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Times
16 minutes ago
- Times
Hopes fade of deal to cut US tariffs on British steel exports
Ministers are increasingly pessimistic about reaching a deal to lower tariffs on UK steel exports to the US before a deadline set by President Trump for later this week. Trump in June exempted British steel and aluminium exports from new 50 per cent tariffs, while giving the UK government five weeks to finalise details of the trade deal. He warned that if an agreement was not completed by then the US 'may increase the applicable rates of duty to 50 per cent … on or after July 9'. • What do steel tariffs mean for UK-US trade deal? Despite talks between the two sides since, no agreement has been reached on what types of steel will be covered by a new zero-tariff quota system agreed in principle under the US-UK trade agreement. There has been concern that the largest steel producer in the UK, Tata Steel, may be ineligible for the scheme because it is not making steel from scratch in Britain as it replaces its old blast furnaces with new electric arc furnaces. The industry is also concerned that despite presently paying the lower 25 per cent tariff rate on imports, many US customers are holding off from making orders in the hope that a zero-tariff agreement will be struck in the coming weeks. Gareth Stace, director-general of UK Steel, the trade group, said the failure to get the deal over the line was costing the industry and time was 'ticking on'. He said: 'Every day of delay costs our steelmakers dearly. Contracts slip away, investment plans stall and uncertainty freezes business decisions. A swift and positive resolution is urgently needed to safeguard jobs, unlock growth and restore confidence in the UK steel sector.' He added: 'While the secretary of state continues to push forward negotiations to remove US tariffs, and we recognise his commitment to the future of the UK steel industry, time is passing without an end in sight.' Senior government sources said there was little optimism that an agreement could be reached on the steel element of the trade deal by Wednesday's deadline but were hopeful that Trump would not respond by increasing tariffs to 50 per cent. 'We are making progress but I think both sides recognise it is going to take a bit more time,' said a source. 'We are hopeful that July 9 is not a hard deadline from the American point of view and while we will not see tariffs fall to zero then neither will we see them double.' • Battle to protect Tata Steel from Trump trade tariffs Sources in the UK said there was a problem with 'bandwidth' within the US administration because July 9 also marks the expiry of the 90-day deadline Trump set countries to do a trade deal with the US or face his 'liberation day' tariffs of up to 50 per cent. So far, only Vietnam has agreed a trade deal in principle although it is possible that more deals will be agreed in the coming days. 'As far as many people in the administration are concerned, the UK deal is basically done,' a source said. 'While agreeing steel and aluminium quotas are critical for us, they are not currently a top priority in Washington.' Last week, Trump said the US would start sending out letters to countries with details of higher tariff rates that would start on August 1. The import duties would range from '60 per cent or 70 per cent tariffs to 10 to 20 per cent tariffs'. He did not say which countries would face the taxes nor whether the rates would only apply to certain goods. 'My inclination is to send a letter out and say what tariff they're going to be paying,' Trump said on Thursday. 'It's just much easier.' He added: 'We're going to be sending some letters out, starting probably tomorrow.'
Daily Mail
36 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump's glamorous right hand woman gives behind-the-scenes access to her life with president
Donald Trump 's glamorous aide, Margo Martin, gave an inside look at her busy life with the president in a new Instagram post. Martin, 29, has been a longtime aide to the president and serves as his Special Assistant and Communications Advisor. She was propelled into the spotlight when a reporter mistook her for Melania Trump at one of the president's Miami court hearings in 2023 and has been a staple in the president's entourage since he started his second term. Martin detailed her jam-packed schedule working for the president in a new video posted on Sunday. 'DAY IN THE LIFE! 5.30am-1.30am in 50 seconds,' she captioned the video that's paired with the song 'Walking on a Dream' by electronic duo Empire of the Sun. 'Thursday, July 3rd, President Trump met with Edan Alexander, American citizen held hostage by Hamas for 584 days. Welcomed the Boston Red Sox to the Oval Office. Traveled to Des Moines, Iowa to kick off a yearlong celebration of America's 250th anniversary.' Martin started the day with a workout at the gym, wearing a black tank top and leggings paired with yellow trainers and her long blonde hair pulled back by a claw clip. She appeared to be drinking from a LIFEWTR Premium Purified Water Bottle, which sells for approximately $2.50, as she walked on the treadmill with her AirPods in. After the gym, Martin prepared herself a cup of coffee in her red Camp David mug using a white single-serve Keurig machine. She did her morning skincare while wearing an orange lobster and bows printed pajama set that retails for $86 on In My Sundays. Martin applied the Dior Backstage Blush to her cheeks, which cost $42 at Sephora and Ulta Beauty. She gave her hair some soft waves using a curling iron, then changed into a dress with a blue top and denim skirt before heading to the White House. The glamourous aide showed viewers around her office, including her desk and giant tumbler cup with the presidential seal. A framed copy Trump's mugshot on the front page of the New York Post was also on display. Martin then captured the president and first lady welcoming Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage in Gaza, who was released in May, to the White House. Afterwards, Martin showed Trump meeting with the struggling Boston Red Sox before heading out on Air Force One. Martin sat next to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Air Force One and ate a salad for lunch She show Trump dancing on stage at the Iowa State Fairgrounds to kick off the 'America 250' celebration She sat with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on the flight to Des Moines to promote his 'Big Beautiful Bill.' For lunch, Martin ate salad topped with steak, hard-boiled eggs, red onion, cucumbers, corn, olives, and a creamy dressing, as well as a fruit tart for dessert. She showed Trump dancing on stage at the Iowa State Fairgrounds to kick off the 'America 250' celebration. Martin treated herself to a lemonade from Campbell's Corn Dog stand before Trump and his team headed back to Air Force One. The team watched Fox News, and Martin dined on another dessert tart, a bowl of ice cream with one scoop of chocolate and one of vanilla, along with an arugula salad. A Liquid IV packet was also on Martin's plate. After landing back in Washington, DC, Martin showed Trump speaking to reporters along since DHS Secretary Kristi Noem before wrapping up their day.
