New book exposes Jill Biden’s power grab amid husband’s political demise
First lady Jill Biden’s political rise coincided with the end of her husband’s political career, according to a new book about how President Joe Biden lost the White House. One year after Biden’s consequential debate performance, the first octogenarian president’s age has inspired congressional investigations and books detailing his alleged cognitive decline. “2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America,” is the latest to tackle the inner workings of the Biden administration. The book, released Tuesday by journalists Josh Dawsey of The Wall Street Journal, Tyler Pager of The New York Times and Isaac Arnsdor of The Washington Post, details the influential role Jill Biden played in her husband’s administration. ‘MASSIVE CONSPIRACY’: EX-DNC INSIDER SAYS PARTY WENT TO GREAT LENGTHS TO HIDE BIDEN’S MENTAL DECLINE As Jill Biden gained political influence, so did Anthony Bernal, the first lady’s chief of staff and senior advisor and an assistant to the president. INSIDE JILL BIDEN’S POLITICAL RISE AMID HER HUSBAND’S COGNITIVE DECLINE: BOOK He was subpoenaed to testify on July 16 after refusing to appear before the committee investigating the alleged cover-up of Biden’s mental decline, which argued that executive privilege did not apply to him. According to the book, Bernal accused Anita Dunn, a veteran Democratic political strategist who served in the Biden and Obama administrations, of being disloyal for pushing for more transparency about the Biden family. There was a “near-total ban” on discussing Hunter Biden, the journalists wrote in their new book, as Hunter’s federal trial fell in the middle of his father’s re-election campaign in June 2024. Jill Biden, with Bernal by her side, went to great lengths to attend Hunter Biden’s federal trial, often traveling long distances from overseas trips or campaign events. She attended the first three days of the trial, flew to France to join the president at the D-Day commemoration and then returned to Wilmington less than 24 hours later for the fifth day of the trial. As described in “2024,” West Wing staffers were surprised when Jill Biden arrived at the trial. Most senior aides had no idea the first lady planned to attend, revealing her willingness to act independently. But while Jill Biden demonstrated her independence from the White House, Bernal was right there with her leading the East Wing. “He quickly bonded with Jill Biden and never left her side, becoming unflinchingly loyal to her and using his proximity to her to exert power wherever he decided. It was often unclear if the opinion he was expressing was his own or the first lady’s. Sometimes, when donors or voters asked her questions, Bernal would jump in to answer,” the authors said. Just as Jill jumped to Hunter’s defense during his high-profile trial, she became the president’s staunchest supporter following his disastrous debate performance against President Donald Trump. “Joe isn’t just the right person for the job,” the first lady said at a fundraiser soon after the debate. “He’s the only person for the job.” The book alleges that Jill Biden had always played the “role of the protective spouse, encouraging the president to eat vegetables, keeping him on time, and questioning staffers when she felt they erred.” In one such case in January 2022, a Biden aide apologized to the first lady when she questioned why they allowed a press conference to go on for too long, according to the book. As Biden struggled to successfully defend his debate performance, with donors and Democratic politicians growing weary, and “her husband in the fight of his political life, Jill was making clear: The Democratic Party had to stick with Joe,” the authors said. After the debate, the Bidens took a pre-planned family trip to Camp David. “The president was not entertaining the idea of dropping out of the race; he was taking stock of how bad things really were,” the authors said of Biden’s trip to Camp David. The authors described how dropping out “was not even a consideration” at Camp David, and how the first lady was part of those in the inner family circle who persuaded Biden to stay in the race, despite mounting pressure from party