Donald Trump is on one.
Maybe it’s a dose of British fresh air and a couple of days of buttering up from the King.
Perhaps it’s the relief after being on his best behaviour for a few days.
Or maybe he’s been emboldened by the events of recent weeks.
But he’s on the offensive. Declaring war on American cites, berating and attacking reporters and declaring America’s free speech principles don’t apply to criticism of him.
Meanwhile in Trumpworld:
- It’s free speech for me, but not for thee
- He was exceptionally rude, and occasionally threatening to several reporters
- Is America at war with Venezuela and nobody noticed?
- He confirms talks with the Taliban
- Sign up now for the Trump gold card!
All this and more in our daily roundup, here’s what you need to know”
1. It’s free speech for me, but not for thee
Trump ramped up his assault on free speech, effectively threatening consequences for journalists who criticise him.
Asked whether he saw a difference between “cancel culture” and “consequence culture”, he said: “I’m a big person for free speech.”
“At the same time,” he went on, “When you have networks where I won an election in counties — I guess it’s 2,600 to 525, that’s called a landslide times two — when you have that kind of popularity or voter support, and yet 97% and 94% …of the people are against me, newscasts are against me.
“They’ll take a great story and make it bad. I think that’s really illegal, personally.”
He went on to be a bit more explicit in his threat.
“You’re getting free airwaves from the United States government. You can’t have that and say… and someone who just won an election. And I had to go through this during the election.”
He went on: “When 97% of the stories are bad about a person, that’s no longer free speech. That’s just cheating.”
2. He berated an Indian journalist over her accent
Trump had trouble understanding an Indian journalist, asking about his new plan to slap a $100,000 fee on a particular kind of visa – more of which later.
She asked if it was aimed at “big tech” companies.
Trump, polite as ever, said, rattily: “I wish you’d speak more clearly, I really do. Give it to me again.”
She repeated the question, and Trump still didn’t get it. “Big tax? What?”
It came down to mad Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to shout “BIG TECH. BIG TECH” in his ear before he understood.
3. He called another reporter “obnoxious”
A female reporter who shouted a question asking for his plans to send troops into Memphis, Tennessee got even shorter shrift.
“Quiet,” he growled. “You are really obnoxious.”
The reporter replied: “I’m not obnoxious. I’m trying to ask you about your plans for Memphis.”
Trump shot back: “You are really obnoxious. I’m not gonna talk to you until I call on you.”
4. A third reporter was chewed out after pointing out something inconvenient
Trump brought up his bonkers $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times, which was yesterday thrown out by a judge for being extremely poorly written and borderline nonsensical. Not a joke. You can read the judgement here.
Anyway, Trump brought up the suit as evidence of his poor treatment by the media, saying: “I sued the New York Times two days ago for a lot of money.”
To which ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl, whom Trump strongly dislikes, pointed out: “A judge just threw that out…”
Trump insisted: “I’m winning! I’m winning the cases.”
He also attacked Karl, referring to the bogus lawsuit his network settled for $15m with Trump over on-air assertions by news anchor George Stephanopolous.
“The reason I’m winning is because you’re guilty, Jon,” he said. “You’re guilty. ABC is a terrible network. A very unfair network and you should be ashamed of yourself…For you to stand there and act so innocent and then ask me a question like that. You paid a big price because you were dishonest…”
He added: “You can’t sit back and say ‘oh what do you think’ like you’re so wonderful person. You’re not a wonderful person. Frankly you’re a terrible reporter. You know it and so do I.”
5. He made a veiled threat to an NPR reporter
On the way back from the UK trip, he was asked a question by an NPR reporter on Air Force One. It was a pretty reasonable question about how he plans to designate Antifa, a which has no membership or leadership structure, and is more an adjective than an actual entity.
He didn’t answer the question, but said: “NPR? Are they still here? Congratulations. Won’t be for long.”
He added: “Do [Antifa] have anything to do with your network?”
6. It’s WAR I tell you
Trump declared that his campaign of sending troops into American cities to “crack down on crime”, even though they’re not constitutionally allowed to perform police functions, is a “war”.
“It’s sort of like a war,” he said. “I hate to tell you. It’s like war. Some of these people are really bad. They’re really really sick people, they’re dangerous.”
7. Did he also declare war on Venezuela and nobody noticed?
Trump last night announced that the US destroyed another civilian boat off the coast of Venezuela, killing three people onboard, claiming “intelligence” had confirmed it was trafficking drugs bound for American.
To be clear, the US armed forces have no jurisdiction over these waters, and certainly don’t have any precedent for what amounts to extrajudicial killings of civilian foreign nationals.
8. Trump confirms he’s doing business with the Taliban
Trump confirmed he’s negotiating with the Taliban for the return of Bagram air base in Afghanistan to US control.
“We’ll see what happens with Bagram,” he said. “We’re talking to Afghanistan. It should never have been given up. It was the most embarrassing day in the history of our country. I was leaving Afghanistan, I was the one who got it down to 5,000 soldiers.”
It wouldn’t be the first time Trump has negotiated directly with the Taliban. He did so in 2020, sidelining the Afghan government, and pressured Kabul to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners. Top stuff.
As the world attempts to keep up with Trump’s antics, the Mirror has launched its very own US Politics WhatsApp community where you’ll get all the latest news from across the pond.
We’ll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in.
All you have to do to join is click on this link, select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group.
We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN
9. The Gold Card
And finally, the Gold Card.
Trump unveiled the new, slightly discounted $1m “Trump Gold Card” visa last night – which will grant the super-rich and oligarchs a fast-track path to US citizenship.
He originally announced the idea back in February – saying the price would be a $5m “contribution.”
But last night, he said there would be a “platinum” tier for the card, which will cost $5m and allow foreigners to spend up to 270 days in the US every year without being subject to taxes on US income.
Trump also signed a proclamation that will require a $100,000 annual visa fee for highly-skilled foreign workers a move that faces near-certain legal challenges amid widespread criticism he is sidestepping Congress.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the Gold card and visa fee could be introduced by the President, but the Platinum tier would require an act of congress.