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Trump Holds ‘Productive’ Call With New Canadian Prime Minister

Presidentย Donald Trumpย said he held an “extremely productive call” with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday.ย 

“I just finished speaking with Prime Ministerย Mark Carney, of Canada.ย It was an extremely productive call, we agree on many things, and will be meeting immediately after Canadaโ€™s upcoming Election to work on elements of Politics, Business, and all other factors, that will end up being great for both the United States of America and Canada,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.ย 

It was the first time the two leaders have spoken.

On Thursday,ย Carney said the “old relationship” with the U.S. “is over” while vowing to engage in a renegotiation over a trade agreement. ย 

Carney, 60, won the Liberal leadership this month with 86% of the vote after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepped down.

In an address to reporters in Ottawa on Thursday, Carney offered a blunt rebuke to the Trump administration as it prepares to slap a 25 percent tariff on foreign car imports โ€” a move the prime minister said wonโ€™t go unanswered.

โ€œThe old relationship we had with the United States, based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military co-operations, is over,โ€ Carney said.

He continued: โ€œWhat exactly the United States does next is unclear. But what is clear is that we, as Canadians, have agency. We have power. We are masters in our own home. We can control our destiny. We can give ourselves much more than any foreign government, including the United States, can ever take away.โ€

He added: โ€œWe can deal with this crisis best by building our strength right here at home. It will take hard work. It will take steady and focused determination from governments, from businesses, from labour, from Canadians. We will need to dramatically reduce our reliance on the United States. We will need to pivot our trade relationships elsewhere. And we will need to do things previously thought impossible at speeds we havenโ€™t seen in generations.โ€

Carney vowed a โ€œbroad renegotiationโ€ of Canadaโ€™s trade and security ties with the U.S., marking a sharp departure from the conventional diplomacy that has long defined cross-border relations.

โ€œWe will fight back with everything we have to get the best deal for Canada. We will build an independent future for our country, stronger than ever,โ€ Carney said, promising โ€œretaliatory trade actionsโ€ designed for โ€œmaximum impact in the US and minimum impacts in Canada.โ€

Trump Announces One Month Delay on Mexico, Canada Tariffs

By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54325633746/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=159707159

Just in…

President Trumpย on Wednesday announced a one-month exemption on tariffs against Canada and Mexico for cars following a meeting with the three major U.S. automakers.

Trump spoke with the leaders of the โ€œBig Threeโ€ automakers โ€” Ford, General Motors and Stellantis โ€” on the heels of imposing 25 percent tariffs on all imports from Mexico and Canada on Tuesday.

Following those discussions, Trump said in a statement read by press secretary Karoline Leavitt that the administration is giving a one-month exemption for automakers associated with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA), which Trump signed during his first term. 

The exemption would apply to Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, as well as companies with production facilities in the three North American countries.

Asked if there would be any other carveouts to come, Leavitt said Trump is โ€œopen to hearing about additional exemptions.โ€

Trump on Tuesday imposed 25 percent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, as well as an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods. He cited frustration over the flow of fentanyl into the United States, though experts have noted relatively little fentanyl enters the country through the northern border.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Wall Street Journal Board Urges Potential Trump Impeachment

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Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Yikes…

In a column published late Friday, a member of theย Wall Street Journalย editorial board claimed it would be “desirable” to subjectย Donald Trumpย to a third impeachment.

According to longtime columnist Holman W. Jenkins Jr., Trump’s on-again, off-again tariff threats almost makes it appear he wants to be impeached, with Jenkins writing, “A future Trump impeachment seemed all but guaranteed by last Wednesday morning. It seems only slightly less likely now. It may even be desirable to restore Americaโ€™s standing with creditors and trade partners.”

Read more from the report:

As he sees it, the president’s last great achievement was being re-elected in 2024, and the damage he has been creating since then belies his promise of a “golden age,” so an impeachment is “already ion the cards.”

“No consensus or even significant coalition exists for trying to force into existence a new American ‘golden age’ with tariffs, which anyway is like asking a chicken to give birth to a lioness. He invented this mission out of his own confused intuition,” he accused.

