Latest news with #RemaininMexico
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
A Texas Republican new to Congress, Brandon Gill has a knack for getting noticed
WASHINGTON — Rep. Brandon Gill knows how to get attention. Now a 31-year-old Republican freshman in Congress, Gill has been courting President Donald Trump's favor since he founded the DC Enquirer, a conservative outlet in 2022. He calls liberals "deranged," says Biden unleashed "chaos" across the country, and considers Dinesh D'Souza, his father-in-law who was federally convicted of making illegal campaign contributions, a political mentor. Gill, of Flower Mound, appears regularly on conservative platforms including Fox News, OAN and high-profile podcasts — and clips of his House hearing questions have racked up more than a million views on YouTube. After moving back to Texas, and winning in his first campaign for office, his main focus, Gill said in an interview with The Texas Tribune, is to codify Trump's executive orders. 'What we want to do is make sure that all of the great work that the president is doing remains permanent,' Gill said. 'So that a future Democrat doesn't unleash the same kind of chaos on our country that Joe Biden did.' In his first five months in Congress, Gill has introduced bills to impeach a federal judge who attempted to stop some deportation flights, codify Trump's 'Remain in Mexico' immigration policy, and put Trump's face on the $100 bill. His bills have not yet made it to the House floor, and most – except his Remain in Mexico bill – have failed to garner significant support. Gill's intertwined legislative and media strategy, however, has burnished his reputation among MAGA supporters and earned him praise from other Republicans in the Texas delegation. In many ways, Gills' early political career is modeled after the path of other political figures who have made unfettered statements and disruptive moves as they made their way into the spotlight. Each in his own way tests how and if attention can translate into influence, and Gill says he draws lessons from D'Souza, a longtime conservative agitator. Such a group would also include former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Trump's first pick to be Attorney General, as well as Representatives Dan Crenshaw, Keith Self and Chip Roy, all Texas Republicans. Gill himself made a political debut as a Dartmouth student leading a conservative student publication – The Dartmouth Review. After a few years working as an investment banker and a hedge fund analyst in New York, he founded and led a conservative publication, the DC Enquirer, known for right-wing framed articles, conspiracy theories and commentary pieces. Trump posted DC Enquirer stories or reposted links to the outlet more than 100 times on his social media accounts. Gill said his role there taught him how to handle the media, which he says 'sets the parameters of debate' in Washington. 'You learn how to communicate in a way that resonates with a broader audience outside of the DC bubble,' Gill said. He stepped down from his editorial role with DC Enquirer when he began his congressional campaign and the outlet has not posted any articles since Gill was sworn into Congress in January. Gill married conservative author Danielle D'Souza in 2017. Dinesh D'Souza is known for his books and films that emphasize false conspiracies about Democrats and the accuracy of the 2020 election. He was pardoned in 2018 by Trump after he pled guilty to making illegal campaign contributions in other people's names. Gill said his father-in-law has taught him how to be precise while speaking about politics and how to 'push the bounds of discussion.' 'I learned a ton from him,' Gill said about his father-in-law. 'He's sort of a political mentor of mine.' He worked with his father-in-law on the film promoting the false idea that 2020 election was stolen, '2000 Mules,' and was a producer on Dinesh D'Souza's 2023 film, 'Police State'. Gill announced his candidacy for Congress in November 2023 and received Trump's endorsement within two weeks. Trump posted on Truth that Gill is an 'America first,' candidate, 'as loyal and tough as they come,' while also highlighting Gill's connection to his father-in-law. The endorsement in the race, left open by Rep. Michael Burgess's retirement, cleared the way for Gill to sweep the Republican primary. Others who supported Gill's campaign included Gaetz, then a Florida Representative; Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, and Sen. Ted Cruz. Later on, Gaetz would post that Gill once told a SuperPAC that Gaetz was the member of Congress he most wanted to emulate. In the November election, Gill won 62% of the vote against Democratic candidate Ernest Lineberger. Throughout the election, Lineberger said, Gill would be personable at candidate forums – talking about family or saying that it was nice to see him. But, when Gill spoke to the audience, he would – as Lineberger put it – quickly flip into 'demonizing the Democrats.' 'He is a professional disinformation spreader, and that is what he has continued to do,' Lineburger said in an interview. In his second month on Capitol Hill, Gill sent out a fundraising email that included a petition to deport Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota. Omar was born in Somalia and has been a U.S. citizen since 2000, when she was 17 years old. 'We should have never let Ilhan Omar into our country,' the email said. 