Latest news with #negotiation
Reuters
11 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Trump wants to see bigger tax cuts in the budget bill
WASHINGTON, May 30 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said he wants to see bigger tax cuts in the budget bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. "I'd like to see a bigger cut in taxes," Trump told reporters. " The bill is a great bill. It's going to be jiggered around a little bit, it's going to be negotiated with the Senate."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump Melts Down at ‘Why Do You Always Chicken Out' Question
Donald Trump had an Oval Office meltdown over Wall Street's new acronym for his tariffs: TACO Trade, which stands for Trump Always Chickens Out. As Trump took questions during a swearing-in ceremony for Washington D.C.'s new acting attorney general, Jeanine Pirro, a reporter asked the president what he thought of the new phrase. He was clearly unimpressed. 'I chicken out?' he asked. 'I've never heard that. You mean because I reduced China from the 145 percent that I said, down to 100, and then down to another number, and I said: 'You have to open up your whole country? 'And because I gave the European Union a 50 percent tax tariff, and they called up and they said, 'Please let's meet right now? 'It's called negotiation!' he added. The term TACO trade was coined by Financial Times columnist Robert Armstrong earlier this month as the world struggled to make sense of Trump's on-again-off-again trade wars. But the chicken moniker has since taken off among the investors on Wall Street, given the president's tendency to walk back many of his threats. For instance, Trump postponed so-called reciprocal tariffs against trading partners a week after his Liberation Day announcement on April 2. He had threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods, including steel and aluminum, but later announced a one-month pause. And for all the tough talk on China, he slashed tariffs against the country not long after they were announced. Over the weekend, Trump also delayed a 50 percent tariff on imports from the European Union until July 9. However, he insists the rollercoaster negotiations are all part of the plan. As for the question about being a chicken? 'Don't ever say what you said,' he told the reporter. 'That's a nasty question.' Later, he added: 'I usually have the opposite problem. They say I am too tough.'
Sky News
2 days ago
- Business
- Sky News
Donald Trump furious over Wall Street's 'TACO' dig – how did his tariffs spark the phrase?
Donald Trump was left furious after being asked about a phrase that's become popular on Wall Street – 'TACO'. Coined by a Financial Times journalist, TACO stands for "Trump always chickens out" and references the US president's tendency to announce high import tariffs, only to later pause or lower them. The term was put to Mr Trump by a journalist in the White House on Wednesday, prompting the president to label the question "nasty". Mr Trump denied that he has ever backed down on tariffs and said his approach has helped the US push other countries towards the negotiating table. Mr Trump said the EU told him officials will "meet you anytime you want" after a 50% tariff on goods from the bloc was announced. He said he delayed the levy after a call from Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission. The US president told the reporter who brought up TACO: "You call that chickening out? It's called negotiation." "Don't ever say what you said," he added. "That's a nasty question." Mr Trump's various tariff announcements have taken global stock markets on a rollercoaster. His wave of 'Liberation Day' tariffs, announced in April, sent worldwide markets plummeting - with US indexes experiencing their worst days since the COVID pandemic. The US also became locked in a trade war with China when Beijing retaliated with raised levies of its own. The two countries have now slashed their tariffs and entered a 90-day truce. A court has since blocked Mr Trump's sweeping tariffs, ruling that the president exceeded his authority when he made the 2 April announcement.
Arab News
2 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Family of an Israeli held hostage in Iraq for 800 days hangs on to hope for her freedom
DUBAI: With the world's attention fixed on efforts to free Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, talks are quietly continuing to liberate an Israeli hostage held in Iraq by a different Iranian-backed militant group. A 38-year-old Middle East scholar from Israel was kidnapped in 2023 while doing research in Iraq, and officials from several countries say progress is being made to secure her release. The family of the scholar – Elizabeth Tsurkov, who also holds Russian citizenship – is trying to remain optimistic. Even though the circumstances are completely different, the release of hostages from Gaza earlier this year gave the family reason to stay hopeful that Tsurkov, who marks 800 days in captivity on Thursday, will also be freed. 'It's like a phoenix rising from the ashes when the hostages come out. You see that despite everything they've been through, there is still life in them,' said Emma Tsurkov, the scholar's sister. There were reports over the weekend that negotiators were very close to a deal, but the terms are complicated and Tsurkov's sister said no deal appears imminent. 'One of the most difficult parts about having a loved one in captivity is the uncertainty,' she said. Negotiators are focusing on an exchange that would include seven Lebanese captured during the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah. But Iraqi and Lebanese officials told The Associated Press the talks recently stalled over Iran's demand for the release of one of its citizens detained in Iraq for the killing of an American. Held captive by an Iraqi militant group Elizabeth Tsurkov disappeared in Baghdad in March 2023 while doing research for her doctorate at Princeton University. The only direct sign of life her family has received is a November 2023 video of her broadcast on an Iraqi television station and circulated on pro-Iranian social media. In the past few months, officials from several countries, including the Iraqi foreign minister and deputy prime minister, have confirmed she is alive and being held in Iraq by a Shiite Muslim militant group called Kataeb Hezbollah, according to her sister. The group has not claimed the kidnapping nor have Iraqi officials publicly said which group is responsible. Kataeb Hezbollah's leader and founder died in an American airstrike in 2020 that also killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force and the architect of its military alliances in the region. The group, an ally of Hezbollah in