Noting that conservative historian Niall Ferguson labeled Trump’s trade policy going “full retard,” he contributed, “I go with ‘neurotic’ for the wordโ€™s wider applicability to any leader who, lacking a clear bead on his times, fabricates a gratuitously ambitious mission to meet his misguided sense of importance.”

“Nobody in Mr. Trumpโ€™s orbit actually shares his belief in the magical efficacy of tariffs because it makes sense only in a world that doesnโ€™t exist, where other countries donโ€™t retaliate,” he pointed out before concluding, “The founders never anticipated todayโ€™s instantly responsive trillion-dollar financial markets. And yet these markets neatly adumbrate the foundersโ€™ scheme of checks and balances, also known as feedback. Mr. Trump, still sane enough to appreciate whatโ€™s good for Mr. Trump, listened this week to their feedback.”

President Donald Trump vowed on Sunday that nobody was getting “off the hook” for unfair trade balances and tariff barriers, which other countries have used against the U.S.

The Trump administration announced Friday that it was exempting imported smartphones, laptops and other electronics from reciprocal tariffs, but the president wanted to clear a few things up.

“There was no Tariff โ€˜exceptionโ€™ announced on Friday,” Trump said in a post on X on Sunday. “These products are subject to the existing 20% Fentanyl Tariffs, and they are just moving to a different Tariff ‘bucket.โ€™  The Fake News knows this, but refuses to report it. We are taking a look at Semiconductors and the WHOLE ELECTRONICS SUPPLY CHAIN in the upcoming National Security Tariff Investigations.

Customs and Border Protection issued new guidance on reciprocal tariff negotiations late Friday, noting the exemption of those goods from Trumpโ€™s April 2 executive order that declared a national emergency due to non-reciprocalย trade practicesย and structural imbalances in the global trading system. Subsequent executive orders ramped up tariffs on China to 125%.

The updated guidance, which cites a presidential memorandum issued Friday, excluded the products from Trumpโ€™s 125%ย China tariffย and his baseline 10% global tariff on some countries. They apply to goods that left a warehouse as of April 5.

Products included in the exemption are things like hard drives, computer processors, solar cells, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, flat-panel TV displays and memory chips.

But in light of the easing of tariffs on electronics, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday the exemption would be temporary.

“Theyโ€™re exempt from the reciprocal tariffs, but theyโ€™re included in the semiconductor tariffs, which are coming in probably a month or two,” Lutnick told ABCโ€™s “This Week” on Sunday.

Lutnickโ€™s comments Sunday made clear that more changes were on the horizon.

US Takes 10% Stake In Intel Under Trump To Strengthen Chip Production

Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

A public-private deal aims to bring microchip manufacturing back to American soil โ€” and deliver taxpayer returns in the process.

A Strategic Bet on Semiconductors

President Donald Trump announced Friday that chipmaker Intel agreed to give the U.S. government a 9.9% equity stake, valued at $8.9โ€ฏbillion. The move, the first of its kind under the CHIPS and Science Act, is intended to strengthen domestic semiconductor capacity and ensure that federal subsidies come with direct returns for taxpayers.

โ€œTheyโ€™ve agreed to do it, and I think itโ€™s a great deal for them,โ€ Trump told reporters during a briefing. The agreement follows internal administration discussions about using existing Commerce Department funding to acquire a stake in Intel, an effort confirmed earlier in the week by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

The stake is expected to be funded through the CHIPS Act and the Department of Defenseโ€™s Secure Enclave program. It will be a passive investment, meaning the government will not receive board seats, governance rights, or special access to information.

Intel Under Scrutiny

Trump also shed light on how the agreement came about โ€” including a conversation with Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, whose background had drawn criticism from Capitol Hill.

Earlier this month, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) raised alarms over Tanโ€™s past leadership of Cadence Design Systems, which in 2008 pleaded guilty to illegally exporting chip design software to a Chinese military university. Tanโ€™s investments in China-based firms had also raised national security concerns.