'And frankly, America would be a much better place if she were to be sent back to Somalia.' Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, told the Tribune that he has had conversations with Gill related to this incident, including about how members of Congress should take their jobs seriously and that disagreements will happen, but that there is a line. 'He can stand out based on his opinions, if he wants to, but he shouldn't stand out by saying things that put the life at risk of people that he works with,' Casar said. Gill has continued to set off sparks at House committee hearings – leading to clips that have gone viral in conservative circles – with pointed lines of questions directed at the CEO of NPR, the mayor of Chicago and the head of USA Fencing. Cruz praised Gill on his podcast, 'Verdict with Ted Cruz,' calling the freshman representative a 'rising star in the House,' and Gaetz, in a social media post, called Gill the better version of himself following the NPR hearing. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Houston, who serves with Gill on the oversight committee, praised the freshman. 'He's making very big waves,' Hunt said in April. 'He's doing a very good job. He's speaking our language.' In committee hearings Gill says his job is 'to highlight and to call out some of the crazy things that these deranged leftists have been promoting for so long.' Gill wrote on X in March that 'multiculturalism will tear our country apart.' The post has more than 23 million views on the platform. The congressman elaborated to the Tribune adding that immigrants need to 'assimilate to our culture and adopt our customs and adhere to our traditions,' to preserve the American identity. Gill posted on X last month that he was against House Republican social media pages posting in Spanish. He has also supported bills that would bar Chinese nationals from attending U.S. universities and from purchasing farmland in the country. Gill represents the Republican stronghold of District 26, which covers the north Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs and extends to the Texas-Oklahoma border That includes Cooke County, a rural area where the Republican chair is Chris McNamara. He told the Tribune that while Gill's method of rising politically is not how he would do things, the Republican base in his county does get excited about Gill's strategy. 'Within the district, he gets a lot of support from that,' McNamara said. 'He's probably, I would think, trying to get some national attention, some leverage attention.' Trump's endorsement during the primary was 'big,' for Gill's local support, McNamara said, adding that 'it can't hurt to be on the President's good side'. While Gill has introduced a bill to add more zip codes in the district, which has areas that experienced a population boom, and claims to have the 'best case-worker team in the country,' some local political figures told the Tribune they would like Gill to focus more on issues impacting the area – such as rural hospitals and passenger train route cancellations. On Capitol Hill, Gill has more of a position than the average freshman. He was voted by his colleagues to be the Republican freshman class president, acting as a representative for the members. Fellow freshman House Republican Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth, said Gill has used this ceremonial role as an 'action position,' bringing the class together. Gill has also positioned himself on key committees, including the committees on the judiciary, budget and oversight – where he also serves on the Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee. Roy and Self are members of the hardline House Freedom Caucus and have recently served as crucial holdouts to win policy promises from House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, and Trump before joining the majority on key votes. Gill was endorsed by the Freedom Caucus's PAC in his House primary and said that he would join the caucus on his first day. He told Politico that the member he most wanted to be like was Jordan, of Ohio, the first chair of the caucus, also known for provocative statements. The freshman representative has not yet been a holdout against key Republican legislation, but he went further than Johnson and party leadership in March regarding the federal judge, James Boasberg, who was attempting to stop deportation flights. Gill advocated for impeachment, while party leadership looked for other options, such as ending national injunctions. He also told the Tribune that the Freedom Caucus holdouts on the budget reconciliation package had 'excellent points,' and that the holdouts were fighting to include Trump's agenda into the final tax and spending bill. Gill had returned to Washington early, a week after his son was born in May, in an attempt to move the Republican megabill out of the House Budget Committee. The legislation was temporarily blocked by Roy and other holdouts in the committee as they pushed for more reforms. Gill has plans to continue focusing on his push to permanently defund NPR and PBS, lower border crossings, codify cuts to the federal workforce, and eliminate some of the Biden administration's climate policies. 'We should be doing … all the things that we told voters we were going to do,' Gill said. 'The things that voters saw us talking about and said, 'We need to give these people a majority in Washington.' ' Disclosure: Politico has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