leaders and donors to step down. Biden huddled with his family in Camp David during the last few days of June, then appeared for debate damage-control interviews on network TV in the weeks following, referring to the debate as a bad night and blaming a cold for his off-night. “Biden also acknowledged he needed more sleep and said he told his staff that he should not participate in events that start after 8 p.m. But his message was clear: He was staying in the race,” the authors said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Less than a month after the debate, and one week after an assassination attempt on Trump, Biden announced he was suspending his re-election campaign, and later endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. Fox News Digital has written extensively dating back to the 2020 presidential campaign about Biden’s cognitive decline and his inner circle’s alleged role in covering it up. A Biden spokesperson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
GOP congressman calls for Newsom to count illegal migrants getting state health benefits
Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt blasted California Gov. Gavin Newsom for providing health benefits to millions of illegal migrants through the state’s Medi-Cal program, and called on Newsom to conduct a full audit of the state’s Medicaid expansion. In a scathing letter obtained by Fox News Digital, Hunt called on Newsom to fully audit California’s Medi-Cal enrollment, publicly release the findings of ineligible individuals receiving benefits, and revoke waivers that allow the state to provide Medi-Cal to illegal migrants. “Given the posture of Democrats in Congress and California Governor Gavin Newsom’s public opposition to ICE operations, it’s only logical to demand transparency on how many illegal immigrants in California are receiving benefits meant solely for American citizens,” Hunt wrote. GAVIN NEWSOM IS MAKING A STRATEGIC VISIT TO A KEY PRIMARY STATE, RAISING EYEBROWS According to the Wall Street Journal, the Census Bureau estimates that one in five immigrants in California are illegal aliens. Sources at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) say that the state of California is obligated to report Medi-Cal data to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Newsom cut back on funding for illegal migrant healthcare in the state’s budget he signed late last month, freezing California taxpayer-funded Medi-Cal for new illegal immigrant applicants starting January 2026. The governor also plans to charge illegal migrants on the program a premium beginning in 2027. But Hunt honed in specifically on Newsom’s use of waivers previously granted by the Biden administration that allow the state to make Medi-Cal easier for illegal migrants to obtain. FROM NEW YORK TO ARIZONA, MIGRANT FACILITIES SHUTTERING IN WAKE OF TRUMP’S BORDER CRACKDOWN “I’m especially alarmed by Newsom’s use of Section 1115 waivers under the Social Security Act, which have opened the door for undocumented immigrants to access Medicaid at the expense of American taxpayers,” Hunt added. Section 1115 of the Social Security Act grants the federal government power to waive specific Medicaid requirements. States can request waivers from Section 1115, allowing them to bend and potentially reduce these requirements. “Does California’s Medicaid system fully comply with federal law?” Hunt questioned. “How many other Democrat-run states are exploiting similar loopholes? It’s time to shine a light on this abuse and shut it down.” SEC. MCMAHON RESPONDS TO NEWSOM’S OFFICE USING WWE CLIP MOCK TITLE IX ENFORCEMENT AMID TRANS ATHLETE FEUD Hunt also sent a copy of the letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and Centers for CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “Californians deserve transparency, accountability, and adherence to the law in the administration of public health programs,” the letter reads. “Policies that divert limited resources away from lawful recipients not only violate federal standards—they destroy public trust and threaten the sustainability of programs designed to serve our most vulnerable citizens.” Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office, but did not receive a response.