โ€œI said, โ€˜Well thatโ€™s right, he should resign,โ€™โ€ Trump said. โ€œAnd he came in, he saw me, we talked for a while. I liked him a lot. I thought he was very good. I thought he was somewhat a victim, but, you know, nobodyโ€™s a total victim, I guess.โ€

Following their meeting, Trump floated the idea that Intel should offer a 10% equity share to the U.S. government.

โ€œHe said, โ€˜I would consider that,โ€™โ€ Trump recalled. โ€œIntel has been left behind, as you know, compared to [Nvidia CEO] Jensen [Huang] and some of our friends.โ€

Commerce: โ€œWe Canโ€™t Rely on Taiwanโ€

Commerce Secretary Lutnick emphasized that the deal has more to do with national security than boardroom politics. In an interview on CNBCโ€™s Squawk Box, Lutnick pointed out that Taiwan, which manufactures over 90% of the worldโ€™s most advanced semiconductors, sits just 80 miles from China.

โ€œWe cannot rely on Taiwan, which is 9,500 miles away from us and only 80 miles from China,โ€ Lutnick said. โ€œSo, you canโ€™t have 99 percent of leading-edge chips made in Taiwan. We want to make them here.โ€

He noted that the administration wants to ensure that U.S. companies are capable of producing next-generation chip nodes domestically.

โ€œOne of those pieces is, it would be lovely to have Intel be capable of making a U.S. node or a U.S. transistor โ€” driving that in America,โ€ Lutnick added.

A Rare Bipartisan Signal

The move drew support across ideological lines, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) praising the basic premise: that if the federal government is handing out billions in subsidies, the public should see a share of the profits.

โ€œNo. Taxpayers should not be providing billions of dollars in corporate welfare to large, profitable corporations like Intel without getting anything in return,โ€ Sanders said. โ€œIf microchip companies make a profit from the generous grants they receive from the federal government, the taxpayers of America have a right to a reasonable return on that investment.โ€

Not Everyone on Board

Some conservatives pushed back against the concept of government equity stakes in private corporations.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) called the proposal a โ€œterribleโ€ precedent.

โ€œIf socialism is government owning the means of production, wouldnโ€™t the government owning part of Intel be a step toward socialism?โ€ Paul wrote in a post on X.

Despite the criticism, the administration has defended the agreement as a narrowly targeted investment โ€” not a takeover โ€” intended to align taxpayer contributions with long-term national and economic security.

Looking Ahead

The Intel stake marks a sharp departure from traditional federal industrial policy. Rather than simply issuing grants or tax breaks, the administration is pursuing a more transactional model: public money in, public equity out.

For the Trump administration, the goal is clear โ€” to use government leverage to secure Americaโ€™s position in next-generation chip manufacturing and reduce dependence on overseas supply chains.

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Trump Pauses Tariffs For One Month After Talks With Mexico

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Trump at the border wall via Wikimedia Commons

Mexicoโ€˜s President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo has announced a temporary suspension of tariffs for one month following a productive conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump. The move comes as part of a broader effort to address critical security and economic concerns between the neighboring countries.

As part of the agreement, Mexico will deploy 10,000 troops to bolster security along the U.S.-Mexico border. In return, the U.S. has pledged to ramp up efforts to curb firearm trafficking into Mexico, a persistent issue fueling cartel violence.

CNBC repots:

Sheinbaum also said in a tweet, that after speaking with Trump, Mexico โ€œwill immediately reinforceโ€ its northern border with the U.S. with 10,000 National Guard soldiers โ€œto prevent drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States, particularly fentanyl.โ€

โ€œWe had a good conversation with President Trump with great respect for our relationship and sovereignty; we reached a series of agreements,โ€ Sheinbaum wrote in the tweet, according to a translation from Spanish.

โ€œThe United States is committed to working to prevent the trafficking of high-powered weapons to Mexico,โ€ she wrote.

The announcement underscores the ongoing collaboration between Mexico and the U.S. on border security and trade, particularly as both nations navigate shifting political landscapes.

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News

Canadian Conservative Pushes Ottawa To Remove All US Tariffs

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As Canada braces for President Trump’s Liberation day tariffs to take effect some Canadian political leaders are suddenly supporting proposals to remove all tariffs.