American Military News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- American Military News
Video: Trump border czar issues new deportation threat
Tom Homan, who has been selected as President-elect Donald Trump's border czar, recently announced that the upcoming Trump administration will deport illegal immigrants from Venezuela whether or not Venezuela decides to accept them back. During a Sunday appearance on CBS News's 'Face the Nation' with Margaret Brennan, Homan explained the Trump administration's plan to deport illegal immigrants from the United States following Trump's inauguration on January 20. Asked how the Trump administration will handle deportation operations regarding countries like Venezuela that refuse to take back illegal immigrants, Homan said, 'Well, first of all, we got President Trump coming to the Oval Office, and he's proven during his first administration, his leadership on illegal immigration was a game changer.' Homan told Brennan that when he was the director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), El Salvador was not willing to take back MS-13 gang members. However, Homan said it only took Trump '48 hours' to get the country to 'take back their criminal aliens into their prisons.' 'And Mexico didn't want to do the Remain in Mexico program,' Homan added. 'But President Trump was able to get Remain in Mexico established in Mexico. He was able to get Mexico [to] put military on the southern and northern border. President Trump's a strong president.' READ MORE: Trump confirms plan to use 'military assets' to deport illegal immigrants Contrasting the first Trump administration with the Biden-Harris administration, Homan said, 'This administration has not forced these countries to take them back.' Pointing to the second Trump administration's plan to deport dangerous illegal immigrants over the next few years, Homan said there are 'other ways' the Trump administration can conduct deportation operations if countries like Venezuela 'don't take their people back.' 'There's other countries [who would] be willing to accept them,' Homan told Brennan. 'We're hoping that President Trump will work with Venezuela and like he did with Mexico and El Salvador, and get these countries [to] take them back. If they don't, they're still gonna be deported. They're just gonna be deported to a different country.' Homan also warned that the Trump administration will not be 'held up' in taking steps regarding 'public safety' in the United States and stressed the importance of prioritizing the safety of the American people. 'We've had too many young women murdered and raped and burned alive by members of Venezuelan gangs,' Homan said. 'They need to be a priority under this administration. They're gonna be a priority starting day one, and they will be deported.' Incoming "border czar" Tom Homan says he hopes President-elect Donald Trump will work with Venezuela on an agreement to take back citizens who are being deported from the U.S., as Trump previously did for El Salvador and Mexico. If Venezuela doesn't cooperate, Homan says their… — Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 5, 2025
Telegraph
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Trump's first hundred days have been a triumph
America's liberal-dominated media has waged a massive campaign against President Trump since he took office for the second time on January 20. They have painted a distorted picture of a presidency in disarray, characterised by chaos and incoherence. Their hugely biased depiction of the Trump White House has echoed across the Atlantic, as anti-American sentiment surges in many capitals across Europe. The reality on the ground here in Washington DC is very different. The sinking behemoths of the 'progressive' US establishment, such as the Washington Post or the New York Times, are still reeling from the emphatic defeat of Kamala Harris in the 2024 Presidential election. They simply refuse to accept that there is a new sheriff in town who is fundamentally changing business as usual in the world's superpower for the better, so they're doing all they can to undermine him. Far from being a disaster, the first 100 days of Trump's second term have been remarkably successful. He has dramatically reduced illegal migration to its lowest levels in several decades, showing defeatist Western countries that with the right will, this problem can be addressed. America's southern border has finally been secured through the end of Joe Biden's destructive 'catch and release' policy and the reinstatement of the Remain in Mexico programme. The Trump administration has designated vicious transnational Latin American gangs and cartels such as MS-13 as foreign terrorist organisations and has embarked on what will be the biggest deportation of illegal aliens in American history. Trump's war on woke and DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) policies has been extremely successful, with protection for women's sports now in place, and the banning of DEI mandated in the federal government, with a return to fully merit-based hiring. Trump is also cracking down on antisemitism, and has thrown down the gauntlet to America's Ivy League universities, including Harvard, threatening to withdraw billions of dollars in federal funding unless they make a commitment to protect Jewish students from intimidation and act against menacing pro-Hamas mobs. The newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) headed