Never a dull day in Trump world.
In the last 24 hours, Trump arrived at the G7, apparently signed a trade deal with the UK (although the papers seemed worryingly blank), defended Russia, threatened Iran, called world leaders names and left the G7.
All that, plus Don Jr’s new money spinner and MAGA’s biggest trolls getting a talking to.
Everything is fine. Here’s what you need to know.
1. Trump left the G7 early with an eye-popping message
Donald Trump left the G7 summit earlier than expected – and dropped a startling warning to Iran as he left.
“What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”
Yikes.
2. But he didn’t leave before dropping the trade deal on the floor and confusing the UK with the EU
In a moment for the cameras outside the G7, Trump and Keir Starmer celebrated the inking of a trade deal.
“You all know the great PM of the UK and we just signed a document…”
He then dropped all the papers out of the folder he was holding.
It’s hard to tell from the footage, but they certainly appeared to be blank.
“Sorry about that,” Trump said.
Starmer did one of his totally natural laughs and said: “It’s a very important document.”
“It’s a little windy out here,” Trump said. “We just signed it. And it’s done, so we have our trade agreement with the European Union… and it’s a fair deal for both.”
Look, just watch the clip. You’ll be seeing it a lot when questions eventually start being asked about Trump’s mental acuity.
3. He called Macron a publicity seeker without a hint of irony
Asked about Trump’s unexpected exit from the G7, French President Emmanuel Macron indicated it was to do with a ceasefire deal with Iran and Israel.
“Listen, there is an offer that has been made. Indeed, of meetings and exchanges” he said.
“There is an offer that has been made, especially to have a ceasefire and to initiate broader discussions, and I think this is a very good thing. So now we need to see what the stakeholders will do.”
Trump was having exactly none of that.
He posted on Truth Social: “Publicity seeking President Emmanuel Macron, of France, mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to D.C. to work on a “cease fire” between Israel and Iran. Wrong!”
Publicity-shy Donald Trump has slapped his name on everything from hotels and casinos to bottled water, vodka and mediocre steak. He spent most of last week preparing for a military parade to roll through Washington DC on his birthday.
He added: “He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that. Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong. Stay Tuned!”
4. And while he was there he spent quite a lot of time arguing on behalf of Putin
During joint remarks at the top of a meeting with Canadian PM Mark Carney, Trump stood up for Vladimir Putin and blamed Carney’s predecessor Justin Trudeau for the Ukraine war. It was awkward.
“The G7 used to be the G8. Barack Obama and a person named Trudeau didn’t want to have Russia in,” he said.
“And I would say that was a mistake, because I think you wouldn’t have a war right now if you had Russia in.”
He went on: “Putin speaks to me, he doesn’t speak to anybody else, because he was very insulted when he got thrown out of the G8. He was thrown out by Trudeau, who convinced one or two people, along with Obama … he doesn’t even speak to the people who threw him out. And I agree with him.”
5. On the plane home he sent another a cryptic message to the people of Tehran
Asked on Air Force One about his warning to evacuate Tehran, and whether that meant there was a threat or incoming bombardment, he said: “No not at all. I want people to be safe. And that’s always possible. A thing like that could happen.”
Thanks Donald, I’m sure that puts everyone right at ease.
6. People on Reddit reckon they know what’s going on
The good people of Reddit have a theory that something is about to happen involving the US military, for one of the daftest reasons.
The Domino’s Pizza nearest the US military HQ the Pentagon was about twice as busy as usual last night.
7. Meanwhile, the MyPillow Guy lost his defamation case about the 2020 election
A federal jury in Colorado on Monday found that one of the nation’s most prominent election conspiracy theorists, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, defamed a former employee for a leading voting equipment company after the 2020 presidential election.
The jury found that two of Lindell’s statements about Eric Coomer, the former security and product strategy director at Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems, including calling him a traitor, were defamatory. It ordered Lindell and his online media platform, formerly known as Frankspeech, to pay Coomer $2.3 million in damages, far less than the $62.7 million Coomer had asked for to help send a message to discourage attacks on election workers.
“This is hurting democracy. This is misinformation. It’s not been vetted and it needs to stop,” Charles Cain, one of Coomer’s attorneys, told jurors in closing arguments Friday.
Lindell said he would appeal the financial award, saying Coomer’s lawyers did not prove Coomer had been harmed. He also said he would continue to speak out about election security, including criticizing the makers of election equipment like Dominion.
“I will not stop talking until we don’t have voting machines in this country,” said Lindell, who backs paper ballots counted by hand.
Lindell stuck by his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen during the trial, but did not call any experts to present evidence of his claims.
8. Trump refused to call the governor of Minnesota after the shootings
“I don’t really call him. He’s…look. He appointed this guy to a position,”
The shooter, Vance Boelter, had worked in a low level position in state government, both under Governor Walz and previous governors. There’s no evidence Walz knew him from Adam, but hey, there’s no harm using the tragic murder of a politician to score political points, is there?
Trump went on: “I think the Governor of Minnesota is so whacked out. I’m not calling him. He’s a mess so you know, I could be nice and call him but why waste time?”
You stay classy, Donald.
9. Oh, and Don Jr is hawking a mobile phone
Donald Trump Jr was all over the airwaves this morning, hawking a new money-spinner – a Trump mobile phone.
He claims it will be made in the US. We’ll see.
He also used the opportunity to claim Minnesota gunman Vance Boelter a “leftist”. By all accounts, he was a Trump voter.
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10. And MAGA’s biggest troll got a stern talking to from a Minnesota senator
Mike Lee, the hard MAGA Senator from Utah, has a reputation for posting mad things on Twitter. It’s basically all he does.
But while people largely ignore him most of the time, a couple he posted during the manhunt in Minnesota crossed a line for many, including Senate colleague Democratic Senator Tina Smith.
The tweets, which included security camera images of Boelter wearing a mask, apparently waiting at the door of one of his victims, said: “This is what happens when Marxists don’t get their way” and “Nightmare on Walz Street”.
He later called Marxism a “deadly mental illness.”
Again, there’s no evidence Boelter was a Marxist, a leftist or a friend or associate of Tim Walz. In fact, by all accounts, he was a Trump voter.
So Senator Smith, a friend of murdered state Rep. Melissa Hortman, confronted him in a Senate hallway and gave him a piece of her mind.
“I wanted him to know how much pain that caused me and the other people in my state, and I think around the country, who think that this was a brutal attack,” Smith said afterwards.
“I don’t know whether Senator Lee thought fully through what it was – you have to ask him – but I needed him to hear from me directly what impact I think his cruel statement had on me, his colleague.”