South Carolina GOP urges Trump supporters to give Gavin Newsom a ‘HUGE Southern welcome’
South Carolina Republicans say they’re ready to give California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom “a HUGE Southern welcome” when he arrives in the key presidential primary state on Tuesday. Newsom is teaming up with the South Carolina Democratic Party for two days of meetings with voters in the state that officially held the first primary in the Democrats’ 2024 calendar. The trip by the term-limited governor with a large national profile is sure to spark plenty of 2028 speculation, since Newsom is considered a potential contender for the next Democratic presidential nomination. Republicans in the GOP-dominated state are taking notice. TWENTY-ONE DEMOCRATS WHO MAY WANT TO RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028 “Gavin Newsom is bringing his Crazy California agenda to Trump Country. It’s up to us to show him what real leadership looks like,” the South Carolina GOP said in an email to supporters. The email included Newsom’s itinerary during his Tuesday-Wednesday swing, which is full of stops at cafes, coffee shops, community centers and churches. SUCCEEDING TRUMP IN 2028: SIX REPUBLICANS TO KEEP YOUR EYES ON “The dates, times, and locations are listed below,” the South Carolina GOP said. “Show up loud, proud, and decked out in your Trump gear and flags.” State GOP chair Drew McKissick, in a separate statement, argued that “Gavin Newsom should go sell Crazy California somewhere else. He won’t find many takers here.” It was a similar message from South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, who earlier this year launched a Republican campaign for governor in 2026. “We don’t need Gavin Newsom’s twisted version of America in the Palmetto State,” Wilson argued in a statement. “If Gavin Newsom wants to test his national message here, he’ll be met by a united conservative front that knows exactly what’s at stake.” And Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, who is considering a run for governor next year, challenged Newsom to a debate. “If Governor Newsom wants to bring California politics to South Carolina, he should be ready to defend his record, face to face,” Mace said in a statement. The South Carolina Democratic Party, which announced Newsom’s trip last week, said it’s part of their effort to bring national Democrats to parts of the Palmetto State that they say have long been overlooked and “left behind” by Republican officials. SUCCEEDING TRUMP IN 2028: SIX REPUBLICANS TO KEEP YOUR EYES ON “Governor Newsom leads the largest economy in America and the fourth largest in the world, and he’s coming to meet folks in towns that have been hollowed out by decades of Republican control,” state party chair Christale Spain said in a statement. Newsom stopped in South Carolina in January of last year to campaign on behalf of then-President Joe Biden during the state’s 2024 presidential primary. Newsom also visited Nevada, another early-voting state in the party’s primary calendar. And Newsom traveled last summer on behalf of Biden to New Hampshire, the state that for a century has held the first-in-the-nation presidential primary. The former president was the Democrats’ 2024 standardbearer before dropping out of the race last July following a disastrous debate performance against now-President Donald Trump. Vice President Kamala Harris replaced Biden at the top of the Democratic national ticket. South Carolina, New Hampshire and Nevada are vying for the lead-off position in the next presidential election cycle, and the Democratic National Committee is expected to decide on their 2028 calendar by early 2027. Newsom has long been thought to harbor national ambitions and is considered one of many Democrats who may make a run for the party’s 2028 presidential nomination. The two-day swing through South Carolina will give Newsom an opportunity to make connections not only with voters, but also with local party and elected officials. The relationships forged this week could possibly pay dividends down the road for Newsom if he eventually decides to launch a 2028 presidential campaign.
DeSantis not keen on Musk’s new political party, has another idea for disrupting DC
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested that business magnate Elon Musk push for balanced budget and congressional term limit amendments to the U.S. Constitution, rather than build a new political party. Musk, who has been beating the drum about the need to rein in government spending, announced that he is launching a new political party called the America Party. “Backing a candidate for president is not out of the question, but the focus for the next 12 months is on the House and the Senate,” he noted in a post on X. ELON MUSK INDICATES HIS NEW POLITICAL PARTY WILL BE PRO-GUN, PRO-BITCOIN: ‘THE SECOND AMENDMENT IS SACRED’ DeSantis is not on board with the idea. The governor suggested that if Musk funds candidates in competitive Senate and House contests, Democrats will likely win. But DeSantis acknowledged that the GOP has an issue with people running on spending less, but then failing to do so. “There’s a gap between the campaign rhetoric, and then the performance,” he said. ELON MUSK CONNECTS WITH INDIE ANDREW YANG ON BILLIONAIRE FORMER TRUMP ALLY’S THIRD PARTY PUSH He explained that he does not believe “electing a few better people” will alter the “trajectory” on the debt issue. DeSantis said that the “incentives” in D.C. will “lead to these outcomes, really, regardless of the outcome of elections at this point,” asserting that a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution is needed. TRUMP SAYS HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH ONE-TIME RIVAL DESANTIS NOW A ‘9.9’ Musk “would have a monumental impact” if he got involved, DeSantis said, adding that the U.S. also needs term limits for lawmakers.