by Elon Musk has already saved the American taxpayer an estimated $160 billion ($993 per household) and that's just the start, as it takes a flamethrower to red tape and big-government overreach. The President has ditched the insanity of vastly expensive Net Zero policies, slashed the bloated foreign aid budget, shut down the ineffective US Agency for International Development (USAID), and demanded full accountability and transparency from government agencies. In a shocking blow to left-wing sensibilities, Trump has forced US federal workers to actually return to the office full-time or face being fired. On the transatlantic stage, President Trump's call for Nato allies to increase defence spending has already had a dramatic effect, with Germany and other key nations in Europe significantly increasing their pledges ahead of the Nato Summit in The Hague next month. And Trump's landmark minerals deal with Ukraine signed this week, which unambiguously decried Putin's full-scale invasion, greatly strengthens Ukraine's long term security and places the Russians on the back foot as the United States presses for an end to the war. In addition, Vice President JD Vance has signalled optimism over a 'great' trade deal with the United Kingdom, as the President prepares for a likely state visit to the UK in September. Less than four months into his second term, Donald Trump has already shown why he will be remembered as one of America's most consequential presidents. He has smashed the illusion that politicians in the West are merely buffeted by events instead of shaping them. In many respects this is a revolutionary presidency that is upending the status quo in the United States, and rapidly draining the vast Washington swamp. Trump is a president who is commendably delivering on his election promises, while acting upon pledges he has made to the American people.
Fox News
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Promises made, promises kept: How Trump's first 100 days stack up against Inauguration Day pledges
President Donald Trump delivered his second Inauguration Day speech on Jan. 20, when he previewed the steps his administration would take to unleash "the golden age of America," which stretched from locking down the border and streamlining the federal government through the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). "From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer. During every single day of the Trump administration, I will, very simply, put America first," Trump declared at the start of his speech. "Our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced," he added. Fox News Digital looked back at the top vows and declarations Trump made during his speech and where they stand 100 days later after his return to the Oval Office. Ending the illegal immigration crisis that spiraled under the Biden administration was one of Trump's top campaign platforms and was a topic he focused on repeatedly during his inaugural address. "First, I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came. We will reinstate my Remain in Mexico policy," Trump declared on Jan. 20. "I will end the practice of catch and release," he continued. "And I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country." Trump did sign or authorize executive actions that declared a national emergency, ended catch-and-release policies and sent troops to the U.S. border. Fox News Digital reported this month that there were fewer apprehensions at the southern border in the entire month of March than across the Biden administration's first two days of March 2024, when President Joe Biden was still in the Oval Office. U.S. Customs and Border Protection noted that March was the second consecutive month in which the U.S. Border Patrol averaged its lowest daily nationwide apprehensions in history. Deportations have also been underway, with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joining immigration raids since her confirmation in January, as well as the administration placing a heightened focus on deporting illegal immigrants with known ties to violent gangs, such as Tren de Aragua and MS-13. The State Department designated both gangs as foreign terrorist organizations in February. Trump invoked a wartime act, the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, to carry out the deportations, which allows deportation of natives and citizens of an enemy nation without a hearing. The act had been invoked three times before, including, during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II. Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk had both railed against government overspending, bureaucratic red tape and federal agencies that had become bloated in the lead up to Election Day, with Trump saying in his inaugural address that he would restore "competence" in the federal government. "Our liberties and our nation's glorious destiny will no longer be denied. And we will immediately restore the integrity, competency, and loyalty of America's government," Trump said during his inaugural address. "To restore competence and effectiveness to our federal government, my administration will establish the brand-new Department of Government Efficiency," he added. Trump signed an executive order in January establishing DOGE, renaming the Obama-era United States Digital Service to the United States DOGE Service. DOGE has been a thorn in the side of Democrats since Musk, the office's public leader, and