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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fox News White House correspondents share shock over Karine Jean-Pierre's party switch
Former Biden White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stunned political circles by announcing she is leaving the Democratic Party and re-branding herself as an independent. The move, unveiled alongside the upcoming launch of her new book, also shocked the Fox News White House correspondents who covered her closely and set off a firestorm with their Biden-era sources. "I found her, behind the scenes, to be a very nice person," senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy recalled on "America's Newsroom" Thursday. "But it doesn't seem like anybody that worked with her thinks that, because the knives are out." Biden-era White House Reporters Express Disbelief On Karine Jean-pierre's Sudden Party Switch Doocy revealed he's received a barrage of texts from Biden administration figures blindsided by Jean-Pierre's decision and angered by her criticisms of her former team. "If you told me a year ago that people that worked for Joe Biden or Kamala Harris would be sending me this, I never would have believed it," he said. Read On The Fox News App Fox News senior White House correspondent and White House Jacqui Heinrich echoed Doocy's sentiment, saying her sources were equally surprised by Jean-Pierre's announcement and her disavowal of the administration's messaging, which she helped bolster for years. Former Biden Officials Ridicule Karine Jean-pierre's Book As 'Bizarre Cash Grab' Jean-Pierre's political shift comes ahead of her new book "Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines," which promises an insider account of her time in the Biden administration. The book's publisher writes that the memoir will focus on the "three weeks that led to Biden's abandoning his bid for a second term and the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to his decision." Karine Jean-pierre Ripped Over 'Firing Squad' Recap Of Biden's Exit From Race: 'Still Doesn't Understand' Jean-Pierre often had a visibly tense relationship with members of the press corps and was a staunch defender of Biden. She repeatedly defended the former president against growing concerns over his mental acuity and physical health, which she frequently brushed off as baseless speculation. In a video promoting the book, Jean-Pierre declared her departure from party politics: "I think we need to stop thinking in boxes and think outside of our boxes and not be so partisan," she said. Jesse Watters Unpacks Karine Jean-pierre's 'Backstabbing Book' Heinrich, however, questioned the authenticity of that transformation, suggesting her actions in office don't align with her new message. Karine Jean-pierre Compares Democrats Calling For Biden To Be Kicked Off The Ticket To A 'Firing Squad' "I would be really surprised to learn if there was anything independent about Karine Jean-Pierre," she said. "Including her ability to think through things without the answers in a book in front of her, after sitting in that press briefing room for four years." Heinrich, a board member for the White House Correspondents' Association, asked how Jean-Pierre could now claim "moral clarity" after serving as the face of the White House's messaging. "For her now to suggest that it's time to move away from the partisanship of this White House and take a real step back from that… I would be curious to know who she's going to paint as the chief messenger of that when she was the face of all of that, when we were in there." "There was an easy fix," Doocy added. "If she really thought that the White House was 'broken,' she could have quit."Original article source: Fox News White House correspondents share shock over Karine Jean-Pierre's party switch
The Hill
25-05-2025
- Business
- The Hill
EU seeks to lower Trump trade tensions
The European Union on Sunday sought to lower tensions with the White House over trade, with the body's executive announcing a positive call with President Trump just says after he threatened a 50 percent tariff on Europe's imports to the United States. 'Good call with @POTUS,' European Commission President Ursula von der Leven wrote in a post on X. 'The EU and US share the world's most consequential and close trade relationship. Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively. To reach a good deal, we would need the time until July 9,' she stated. Trump had expressed frustration with Europe's negotiators on Friday in threatening a 50 percent tariff, which would have more than doubled an earlier 20 percent tariff he had discussed imposing on imports from the EU nations. 'The European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on TRADE, has been very difficult to deal with,' he wrote. 'Their powerful Trade Barriers, Vat Taxes, ridiculous Corporate Penalties, Non-Monetary Trade Barriers, Monetary Manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against Americans Companies, and more, have led to a Trade Deficit with the U.S. of more than $250,000,000 a year, a number which is totally unacceptable.' Trump indicated those tariffs could be imposed by June 1, leaving little time for talks. The July 9 date mentioned by the EU commission president is the deadline for countries around the world to get trade deals with the United States that would prevent the 'Liberation Day' tariffs Trump paused from going into effect. Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent later on Friday had said the threat was meant to light a fire under the EU. 'I believe the president believes that the EU proposals have not been of the same quality that we've seen from our other important trading partners,' Bessent said on Fox News's 'America's Newsroom.' 'I'm not going to negotiate on TV, but I would hope that this would light a fire under the EU,' he added. The White House has reached precious few trade deals with countries on the Liberation Day tariffs. The only announced trade deal was one with Great Britain. Trump meanwhile has paused a number of tariffs, which initially had caused stock markets in the U.S. to plummet while triggering fears of a recession. His steps away from a trade war included dramatically lowering tariffs that had been imposed on China's imports. Markets had bounced back, seemingly in response to those moves, though they ended with down days last week amid fears about new tariffs from Trump and increased U.S. debt.
