Tag Archives: Europe

Daily Beast: Trump Threatens Countries Failing to Show Him ‘Respect’ in Deranged Late-Night Meltdown

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The president makes vague threats while lashing out at overseas digital services taxes.

Tariff-loving Donald Trump has issued an unhinged threat against countries he claims don’t show the U.S. and major tech companies “respect.”

In a typical deranged late-night post on Truth Social, the MAGA president warned he would impose “substantial” new tariffs and block U.S. chip exports to countries that enforce digital taxes.

Trump argued that digital service taxes are designed to “harm, or discriminate” against American technology, and issued a sinister warning for if they are not dropped.

Trump has long railed against digital services taxes, including those imposed in Europe, which primarily hit U.S. tech giants, including Apple, Google, and Meta.

“They also, outrageously, give a complete pass to China’s largest Tech Companies. This must end, and end NOW,” Trump wrote.

“With this TRUTH, I put all Countries with Digital Taxes, Legislation, Rules, or Regulations, on notice that unless these discriminatory actions are removed,” he added. “America, and American Technology Companies, are neither the ‘piggy bank’ nor the ‘doormat’ of the World any longer. Show respect to America and our amazing Tech Companies or, consider the consequences! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

While not mentioning any nation by name, his comments appear to be a swipe at the European Union, whose Digital Markets Act (DMA) designates tech behemoths as “gatekeepers” and seeks to ensure they do not have a monopoly on their respective markets or abuse their powers.

The president’s warning came shortly after the U.S. and EU issued a joint statement pledging to negotiate over “unjustified trade barriers” targeting U.S. tech companies and agreeing not to impose customs duties on electronic transmissions, Bloomberg reported.

In June, Canada also pulled plans to tax American tech companies’ operations in the country to appease Trump amid threats to impose higher tariffs on imports from its northern neighbor.

Trump blasted Canada’s proposed digital tax—which would have slapped a 3 percent levy on Canadian revenue above $20 million—as a “blatant attack.”

At the time, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney “caved” to Trump by dropping the tax, originally announced in 2020.

Trump Threatens Countries Failing to Show Him ‘Respect’ in Deranged Late-Night Meltdown
The president makes vague threats while lashing out at overseas digital services taxes.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-threatens-countries-failing-to-show-him-respect-in-deranged-late-night-meltdown

Guardian: Pentagon has blocked Ukraine from striking deep inside Russia – report

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Wall Street Journal says move is part of Trump administration’s effort to get Putin into peace talks

US defense officials have blocked Ukraine from using US-supplied long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia since late spring as part of a Trump administration effort to get Vladimir Putin to engage in peace talks , according to a report on Saturday.

Worked really well, didn’t it, King Donald, you f*ck*ng Surrender Monkey. Your chum Putin continued doing what he was doing and just blitzed the sh*t out of Ukraine, including destroying an American factory.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Pentagon has blocked Ukraine from using US-made Army Tactical Missile Systems, or Atacms.

Two US officials told the outlet that on at least one occasion, Ukraine had sought to use Atacms against a target but was denied under a “review mechanism” developed by Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for policy, that governs how US long-range weapons or those provided by European allies that rely on American intelligence and components can be used.

The review process also applies to Britain’s Storm Shadow cruise missile because it depends on US targeting data, according to two US officials and a British official, the Journal said.

The review system reportedly gives US defense secretary Pete Hegseth approval over the use of the Atacms, which have a range of nearly 190 miles (305km). Ukraine was previously given authority by the Biden administration to use the missile system against targets inside Russia in November after North Korean troops entered the war.

Before the inauguration in January, Trump told Time magazine that the decision to allow Ukraine to use US weapons systems to attack targets inside Russia had been a mistake.

“I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that? We’re just escalating this war and making it worse. That should not have been allowed to be done,” he said.

It is unclear whether the US defense department’s review process amounts to a formal policy change. But it comes alongside increasing control of munitions to Ukraine as US stocks are themselves depleted.

In a statement to the Journal, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump “has been very clear that the war in Ukraine needs to end. There has been no change in military posture in Russia-Ukraine at this time.”

But last week, amid efforts to broker talks between the Russian president and Voldomyr Zelenskyy, Trump said that Ukraine couldn’t defeat Russia unless it could “play offense” in the war.

