Mind the Trump Gap: Thank you for your attention
Each of DJT's 200 days in power is a whirlwind of what's next. The atmospherics are somewhat reminiscent of Louis XIV, who declared, "L'état, c'est moi" (The state is me). He too imposed tariffs and partnered with financiers to bolster the French economy. Trump has adopted the Nixonian line on presidential powers. And like Andrew Jackson, Trump leans on the advice of the kitchen cabinet to subjugate the system. In one week, he sacked the Bureau of Labor Statistics chief claiming data was rigged, shunted the chief of the Internal Revenue Service and has wanted to sack Jerome Powell for months.
Notice that Trumpian expressions and idiom are tailored for his base—he said the Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan 'was kissing my ass', nicknamed the US Fed chief Jerome 'too late' Powell, dubbed a Sydney Sweeny ad as the 'hottest' and Taylor Swift 'no longer hot'. The coarseness of language harks to Henry VIII, who infamously called his ex-wife a 'Flanders mare'. As in royal courts, the unprecedented meets with the unexpected and is wrapped in intrigue.
Whether you like him or hate him, Trump theatre is here! Here are a few observations on minding the gaps in his gab. And, as Trump says, 'Thank you for your attention to this matter.'
By design, Trump occupies headlines with panache for utterances that challenge credulity. His whims and rants trigger sharp views on his cognitive conduct. Following the feud with Canada, Ontario Premier Doug Ford pointedly said, 'I think the cheese slips off the cracker with this guy. He wakes up and even people around him are not sure what he's going to do, or say.'
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Indian Express
19 minutes ago
- Indian Express
US team scraps visit, trade talks with India stuck on agri hurdle
The India-US negotiations for a trade deal, which began in February after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the United States, have come to a halt, and the US negotiators' scheduled visit to India later this month stands cancelled, a source aware of the development told The Indian Express. The breakdown in trade talks assumes significance as US President Donald Trump has announced 50 per cent tariff on Indian products, the highest on any country globally. While 25 per cent tariff has already come into effect, government officials have said the levy of another 25 per cent – for Russia oil trade — could depend on 'how geopolitical events unfold'. The Indian Express had first reported on August 8 that the negotiations for a trade agreement had hit a pause, and the arrival of the US trade team was uncertain, as no formal communication had been received from their side. The deal has been stuck over India's long-standing stance of protecting farmers in every trade agreement. The US, under Trump, is prioritising market access for its agricultural products. In his Independence Day speech on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated that India would not compromise on the well-being of its farmers, fisherfolk and cattle keepers, amid the standoff with the US over access for American products in India's agriculture and dairy market. On August 7, too, after Trump announced the additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, Modi had said that he would not compromise 'even if it entailed paying a very heavy personal price'. The geopolitical factor The uncertainty over when the tariffs on India could ease may drag on, as Trump's high-stakes talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin did not result in a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire. However, Trump said he and Putin had made progress during the meeting in Alaska. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that the secondary tariffs on India could increase if 'things don't go well' during the Trump-Putin talks. 'I think everyone has been frustrated with President Putin. We expected that he would come to the table in a more fulsome way. It looks like he may be ready to negotiate. And we put secondary tariffs on the Indians for buying Russian oil. I could see, if things don't go well, then sanctions or secondary tariffs could go up,' Bessent said in an interview with Bloomberg earlier.
Mint
19 minutes ago
- Mint
Donald Trump conveys Putin's demand for more Ukrainian territory to Zelensky: Report
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Zelenskiy said he would meet Trump in Washington on Monday, while Kyiv's European allies welcomed Trump's efforts but vowed to back Ukraine and tighten sanctions on Russia. The source said European leaders had also been invited to attend Monday's talks. Trump's meeting with Putin in Alaska on Friday, the first U.S.-Russia summit since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, lasted just three hours. "It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up," Trump posted on Truth Social. His various comments on the meeting will be welcomed in Moscow, which says it wants a full settlement - not a pause - but that this will be complex because positions are "diametrically opposed". Russia's forces have been gradually advancing for months. The war - the deadliest in Europe for 80 years - has killed or wounded well over a million people from both sides, including thousands of mostly Ukrainian civilians, according to analysts. Before the summit, Trump had said he would not be happy unless a ceasefire was agreed on. But afterwards he said that, after Monday's talks with Zelenskiy, "if all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin". Monday's talks will evoke memories of a meeting in the White House Oval Office in February, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance gave Zelenskiy a brutal public dressing-down. Zelenskiy said he was willing to meet Putin. But Putin signalled no movement in Russia's long-held positions on the war, and made no mention in public of meeting Zelenskiy. His aide Yuri Ushakov told the Russian state news agency TASS a three-way summit had not been discussed. In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Trump signalled that he and Putin had discussed land transfers and security guarantees for Ukraine, and had "largely agreed". "I think we're pretty close to a deal," he said, adding: "Ukraine has to agree to it. Maybe they'll say 'no'." Asked what he would advise Zelenskiy to do, Trump said: "Gotta make a deal." "Look, Russia is a very big power, and they're not," he added. Zelenskiy has consistently said he cannot concede territory without changes to Ukraine's constitution, and Kyiv sees Donetsk's "fortress cities" such as Sloviansk and Kramatorsk as a bulwark against Russian advances into even more regions. Zelenskiy has also insisted on security guarantees for Kyiv, to deter Russia from invading again in the future. He said he and Trump had discussed "positive signals from the American side" on taking part, and that Ukraine needed a lasting peace, not "just another pause" between Russian invasions. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the most interesting developments of the summit concerned security guarantees - inspired by the transatlantic NATO alliance's Article 5. "The starting point of the proposal is the definition of a collective security clause that would allow Ukraine to benefit from the support of all its partners, including the USA, ready to take action in case it is attacked again," she said. Putin, who has hitherto opposed involving foreign ground forces, said he agreed with Trump that Ukraine's security must be "ensured". "I would like to hope that the understanding we have reached will allow us to get closer to that goal and open the way to peace in Ukraine," Putin told a briefing where neither leader took questions. "We expect that Kyiv and the European capitals ... will not attempt to disrupt the emerging progress..." For Putin, the very fact of sitting down with Trump represented a victory. 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"No real progress – a clear 1-0 for Putin – no new sanctions. For the Ukrainians: nothing. For Europe: deeply disappointing." Both Russia and Ukraine carried out overnight air attacks, a daily occurrence, while fighting raged on the front line. Trump told Fox he would postpone imposing tariffs on China for buying Russian oil, but that he might have to "think about it" in two or three weeks. He ended his remarks after the summit by telling Putin: "We'll speak to you very soon and probably see you again very soon." "Next time in Moscow," a smiling Putin responded in English. Trump said he might "get a little heat on that one" but that he could "possibly see it happening". (Additional reporting by Kanishka Singh, Trevor Hunnicutt, Jeff Mason, Lidia Kelly, Jasper Ward, Costas Pitas, Ismail Shakil, Bhargav Acharya, Alan Charlish, Yuliia Dysa, Pavel Polityuk, Gwladys Fouche, Dave Graham, Paul Sandle, Joshua McElwee, Andreas Rinke, Felix Light and Moscow bureau; Writing by Kevin Liffey, Mark Trevelyan, Joseph Ax and James Oliphant; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Gareth Jones)
Hindustan Times
19 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
'Stop the Trump Takeover': Thousands protest across 34 states against President Donald-backed redistricting
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