Dem governor blasts Trump, Musk in new attack campaign as 2028 buzz grows
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s political arm launched a new video series, “The Real Cost of Trump’s Cuts,” on President Donald Trump’s 100th day in office amid speculation the Democrat is considering a 2028 presidential bid. “Donald Trump and Elon Musk are ruining people’s lives to fund the largest tax break in history for the wealthiest Americans,” JB for Governor Senior Political Advisor Mike Ollen said in a statement released Tuesday. “Illinoisans across the state are paying the price for Trump and Musk’s’ cruelty, and their stories deserve to be heard.” POTENTIAL 2028 HOPEFUL ACCUSED OF ‘INCITING VIOLENCE’ AFTER CALL FOR ‘MASS PROTESTS’ AGAINST TRUMP The campaign said the videos will highlight Illinoisans affected by Trump and Elon Musk’s drastic cuts to the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 2028 AUDITIONS FOR DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION KICK OFF AS BLUE-STATE GOVERNOR VISITS KEY EARLY STATE “In just 100 days, workers have lost their jobs, seniors have struggled to get food or access their Social Security payments and families have had their childcare jeopardized. As Trump and Musk gut services that working people rely on to give the wealthy a tax break, the new series aims to tell the stories of their destruction and damage,” a press release says. The first video in the series highlights “Moses,” whom the Pritzker campaign said lost his national security job due to DOGE’s cuts to the federal workforce and is “now unemployed and left without insurance as he tries to take care of his ailing mother.” The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
WATCH: Trump’s border security success touted by GOP lawmakers while Dems decry ‘damaging’ 100 days
President Donald Trump is celebrating the first 100 days of his second term in the White House, and lawmakers are split along party lines about his greatest accomplishments. While Republicans are touting a secure border and government efficiency, Democrats couldn’t seem to identify a single accomplishment of Trump’s second term. Fox News Digital spoke with lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle this week to see how Capitol Hill is reacting to Trump’s first 100 days. “Border security. It’s absolutely incredible. Many Americans are so thankful, and they feel the difference. People feel safe again,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said, adding that Americans are “just so proud of that.” The White House kicked off Trump’s first 100-day celebrations on Monday by touting the Trump administration’s early efforts to thwart illegal immigration in the United States, a leading 2024 campaign promise. TRUMP ADMIN RELEASES SHOCKINGLY LOW NUMBER OF ILLEGAL ALIENS COMPARED TO BIDEN YEARS: ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) records in March reveal the southwest border saw the lowest number of crossings ever last month, with just 7,180 recorded. By comparison, the monthly average border crossings under former President Joe Biden was 155,000. TRUMP STEAMS AHEAD ON THESE CAMPAIGN PROMISES AS HE REACHES 100 DAYS IN OFFICE “I would say in his first hundred days, he’s more than Joe Biden did in his four years — securing the border alone,” Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., said before adding, “These are things that they said that couldn’t be done unless legislation was passed. All they needed was a different president named Donald Trump.” “Tom Homan has been amazing, and he’s a great spokesperson for securing the border. Obviously, the first role of government is to protect the people, and if you don’t have borders and laws, you’re not a country,” Rep. Mary Miller, R-Illinois, said as she praised Trump for fulfilling his campaign promises to the American people. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., agreed that border security was Trump’s top accomplishment after “virtually stopping the illegals coming in.” He added that Trump’s international diplomacy has been a key accomplishment thus far, telling Fox News Digital, “Our enemies fear us, and our friends respect us again.” Burchett also joined Republicans in acknowledging Elon Musk’s work heading up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). While Republicans are relishing Trump’s first 100 days, Democrats’ reviews haven’t been so favorable since they relinquished control to the Trump administration this January, particularly on DOGE cuts, which have included massive layoffs to the federal workforce. “The biggest accomplishment so far I’ve seen from Trump is one of the DOGE firings — Elon Musk,” Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., quipped to Fox News Digital. Musk, who was appointed a “special government employee” to oversee DOGE, must step down from his position after 130 days, according to the Office of Government Ethics. Musk has until May 30, about one month from now, to carry out his ambitious plans to cut waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said Trump has accomplished ‘a lot of destruction’ during his first 100 days. “Well, he’s accomplished a lot of destruction of our federal agencies. He’s broken the constitutional separation of powers. He’s destroyed the foundation of due process, which is essential to our freedom here in America. He’s very successfully driven up costs for all Americans. And he’s put our small and large businesses at risk with this chaotic tariff plan. I guess he’s accomplished a lot, all of it damaging to America,” Merkley told Fox News Digital. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., couldn’t name a single accomplishment of Trump’s second term, instead focusing on his criminal conviction in New York City last year. “His greatest accomplishment is just getting elected again when he’s a convicted felon. That will go down in history as pretty amazing,” Moulton told Fox News Digital. And while Democrats maintain that Trump’s first 100 days have been “damaging to America,” Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said, “It’s certainly getting a lot of people to pay attention to politics right now.” Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz, Cameron Arcand, Peter Pinedo and Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