Epoch Times
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Epoch Times
Trump Says He's Not Looking to Make a Deal With EU After 50 Percent Tariff Announcement
President Donald Trump said Friday that he is not looking to reach a tariff deal with the European Union, after he announced 50 percent duties on goods imported from the 27-nation bloc. When speaking to reporters in the White House, Trump 'We've set the deal—it's at 50 percent. But again, there is no tariff if they build their plant here,' Trump said, also saying that as of 'right now, it's going on June 1st.' Elaborating, Trump said that the United States has 'a big deficit with them' and that they 'sell millions and millions of cars' to the United States, but that in return, the EU restricts U.S. car imports. 'I've been saying to everybody they've been treating us very badly over the years,' Trump said to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in a Friday interview on Fox News' 'America's Newsroom,' indicated that other countries have been making trade offers in good faith, and that talks advanced with some of them, including India and some Asian countries that have made some 'very interesting proposals.' Related Stories 5/23/2025 5/23/2025 'And I believe the president believes that the EU proposals have not been of the same quality that we've seen from our other important trading partners,' Bessent said. The secretary added that the feedback he's getting from some EU countries is that they are unaware of proposals being put forth by the European Commission from Brussels. 'I'm not going to negotiate on TV, but I would hope that this would light a fire under the EU,' Bessent said. 'The EU has a collective action problem here. It's 27 countries, but they're being represented by this one group in Brussels.' Several European officials responded to the announcement on Friday. German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche said in a statement that 'trade conflicts have no winners' and that 'we must do everything to ensure that the European Commission reaches a negotiated solution with the United States.' 'We (the EU) will stick to the path we've chosen. At the same time we will see how negotiations will proceed after today's announcement. We have seen before that tariffs can go up and down in talks with the U.S.,' said Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof in a statement. Aside from the new tariff on EU imports, Trump also wrote on social media that he would add a 25 percent tariff on Apple iPhones that are manufactured outside the United States. 'I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone's that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else,' the president wrote in a Truth Social post. 'If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25 percent must be paid by Apple to the U.S.' Later in the day, Trump told reporters inside the Oval Office that his proposed tariff on Apple would also apply to 'Samsung and anybody that makes that product,' referring to smartphones. He also said he expected the new phone levy to be in place by the end of June. The White House paused most of the punishing tariffs Trump announced in early April against nearly every country in the world after investors sold off U.S. assets, including government bonds and the U.S. dollar. The president left in place a 10 percent baseline tariff on most imports, and later reduced the 145 percent import tax on Chinese goods to 30 percent. Reuters contributed to this report.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Scott Bessent Squirms When Pressed on Trump's Missing Trade Deals: ‘Are We Talking About 2026?'