Key advisor called Hunter Biden’s role on strategy call ‘inappropriate’ after he overruled legal guidance
A top advisor to former President Joe Biden reportedly labeled Hunter Biden’s presence on a call about the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that former presidents have some immunity from prosecution “inappropriate,” according to a new book. The book, “2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America,” was published Tuesday and chronicles how Biden’s team dismissed concerns about his age during the 2024 election cycle, along with how President Donald Trump secured his victory. The book said Biden’s White House chief of staff, Jeff Zients, coordinated a video call with key Biden staffers, including White House Counsel Ed Siskel, communications director Ben LaBolt, senior advisor Mike Donilon and others to discuss whether Biden should provide an on-camera statement to the Supreme Court’s July 2024 decision. TRUMP IMMUNITY CASE: SUPREME COURT RULES EX-PRESIDENTS HAVE SUBSTANTIAL POWER FROM PROSECUTION While Donilon already had drafted a written statement, Biden wanted to speak about the matter on-camera, the book claims. Staffers on the call started to hash out specifics of such an appearance, when Biden’s son started to chime into the call. “Suddenly an unidentified voice piped up from Biden’s screen and recommended an Oval Office address,” the book said. “At first, some aides had no idea who was speaking. It soon became clear the voice belonged to Hunter Biden, who the White House staff had not known was on the call. Siskel expressed some concern about the appearance of using the Oval Office.” SCOTUS WEIGHS MONUMENTAL CONSTITUTIONAL FIGHT OVER TRUMP IMMUNITY CLAIM “Hunter snapped back: ‘This is one of the most consequential decisions the Supreme Court has ever made.’ He said his father had every right to use the powerful imagery of the Oval Office to deliver that message,” the book said. “They later settled on the Cross Hall, the long hallway on the first floor of the White House. After the call ended, Siskel told colleagues. Hunter’s presence was inappropriate.” Biden ultimately delivered a brief speech responding to the Supreme Court’s ruling and took no questions from the press, per the suggestion of his son, the book claimed. Siskel and a spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. On July 1, 2024, the Supreme Court issued a 6–3 ruling in Trump v. United States that former presidents have significant immunity from prosecution for acts they committed in an official capacity. The case made its way to the Supreme Court after Trump faced charges stemming from then-Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into whether Trump was involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and engaged in any other alleged election interference. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges, and claimed a former president could not face a prosecution without a House impeachment and a Senate conviction. BIDEN AIDES PUSHED FOR EARLY DEBATE TO SHOW OFF BIDEN’S ‘STRENGTH,’ EXPOSE TRUMP’S ‘WEAKNESS,’ BOOK SAYS The book “2024” is one of several that have been released in this year detailing Biden’s mental deterioration while in office and how Trump won the election. It is authored by Josh Dawsey of the Wall Street Journal, Tyler Pager of the New York Times and Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post. Another book covering similar material is “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,” released May 20. Fox News Digital has written extensively dating back to the 2020 presidential campaign about Biden’s cognitive decline and his inner circle’s alleged role in covering it up. According to Dawsey, Hunter Biden’s involvement in his father’s affairs as president was not out of the ordinary during the former president’s time in office. “What we found out over the course of reporting for our book is, Hunter Biden (was) a major figure in the president’s orbit,” Dawsey said in a Sunday interview with ABC’s “This Week.” “He was often on these calls, he would pipe in to calls, he was helping him make campaign decisions, and the president was very concerned about his son. It was one of the things that was an albatross on him as he tried to run for re-election.”