“It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invader’s country,” Trump wrote on Thursday. “It’s like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offense. There is no chance of winning.”

Last month, the US agreed to supply Ukraine with new weapons systems but only if European nations paid for them. While Trump has said that the US is “not looking” to provide longer-range weapons that could reach Moscow, US officials told the Journal that the administration has approved the sale of 3,350 Extended Range Attack Munition air-launched missiles, or Erams, which have a range of 280 miles (400km).

Not surprising that Ukraine is developing its own long range drone (code name “Flamingo”) with a range of 3,000 km. to reduce their reliance on the buffoon Trump.

Pentagon has blocked Ukraine from striking deep inside Russia – report
Wall Street Journal says move is part of Trump administration’s effort to get Putin into peace talks

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/23/pentagon-ukraine-russia-missiles

Raw Story: ‘Resignations seem likely’: Economist predicts investigation of Trump’s $600 billion fail

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President Donald Trump’s administration has published the terms of the trade deal with the European Union, but some of the promises Trump claimed were coming didn’t materialize after all, according to one economics expert.

University of Michigan economics and public policy professor Justin Wolfers wrote on X that after perusing the deal, he discovered Trump’s promise of $600 billion being sent to the U.S. from the E.U. isn’t on the list.

“The most important thing is what’s not there. Trump had boasted, ‘They gave me $600 billion, and that’s a gift.’ But guess what? They didn’t. He didn’t get a penny,” wrote Wolfers. “Bottom line: The final text of the EU-US trade deal delivers $5,000 less to the average American household than the handshake agreement Trump boasted of on August 5.”

“I expect there will be soul-searching, an investigation, and recriminations, as the White House explores how its negotiators fell $600 billion short of the deal the president thought he had struck. Resignations seem likely, and a re-think of the entire deal-making apparatus,” Wolfers added.

The deal mapped out on July 28 promised, “The EU will purchase $750 billion in U.S. energy and make new investments of $600 billion in the United States, all by 2028.”

It explained, “The EU will invest $600 billion in the United States over the course of President Trump’s term. This new investment is in addition to the over $100 billion EU companies already invest in the United States every year.”

It appeared again toward the end of the July 28 plan: “The deal bolsters America’s economy and manufacturing capabilities. The EU will purchase $750 billion in U.S. energy and make new investments of $600 billion in the United States, all by 2028.”

The Aug. 21 deal changes the language significantly, shifting from a commitment to phrases like “make new investments” and “invest,” and now saying things like they’re “expected to invest.”

“In this context, European companies are expected to invest an additional $600 billion across strategic sectors in the United States through 2028,” the document says, removing the firm commitment. “This investment reflects the European Union’s strong commitment to the transatlantic partnership and its recognition of the United States as the most secure and innovative destination for foreign investment,” the new deal says.

The deal can be read here.

‘Resignations seem likely’: Economist predicts investigation of Trump’s $600 billion fail

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-eu-trade-deal-resignations

Newsweek: “Nuclear power”: NATO ally issues Trump credibility warning over Russia

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French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that the global credibility of the United States and its NATO allies is on the line in Ukraine, as U.S. President Donald Trump attempts to end the Russian invasion once and for all.

Why It Matters

Macron made the comment after talks in Washington on Monday between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the European Union and NATO, following up on Trump’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.

While no agreement has been reached to end the more than three-year war, Monday’s gathering laid the groundwork for a long-anticipated trilateral meeting between Trump, Zelensky and Putin.

Macron’s warning about the credibility of the U.S. and its allies is a reminder of the far-reaching implications of the peace effort that Trump is promoting.

What To Know

Macron, in an interview with NBC News, said that how the United States and its allies handled the war in Ukraine would have global consequences for their credibility.

“What’s happening in Ukraine is extremely important for Ukrainian people, obviously, but for the whole security of Europe, because we speak about containing a nuclear power, which decided just not to respect international borders anymore,” he said.

“And I think it’s very important for your country because it’s a matter of credibility,” he said. “The way we will behave in Ukraine will be a test for our collective credibility in the rest of the world.”

Macron said Trump was confident he could reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine, which he welcomed while stressing that any agreement must not have negative consequences for Ukraine and its European allies.

“My point … is to be sure that this deal is not detrimental to Ukraine and Europe,” Macron said.