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent squirmed in his seat when he was pressed on President Donald Trump's faltering trade deal negotiations on Fox News. In early April, Trump's trade adviser Peter Navarro said the Trump administration was primed to strike 90 deals in 90 days with trade partners. Trump and his economic advisers had envisaged countries queuing up to hash out terms to soften the president's so-called 'Liberation Day' tariffs, after a 90-day pause was imposed on the super-charged levies. However, 41 days after Navarro's boast on NBC's Meet the Press and just 47 days until the pause is lifted, only the United Kingdom and China have put pen to paper. Asked on America's Newsroom on Friday morning where the next deal is going to come from, Bessent responded vaguely and pointed the finger of blame. He told host Bill Hemmer that the European Union is at fault for not negotiating honestly. 'As I mentioned before, we're far along with India and they got in early on. Many of the Asian countries have come with very good deals. So there are 18 important trading partners. With the exception of the E.U., most are negotiating in good faith,' he said. He began to squirm when Hemmer asked him which deal would come first. 'Uhm, Bill, we're going to have to see,' he said. But the Fox News host pressed on. 'Is it a summer battle? Do we take this into the fall?' he asked. 'And if we take it into the fall, are we talking about 2026 to do a deal that you can announce publicly.' 'With the E.U.?' Bessent sheepishly asked. 'With the E.U., anybody, you pick!' Hemmer responded, firmly. Bessent answered: 'These deals are moving quickly. I think as we approach the end of the 90-day period we're going to see more of them announced.' 'Is that July then?' Hemmer asked, with Bessent saying: 'I think that's the 90 days.' 'We'll look for that then,' Hemmer concluded. At the top of the segment, Bessent made his first reference to 'good faith,' or lack of, from the E.U. He said talks with European officials at the G7 in Canada went 'fine,' but actual proposals put forward from European nations have been lacking. Slamming the E.U.'s 'pace,' Bessent said: 'The problem is the lead-up to that, the 90-day pause on the April 2nd tariffs was based on countries or trade blocks coming to us and negotiating in good faith. I believe, the president believes, that the E.U. proposals have not been of the same quality that we've seen from our other trading partners.' Around an hour before Bessent's appearance on America's Newsroom, Trump reignited his scorched-earth trade war, taking aim at the E.U. and tech company Apple. Trump warned that Apple would face a 25 percent tariff unless it moves iPhone production to the U.S. He also said he is 'recommending' a 50 percent tariff on the European Union starting June 1. The EU 'has been very difficult to deal with,' Trump wrote. 'Our discussions with them are going nowhere!' Predictably, Dow Futures plunged by around 400 points in early trading.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bessent: Trump tariff threat should ‘light fire' under EU
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday he hopes a new tariff threat from President Trump would speed along talks with the European Union regarding a new trade deal. In a Friday interview with Fox News, Bessent accused the EU of not engaging in 'good faith' trade negotiations with the White House. His remarks came hours after Trump said he would impose a 50 percent baseline import tax on European goods. 'I believe the president believes that the EU proposals have not been of the same quality that we've seen from our other important trading partners,' Bessent said on Fox News's 'America's Newsroom.' 'I'm not going to negotiate on TV, but I would hope that this would light a fire under the EU.' Trump threatened early Friday morning to impose the 50 percent tariffs on the EU by June 1, giving European leaders barely a week to strike a deal with the White House. Trump and his economic team are attempting to strike new trade deals with more than a dozen major trading partners before July, when his steep 'Liberation Day' tariffs are set to go back into effect. The president announced April 2 steep new tariffs on goods from nearly every foreign nation, with rates ranging above 100 percent for certain products. After weeks of insisting the tariffs would stay in place, Trump later suspended the new import taxes for 90 days to give nations time to negotiate better trade terms. The EU is one of 18 major trading partners the U.S. has prioritized in trade talks. Trump announced earlier this month a nonbinding agreement with the U.K., one of the few nations that imports more from the U.S. than it exports to the states. Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer also struck a temporary agreement to reduce tariffs on Chinese goods with officials from Beijing as Trump attempts to negotiate a way out of his trade war with China. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