Former Biden doctor asks to delay testimony to House committee investigating mental fitness
Former White House physician Kevin O’Connor, who served as doctor to former President Joe Biden, requested a delay to his upcoming testimony before the House Oversight Committee this week. O’Connor was scheduled to testify on Wednesday, but is now in a disagreement with the committee over the scope of the questions he will be expected to answer during his testimony. The committee, led by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is interviewing the doctor as part of its investigation into Biden’s mental fitness and his administration’s use of an autopen. A lawyer for O’Connor requested the testimony be delayed to July 28 or August 4 in a letter to Comer. “Dr. O’Connor has legal and ethical obligations that he must satisfy and for which violations carry serious consequences to him professionally and personally,” the letter says. BIDEN INSISTS ‘I MADE THE DECISIONS’ AS REPUBLICANS INVESTIGATE WHITE HOUSE AUTOPEN USE “We are unaware of any prior occasion on which a Congressional Committee has subpoenaed a physician to testify about the treatment of an individual patient. And the notion that a Congressional Committee would do so without any regard whatsoever for the confidentiality of the physician-patient relationship is alarming.” A spokesman for the Oversight Committee replied in a statement that O’Connor and his legal team were merely trying to “stonewall” the process. The committee is planning to move forward with Wednesday’s testimony, which O’Connor faces a subpoena to attend. The committee said O’Connor is welcome to object to individual questions during his testimony. But O’Connor is not allowed, in the committee’s view, to delay or decline a congressional subpoena due to concerns over questions about potentially privileged information. WHO IS NEERA TANDEN? THE CONTROVERSIAL DEM OPERATIVE WHO TESTIFIED ON BIDEN’S MENTAL ACUITY The debate over O’Connor’s testimony comes weeks after a former top aide to Biden, Neera Tanden, told the Oversight Committee that she was authorized to direct autopen signatures but was unaware of who in the president’s inner circle was giving her final clearance. During Tanden’s interview before Congress last month, which lasted more than five hours, she told lawmakers that, in her role as staff secretary and senior advisor to the former president between 2021 and 2023, she was authorized to direct autopen signatures on behalf of Biden, an Oversight Committee official told Fox News. “Ms. Tanden testified that she had minimal interaction with President Biden, despite wielding tremendous authority,” Comer said at the time. “She explained that to obtain approval for autopen signatures, she would send decision memos to members of the President’s inner circle and had no visibility of what occurred between sending the memo and receiving it back with approval. Her testimony raises serious questions about who was really calling the shots in the Biden White House amid the President’s obvious decline. We will continue to pursue the truth for the American people.” Read O’Connor’s full letter to the committee below (App users click here) Fox News’ Kelly Phares and Madeleine Rivera and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Journalist who refused to duck during Trump assassination attempt reflects on Butler rally in new book
Salena Zito, a veteran political reporter with more than 20 years of storytelling experience, is telling her own story in her book, “Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America’s Heartland.” Zito’s book, released Tuesday, takes readers back to July 13, 2024, when a young shooter unleashed gunfire into the crowd at President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. “I didn’t get down,” Zito told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview ahead of the release. “There was this inner voice that told me, ‘You have a job to do, continue doing it.’” When 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks began firing toward Trump, Zito found herself in the Secret Service’s secure perimeter, right by the stage where Trump was delivering his remarks. FOX NATION REVEALS NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN FOOTAGE FROM TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT IN BUTLER “Time has these layers that happen,” Zito said. “It’s not remembering them. It’s experiencing them. It’s this interesting thing that happens. I see a sea of navy blue suits immediately surround him. Then, I hear the second four shots. I still didn’t get down.” PHOTOGRAPHER WINS PULITZER FOR ICONIC PHOTO OF BULLET SPEEDING BY TRUMP’S HEAD DURING ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT As a gun owner, Zito recognized the sound of the gunshots right away. But as a journalist, she quickly began to commit the historic moment to memory as it was unfolding. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Zito described the scene she saw first-hand, that was caught on video by the network pool camera and watched across the world. Just over eight minutes into Trump’s speech, Zito was standing in the “buffer” with her daughter, her son-in-law and a Trump campaign aide, Michel Picard. It was Picard who finally brought Zito to the ground. “Michel Picard takes me down and lies on top of me and covers me,” Zito explained. “This young man didn’t have to do this. He will always be a hero in my heart. He lies on the top of my daughter. My son-in-law has already taken my daughter down.” Zito said, even from that vantage point, she could still see and hear the situation unfolding as Trump shouted out for his shoes, someone called out for a medic and a woman screamed. “I had my recorder on my phone because I thought I was going to be recording the rally, his speech. I wanted to make sure I got the nuance. I always do that. I could see, and I could hear everything that was happening.” She said Trump was saying, “USA,” from the ground as the crowd began to chant. When the Secret Service helped Trump onto his feet, he shouted, “Fight! Fight! Fight,” Zito said she saw a different side of Trump, which is revealed in her book. The journalist, who is a political reporter for the Washington Examiner, is a special contributor for the Washington Post and has been a columnist for the New York Post, said Trump must have called her seven times in the 24 hours after the shooting. Zito was slated to interview Trump ahead of his rally in Butler, but such is the case with presidential campaign schedules, the interview time kept slipping. Zito was planning to fly with Trump to Bedminster, N.J., to interview him after the rally. Trump recovered from his near assassination with little more than a bullet graze to the ear, thanks to the immigration chart he was turning his head to face. One rally attendee, firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed, and two others were critically injured by Crooks’ gunshots. Comperatore shielded his wife and daughters from the shots, saving his family. Trump honored their family when he returned to Butler to finish the rally later that year. “This book is for everyone,” Zito told Fox News Digital. “First of all, it was a witness to history. And it’s told in a way that is very conversational and told in way that’s very real and authentic. I tell the story exactly the way that it happened.” “But it’s also a book about understanding why place and rootedness [are] so important in American politics. There have been very few Republicans or Democrats that have understood that. It is part of America’s experience, no matter what happens next, that there’s a light shining on it, so that you understand people better.”
US revokes ‘terrorist’ designation for Syrian president’s former group HTS
The move follows the lifting of sanctions on Damascus after the fall of the al-Assad government last year. The United States will revoke its designation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO) as Washington softens its approach to post-war Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government last year. The decision, which takes effect on Tuesday, comes as part of US President Donald Trump’s broader strategy to re-engage with Syria and support its reconstruction after more than a decade of devastating conflict. “This FTO revocation is an important step in fulfilling President Trump’s vision of a stable, unified, and peaceful Syria,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement Monday. HTS had been designated as a “terrorist” group by the US since 2018 due to its former ties to al-Qaeda. The group emerged out of the al-Nusra Front, once al-Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, but formally severed those ties in 2016 after HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa declared the group’s independence. Al-Sharaa, who led the opposition forces that removed al-Assad in a lightning offensive last December, has since become Syria’s president. He has launched what many experts have described as a charm offensive aimed at Western powers, including meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and, most recently, Trump in Riyadh in May. The Trump administration and the European Union have since lifted sanctions on Syria. “In line with President Trump’s May 13 promise to deliver sanctions relief to Syria, I am announcing my intent to revoke the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation of al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), under the Immigration and Nationality Act,” Rubio said. Advertisement “Tomorrow’s action follows the announced dissolution of HTS and the Syrian government’s commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms.” HTS was dissolved in late January, with its forces folded into the official Syrian military and security forces. Damascus welcomed the US decision as a step towards normalisation. In a statement, Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the delisting of HTS was a “positive step toward correcting a course that previously hindered constructive engagement”. The ministry added that it hoped the move would “contribute to the removal of remaining restrictions that continue to impact Syrian institutions and officials, and open the door to a rational, sovereign-based approach to international cooperation”. Meanwhile, HTS remains under United Nations Security Council sanctions, which were imposed in 2014 over its previous affiliation with al-Qaeda. Al-Sharaa also remains under UNSC sanctions, which can only be removed by the Council itself. Al-Sharaa is reportedly preparing to attend the UN General Assembly in New York this September. Adblock test (Why?)