his teams began working through various federal agencies in the search of government overspending, mismanagement and corruption. DOGE has since saved an estimated $160 billion through cancellations of government contracts, grant cancellations, workforce reductions, asset sales and other cuts, according to the DOGE website. Trump also signed an executive order closing down the Department of Education, citing how American students have fallen behind other nations in education, and instead charged individual states to hold authority over public education. The administration also effectively shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development, an independent government agency charged with administering economic aid to foreign nations, as DOGE uncovered a slew of programs U.S. taxpayers funded and Musk slammed the group as a "viper's nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America." Trump entered office just days after Israel and Hamas declared a ceasefire in a war that had raged since Oct. 7, 2023, as well as an ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. "My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That's what I want to be: a peacemaker and a unifier," Trump said during his inaugural address. "I'm pleased to say that as of yesterday, one day before I assumed office, the hostages in the Middle East are coming back home to their families." Trump vowed while on the campaign trail that he would end the wars in the Middle East as well as between Russia and Ukraine, adding that if he had been in office for the 2020-2024 term, neither war would have launched. The majority of hostages Hamas held have since been released, with the terrorist group still holding at least 59 living or deceased hostages. A final hostage and permanent ceasefire deal, however, has not yet been reached, with Reuters reporting earlier in April that Hamas wants to strike a deal to end the war and return the remaining hostages. The war between Ukraine and Russia, which began in February 2022, has continued raging after the Trump administration worked to help facilitate a deal for peace. Negotiations notably hit a wall in February when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a fiery meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance. "You're gambling with the lives of millions of people," Trump said at one point during the meeting. "You're gambling with World War III. You're gambling with World War III. And what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country." Vance interjected, asking Zelenskyy whether he had "said thank you once this entire meeting." He also added that Zelenskyy "went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October" and that he should "offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who's trying to save your country." Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this month that the U.S. might "move on" from trying to secure a deal between Russia and Ukraine if progress was not made. "We are now reaching a point where we need to decide whether this is even possible or not," Rubio said on April 18 while speaking with the media. "Because if it's not, then I think we're just going to move on. It's not our war. We have other priorities to focus on." Trump met with Zelenskyy on Saturday at the Vatican as the pair attended Pope Francis' funeral mass. "There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days," Trump wrote on Truth Social, shortly after he met with Zelenskyy at the Vatican on Saturday. "It makes me think that maybe he doesn't want to stop the war, he's just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through 'Banking' or 'Secondary Sanctions?' Too many people are dying!!!" he added. Rubio said on Sunday during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the coming week will be "very critical" as the White House weighs whether it wants to continue working towards a peace deal. Rubio warned earlier this month that the U.S. might "move on" from trying to secure a deal between Russia and Ukraine if progress was not made. "I think this is going to be a very critical week," Rubio said on Sunday. "This week is going to be a really important week in which we have to make a determination about whether this is an endeavor that we want to continue to be involved in or if it's time to sort of focus on some other issues that are equally, if not more, important in some cases. But we want to see it happen. There are reasons to be optimistic, but there are reasons to be realistic, of course, as well. We're close, but we're not close enough." Ahead of winning re-election in November, Trump floated that he would shutter the Department of Education to overall improve the nation's school systems, as well as remove diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) curricula from public schools. Trump reflected in his inaugural address that he was on the verge of overhauling an education system that teaches students to "be ashamed of themselves" as well as "hate our country." "And we have an education system that teaches our children to be ashamed of themselves — in many cases, to hate our country despite the love that we try so desperately to provide to them. All of this will change starting today, and it will change very quickly," Trump said during his inaugural address. Trump signed an executive order in March to dismantle the Department of Education and return oversight power of school systems to state leaders