Maxime Bernier, who served as foreign affairs minister in former Prime Minister Stephen Harperโ€™s Conservative government and now heads the right-wing Peopleโ€™s Party of Canada (PPC), told Fox News Digital in an interview from Halifax that it is “absolutely” the time for Canada to remove all tariffs against the U.S.

He said the 25% duties the Canadian government, under then-Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, imposed on the U.S. in early February to counter Trumpโ€™s 25% tariffs against Canada “wonโ€™t hurt the Americans โ€“ it is hurting Canadians.”

New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement following his March 28 call with the president โ€“ the first contact between both leaders since Carney was elected Liberal leader by his party nearly three weeks before โ€“ that Canada would implement retaliatory tariffs in response to Wednesday’s U.S. “trade actions.”

The PPC leader said that Trump should be told that “the real reciprocal response” to tariffs is “zero on our side, zero on your side.”

Bernier said that instead, Carney and his main rival, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, are being “fake patriots using a dollar-for-dollar trade war against Trump” and telling Canadians: “Thatโ€™s the best thing to do.”

“We cannot impose counter-tariffs,” said Bernier, who also served as industry minister in the Harper government. 

“The Americans are 10 times bigger than us. We wonโ€™t win a trade war,” he said, underscoring that retaliation will lead to a recession in Canada.

Former Canadian Conservative politician Tony Clement, who served alongside Bernier in Harperโ€™s Cabinet, told Fox News Digital that “from an economic point of view,” removing Canadian tariffs “makes a lot of sense” and “may come to that at some point, but the public isnโ€™t there right now.”

“From a point of view of the emotional wounds of Canadians created by Trump and his annexation talk and tariffs, Iโ€™m not sure that a political voice would survive if it went down that public-policy route,” said Clement, a former Canadian industry minister in the Harper government.

“The mood of the people is outrage. Iโ€™ve never seen people in Canada this incandescently mad at the United States,” he said, who is campaigning in the Toronto area for Poilievre’s Conservative Party ahead of the April 28 general election. “There is complete distrust of whatever Trump says because it can change within 24 hours.”

Eliminating Canadian tariffs, without a quid pro quo from Trump, could “show weakness to a bully,” added Clement, who, prior to entering federal politics in 2006, served as a Cabinet minister in former Ontario Premier Mike Harrisโ€™ Progressive Conservative government.  

In the statement released following his recent conversation with Trump, Carney said that both leaders “agreed to begin comprehensive negotiations about a new economic and security relationship immediately following the election.” 

Conservative strategist Yaroslav Baran, who served as communications chief for Harperโ€™s successful Conservative 2004 leadership campaign, and director of war room communications for the Harper-led Tories during the 2004, 2006 and 2008 federal election campaigns, told Fox News Digital that under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), “trade in goods and services ought to be tariff-free” between Canada and the U.S., excluding carveouts on the Canadian side for dairy, eggs, poultry and softwood lumber. 

However, Baran added that he “canโ€™t semer Ontario Premier Mike Harrisโ€™ Progressive Conservative government. ย 

In the statement released following his recent conversation with Trump, Carney said that both leaders “agreed to begin comprehensive negotiations about a new economic and security relationship immediately following the election.” 

Conservative strategist Yaroslav Baran, who served as communications chief for Harperโ€™s successful Conservative 2004 leadership campaign, and director of war room communications for the Harper-led Tories during the 2004, 2006 and 2008 federal election campaigns, told Fox News Digital that under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), “trade in goods and services ought to be tariff-free” between Canada and the U.S., excluding carveouts on the Canadian side for dairy, eggs, poultry and softwood lumber. 

However, Baran added that he “canโ€™t see the removal of all Canadian tariffs on U.S. products as long as the U.S. has tariffs on Canadian products.”

Trump Indicates Plan To Lower or Eliminate Income Taxes Thanks To Tariffs

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This could be huge…

President Donald Trump said that some people’sย income taxesย will be lowered or perhaps even completely eliminated due to tariffs.

“When Tariffs cut in, many peopleโ€™s Income Taxes will be substantially reduced, maybe even completely eliminated. Focus will be on people making less than $200,000 a year,” he declared in a post on Truth Social.