-Elon-Musk-looks-on-during-a-news-conference-with-US-President-Donald-Trump-in-the-Oval-Offic.jpeg%3Ftrim%3D0%2C0%2C0%2C0%26width%3D1200%26height%3D800%26crop%3D1200%3A800&w=3840&q=100)
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
What are the challenges to launching Musk's new ‘America Party'?
Just over a month since he departed the White House, Elon Musk claims to have formed a new political party — but even the world's richest person could face some insurmountable challenges with this new venture, experts warn. Despite leading the Department of Government Efficiency in Donald Trump 's administration for four months, Musk has publicly split from the president as of late, most recently criticizing the 'big, beautiful bill.' On Saturday, the tech billionaire announced on X, the platform he owns, that he was forming a 'new political party' - the America Party. Musk has detailed how this new party would infiltrate the country's long-standing two-party system. 'One way to execute on this would be to laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts,' he explained. 'Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people.' Fellow billionaire Mark Cuban and Trump's former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci have encouraged the idea. But history and institutional barriers suggest it would be unlikely that the 'America Party' would succeed, experts say. 'Third-party movements in the US have generally arisen out of some sort of set of deep-seated grievances,' Alan Abramowitz, a political science professor at Emory University, told CNN. 'It was not just some wealthy person who's decided they wanted to start a third party.' The Democratic and Republican parties aren't the only ones to exist — but history shows alternative party candidates fail to gain traction in presidential elections. Even prominent Independent Senator Bernie Sanders caucuses with Democrats. Jill Stein, for example, served as the Green Party's presidential candidate in 2012, 2016, and 2024. In 2024, she earned 628,129 votes, but no electoral votes. Then there's Ross Perot, who ran as an independent in 1992 and 1996. During his first run, he garnered 19 percent of the popular vote — but still didn't earn an electoral vote. 'Perot did amazingly well … but he didn't come in first in any state, and the way the electoral college works, that means he's got nothing,' Hans Noel, a professor at Georgetown University researching political parties and ideology, told the Washington Post. The most successful third-party candidate in U.S. history was none other than a former president: Theodore Roosevelt. After serving in office as a Republican, he ran again in 1912 as a Progressive Party candidate, garnering 88 electoral votes. He lost to Democrat Woodrow Wilson. More recently, in 1968 George Wallace, who ran as an American Independent candidate, earned 45 electoral votes; Republican Richard Nixon won 301. Following Musk's announcement, some also pointed to more recent examples of third-party runs, like the 'No Labels' party, which failed to find a centrist candidate to take on Donald Trump or Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential race. Republican strategist Melik Abdul responded to Musk's tweet: "'No Labels' was designed to do the very thing you're suggesting. It, too, was a dud.' Abdul added: 'You have the resources to buy influence but lack the charisma and political gravitas to lead a [movement].' But Musk's resources alone may not be enough to secure a new political party due to donation limits. 'One very wealthy individual cannot capitalize a new national political party, the way he might start a business, because of federal contribution limits,' former FEC chair Lee Goodman told CNN. 'The prospect of a wealthy founder seed funding a national party to participate in federal elections around the country is not feasible in the current regulatory system.' Musk may have spent more than $250 million helping Trump get elected during the last cycle. But different rules apply to political parties, Bradley Smith, another former FEC chair, told the outlet: 'You can fund super PACs all you want. But you can't fund a political party, as a strange part of American law.' Abdul's remark that Musk lacks charisma may also serve as a barrier to building a new party. Recent indicators suggest he's not too popular. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took a dig at Musk's new party announcement, telling CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday: "The principles of DOGE were very popular. I think if you looked at the polling, Elon was not." A Quinnipiac Poll taken last month shows just 30 percent of voters have a favorable opinion of the tech billionaire while 57 percent have an unfavorable opinion of him. Among Republicans 62 percent viewed Musk favorably. Some predicted the billionaire could split the GOP vote. "Third parties do not tend to have a long lifetime in American politics. Often, they are bugbears to one particular party, and this might be the case with Musk's proposed America Party," Dafydd Townley, who teaches at the University of Portsmouth, told Newsweek. "If anything, the new party would likely split the Republican vote, potentially resulting in a Democrat-dominated House of Representatives, at least in the short term, due to the winner-takes-all electoral system." If anything's certain, the rocket-building Musk doesn't shy away from a challenge. He appears confident in fighting what appears to be an uphill battle. In response to an X user posting about how he could 'break the two-party stranglehold,' Musk replied: 'Not hard tbh.'