“All of us, we want a deal, and we want a peace deal. But we want to make sure that this peace, and so this deal, will be something which will allow the Ukrainians to recover their country and live in peace, to be sure the day after this peace deal that they will have sufficient deterrence power not to be attacked again, and to be sure—for the Europeans—that they will live in peace and security,” he said.

But the French president appeared less upbeat about Putin’s attitude to ending the full-scale invasion Russia launched in 2022.

“When I look at the situation and the facts, I don’t see President Putin very willing to get peace now,” he said, adding, “But perhaps I’m too pessimistic.”

Macron said he still hoped for a ceasefire even though Trump said after meeting Putin on Friday that a ceasefire was not an essential step toward a deal.

“It’s impossible for a Ukrainian president and Ukrainian officials to have talks about peace as their country is being destroyed and as their civilians are being killed,” Macron said, adding that security guarantees for Ukraine were vital.

“If you make any peace deal without security guarantees, Russia will never respect its words, will never comply with its own commitments,” Macron said.

Macron also said that in the absence of progress, Russia should be hit with more sanctions.

“I’m very much in favor of the fact that if, at the end of the day, there is no serious progress during the bilateral, or if there is a refusal of the trilateral meeting and, or if the Russians don’t comply with this approach, yes, we have to increase the sanctions, secondary and primary sanctions, in order to increase the pressure on the Russians to do so,” he said, according to a transcript of the interview provided by NBC.

What People Are Saying

French President Emmanuel Macron told NBC: “Your president, indeed, is very confident about the capacity he has to get this deal done, which is good news for all of us and can break this—I would say this daily killings, which are the responsibility of the Russian aggressor. So I think it’s great news. My point—and this is why we’ve worked so hard during the past few months and we need this convergence—is to be sure that this deal is not detrimental to Ukraine and Europe.”

What Happens Next

Trump has established a two-week timeline for determining diplomatic progress, saying both sides would soon know “whether or not we’re going to solve this or is this horrible fighting going to continue.”

The proposed Putin-Zelensky meeting is expected to precede trilateral discussions that include Trump, though specific timing and location remain undetermined. Russian officials have indicated a willingness to continue direct negotiations, but full agreement on meeting parameters has not been confirmed.

“Nuclear power”: NATO ally issues Trump credibility warning over Russia
Kyiv and its European allies have urged Trump not to reward Russia for its aggression in Ukraine.

https://www.newsweek.com/macron-nato-trump-nuclear-russia-credibility-warning-2115451

Independent: DHS speechwriter linked to hateful social accounts while claiming American conservatives are ostracized like Jews in Nazi Germany

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‘They are not migrants. They are not ‘undocumented.’ They are an invading army. The largest invasion in American history,’ DHS speechwriter writes on X

A speechwriter at the Department of Homeland Security has been linked to hateful posts on social media, reportedly claiming that American conservatives are ostracized like the Jews were in Nazi Germany.

A blog post reportedly authored by Eric Lendrum celebrated the January 6 insurrection and compared the following fallout for conservatives to the Holocaust and slavery, Notus reported.

“American conservatives are, right now, on a course for being every bit as ostracized and alienated from broader society as Jews were in the years leading up to Nazi Germany,” he claimed in a 2021 blog post on American Greatness, a rightwing opinion and news site. Lendrum posted on the site until March of this year.

His podcast, The Right Take, is listed in the author’s description on the site. On one episode of the podcast, he said he liked watching videos of scared legislators during the Jan 6 insurrection.

“There’s something so gratifying about seeing the images of these members of Congress — especially the Democrats — crouching under their chairs, putting on those stupid, like, bubble masks, those anti-gas bubble masks, and then taking selfies,” a laughing Lendrum said just days after the Capitol riot.

In another episode, published in October 2022, Lendrum said immigrants put Europe at risk, while also backing the “great replacement theory.” The far-right theory claims that nonwhite immigrants are damaging the influence of white people.

“Given the direction of Europe right now, we could use a far-right government at this point,” said Lendrum.

On X, the account @realEricLendrum has argued for the removal of transgender “ideology” and compared asylum seekers to “scum.”

In another podcast episode, Lendrum referenced his brief period as a press assistant at the Interior Department during the first Trump administration, saying that he would only return to government if he could be closer to the president.

“If I could work more closely with him, that is the one case in which I would ever go back into government work,” said Lendrum, whose online profile was first reported by Notus. “Government work is not fun.”