“Also, massive numbers of jobs are already being created, with new plants and factories currently being built or planned. It will be a BONANZA FOR AMERICA!!! THE EXTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE IS HAPPENING!!!” the president added.

The president touched on the subjects of income taxes and tariffs while addressing reporters on Sunday.

“And eventually we’ll be reducing taxes very substantially for the people of our country, because the money is so great coming in from tariffs that I’ll be able to reduce taxes โ€ฆ to a very large extent, and maybe almost completely,” he said.

“And it’s possible we’ll do a complete tax cut, because I think the tariffs will be enough to cut all of the income tax,” he noted. 

The president indicated Americans will be given “a tremendous tax cut,” starting “with people making less than $200,000 dollars a year.”

Trump, who has been in the Oval Office for nearly 100 days, has moved at breakneck speed to revitalize America.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Fox News exclusively that Presidentย Donald Trumpย has accomplished more in the first 100 days of his tenure than “most politicians or presidents accomplish in their entire lifetimes.”

“So much of what we’ve done is leading up to the big reconciliation bill, and that is the legislative vehicle, as I’ve explained to people, it will help us, through which we will deliver the president’s America First agenda,” Johnson told Fox News Digital.

“We’ve done it with arguably the smallest margin in the history of the Congress, so challenges every day, but it’s been very rewarding to lead us through that.”

ย The speaker also acknowledged that Trump has acted quite a bit on his own, as well.

“He’s issued, I think, 110ย executive ordersย and many other executive actions. And we’ve been working to codify so much of that. It’s been kind of a partnership,” Johnson said.

“I don’t think we’ve ceded any authority. I think that he’s doing what is within his scope to do. There’s an assumption made by Congress that the administration, whoever is in the administration, will use the money that is appropriated to the executive branch as a good steward, that they will take every measure possible to prevent fraud, waste and abuse,” Johnson said.ย 

“And tariffs as well โ€“ the president, whomever is president, has a responsibility and I think an expectation from Congress that they will deal with unfair trade partners around the globe.”

However, while many conservatives have praised Trump’s recent accomplishments, many Democrats have openly decried the moves and spurred concerns they will seek to impeach Trump if they regain control of Congress.

CNN host Dana Bash recently asked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer if he agreed with Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) who signaled recently that he would support anย impeachment effort against Trump.

“Would that be a priority if Democrats were to take back Congress?” Bash asked. 

“President Trump is violating rule of law in every way. And we’re fighting him every single day in every way. And our goal is to show the American people over and over again, whether itโ€™s the economy, whether itโ€™s tariffs, whether itโ€™s Russia and overseas and whether itโ€™s rule of law, how bad he is. And you know, two years is too far away to predict. Our job is day to day to day, to show who Trump is, what he is doing, and itโ€™s having an effect,” Schumer said.

Bash pressed him further and said, “You’re not saying โ€˜no.โ€™”

“Look, it’s too far away to even judge,” Schumer responded.

Ossoff signaled support for impeaching Trump during a town hall event in Georgia.

“I saw just 48 hours ago, [Trump] is granting audiences to people who buy his meme coin,” Ossoff said. “There is no question that that rises to the level of an impeachable offense. And the reality is that that’s just one of many [examples] โ€” defying a federal court order, for example.”

Trump Backs Off Powell Firing Talk As Markets Rally

The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

President Donald Trump made clear he has “no intention” of dismissing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, despite recent public criticisms that had unsettled financial markets. Tuesday’s clarification comes after Trump had labeled Powell a “major loser” and suggested his “termination cannot come fast enough.”

The presidentโ€™s assurance appeared to calm investor fears about the central bankโ€™s independence, triggering a significant market rebound Tuesday that extended into Wednesday morning.

The S&P 500 rose by 3%, and the Nasdaq increased by 3.7%, reflecting investor relief over the reduced likelihood of political interference with the Federal Reserve. European markets also responded positively, with the Stoxx Europe 600 up 1.9% and Germanyโ€™s DAX gaining 2.8%.

