Donald Trump has withdrawn from all trade talks with Canada, told Iran he won’t be lifting sanctions and keeps making thirsty comments about women.
One of them, he joked, might mean the end of his political career.
Meanwhile, the White House continues to resemble a propaganda outlet – and he had some very warm words for and from Vladimir Putin.
Here’s everything you need to know about the last 24 hours in Trump World.
Everything is fine.
1. Trump put Canada on ‘ignore’
Trump says he’s suspending all trade talks with Canada, after his northern neighbour indicated they’ll press ahead with a digital services tax – to take effect from Monday.
He posted on Truth Social that the tax was “a direct and blatant attack on our country”.
“Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately,” he wrote.
“We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday that his country would “continue to conduct these complex negotiations in the best interests of Canadians. It’s a negotiation.”
Trump later said he expects that Canada will remove the tax.
“Economically we have such power over Canada. We’d rather not use it,” he said in the Oval Office.
“It’s not going to work out well for Canada. They were foolish to do it.”
2. He’s pivoting to Congo and Rwanda for his hopes of a Nobel Peace Prize
Trump held an Oval Office event with foreign ministers from the Congo and Rwanda, who Marco Rubio managed to get to agree a draft peace deal last week.
He invited up Hariana Veras, a Congolese reporter covering the White House for the entire African continent, to speak about the conflict.
She told Trump Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi had told her that if peace did come to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, then he’d consider nominating him for…a Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump was, of course, delighted.
3. He also continued his streak of thirsty comments about women
So delighted was he that he proceeded to openly flirt with Ms Veras – and admitted it might mean the end of his political career.
“I shouldn’t say this because it’s politically incorrect: She’s beautiful. And you are beautiful,” he leered.
“I’m not allowed to say that, you know. That could be the end of my political career.”
I mean, we know from experience that it won’t be.
But he went on.
“You are beautiful, and you’re beautiful inside,” he gushed.
“I wish we had more reporters like you.”
At the end of the event, when he was giving out commemorative “challenge coins” to the foreign ministers, he said: “I think your reporter from Africa should get one. What do you think? Darling, that’s for you. You did a fantastic job.”
Darling
It’s the second time in 24 hours he’s made thirsty remarks on television. Earlier the same day, Trump described a waitress who he claimed had given him the idea to scrap tax on tips thus: “I will never say good looking waitress, because looks don’t matter anymore in our modern society.
“She happened to be beautiful but I won’t say that….”
4. He took another helpful question from the MyPillow guy’s TV station
Trump refused to answer a question about trade with Canada from a reporter following the Oval Office event.
But for the second time in a day, he happily took a question from Lindell TV, the online station run by pillow salesman and conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell.
The “reporter” asked: “Now that your administration, congratulations, has secured peace in Africa after a bloody war that has gone on for decades and no other President could do it, do you think the mainstream media will finally give you credit where credit is due?”
Good to see the White House Press Corps putting the spotlight of scrutiny on the media, where it belongs, eh?
“No,” Trump said. “The media will never give me credit, but the people give me credit.”
The second question he took was from another “reporter” who told him he would go down in history as a “peacemaker”, and asked him to comment on his being on track to have the “lowest murder rate in history”.
Despite Trump’s Presidential campaign painting a picture of a “lawless” country, under “invasion” and skyrocketing murder and drug crimes, the current decline in violent crime is a continuation of a downward trend that began in 2023. It’s too early in his presidency to say whether his policies have contributed to crime rates declining.
But Trump ate up the friendly question and took full credit, saying it was all down to him removing the “illegals”.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press, the globally respected news agency, remain barred from Oval Office events, because they won’t rename the Gulf of Mexico “the Gulf of America”.
5. Vladimir Putin ‘made some very nice statements today’
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said yesterday that he “deeply respects Donald Trump”.
And Trump very much appreciated it, saying in the Oval: “Vladimir Putin made some very nice statements today. Look, he respects our country again.”
6. Trump is deeply unimpressed by the Ayatollah
Trump posted on Truth Social in response to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s claim that Iran “won the war” with Iran, and he was not at all impressed.
He said Iran’s three “evil nuclear sites” had been “OBLITERATED”, claimed he knew “EXACTLY” where the Ayatollah was in hiding and claimed to have “SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH”.
“He does not have to say ‘THANKYOU PRESIDENT TRUMP!”, he added, but still he suggested the Ayatollah’s response was uncalled for – indicating he wasn’t minded to lift sanctions against the country.
“During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions, and other things, which would have given a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery – The sanctions are BITING!
“But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more. Iran has to get back into the World Order flow, or things will only get worse for them.
“They are always so angry, hostile, and unhappy, and look at what it has gotten them – A burned out, blown up Country, with no future, a decimated Military, a horrible Economy, and DEATH all around them. They have no hope, and it will only get worse! I wish the leadership of Iran would realize that you often get more with HONEY than you do with VINEGAR. PEACE!!!”
7. Something very weird happened in the White House briefing room
Earlier, during a press conference, Trump was asked a question about border crossings, which was interrupted by an unidentified person in the room shouting out “Trump 2028!”
Trump responded: “Who is that guy? I like him! He’s working the cameras.”
It was very weird.
Weird