after years of the U.S. dragging behind other nations such as Finland and Japan in overall student performance. "Everybody knows it's right, and we have to get our children educated," Trump said while signing the executive order. "We're not doing well with the world of education in this country, and we haven't for a long time." Trump also signed an executive order in January that removes federal funding from K-12 schools that teach critical race theory and DEI curriculum. "In many cases, innocent children are compelled to adopt identities as either victims or oppressors solely based on their skin color and other immutable characteristics. In other instances, young men and women are made to question whether they were born in the wrong body and whether to view their parents and their reality as enemies to be blamed. These practices not only erode critical thinking but also sow division, confusion, and distrust, which undermine the very foundations of personal identity and family unity," the executive order, "Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling," reads. Trump also signed an executive order in February that prohibits schools and colleges that receive federal funds and are subject to Title IX from allowing men onto women's sports teams and into women's locker rooms, and another in January expanding school choice. Another top campaign issue was the economy and job creation amid spiraling inflation under the Biden administration. "The inflation crisis was caused by massive overspending and escalating energy prices, and that is why today I will also declare a national energy emergency. We will drill, baby, drill," Trump said during his inaugural address. He added that "America will be a manufacturing nation once again," and that the administration "will bring prices down" with the aid of unleashing American energy, such as oil and coal. Inflation has eased since 2024, with the March annual inflation rate falling to 2.4% from 2.8% in February, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The annual inflation rate in March 2024 stood at 3.5%. The U.S. job market added 151,000 jobs in February, and 228,000 jobs in March, while the unemployment rate sits at 4.2% as of last month, according to BLS data. The unemployment rate sat at 3.9% in March 2024 under the Biden administration. "The prices are going down, not going up. One of the big things is, energy is going down. I see that we had a couple of states where gasoline was at $1.98 a gallon. Nobody thought they'd see that for years," Trump said from the Oval Office on April 22 when asked about costs picked up by Americans at the checkout line. "I will immediately begin the overhaul of our trade system to protect American workers and families. Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens," Trump declared during his inauguration speech in January. "For this purpose, we are establishing the External Revenue Service to collect all tariffs, duties, and revenues. It will be massive amounts of money pouring into our Treasury, coming from foreign sources," he added. On April 2, Trump announced his administration's reciprocal, customized tariff plan to be imposed on dozens of nations as part of his highly-anticipated Liberation Day event. The plan aims to bring parity to the country's chronic trade deficit. On April 9, when the tariff plan took effect, Trump abruptly changed course and put the reciprocal tariff plan on ice for 90 days. China, however, was not spared from the pause and was instead hit with a 125% after the Asian nation retaliated against the U.S. with its own tariffs. A tariff negotiation blitz is now underway as nations across the world look to book meetings with the White House to iron out more favorable terms. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent lauded South Korea specifically last week for its negotiations, saying talks have progressed quickly and that the two countries could reach a trade agreement as early as this week. "We had a very successful bilateral meeting with the Republic of South Korea today," Bessent said from the White House on Thursday. "We may be moving faster than I thought, and we will be talking technical terms as early as next week as we reach an agreement on understanding as soon as next week." "So South Koreans came early. They came with their A game, and we will see if they follow through on that," Bessent continued. Concerns have mounted that the tariffs will cause American consumers to spend more at the checkout lines. Trump said during his speech to a joint session of Congress in March that there will be "a little disturbance" with the tariffs, but that America will be made "rich again" through the plan. "Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again. And it's happening, and it will happen rather quickly," Trump said in his March address to Congress. "There will be a little disturbance, but we're okay with that. It won't be much." Trump said earlier this month that there is a "real chance" tariffs could replace income tax. "There's a real chance," Trump said in an interview with Fox News' Rachel Campos-Duffy. "There is a chance that the money from tariffs could be so great that it would replace. You know, in the old days, about 1870 to 1913, the tariffs were the only form of money. And that's when our nation was relatively the richest. We were the richest." The president said during the interview that there was a committee formed in the 1880s to "get rid of money."