The Independent has attempted to reach Lendrum for comment.

The DHS Office of Public Affairs states that a speechwriter at the department is responsible for preparing “speeches, talking points, editorials, Congressional testimony, video scripts, web content, and other written content for the Secretary and Deputy Secretary.” The department ranks as the largest federal law enforcement agency.

In one of the blog posts linked to Lendrum, he appeared to argue that conservatives were facing political oppression similar to that of slaves and victims of the Holocaust.

“It has been said that the most surefire way to create an authoritarian regime is to completely dehumanize a significant portion of the population, so that their subsequent enslavement by the state will not face any larger resistance. It was true during slavery, it was true during the Holocaust, and it is true now,” the blog post stated.

Responding to questions from The Independent, DHS shared a link to the text of the First Amendment.

The X account linked to Lendrum argued that the U.S. should treat immigrants as an “invading army.”

“They are not migrants. They are not ‘undocumented.’ They are an invading army. The largest invasion in American history,” one post stated in May 2023. “And what are you supposed to do with an invading army? Crush it, by any means necessary. That’s the #AmericaFirst way.”

Also in the blog post about January 6, the author said, “The Democrats were absolutely terrified — literally cowering under their seats, horrified at the prospect of mere peasants walking through the halls of their castle.”

The lawmakers, including Republicans, were escorted by Capitol Police through the Capitol complex.

“The truth is that they are grateful the events of that day unfolded as they did,” the post argued regarding the Democrats.

In a podcast episode published in April 2023, he said he would “always properly deadname t***** freaks.”

“I will keep calling them t******* because I know it’s derogatory, and I know they freakin’ hate it. That’s why I deadname them. That’s why I use their original pronouns,” he said. “You control the language. Don’t give these freaks an inch on the language.”

“We need to eradicate transgenderism. Wipe it off the face of the Earth. Destroy it. Get rid of it,” he added. “As a disclaimer, I’m not saying to wipe the people out. I’m not saying get rid of the people. I’m saying eliminate the ideology. Cure these people.”

DHS speechwriter linked to hateful social accounts
‘They are not migrants. They are not ‘undocumented.’ They are an invading army. The largest invasion in American history,’ DHS speechwriter writes on X

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/dhs-speechwriter-social-media-conservatives-nazi-germany-b2809794.html

Daily Beast: Shallow Trump Pressures Zelensky to Wear a Suit to the White House

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The Ukrainian president is reportedly planning to ditch his military-style sweatshirt for a black jacket to avoid another White House showdown.

All eyes will be on Volodymyr Zelensky when he arrives at the White House on Monday afternoon—if only to see what he’s wearing when he meets President Donald Trump.

Ukraine’s wartime president found himself the target of a pile-on in his last Oval Office visit in February, when Vice President JD Vance accused him of being “disrespectful” to the U.S. by not wearing a suit and tie.

Keen to avoid a repeat, White House officials have reportedly been pressing Zelensky to dress up for Monday’s crucial talks at the White House, where Zelensky and Trump will be joined a slew of major European leaders.

Citing two sources inside the Trump administration, Axios reported Monday that the White House had explicitly asked Ukrainian officials whether Zelensky would be wearing a suit to the Oval Office.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

One source told the outlet that Zelensky would be wearing the same sort of black jacket he wore to meet Trump at the NATO summit in June, rather his usual army-style sweatshirt. “Trump was happy about that,” Axios reported in its newsletter.

Monday’s talks, which come on the heels of Trump’s summit meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, could help bring an end to Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II.

But all anyone in MAGAworld seems to have cared about over the past few days is what Zelensky will be wearing when he shakes Trump’s hand.

In a scathing preview of the Oval Office talks, Real America’s Voice host Brian Glenn told viewers on Sunday: “Two questions right now. One: Will we have peace? But two: Will Zelensky wear a suit?”

The channel, which calls itself the “authentic voice and passion of real people all across America,” then played a clip from Zelensky’s infamous visit to the White House earlier this year when Glenn himself sparked a brutal pile-on from the room by criticizing Zelensky for what he was wearing.

Zelensky’s casual battle dress was reminiscent of that worn by previous wartime leaders during visits to the White House, including Britain’s prime minister during WWII, Winston Churchill. But the February meeting descended into acrimony, with Vance leading what many observers considered an ambush of Zelensky.