Despite the president’s recent criticisms, including calls for more aggressive interest rate cuts, Trump emphasized that he never intended to remove Powell from his position. He expressed a desire for the Fed to act more decisively in lowering interest rates but acknowledged Powell’s role would continue until his term concludes in May 2026.

โ€œI would like to see him be a little more active in terms of his idea to lower interest ratesโ€ฆbut, no, I have no intention to fire him,โ€ Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal:

U.S. stock futures and the dollar rallied following Trumpโ€™s remarks. Gold futures dropped, pulling back from record highs.

Trumpโ€™s softer tone on Powell came after he lashed out at the Fed chair, writing on social media last week, โ€œPowellโ€™s termination cannot come fast enough!โ€

But on Tuesday, Trump played down recent comments by Kevin Hassett, the director of the National Economic Council, that the administration was studying whether the president could fire Powell.

โ€œThis is a perfect time to lower interest rates. If he doesnโ€™t, is it the end? No. Itโ€™s not,โ€ Trump said.

Trump also addressed trade policy, signaling that tariffs on Chinese goods โ€” currently set at 145% โ€” could be โ€œsubstantiallyโ€ reduced, though not fully eliminated. The hint at a possible easing of trade tensions, combined with his reaffirmation of the Fedโ€™s independence, fueled the global market rebound. (RELATED: Trump Softens Tariff Stance On China)

While the immediate market reaction has been positive, analysts warn that ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and the Federal Reserve โ€” along with the prospect of slow-moving trade negotiations between the worldโ€™s two largest economies โ€” could continue to weigh on financial markets in the weeks and months ahead.

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Navarro Recommends Trump For Nobel Prize

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White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has made it clear: President Donald J. Trumpโ€™s bold restructuring of global trade deserves the worldโ€™s highest economic recognition โ€” the Nobel Prize in Economics.

Appearing on Fox Business, Navarro praised Trumpโ€™s unwavering commitment to putting America first at the negotiating table:

โ€œSince President Trump has essentially taught the world trade economics, he might be up for the Nobel on economics. This is a fundamental restructuring of the international trade environment. The largest market in the world has drawn a line: you will not cheat us anymore,โ€ Navarro said.

Under Trumpโ€™s leadership, the United States has replaced decades of bad deals with fair and reciprocal agreements. Tariffs โ€” dismissed by critics โ€” have functioned as tax cuts for the American economy, and inflation has stayed under control.

America First Wins on the World Stage
The Trump administrationโ€™s trade strategy is delivering results at lightning speed. Landmark agreements have been secured with the United Kingdom, European Union, and Japan, and negotiations are underway with China โ€” the worldโ€™s second-largest economy โ€” to ensure fair play and accountability.

Navarro summed it up:

โ€œThese deals are happening now fast and are incredibly effective.โ€

Nominations Rolling In
Trumpโ€™s bold leadership isnโ€™t just earning results โ€” itโ€™s earning global recognition. Multiple leaders and officials have nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize:

  • U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter (GA) and Darrell Issa (CA) for his groundbreaking Middle East peace agreements, including progress toward resolving tensions between Israel and Iran.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who presented Trump with a formal letter of nomination after the Presidentโ€™s push for a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
  • Pakistani officials praised Trumpโ€™s role in de-escalating disputes with India (despite later disagreements over separate actions in the region).

The Trump Standard vs. the Obama Surprise
While Barack Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize just months into his first term without any major achievements, President Trump has delivered historic results โ€” and still doubts the globalist establishment will give him the recognition heโ€™s earned.

โ€œI wonโ€™t get a Nobel Peace Prize for this, I wonโ€™t get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between India and Pakistan, I wonโ€™t get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between Serbia and Kosovo,โ€ he wrote in a June Truth Social post, also naming conflicts in North Africa and the Middle East.

โ€œNo, I wonโ€™t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do, including Russia/Ukraine, and Israel/Iran, whatever those outcomes may be, but the people know, and thatโ€™s all that matters to me!โ€ Trump added.

Trump Plans To Capitalize On Schumer Shutdown With Plan To Axe Federal Agencies

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President Donald Trump announced he is scheduled to meet with Russ Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, to discuss which parts of the government he recommends cutting amid the Schumer Shutdown.