Epoch Times
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Border Residents Describe Dramatic Change in Trump's First 100 Days
In Starr County, Texas, Marcus Canales said the past 100 days under President Donald Trump have made him wonder if he's living in the 'Matrix,' the computer-generated virtual world made famous in the 1999 Hollywood science fiction movie by the same name. That's because of the night-and-day difference when it comes to the number of illegal immigrants he's seen since Trump took back the White House, scoring historic gains in this heavily Hispanic county that went red for the first time in 130 years. 'Oh, the man gets an A+,' said Canales, a retired teacher. 'I mean, compared to where we were—at an F-,' he said. He no longer sees illegal immigrants sitting along the side of the road waiting to be picked up by Border Patrol agents, who now seem less busy. In the past, he'd see agents speed past him, but now they drive through town a lot slower. 'I would go from now till doomsday voting for the man,' said Canales, a local GOP chairman. 'Sometimes you just need these hard-hitting individuals who don't play cutesy.' Related Stories 4/14/2025 2/19/2025 Canales said the country needed someone tough like Trump to secure the border and deport illegal immigrants. Some 11 million came into the United States unlawfully under the Biden administration, with most crossing along the Southwest border. 'We, the voters, wanted this,' he said. 'Trump is just following our mandate.' Closing the U.S. southern border and deporting those who are in the country unlawfully was a top campaign promise that helped Trump win the White House for a second term. Arrests of illegal immigrants by Customs and Border Protection have In an AtlasIntel In an Epoch Times online Trump's whole-of-government approach to securing the border involves executive orders, the military, and enforcing existing immigration laws, some of which have been seldom used since the founding days of the Republic. Trump supporters Pat Saenz, Marcus Canales, Roel Reyes, and Ross Barrera wave Trump flags as motorists honk while driving on U.S. 83 in Rio Grande City, Texas, on Nov. 9, 2024. Bobby Sanchez/The Epoch Times Executive Action On Day One, Trump signed 10 border-related executive 'All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came,' Trump said during his inaugural address. Just after Trump was sworn in, his administration The administration rebranded the app as CBP Home, which allows illegal immigrants to self-deport. Besides declaring a national emergency and directing troops to the border, Trump signed orders to reinstate the Remain in Mexico policy, end 'catch-and-release,' build a border wall, designate criminal cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, end refugee resettlement and birthright citizenship, and enhance immigrant vetting. Several of these initiatives have since been challenged in court. Terrorists and Tariffs Trump took aim at Mexican cartels by designating them as terrorist organizations while pressuring the governments of Mexico and Canada with tariffs for their role in exacerbating America's fentanyl crisis. China was also a tariff target for its role in fentanyl trafficking. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, making it one of the most deadly drugs available. Other analogs of fentanyl, such as carfentanil—often used by cartels as cheap way to increase the potency of other illicit drugs—can be 100 times more potent again, with even even a microgram being fatal to humans. The designations of Mexico-based cartels include the Sinaloa Cartel, the Gulf Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the United Cartels, the La Nueva Familia Michoacana organization, and the Northeast Cartel. James Berry (L) with his mother Maquita Berry (C) and brother Trinity Stafford (R). (Courtesy of Lillie Allmon, Monumental Photography} In addition, the La Mara Salvatrucha transnational gang, commonly known as MS-13, and Venezuela's Tren de Aragua were designated as foreign terrorist organizations. In February, Trump China was also slapped with a 10 percent tariff for its role in supplying precursor chemicals to criminal cartels needed for fentanyl production. This was later increased to 20 percent. Since then, tariffs on Mexico and Canada, which went into effect in April, have been modified for some products. Still, they prompted Mexico and Canada to bolster efforts at their borders with the United States to stop fentanyl trafficking. In a White House Overdoses from fentanyl have become a national crisis as traffickers smuggle the drug mainly over the U.S. southern border with Mexico, killing some 75,000 Americans in 2023 Marquita Berry's son was one of those killed in 2023. James Stafford, 30, had been struggling with an addiction to pain pills when Berry found him in his bedroom, dead from fentanyl poisoning. She believes that her son went looking for pain relief in the small town of Richburg, South Carolina, only to find death in a fentanyl-laced pill. So far, she approves of Trump's efforts to secure the border and stop fentanyl from killing more Americans. 