Zelensky will be joined at the White House by European leaders including Britain’s Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron of France who will try to persuade Trump that the pressure should be on Putin to end the conflict he started in 2022. Casualties are widely reported to be past the million mark after more than three years of attritional fighting.

The Oval Office talks come just days the Alaska summit, at which no real progress appears to have been made—and which some White House officials reportedly left looking ashen-faced.

Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin, who has largely been ostracized by the international community since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. After greeting him like an old friend, Trump let Putin talk first at a post-summit press conference—with no actual questions allowed—and even game him a lift in his armored “Beast” limousine.

It remains clear, however, that Putin is still clinging to his maximalist demands for sovereignty over large parts of Ukraine and subsequent demilitarization.

Trump is expected to greet Zelensky today at 1 p.m. ET, with a series of meetings with other European leaders scheduled throughout the afternoon.

Shallow Trump Pressures Zelensky to Wear a Suit to the White House
The Ukrainian president is reportedly planning to ditch his military-style sweatshirt for a black jacket to avoid another White House showdown.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/shallow-trump-pressures-zelensky-to-wear-a-suit-to-the-white-house

Forbes: Trump Lashes Out At India And Russia’s ‘Dead Economies’ And Responds To Medvedev’s War Threat

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Topline

President Donald Trump lashed out at both Russia and India in a Truth social post at midnight on Thursday, as he doubled down on the 25% tariffs he placed on New Delhi—along with an unspecified “penalty” for its continued trade with Moscow—and attacked former Russian president and key Putin ally, Dmitry Medvedev, who warned that Trump’s ultimatums against his country were a “step towards war.”

Key Facts

In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president wrote: “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.”

Trump claimed the U.S. has done “very little business with India” as their Tariffs are “among the highest in the World,” and added: “Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together.”

While announcing his plan to impose a 25% tariff on India, Trump pointed out that the country has “always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia” and is the “largest buyer” of Russian energy after China.

This was the first instance of the president following through with his threat to impose “secondary tariffs” on Russia’s key trading partners unless Moscow agrees to end its war in Ukraine.

Trump, however, didn’t specify what this penalty would entail.

What Do We Know About Trump’s Deadline For Russia?

Earlier this month, Trump threatened to impose 100% “secondary” tariffs on Russia, unless it managed to secure a deal to end the war in Ukraine in 50 days. These secondary tariffs would target countries like India and China, which are among Russia’s key trading partners. However, the president revised his deadline on Monday during his visit to Scotland and said Moscow now has 10 to 12 days to take steps towards ending its conflict with Ukraine.

What Has Medvedev Said About Trump’s Deadline For Russia?

When Trump announced the first deadline, Medvedev mocked it in a post on X, saying: “Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn’t care.” After Trump shortened the deadline on Monday, Medvedev responded, tweeting: “Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia…He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe road!”

What Did Trump Say About Medvedev?

The president had not commented on Medvedev’s earlier post, but his Thursday midnight post appears to respond to the former Russian president’s “step towards war” remark. After pointing out that Russia and the U.S. do almost no business together, Trump said: “Let’s keep it that way, and tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory!” Medvedev, who had not shied away from nuclear saber-rattling in the past few years, has not yet responded to Trump’s remarks.

Theatrics and a complete lack of statesmanship!

Trump Hits Out Against Former Russian President’s War Threat—Doubles Down On India Tariff
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump announced a 25% tariff rate on Indian goods, along with an unspecified “penalty” for its continued trade relationship with Russia.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2025/07/31/trump-lashes-out-at-india-and-russias-dead-economies-and–responds-to-medvedevs-war-threat

Trump Lashes Out At India And Russia’s ‘Dead Economies’ And Responds To Medvedev’s War Threat
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump announced a 25% tariff rate on Indian goods, along with an unspecified “penalty” for its continued trade relationship with Russia.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/trump-lashes-out-at-india-and-russia-s-dead-economies-and-responds-to-medvedev-s-war-threat/ar-AA1JD76k

Business Insider: Automakers are starting to reveal how much Trump’s tariffs are costing them

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  • Carmakers are tallying up an eye-watering bill from Trump’s tariffs.
  • Jeep and Ram owner Stellantis said it expected the levies on imported vehicles to cost it around $1.4 billion this year.
  • General Motors, Tesla, and VW have also reported big tariff hits in earnings in the past few weeks.

