Latest news with #Presidency
CNN
a day ago
- Politics
- CNN
Six months into Trump's second term, John King finds voters ‘All Over the Map'
Jaclyn Taylor and Lawrence Malinconico live on opposite sides of the Trump canyon that defines and divides American politics. 'The amount of progress he has made over the first six months is unmatched,' said Taylor, a businesswoman in Iowa. She grades the first six months of President Donald Trump's new term a nine out of 10. Zero was the grade offered by Malinconico, a college professor in Pennsylvania. 'His slashing of government and putting incompetent people in charge is going to harm every aspect of American life,' is Malinconico's take at six months. Their polar opposite assessments highlight one big takeaway of a check-in with voters participating in CNN's 'All Over the Map' project: The black or white views of Trump that animated the 2024 campaign now carry over to how most voters view his presidency. Those who voted for Trump remain overwhelmingly loyal, enthusiastically backing his agenda. 'Better,' is how New Hampshire Trump voter Deven McIver described his standard of living since Trump returned to the White House. 'Lower fuel costs. Less job competition from illegals and I feel safer.' But those who opposed Trump in the campaign are just as fiercely opposed to his governing now. 'Disappointed doesn't come close to what I am feeling,' said Pat Levin, a lifelong Democrat who lives in Pennsylvania. 'Terrified, petrified, horrified come close to describing how I feel about the unraveling of our country and the rule of law.' Nothing in the responses suggested any give in the polarization of the Trump era. Views on Trump's immigration agenda offer a telling snapshot of that. 'He has turned ICE and CBP into the American gestapo,' said Tonya Rincon, a Michigan Democrat, who criticized ICE tactics as overly aggressive 'with no due process.' Rincon said using tax dollars to send migrants 'to other countries is an abomination reminiscent of the Third Reich.' On the other side, 'He did what he promised,' Taylor said. 'Trump is making progress and standing up for the rights of those who honor our country and our process.' These voters helped us track the 2024 campaign. Now, we keep in touch for their assessments of the Trump presidency and other big issues as we inch closer to the 2026 midterm elections. Other noteworthy points: ►Most of the voters, regardless of their choice last November, said the cost of living remains frustratingly high. ►Many of the Democrats voiced support for Trump's recent decision to do more to help Ukraine get weapons for the war with Russia, though many of them questioned his motives for this shift. Several Trump voters, on the other hand, oppose helping Ukraine. 'Hopefully he realizes the stakes of letting his former friend (Russian President Vladimir) Putin taking over more of Ukraine,' said Darrell Ann Murphy, a Democrat from Pennsylvania. 'He reluctantly came to the conclusion he was getting played by Putin,' said Marvin Boyer, also a Pennsylvania Democrat. ► Trump's handling of the saga over accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was criticized, even ridiculed, by both Trump voters and Democrats who despise him. None of the Trump voters went as far as saying this issue might make them rethink supporting Trump, but many of them were harsh as they voiced suspicion that Trump is hiding something. 'I want to see the truth,' said McIver, a blue-collar Trump voter in New Hampshire. 'I don't believe the administration's claims.' Pete Burdett, also a New Hampshire Republican, offered high praise of the Trump agenda overall but said he was flummoxed by the change of Trump's tone on Epstein. 'NOT SURE at this point.' Burdett wrote in an email. 'What changed?' Rachal Kulak, a Christian conservative Trump supporter in Virginia, said the 'Epstein files debacle' was a black mark on an administration she believes is otherwise much more transparent than the Biden administration. 'It may be better to just rip the Band-Aid off and let people see.' Kulak said 'it may have taken a minute,' but she voiced confidence Trump would ultimately move forward 'with giving the people what they want to see.' Other respondents brought up a conspiracy theory that Trump's refusal to make all Epstein files public is somehow tied to Israel, a notion that has gained footing among Trump supporters. The conspiracy theory is unfounded and has been dismissed as without merit by current and former Israeli government officials. Those who raised the idea in our check-in were troubled by it, but said they still supported the president. Voters who opposed Trump, meanwhile, expressed other concerns about the Epstein saga. Joan London is a Pennsylvania attorney and longtime Reagan Republican who switched her registration to independent because of her misgivings about Trump. 'The 'nothing to see here' tone after getting elected by fueling speculation among supporters is suspicious,' London said of the Epstein saga. 