'By putting the tariffs on—that shows he's trying even harder,' she said, adding that Trump appears to be doing everything in his power to stop the drug trafficking, she said, noting the military deployment. 'I think it's working,' she said, 'I think it's going to take him a little while.' U.S. Army soldiers patrol the U.S.–Mexico border at Eagle Pass, Texas, on Jan. 24, 2025. President Donald Trump ordered 1,500 more military personnel to the border with Mexico as part of a flurry of steps to tackle illegal immigration, his spokeswoman said on Jan. 22. Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images Military Mission The military's role at the border includes allowing troops and National Guardsmen to build barriers and finish the wall along the U.S.–Mexico border, a major campaign promise of the president since entered politics. Trump's order It includes sealing national borders by directing the military to repel 'forms of invasion, including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling, and other criminal activities.' While the president's efforts can't bring back her son, Berry said they could save the children and grandchildren of countless others across the country. Berry said she hasn't hearing about as many fentanyl deaths in the community as she used to. 'I've got four grandkids,' she said. 'I don't want them to be able to get their hands on it.' Force Multiplier During his first 100 days, the Trump administration has prioritized deporting dangerous illegal immigrants and the 1.4 million foreign nationals with final deportation orders—a tall task even for the federal government. Immigration and Customs Enforcement doesn't have the manpower to round up and deport millions of illegal immigrants, so the agreements are critical in carrying out Trump's agenda. Kinney County Sheriffs deputies, along with Texas state troopers, arrest a U.S. citizen transporting four illegal aliens to San Antonio ,in Kinney County, Texas, on Oct. 20, 2021. Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times To help solve that problem, Trump The agreements allow state law enforcement, such as sheriff departments, 'to perform the functions of immigration officers in relation to the investigation, apprehension, or detention of aliens in the United States under the direction and the supervision of the Secretary of Homeland Security.' The agreements include three All but a dozen states already have at least one 287(g) agreement in place, according to ICE. As of mid-April, ICE had another 64 applications pending for the program. Law enforcement in red states such as Florida and Texas are leading the way. The Florida Sheriffs Association In Texas, some 26 county sheriff's departments have 287(g) agreements. The state has 254 counties. Packets of fentanyl mostly in powder form and methamphetamine, which U.S. Customs and Border Protection say they seized from a truck crossing into Arizona from Mexico, is on display during a news conference at the Port of Nogales, Ariz., on Jan. 31, 2019. U.S. Customs and Border Protection/Reuters Deportations To speed up deportations, the president In his Trump's deportation efforts, including his invocation of the Alien Enemies Act, have been met with a raft of legal challenges. Among other arguments, nonprofits bringing the lawsuits have contended that the government has overstepped its authority and denied deportees due process. Some of the deportation cases have made it to the Supreme Court via emergency motions. In early April, the Court In a separate case, the Supreme Court on April 19 temporarily Felix Cano, a retired veteran who was part of the red wave along the Texas border that voted Trump in for a second term, gave Trump high marks for his handling of the border so far. In his town of Weslaco, which is about seven miles from the Texas–Mexico border, he has noticed fewer migrant tents set up on the Mexico side of the nearby international bridge. Cano said Trump has demonstrated that new laws Instead, Trump used existing laws and executive orders to turn things around, he said. 'Boom, it just went down,' he said. 'It's unbelievable—with a stroke of a pen.' Army veteran Felix Cano, 42, of Weslaco speaks during a rally in McAllen, Texas, on Nov. 9, 2024. Bobby Sanchez/The Epoch Times Cano's all for deporting criminal illegal immigrants to El Salvador and doesn't understand why Democrats and activists are trying to keep them in the country. Tren de Aragua, a violent gang tied to drug and human trafficking, was taking over hotels in Texas and apartments in Colorado, he noted. 'We don't need need that type of crime here,' he said. Democrats have They pointed to the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an MS-13 gang member and illegal immigrant living in Maryland who was deported back to his native El Salvador as an example of what could go wrong. The Trump administration The U.S. Supreme Court However, Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele The case is ongoing in the court system.