The auto industry is still trying to unravel a tangled tariff web, and the bill just keeps getting bigger.

Jeep and Ram owner Stellantis became the latest automaker to forecast a heavy hit from Trump’s tariffs on imported vehicles on Tuesday.

The Chrysler maker said that it expected tariffs to cost it around €1.2 billion ($1.4 billion) in the second half of this year, after a €300 million impact in the first half of 2025.

Stellantis, which builds Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep models in its factories in Canada and Mexico, has been hit hard by the Trump administration’s 25% tariff on vehicles and car parts imported into the US.

Other automakers are also feeling the pain. General Motors, which builds models for the US market in Korea, Mexico, and Canada, said last week that the tariffs had cut $1.1 billion off its profits in the last quarter.

CEO Mary Barra said that GM was working to reduce its tariff exposure and build up its US manufacturing presence, but the company warned that the worst was still to come. GM estimated that the tariffs could cost it between $4 and $5 billion this year.

Trump’s recent trade deals have slashed the tariffs on importing cars from Japan and Europe to the US from 25% to 15%, but manufacturers still have to deal with a hodgepodge of import restrictions and fees.

The 25% tax on automobile parts means that even carmakers who build their cars in the US face a serious tariff headache.

Tesla, which has factories in California and Texas but still uses some imported components, told investors last week it incurred a tariff-related cost of $300 million in the previous quarter, with CFO Vaibhav Taneja warning that costs are likely to increase in the coming months.

European manufacturer VW also said last week it had suffered a $1.1 billion tariff-related hit in the first half of this year, while Swedish carmaker Volvo took a $1.2 billion impairment charge in part due to the escalating cost of the levies.

Experts and analysts have warned that many of the costs facing automakers will be passed on to US consumers in the form of higher car prices and fewer models.

A study by the Center for Automotive Research published in April found that the 25% tariffs on imported cars and auto parts would hike the cost of vehicles produced in the US by over $4,000 and imported vehicles by nearly $9,000.

Automakers are starting to reveal how much Trump’s tariffs are costing them
Jeep and Ram owner Stellantis became the latest automaker to forecast a heavy hit from Trump’s tariffs on imported vehicles on Tuesday.

https://www.businessinsider.com/automakers-are-revealing-how-much-trumps-tariffs-are-costing-them-2025-7

Daily Mail: Footage of Donald Trump ‘cheating’ on the golf course goes viral

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With President Donald Trump over in Europe, the real-estate magnate decided to visit some of his golf courses and play a few rounds of the sport he loves the most.

But a camera captured a moment where one of the caddies in Trump’s party decided to help him out more than what is allowed.

Video taken from inside a building showed the moment the US president rolled up in a golf cart left of the fairway at Turnberry – with a bunker in front of him and some light fescue to his left.

As two caddies walked by, the camera captured one of them stopping, bending down slightly, and dropping a ball in front of the president.

Trump got out of his golf cart with a club and approached the dropped ball in what appeared to be an attempt to hit it. The video stops before he takes a swing.

The clip went viral on social media, with multiple commenters calling out the 79-year-old for ‘cheating’.

‘Who needs a foot wedge when you have a personal ball dropper???’ wrote one commenter on X, formerly Twitter.

Another account posted, ‘Him and Kim Jong Un would be INSANE scramble partners’.

One account which appears to belong to a PGA professional commented, ‘Such a perfect metaphor for our Commander-in-Cheat.’ 

‘Wild…Looks like I need these fellas as Caddies with the way I hit it anymore,’ another post joked.

If Trump did indeed hit that ball, it’s not the first time that he’s been accused of ‘cheating’ in the past.

Earlier this year, film star Samuel L. Jackson accused him of cheating when the pair played a round together. 

Asked who the better golfer was, the Pulp Fiction actor said: ‘Oh, I am, for sure. I don’t cheat.’

Taking to social media to reply to Jackson, Trump responded by saying he had never played with him on a course. 

Jackson’s opinion is one echoed by fellow actor Anthony Anderson, as he accused Trump of cheating back in 2016. 

During an appearance on the Late Night With Seth Meyers that year, Anderson said: ‘Trump is a great golfer. I’m not going to say Trump cheats. His caddy cheats for him.’

Asked on whether he saw Trump cheat with his own eyes, Anderson replied: ‘Oh yes, several times. Several times’. 