'If there is nothing to fear, then the books need to be opened.' Democrats see the Epstein dustup as Trump finally getting some accountability for his love of conspiracy theories. For years, Trump and his allies suggested Democrats were hiding the Epstein files to protect themselves. Now, Trump calls his own supporters 'weaklings' for demanding the transparency Trump himself repeatedly said was critical. 'Watching him scrambling between explanations is comical,' said Rincon, the Michigan Democrat who is a recently retired union auto worker. 'Fumble,' was the one-word assessment of Walter Robinson, a Michigan Democrat and auto worker. 'Outrageous but predictable' is how Levin, the Pennsylvania Democrat, described Trump's efforts to manage the Epstein blowback. 'Deny, shift responsibility, claim a Democratic conspiracy.' The voter assessments on the cost of living are worth tracking as we move into the 2026 midterm cycle. Reducing costs was a major Trump and Republican 2024 promise, and Democrats are already arguing the president's unpredictable back-and-forth on tariffs and other policies are hurting consumers. 'Costs are increasing, especially rent,' said Jacob Dials, an Arizona Democrat. 'Currently about the same, perhaps slightly better,' said Kulak, the Virginia Republican. 'The same,' said Democrat Robinson. 'Same, but getting better,' said Taylor, the Iowa Republican. 'Inflation still persists,' said Cynthia Sabatini, a suburban Philadelphia Republican who supports many Trump policies but sees him as lacking character and humility. 'Across the board tariffs are not a good approach.' Kim Cavaliere, an independent who lives in Georgia, said her standard of living was down since Trump took office. 'Everything he has done so far is for the wealthy,' she said. 'Housing is still way out of reach.' Cavaliere did offer a dose of humor to close her answers to our questions about Trump at the six-month mark. 'Well, I wish I could predict my lottery numbers the way I predicted Elon Musk and Trump would sever their relationship within a year of him being president,' Cavaliere said. 'LOL.'
Nahar Net
a day ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Barrack says Trump wants prosperity in Lebanon, US can't guarantee Israel's actions
by Naharnet Newsdesk 21 July 2025, 13:20 Visiting U.S. envoy Tom Barrack met Monday with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and is scheduled to meet later in the day with political and religious leaders, and on Tuesday with Speaker Nabih Berri. Speaking to reporters after his talks with Aoun and Salam, Barrack said he returned to Lebanon because U.S. President Donald Trump is interested in reaching 'regional stability' and that Lebanon is the 'center of that process.' Noting that the U.S. wants 'security' and 'economic prosperity' in Lebanon, Barrack pointed out that the U.S. cannot 'compel' Israel to do or not do 'anything.' 'We're here to use our influence to bring calm minds together to come to a conclusion. The U.S. has no business in trying to compel Israel to do anything,' the U.S. envoy added. Barrack also said that the Lebanon-Israel cessation of hostilities agreement "didn't work," while noting that Hezbollah's disarmament is a "very internal" issue in Lebanon. He added that if it didn't happen it would be "disappointing." Moreover, Barrack said the U.S. is not trying to threaten the Lebanese and that it is not thinking of slapping sanctions on Lebanese officials. The U.S. does not want to "add more logs to the fire," he said. 'There's no consequence, there's no threat, there's no whip, we're here on a voluntary basis trying to usher in a solution," he added. "Your leaders have been more than helpful," he said on his second visit to Beirut this month, adding that "the reforms that are happening... are amazingly plausible and significant." The Presidency meanwhile said that Aoun handed Barrack, in the name of the Lebanese state, a "draft comprehensive memo for the implementation of everything that Lebanon has pledged -- from the November 27, 2024 declaration to the Lebanese government's ministerial statement to especially the president's inaugural speech.' The draft emphasized the need to extend state authority to the entire country, restrict the bearing of weapons to the army and ensure "decisions of war and peace" rest with Lebanese constitutional authorities, according to the Presidency statement. Barrack's visit to Lebanon comes amid ongoing domestic and international pressure for Hezbollah to give up its remaining arsenal after a bruising war with Israel that ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement in November. Israel has continued to launch near-daily airstrikes in Lebanon that it says are aimed at stopping Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities. On Friday, Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said his group was not ready to lay down its arms before an "existential threat" to Lebanon comes to an end, adding that "we will not surrender to Israel." The U.S. "disarmament plan now, at this stage ... is for Israel," Qassem said. "We are ready for any action that leads to a Lebanese understanding... but for Israel and America, we will not do this under any type of threat," he said.
