The former New Jersey governor said Trump just wanted 'someone to blame' for poor job numbers.
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Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump Calls Vance His ‘Most Likely' MAGA Heir
President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance at an event to establish a task force for the 2028 Olympic Games in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., on August 5, 2025. Credit - Win McNamee—Getty Images President Donald Trump may be looking at Vice President J.D. Vance to take the reins of his Make America Great Again movement in the future. 'Well, I think most likely,' Trump said when asked if Vance was MAGA's heir-apparent at a White House event on Tuesday. 'In all fairness, he's the Vice President.' He also suggested that Marco Rubio—who currently serves as the Secretary of State, acting National Security Adviser, and acting Archivist of the U.S.—could join Vance on a future Republican ticket as 'somebody that maybe would get together with J.D. in some form.' But he stopped short of endorsing any specific candidate for 2028. It's the closest Trump has come to explicitly backing Vance for a future presidential run. When he was asked in February if he viewed Vance as his successor, Trump said, 'No, but he's very capable.' Trump said at the time that it was 'too early' to think about 2028. 'I also think we have incredible people, some of the people on the stage right here,' Trump said Tuesday, while he stood near Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi, among others. 'So it's too early, obviously, to talk about it, but certainly he's doing a great job, and he would be probably favored at this point.' Trump had previously named Vance and Rubio as potential successors in May. Trump's latest comment comes after Rubio said last month that Vance 'would be a great nominee if he decides he wants to do that.' Rubio, who ran for President in 2016, downplayed his own presidential ambitions in an interview with Fox News, saying that he was focused on his current role as Secretary of State and would be satisfied if that was the 'apex' of his public service career. Still, he added, 'you never know what the future holds; you never rule things out.' It also comes after Trump said Tuesday on CNBC that he would 'probably not' run again for President. The President and his allies have floated the idea of a third term on several occasions. Doing so is barred by the Constitution's 22nd Amendment, but Trump has repeatedly teased that there are 'methods' he could employ to get around that. Contact us at letters@
CNBC
9 minutes ago
- CNBC
War-weary Syria will be hurt further by Trump's 41% tariff rate — the highest on earth
In May, speaking to a rapt crowd in the Ritz-Carlton Riyadh, U.S. President Donald Trump stunned listeners by announcing he would be ordering the full lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria, many of which had been in place for decades. "Now, it's their time to shine ... Good luck Syria," Trump said. Less than three months later, the Trump administration hit Syria with the highest tariff rate of any country in the world: 41%. Syria has very little trade with the U.S. because of long-held sanctions, but some trade between the two does exist. In 2023, Syria exported $11.3 million worth of goods to the U.S., according to the Observatory for Economic Complexity, and imported $1.29 million worth of American goods, technically giving the U.S. a trade deficit with the impoverished Middle Eastern country. Trump says the levies his administration imposes — which were based on a widely criticized calculation applied to each country in April using trade deficit figures — are meant to address trade imbalances. He has not commented specifically on the case of Syria. But as it faces the specter of rebuilding its devastated state after 13 years of war under a new government with a very shaky hold on power, the country needs all the help it can get, regional analysts say — not further punishment. "After years of devastating civil war, the country is in urgent need of substantial foreign direct investment to begin the long and difficult process of reconstruction and development," Giorgio Cafiero, CEO of risk consulting firm Gulf State Analytics, told CNBC. "While the recent lifting of many U.S., U.K., and EU sanctions was a welcome development for Damascus' economic ambitions, Washington's imposition of steep tariffs now threatens to restrict any potential for meaningful trade with the United States." Syria had been designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. government since 1979. U.S. sanctions were imposed on the country in 2004 and again in 2011, after the regime of then-President Bashar Assad launched a brutal crackdown on anti-government uprisings. In the roughly 14 years since, the country has been devastated by civil war, sectarian violence and brutal terrorist attacks, with the Islamic State taking over parts of the country in 2014 and a subsequent Western-led bombing campaign to eradicate the extremist group. The toppling of the Assad regime during a shock offensive by anti-Assad militia groups in December 2024 stunned the global community and brought about the prospect of a new beginning for the devastated country. Syria's new President Ahmed al-Sharaa — a former al-Qaeda member who describes himself as reformed — currently leads the country's transitional government. Syria remained under myriad international sanctions, but those imposed by the U.S. were the most severe, as they applied to third parties as well, deterring other countries and groups from transacting with the country. Most recently, since Trump's official lifting of sanctions in June, Syria has hosted delegations from several countries including the U.S. and wealthy Gulf states pledging support and investment for reconstruction. At the same time, it's been beset by outbursts of sectarian violence in different parts of the country and volleys of Israeli bombings. More than two-thirds of Syria's electricity grid is non-functional, according to aid organizations, with major cities like Aleppo and Damascus facing blackouts for more than 20 hours a day. In many rural and conflict-ridden areas, there is no power at all. "This isn't an economy that is struggling as much as it's an economy that seems to be almost constantly over the last few months, on the verge of collapse, unless very active steps are taken in order to buttress it and give it a chance to recover," said H.A. Hellyer, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London. "So any step that deviates from that, I think, is very dangerous." Qatar recently announced a project by which its development fund will purchase gas and provide it to Syria — transported via Azerbaijan and Turkey — to support more than 5 million people, with the expectation of improving daily power supply by as much