He added: ‘I mis-hit a ball – it hooked a little left about 20 yards. Trump hit the exact same shot but went 20 yards further left than mine.

‘I could not find my ball in this trash. Trump’s ball had the fluffiest lie in the middle of the fairway. 

‘Like I say, I didn’t see Trump cheat because he was on the tee-box with me, but his ball was right there in the middle of the fairway.’

They follow claims made by sports journalist Rick Reilly, who claimed in 2019 that Trump made second attempts at a shot for no good reason and took credit for other players’ shots.

Writing for the Sunday Times, he said caddies had given Trump the nickname ‘Pele’ because he would kick the ball so often to move it to a better position.

Describing his opponent’s style of play, he said: ‘To say Donald Trump cheats is like saying Michael Phelps swims.

‘Trump doesn’t just cheat at golf. He cheats like a three-card monte dealer. He throws it, boots it and moves it. 

‘Whether you’re his pharmacist or Tiger Woods, if you’re playing golf with him, he’s going to cheat.’

Footage of Donald Trump ‘cheating’ on the golf course goes viral
With President Donald Trump over in Europe, the real-estate magnate decided to visit some of his golf courses and play a few rounds of the sport he loves the most.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/article-14945449/donald-trump-cheating-golf-scotland-turnberry.html

Alternet: ‘Not just racist but stupid’: VP slammed for ‘sleight of hand’ while promoting far-right theory

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JD Dunce, “Not Just Racist But Stupid”

Author Katherine Stewart says Vice President JD Vance is “polishing ideas from the far-right gutters with an Ivy League sheen,” particularly when it comes to smearing a pretty face over the racist Great Replacement Theory.

Stewart says President Donald Trump is expelling asylum seekers, abusing foreign visitors and deporting and incarcerating people who have never been accused of any crime. Meanwhile, Vance is in the wings, pushing a “thoughtful” version of the “Great Replacement Theory” that’s sure to appease nativists who embrace the idea that immigration is part of a deliberate plot to destroy the U.S. by replacing “real” or “true” Americans with aliens.

Stewart notes how Vance recently argued that America’s founders understood “that our shared qualities, our heritage, our values, our manners and customs confer a special and indispensable advantage. … Social bonds form among people who have something in common. They share the same neighborhood. They share the same church.”

“Vance is using a sleight of hand here,” said Stewart, agreeing that social bonds do form when people share things in common, but she adds that a nation’s people who “define themselves according to the church their grandparents attended … [is] not the America that Lincoln and Jefferson … established.”

“We the people have agreed to promote the general welfare not by conducting a survey of the views of some subset of ancestors who happened to be present at the Civil War, but by making laws through representative government based on the idea that all people are free and equal before the law.”

Versions of the Vance ideology haunt American history, Steward argues, and always with the same malicious intent: to divide “real” Americans from the ones who “don’t belong.”

“The intent becomes clear the moment you ask the speaker who the ‘real’ Americans are,” Stewart said. “Are they the descendants of the Mayflower? That’s just silly. … Are the real Americans white? That’s not just racist but stupid; most Black Americans today have ancestors that lived in America significantly longer, on average, than white Americans.”

But the argument serves the purpose of putting a lot of money in the hands of a few, said Stewart, whether it’s letting slaveholders get rich while their white neighbors get outcompeted by slave labor or funneling money to “the establishment of a grifty concentration camp on American soil.” (Research shows contractors affiliated with the controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” have “lost” tens of millions of dollars, while others have forced states to pay for detention centers it never built.)

“We can’t know what’s in JD Vance’s heart,” Stewart argued, but “he seems to believe that, to keep himself and his associates in power, the U.S. government needs to ship asylum seekers off to random islands and engage in an ever-expanding menu of sadistic acts. Meanwhile, none of our actual immigration issues are resolved and the rest of us are simply forced to pay the price.”

Read the full New Republic report at this link.

‘Not just racist but stupid’: VP slammed for ‘sleight of hand’ while promoting far-right theory

https://www.alternet.org/jd-vance-baseless-claim

More in The New Republic:

JD Vance’s “Intellectual” Spin on the Racist Great Replacement Theory

As the Trump administration advances its draconian immigration schemes, the vice president is doing his part—by polishing ideas from the far-right gutters with an Ivy League sheen.