Doctors alarmed at rising meningitis cases in Gaza’s children
NewsFeed A 16-month-old Palestinian baby is among a growing number of children in Gaza suffering from meningitis, as overcrowding, poor sanitation, and collapsing healthcare caused by Israel’s war on the enclave drive a surge in cases. Published On 7 Jul 20257 Jul 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Trump hits Asian nations with tariffs, including allies Japan, South Korea
United States President Donald Trump is set to impose 25 percent tariffs on two key US allies, Japan and South Korea, beginning on August 1 as the administration’s self-imposed deadline for trade agreements of July 9 nears without a deal in place. On Monday, the Trump administration said this in the first of 12 letters to key US trade partners regarding the new levies they face. In near-identically worded letters to the Japanese and South Korean leaders, the US president said the trade relationship was “unfortunately, far from Reciprocal”. Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has said that he “won’t easily compromise” in trade talks with the Trump administration. The US imports nearly twice as much from Japan as it exports to the country, according to US Census Bureau data. Currently, both Japan and South Korea have a 10 percent levy in place, the same as almost all US trading partners. But Trump said he was ready to lower the new levels if the two countries changed their trade policies. “We will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter,” he said in letters to the two Asian countries’ leaders that he posted on his Truth Social platform. “If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 25% that we charge.” Trump also announced the US will impose 25 percent tariffs each on Malaysia and Kazakhstan, 30 percent on South Africa and 40 percent each on Laos and Myanmar. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier on Monday that he expected several trade announcements to be made in the next 48 hours, adding that his inbox was full of last-ditch offers from countries to clinch a tariff deal by the deadline. Bessent did not say which countries could get deals and what they might contain. Advertisement In April, the White House said it would have 90 trade and tariff deals established within 90 days. That did not happen, and since that time, the administration has solidified two agreements — one with Vietnam, and the other with the United Kingdom. “There will be additional letters in the coming days,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, adding that “we are close” on some deals. She said Trump would sign an executive order on Monday formally delaying the July 9 deadline to August 1. BRICS tensions Trump also put members of the developing nations’ BRICS group in his sights as its leaders met in Brazil, threatening an additional 10 percent tariff on any BRICS countries aligning themselves with “anti-American” policies. The new 10 percent tariff will be imposed on individual countries if they take anti-American policy actions, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters news agency. The BRICS group comprises Brazil, Russia, India and China and South Africa along with recent joiners Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Trump’s comments hit the South African rand, affecting its value in Monday trading. Russia said BRICS was “a group of countries that share common approaches and a common world view on how to cooperate, based on their own interests”. “And this cooperation within BRICS has never been and will never be directed against any third countries,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. European Union at the table The European Union will not be receiving a letter setting out higher tariffs, EU sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday. The EU still aims to reach a trade deal by July 9 after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Trump had a “good exchange”, a commission spokesperson said. It was not clear, however, whether there had been a meaningful breakthrough in talks to stave off tariff hikes on the largest trading partner of the US. Adding to the pressure, Trump threatened to impose a 17 percent tariff on EU food and agriculture exports, it emerged last week. The EU has been torn over whether to push for a quick and light trade deal or back its own economic clout in trying to negotiate a better outcome. It had already dropped hopes for a comprehensive trade agreement before the July deadline. “We want to reach a deal with the US. We want to avoid tariffs,” the spokesperson said at a daily briefing. Without a preliminary agreement, broad US tariffs on most imports would rise from their current 10 percent to the rates set out by Trump on April 2. In the EU’s case, that would be 20 percent. Advertisement Von der Leyen also held talks with the leaders of Germany, France and Italy at the weekend, Germany said. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has repeatedly stressed the need for a quick deal to protect industries vulnerable to tariffs ranging from cars to pharmaceuticals. Germany said the parties should allow themselves “another 24 or 48 hours to come to a decision”. And the country’s auto company Mercedes-Benz said on Monday its second-quarter unit sales of cars and vans had fallen 9 percent, blaming tariffs. Markets respond US markets have tumbled on Trump’s tariff announcements. As of 3:30pm in New York (19:30 GMT), the S&P 500 fell by 1 percent, marking the biggest drop in three weeks. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index was down by a little more than 1 percent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average also fell by more than a full percentage point. US-listed shares of Japanese automotive companies fell, with Toyota Motor Corp down 4.1 percent in mid-afternoon trading and Honda Motor off by 3.8 percent. Meanwhile, the US dollar surged against both the Japanese yen and the South Korean won. Adblock test (Why?)