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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 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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Trump Says Americans May Soon Pay โ€˜No Income Taxโ€™

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday floated the idea that Americans could see their federal income taxes drastically reducedโ€”or potentially eliminatedโ€”if tariff revenue continues to rise, calling the amounts collected under his administration โ€œso greatโ€ฆ so enormousโ€ that the government may be able to abandon the current system.

Speaking to reporters in a postโ€“cabinet meeting press gaggle, Trump said, โ€œat some point in the not too distant future you wonโ€™t even have income tax to pay,โ€ arguing that tariff-driven revenue could eventually replace money now raised through taxes on wages and personal income.

โ€œWhether you get rid of it or just keep it around for fun or have it really low, much lower than it is now, but you won’t be paying income tax,โ€ Trump added.

If pursued, the proposal would amount to one of the biggest shifts in the U.S. tax structure in generations. The federal income tax is a central funding source for Washington, while tariffsโ€”taxes on imported goodsโ€”have historically played a smaller role in modern federal budgeting. Trump, however, has repeatedly praised an older era of American finance, when the federal government relied more heavily on customs duties and other consumption-style taxes.

โ€œItโ€™s time for the United States to return to the system that made us richer and more powerful than ever before,โ€ the president said in January. โ€œInstead of taxing our citizens to enrich foreign nations, we should be tariffing and taxing foreign nations to enrich our citizens.โ€

Trump has previously previewed narrower versions of the same concept. Earlier in his second administration, he floated eliminating income tax for individuals earning under $150,000, again describing tariffs as the replacement revenue stream. That ideaโ€”like full repealโ€”would still require major legislative action and raise large questions about how the federal government would maintain funding levels for defense, Social Security and Medicare administration, interest payments on the national debt, and other functions now supported by income-tax receipts.

The president has also framed the idea as a common-sense bargain rather than a technical redesign of federal finance. Asked by podcaster Joe Rogan whether he was serious about eliminating personal income taxes, then-candidate Trump replied, โ€œYeah, sure, why not?โ€ and suggested tariffs could fund government operations โ€œinstead of wage taxes.โ€

Even if the White House embraces the concept, the path to implementation is steep. Eliminating or dramatically shrinking the income tax would require rewriting large sections of the tax codeโ€”changes that must pass Congress and withstand scrutiny from budget scorekeepers and lawmakers concerned about deficits, household costs, and the economic consequences of sharply expanding tariffs. Those hurdles could be especially high amid tight margins in the House, where leadership often struggles to keep large coalitions together on complex fiscal votes.

Trumpโ€™s views on taxation have also shifted over time. During his brief exploration of a 1999 presidential run under the Reform Party banner, Trump considered a one-time โ€œnet worthโ€ tax for people with wealth over $10 millionโ€”an approach that contrasts with his current push to shift more of the federal tax burden toward imports.

While outright abolition of the income tax has traditionally been a fringe policy idea, Trumpโ€™s increasingly explicit endorsement has pushed it closer to mainstream political debateโ€”especially as tariffs become a larger and more central feature of his economic message.

Trump To Ban Corporations Buying Single-Family Homes

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President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday a plan to ban โ€œlarge institutional investorsโ€ from buying โ€œmore single-family homes.โ€

In a Truth Social post, the president declared the โ€œAmerican dream is increasingly out of reach for far too many people, especially younger Americans.โ€ He blamed economic struggles on former President Joe Biden while announcing his plan to restrict home buying by companies.

Trump wrote:

For a very long time, buying and owning a home was considered the pinnacle of the American Dream. It was the reward for working hard, and doing the right thing, but now, because of the Record High Inflation caused by Joe Biden and the Democrats in Congress, that American Dream is increasingly out of reach for far too many people, especially younger Americans. It is for that reason, and much more, that I am immediately taking steps to ban large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes, and I will be calling on Congress to codify it. People live in homes, not corporations. I will discuss this topic, including further Housing and Affordability proposals, and more, at my speech in Davos in two weeks.

Mediaite reported the housing market has faced challenges in recent years, with inflation and other economic issues leading to fewer and younger people actually buying homes. According to data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the average age of a first-time home buyer is around 40, a big jump from previous years. According to the 2025 data, first-time home buyers dropped to a record low of 21%.

The Hill noted that the proposed ban could prove to be a way in for Trump and Republicans to address the issue of affordability ahead of this yearโ€™s midterm elections. The president and his Republican allies have struggled to message on the issue as inflation persists and as Democrats have won a number of special and off-year elections.