โ€œI have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent,โ€ the president wrote on Truth Social Thursday morning.

โ€œI canโ€™t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity,โ€ he continued. โ€œThey are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!โ€ 

Trump Warns of Necessary Cuts as Shutdown Looms

President Trump said Tuesday that while he would prefer to avoid a government shutdown, it could provide an opportunity to continue his mission of restoring fiscal sanity in Washington and eliminating wasteful spending.

โ€œWe donโ€™t want it to shut down because we have the greatest economy and investment environment ever,โ€ Trump said from the Oval Office. โ€œWeโ€™ve got $17 trillion being invested in this country right now. So the last person who wants a shutdown is us.โ€

โ€œBut with that being said,โ€ he continued, โ€œa shutdown allows us to make reforms that are otherwise impossible โ€” cutting bloated programs, trimming the fat, and removing layers of bureaucracy that serve no one but Washington insiders.โ€

A government funding lapse doesnโ€™t give the president new powers, but it does shift discretion to the White House and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to determine which programs must continue and which can pause. The Antideficiency Act requires agencies to halt nonessential spending when Congress fails to pass appropriations, while preserving core constitutional and national security functions.

Trump praised OMB Director Russell Vought for his leadership on budget discipline. โ€œRussell Vought has been very popular lately because he knows how to bring the budget under control in ways Congress never would,โ€ Trump said. โ€œShutdowns have risk for Democrats too โ€” because during them, we can finally cut things they love to spend on, things that waste taxpayer dollars, and no one can reverse it.โ€

Later that day, Trump reiterated that he wants a deal but will not ignore the chance to protect taxpayers if Democrats refuse to negotiate responsibly. โ€œA lot of good can come from this,โ€ he said. โ€œWe can finally weed out overspending and save Americansโ€™ hard-earned money.โ€

Vought, in a memo Tuesday evening, declared that a shutdown appeared unavoidable because of what he called โ€œDemocratsโ€™ insane policy demands, including $1 trillion in new spending.โ€ He told federal employees to prepare for an orderly pause in operations.


Vice President JD Vance: Focus on Essential Services

On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance joined the White House press briefing to emphasize that while the administration expects the shutdown to be brief, some workforce reductions are unavoidable.

โ€œWeโ€™re going to have to make things work,โ€ Vance said. โ€œThat means prioritizing essential functions and, unfortunately, letting go of some nonessential positions. Our goal is to make sure the American people feel as little pain as possible.โ€

Vance pushed back on criticism that the administration is using the shutdown for partisan targeting: โ€œWeโ€™re not going after agencies because of politics. Weโ€™re trying to keep critical services running, even when Democrats refuse to fund the government responsibly.โ€


The Drive to Make Government Leaner

These measures are part of Trumpโ€™s larger effort to make the federal government lean, accountable, and responsive to voters โ€” not entrenched bureaucrats. In January, the administration offered voluntary buyouts for employees ready to step aside and avoid deeper cuts. Those were followed by reduction-in-force (RIF) plans across agencies with low performance or duplication of services.

In his March address to Congress, Trump pledged to โ€œreclaim power from unaccountable bureaucracy and return it to the American people.โ€

โ€œAny federal bureaucrat who resists this change will be removed from office,โ€ Trump said. โ€œWeโ€™re draining the swamp. The days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over.โ€


DOGE and the Push Against Waste

Central to this reform is the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), created to root out waste, fraud, and abuse. Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk was tapped to lead DOGEโ€™s oversight efforts โ€” leveraging innovation and private-sector discipline to expose costly, ineffective programs.

DOGE has flagged millions in questionable foreign aid and pet projects that have little to do with serving Americans, including:

  • $25 million for โ€œbiodiversity and socially responsible behaviorโ€ in Colombia
  • $40 million to โ€œimprove the social and economic inclusion of sedentary migrantsโ€
  • $42 million for โ€œsocial and behavior changeโ€ initiatives in Uganda
  • $10 million for circumcision programs in Mozambique

โ€œWhy are we paying for these things abroad when our own border is wide open and Americans are struggling?โ€ Trump asked at CPAC, highlighting the findings.