The Citizen
a day ago
- Business
- The Citizen
Ramaphosa slams opposition parties' criticism of economic reform
A progress report on Operation Vulindlela was released last week to show the progress on economic reform. President Cyril Ramaphosa has slammed opposition parties who claim the economic reforms in the country represent a 'form of privatisation'. Ramaphosa said South Africa is making steady progress on economic reform to combat an unreliable energy supply, inefficient rail and ports, high data costs and a visa system that has deterred investors and tourists. Progress report Last week Pretoria released a progress report on Operation Vulindlela, a government-wide initiative to accelerate progress on economic reform. Established in the aftermath of Covid in October 2020, the joint initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury was formed with the aim of driving rapid and inclusive economic growth and job creation through structural reforms. The first phase of Operation Vulindlela focused on tackling issues in five areas – energy, logistics, water, telecommunications and the visa system. ALSO READ: 'Operation Vulindlela update provides detailed progress' – Presidency 'Baseless claims' Writing in his weekly newsletter on Monday, he said South Africa has made progress despite criticism from opposition parties. 'The claims by some opposition parties that these reforms represent a form of privatisation are baseless and misguided. The measures we are taking are common sense reforms that will preserve public ownership of key infrastructure while introducing greater competition, dynamism and investment. 'A number of our peer countries introduced similar reforms, which have powered their economies to higher levels of growth,' Ramaphosa said. Steady progress Ramaphosa said the Operation Vulindlela report showed that the economic reform programme is making steady progress, opening the way to more rapid, inclusive and sustainable growth and job creation. 'We have made significant progress since then in clearing these obstacles with a clear view to enhance economic growth. The reduction in load shedding over the past year was supported by the reforms that we introduced to unlock private investment in electricity generation, while reforms in the telecommunications sector have brought down the cost of mobile data. 'We have reduced the turnaround times for approval processes for water use licences and energy projects, made great progress in clearing the visa application backlog, and expanding the eVisa scheme,' Ramaphosa said. ALSO READ: Ramaphosa defends police commission of inquiry Next phase Ramaphosa said the next phase of Operation Vulindlela, which was initiated in April this year, builds on 'these successes'. 'As part of Operation Vulindlela Phase II, we are also reforming the local government system to ensure that basic services such as water and electricity – which are essential for economic growth – are delivered efficiently and reliably.' Ramaphosa said all of these reforms are 'designed to boost economic growth and create jobs for South Africans'. ALSO READ: 'Ramaphosa will go down in history as one of the most useless presidents' – analyst
Eyewitness News
7 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
President Ramaphosa appoints Gwede Mantashe as Acting Police Minister
Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister, Gwede Mantashe has been appointed Acting Police Minister after Senzo Mchunu was placed on special Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Mantashe to act in the position with immediate was put on special leave after he was linked to alleged corruption in the police a short statement released on Tuesday night, the Presidency said Mantashe will act as Police Minister until Professor Firoz Cachalia assumes the position at the start of a late-night address on Sunday, Ramaphosa announced that Cachalia would act in the position in accordance with section 91 subsection (3)(c) of the Constitution which grants the president the authority to appoint a maximum of two ministers from outside the National appointment as Acting Police Minister is in line with section 98 of the provision prescribes that the President may assign to a cabinet member any power or function of another member who is absent from office or is unable to exercise that power or perform that function. Mantashe will, however, retain his responsibilities as Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.
Zawya
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Egypt Values President Trump's Statement to Resolve Conflicts & End Wars
Egypt values the statement by President Donald Trump, which demonstrates the seriousness of the United States—under President Trump's leadership—in exerting efforts to resolve conflicts and end wars. Egypt reaffirms its confidence in President Trump's ability to address complex challenges and to advance peace, stability, and security across the globe, whether in Ukraine, the Palestinian territory, or Africa. Egypt also appreciates President Trump's keenness on reaching a just agreement that safeguards the interests of all parties regarding the Ethiopian Dam, as well as his recognition of the Nile as a source of life for Egypt. Egypt reaffirms its support for President Trump's vision of establishing just peace, security, and stability for all countries in the region and around the world. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