as 40%. Fahad Al-Sulaiti, the director general of Qatar Fund for Development, described how Damascus will need to lean heavily on aid from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Nations — particularly now that tariffs will harm the possibility of developing beneficial trade ties with the U.S. He also said Qatar was in close contact with the U.S. government to enable support for Syria. "We work very closely with our partners in the United States. That's why from day one ... we work very close with the Treasury Department ... we're taking with them to create a good economic system," Al-Sulaiti told CNBC. Economic observers note that the 41% tariff itself will have little actual impact on Syria's devastated economy, since bilateral trade between the two countries is so negligible. "But the symbolism behind this decision carries far greater weight than the trade figures suggest," Cafiero said. "The fact that Syria was singled out for the highest tariffs — even after the easing of most sanctions — sends a clear and calculated message from the Trump administration: Washington is willing to loosen its economic grip on a post-regime change Syria, but only under conditions defined by the White House." One interpretation, Cafiero suggested, is that the tariffs could be a way to pressure Damascus into normalizing relations with Israel, which has been attacking and occupying parts of Syria. "In this sense," he said, "the economic policy resembles a kind of 'leash,' designed to be adjusted in response to the political behavior of the al-Sharaa government and broader developments on the ground." Security analysts warn that instability in parts of the country could tip it back into outright war and far greater humanitarian crisis if it does not get the support — economic, humanitarian and diplomatic — that it needs. U.S. envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, has expressed his and Washington's full support for Syria and the Al Sharaa government, and recently announced U.S. and Qatari-backed investment initiatives into the country. It is not clear whether he supports his administration's imposition of tariffs on the country; the State Department and White House did not respond to CNBC requests for comment. Ultimately, the tariffs themselves may have limited immediate economic consequences, but "their psychological and diplomatic impact should not be underestimated," Cafiero cautioned. "My read is that they reflect Washington's intent to retain leverage over Syria's future."
CNN
9 minutes ago
- CNN
Trump reignites threat to take over DC after former DOGE worker assaulted in attempted carjacking
Donald Trump DOGEFacebookTweetLink Follow President Donald Trump on Tuesday reignited his threat for the federal government to 'run' Washington, DC, after a former Department of Government Efficiency employee was assaulted in an attempted carjacking. 'I have to say that somebody from DOGE was very badly hurt … A young man who was beat up by a bunch of thugs in DC, and either they're gonna straighten their act out in the terms of government and in terms of protection or we're gonna have to federalize and run it the way it's supposed to be run,' Trump told reporters Tuesday. Edward Coristine, the 19-year-old former DOGE worker once known by the online moniker 'Big Balls,' and another individual were assaulted in an attempted carjacking on Sunday, according to a DC Police Department incident report obtained by CNN affiliate WUSA. Police saw a group of around 10 juveniles surround Coristine's vehicle and assault him, the incident report said. When police exited their vehicle, the juveniles ran away. Two 15-year-olds 'were arrested and charged with Unarmed Carjacking,' according to DC police. Coristine earlier this year was tapped to take part in a sweeping overhaul of the US government through DOGE, CNN previously reported, working as a 'senior advisor' with access to various departments, including Homeland Security, FEMA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Coristine joined the Social Security Administration earlier this summer to work on its website, an agency spokesperson told CNN in June. 'Crime in Washington, D.C., is totally out of control. Local 'youths' and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released. They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it's going to happen now!' Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social. 'The Law in D.C. must be changed to prosecute these 'minors' as adults, and lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14,' Trump said. Trump continued: 'If D.C. doesn't get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they're not going to get away with it anymore. Perhaps it should have been done a long time ago, then this incredible young man, and so many others, would not have had to go through the horrors of Violent Crime. If this continues, I am going to exert my powers, and FEDERALIZE this City.' DC Mayor Muriel Bowser's office declined to comment on Trump's remarks when reached by CNN. Billionaire Elon Musk – who previously led DOGE – joined in the president's criticism, writing in a post on X, 'It is time to federalize DC.' Trump's rekindled warning comes has Bowser, a leading figure in the Democratic resistance during the president's first term, has treaded carefully through Trump's second term. CNN previously reported Bowser has faced criticism from some local officials for her less defiant approach. Bowser in March announced the removal of the Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington after Republicans in Congress threatened to withhold funding for the district if it kept the two-block mural intact. The mayor told CNN at the time, 'We have bigger fish to fry,' citing the looming financial and existential crises her city suddenly faces under Trump. Earlier this year, Trump said that the federal government should 'take over' DC. 'I think that we should govern District of Columbia. It's so important, the DC situation. I think that we should run it strong, run it with law and order. Make it absolutely, flawlessly beautiful. And I think we should take over Washington, DC,' Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One in February. 'Make it safe. People are getting killed. People are being hurt. You have a great police department there, but somehow, they're not utilized properly.' In March, Trump signed an executive order establishing a 'D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force,' aiming to ensure federal participation in a number of city issues, including maximum enforcement of federal immigration laws and beefing up federal and local law enforcement presence in certain areas. The order aims to ensure that 'all applicable quality of life, nuisance, and public-safety laws are strictly enforced,' including crimes involving assault, battery, larceny, graffiti, public intoxication and more.