Lebanon, is part of a coalition of Iranian-backed militias that are officially part of Iraq's armed forces but in practice often act on their own. The US government listed Kataeb Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in 2009. Moving pieces from Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Israel, and the US Emma Tsurkov, who lives in California, believes the US, Israel's closest ally, has the most leverage to pressure the Iraqi government for her sister's release – either by withholding arms or financial assistance. Israel, which does not negotiate directly with Iraq because the two countries have no formal relations, has less influence, she said. Although Tsurkov entered Iraq using her Russian passport, Russia has declined to get involved in negotiating for her release, Emma Tsurkov said. Earlier this year, a senior Israeli official said the Israeli government is working with allies in a renewed push to win the freedom of Tsurkov. Israeli officials declined to comment for this story. About a month ago, a US official and several former diplomats visited Baghdad to mediate for Tsurkov's release, according to a senior Iraqi political official involved in the negotiations. They held indirect talks with Iranian officials and leaders from the militant group holding her, according to this official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the secretive talks. Adam Boehler, the Trump administration's top hostage envoy, has repeatedly called for Tsurkov's release and has traveled to Iraq to press his case. 'We have and will continue to underscore with the Iraqi government the urgency of securing her release,' State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Tuesday. Another Iraqi official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US and Israel do not object to the release of the Lebanese prisoners held in Israel. An official with a Lebanese group involved in the indirect negotiations said that, in exchange for Tsurkov's freedom, they are seeking the release of seven Lebanese prisoners, some of whom are associated with Hezbollah and a Lebanese navy officer who was kidnapped by an Israeli commando force on Lebanon's northern coast in early November. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Also involved in a possible exchange are five men in prison in Iraq for the 2022 fatal shooting of Stephen Edward Troell, a 45-year-old teacher from Tennessee. Troell was killed as he pulled up to the street where he lived in central Baghdad with his family. Iranian citizen Mohammed Ali Ridha was convicted in the killing, along with four Iraqis, in what was described as a kidnapping gone wrong. The prospect of Ridha's release is one of the major holdups in the negotiations, Lebanese and Iraqi officials said. Emma Tsurkov said the complexity of the negotiations is devastating for her family. 'This isn't a real estate deal, we aren't talking about a piece of land,' she said. 'We're talking about an innocent human being who is having a just horrendous ordeal.' Finding hope in hostages released from Gaza In an interview in September 2023, Tsurkov said her sister's ordeal was 'the type of nightmare I wish on no one.' Three weeks later, some 251 people were captured during Hamas' cross-border attack on southern Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza. There are 58 hostages still being held in Gaza, though Israel believes only around a third of them are alive. Tsurkov said that although her sister's kidnapping is very different from the situation of the hostages, she couldn't help but watch the videos of the unifications between released hostages from Gaza and their families earlier this year and wonder if she will ever get that opportunity to embrace her sister again. 'I know my sister is going through something so incredibly difficult, and I hope that I get to see her again, and I hope that there's still life left in her.' She said one of the more heartbreaking aspects of the past two years has been how many officials have told her they wish they could benefit from her sister's expertise during the negotiations over a possible deal. Elizabeth Tsurkov is a well-known academic who was often interviewed in the media, and her research was focused on sectarianism in the Middle East, specifically Iraq. 'If we want a good understanding of the Middle East, we need people like my sister to travel to the Middle East to research it,' Emma Tsurkov said.
Fox News
2 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
Trump blasts 'nasty' question from Oval Office reporter on whether he always 'chickens out' on tariffs
President Donald Trump ripped a reporter in the Oval Office Wednesday for asking a "nasty question" about his tariff deals. "Mr. President, Wall Street analysts have coined a new term called the TACO trade. They're saying, 'Trump Always Chickens Out' - on your tariff threats. And that's why markets are higher this week. What's your response to that?" CNBC White House correspondent Megan Casella asked during a brief gaggle. "Oh, isn't that nice. 'Chicken out.' I've never heard that," Trump responded. "You mean because I reduced China from 145% that I set down to 100 and then down to another number? I said, 'You have to open your whole country.'" He went on, "And because I gave the European Union a 50% tariff? And they called up, and they said, 'Please, let's meet right now.' And I said, 'Okay, I'll give you until June.' I actually asked them, I said, 'What's the date?' Because they weren't willing to meet. And after I did what I did, they said, 'We'll meet anytime you want.' And we have an end date of July 9. You call that chickening out? Because we have $14 trillion now invested, committed to investing when Biden didn't have practically anything." Trump contrasted the situation with the Biden administration, saying the U.S. was "stone-cold dead" six months ago. "We had a dead country. We had a country people didn't think was going to survive. And you ask a nasty question like that? It's called negotiation," Trump said. Trump said lowering the number was part of an ongoing "negotiation" with China and attacked the question. "Don't ever say what you said. That's a nasty question. To me, that's the nastiest question," Trump said before calling another reporter. Casella later reported on the event while appearing on CNBC's "The Exchange." "He did not like this question, I can tell you," Casella said. She also joked that the "nasty" jab was a "badge of honor" of sorts. After announcing several widespread tariffs in April, the Trump administration announced a pause on all tariffs except China until July to negotiate better deals. Earlier this month, Trump agreed to a temporary reduction of China's tariff rates from 145% to approximately 30% as negotiations continued.