In his TruthSocial post, the president laid blame on former President Biden for current inflation, which have remained stagnant during Trumpโ€™s second-term so far.

โ€œFor a very long time, buying and owning a home was considered the pinnacle of the American Dream. It was the reward for working hard, and doing the right thing, but now, because of the Record High Inflation caused by Joe Biden and the Democrats in Congress, that American Dream is increasingly out of reach for far too many people, especially younger Americans,โ€ the president noted. 

Senators Call On SEC To Open Investigation Into Trump For Insider Trading

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Democrats are getting desperate…

Senate Minority Leaderย Chuck Schumerย (D-NY) and Sen.ย Elizabeth Warrenย (D-MA) sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this week asking for an investigation into Presidentย Donald Trumpโ€™sย social media posts urging stock market purchases ahead of his tariff pause announcement

โ€œWe ask the SEC to determine whether President Trump, any members of his cabinet, or other donors, insiders, and administration officials engaged in insider trading, market manipulation or other securities laws violations on April 9, 2025, when President Trump announced that it was a โ€˜GREAT TIME TO BUYโ€™ into the stock market,โ€ the senators wrote in a scathing letter.

Sens.ย Adam Schiffย (D-CA),ย Ron Wydenย (D-OR),ย Mark Kellyย (D-AZ), andย Ruben Gallegoย (D-AZ) also signed the letter, whichย slammedย Trump for urging his social media followers to buy stocks โ€œjust hours before he announced a 90-day pause on his recently announced tariffs, leading to a historic market rally after days of dramatic market declines.โ€

โ€œTHIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!โ€ Trump wrote on Truth Social at 9:37 am just ahead of his announcement that he would pause additional tariff increases on 75 countries for 90 days while slapping even higher levies on China.

The letter was addressed to SEC Commissionerย Paul Atkins, a Trump appointee, who was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday.

โ€œIt is unclear which officials and affiliates for President Trump had advance knowledge of his plans to delay tariffs โ€” but insiders may have known that he was going to announce a tariff pause and that the market would improve,โ€ argued the Senators.

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.

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.

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 Accuses Former House Speaker Of Making ‘Dumbest’ Choice In Years

Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

President-elect Donald Trump blindsided former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Sunday callingย the debt ceiling suspension approved in 2023 as “one of the dumbest political decisions made in years.”

However, while targeting the former top House GOP lawmaker, Trump leveled the criticism by describing McCarthy as a friend and a good person.

“The extension of the Debt Ceiling by a previous Speaker of the House, a good man and a friend of mine, from this past September of the Biden Administration, to June of the Trump Administration, will go down as one of the dumbest political decisions made in years. There was no reason to do it – NOTHING WAS GAINED, and we got nothing for it – A major reason why that Speakership was lost. It was Bidenโ€™s problem, not ours. Now it becomes ours,” Trump declared in the post. 

“I call it ‘1929’ because the Democrats donโ€™t care what our Country may be forced into. In fact, they would prefer โ€˜Depressionโ€™ as long as it hurt the Republican Party. The Democrats must be forced to take a vote on this treacherous issue NOW, during the Biden Administration, and not in June. They should be blamed for this potential disaster, not the Republicans!” he added.

A deal passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden last year suspended the debt limit through Jan. 1, 2025, but Trump has been calling for the ceiling to be increased before he takes office. 

“In June 2023, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 was enacted, suspending the debt limit through January 1, 2025.  On January 2, 2025, the new debt limit will be established at the amount of outstanding debt subject to the statutory limit at the end of the previous day,” Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen wrote in a recent letter to congressional leaders. “Treasury currently expects to reach the new limit between January 14 and January 23, at which time it will be necessary for Treasury to start taking extraordinary measures. I respectfully urge Congress to act to protect the full faith and credit of the United States.”

Responding to Trump’s post about McCarthy, Rep.ย Chip Roy (R-Texas) wrote in a post on X, “Sadly, this bad debt ceiling extension was opposed by only 71 House Republicans 18 months ago (notably opposed by virtually the entire @freedomcaucus).”

“Democrats did vote on the recent debt ceiling increase proposal on 12/19: 197-2 against it (their price to support is very high – more spending/taxes),” Roy added. “Yes, we can & should address the debt ceiling – thru reconciliation in January with mostly GOP votes – but with real, meaningful spending cuts.”

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.”