared to be a reset of sorts in the two countries' relationship, said Pedro Casas, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico. It sent a 'clear message' that the two leaders are 'in this together,' he said. The Canadian prime minister extended his good-faith gestures to Sheinbaum during their follow-up phone call in July. He told her that the following day Canada would announce limits on imports of steel produced in other countries in an effort to help the country's domestic steel sector, which is reeling from Trump's 50% tariffs. But Carney assured Sheinbaum that the measure wouldn't affect imports from Mexico, according to two people with knowledge of their conversation. 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Trump signs executive order targeting spending on grants
WASHINGTON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order, opens new tab on Thursday to tighten federal grant approvals, with grant award decisions to now undergo evaluation, opens new tab by Trump's political appointees, the White House said. The Trump administration has threatened to cut federal funds for various agencies and educational institutions over a range of issues. These include pro-Palestinian protests against U.S. ally Israel's war in Gaza, climate initiatives, transgender policies and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. The order signed on Thursday and released by the White House said "discretionary awards must, where applicable, demonstrably advance the President's policy priorities." It said subject matter experts would also be involved in decisions on awarding grants. The order criticized DEI programs, assistance for immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, and transgender initiatives. It said federal grants shall not be used to fund "any other initiatives that compromise public safety or promote anti-American values." Rights advocates have raised concerns about Trump's federal funding threats, saying they harm free speech and academic freedom and amount to political interference that can undo decades of progress. Trump and his allies defend his steps by saying his administration is combating ideologies they consider "far left" and "anti-merit."