Cory Booker delivers animated speech for pro-LGBT Equality Act, claiming Trump is targeting transgender people
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., accused President Donald Trump’s administration of targeting the transgender community on Tuesday, urging Congress to pass the Democrat-backed Equality Act. Booker made the emotional speech during an appearance on Capitol Hill alongside prominent Democrats from both the House and Senate. His speech, which lasted several minutes, borrowed heavily from the language of Martin Luther King, Jr. “The Equality Act is on the right side of history, and right now we stand in the cold shadow of injustice. And so here we are again, introducing this bill. But it is not a normal time that we introduce this bill. We introduced it in the backdrop of a president that in his very campaign, singled out an opportunistic bigotry. The trans community. We stand here in the backdrop of a time that LGBTQ Americans are being targeted and singled out for more injustice,” Booker said. “I want you to know, we reintroduce this bill with attitude. We reintroduce this bill with swagger. We entered the bill Tuesday’s bill with confidence, because there are a lot of people who are hearing our voice right now that don’t understand that they are implicated. There’s no bystanders in history. When injustice is in our midst, and you say nothing and you do nothing, you are part of the perpetuation of that injustice,” he added. MULTIPLE FEDERAL AGENCIES END LINKEDIN CONTRACTS OVER DEI “I remind those Americans, that even the truth, when crushed to the ground, after lie, after lie, after lie, that the truth will still rise again, that this is still one nation under God. That we still swear an oath of liberty and justice for all, and that we will not stop until freedom rings from every coast in this country. That freedom rings for every person and every soul. That freedom rings for every American, no matter who you are. Race, color or creed, LGBTQ, American or straight ally,” he continued. “That we declare that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it doesn’t bend automatically.” TRUMP VOWS ‘NEW ERA OF NATIONAL SUCCESS,’ SAYS AMERICA’S ‘DECLINE IS OVER’ IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS “We declare today and every day until justice is established in this land, until the Equality Act passes, we declare that we, the people, will grab hold of that arc and pull and bend it until we live up to our promise in a country and truly are free at last, free at last,” he finished. The Equality Act would prohibit discrimination based on “sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.” Booker was joined by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as well as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., among other lawmakers. MAJOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER ACCUSED OF HIDING DEI PROGRAMS, INFLUENTIAL SENATOR CALLS THEM OUT The legislative push comes as Trump’s administration has pushed to end unpopular diversity, equity and inclusion programs throughout the federal government. The president’s efforts to end DEI across the federal government also prompted the cancellation of such programs across the private sector. Meta, in January, canceled its DEI programs, as did McDonald’s. And after the 2024 election, Walmart, Ford Motor Co., John Deere, Lowe’s and Toyota also ended DEI programs. As recently as April, according to Forbes, IBM, Gannett, and Constellation Brands Inc., made changes to DEI policies. Earlier in 2025, UnitedHealth Group, MLB, Victoria’s Secret, Warner Bros. Discovery, Goldman Sachs, Paramount, Bank of America, BlackRock, Citigroup, Pepsi, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Coca-Cola, Deloitte, PBS, Google, Disney, GE, PayPal, Chipotle and more scaled back or canceled their DEI programs. Meanwhile, in March, the National Institutes of Health rescinded the agency’s “Scientific Integrity Policy” implemented during the last few weeks of President Biden’s term, to peel back any DEI requirements. Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Top energy group demands governor take swift action against radical ‘extremists’ crippling power grid
FIRST ON FOX: As Puerto Rico’s power grid continues to fail and put the lives of residents in the U.S. territory at risk, a pro-energy nonprofit organization is calling on the island’s governor to take action to resist “left wing extremists” who the group believes are weaponizing courts to push a disruptive climate change agenda. “Left-wing extremists tried to muscle the Green New Deal through Congress during your tenure as Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner,” American Energy Institute CEO Jason Isaac wrote in a letter to Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón. “They failed. Now they have turned to the courts to impose their agenda on our country – and Puerto Rico is participating.” The letter outlines “three active tracks of litigation” that Isaac labels a “coordinated lawfare attack on our quality” of life, including a lawsuit filed by dozens of Puerto Rico cities and towns blaming energy companies for climate change and seeking damages. GLOBAL CHURCH NETWORK PUSHES ‘CLIMATE JUSTICE’ NARRATIVE DURING HOLY WEEK: ‘MORAL IMPERATIVE’ “Their goal is to bankrupt energy companies or to leverage the threat of tort damages to force outcomes that would be disastrous for Puerto Rico and the rest of the nation,” Isaac wrote. Isaac told Fox News Digital that groups like the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) have been instrumental in the green energy push in Puerto Rico and throughout the United States. The Washington, D.C.-based ELI created the Climate Judiciary Project (CJP) in 2018, establishing a first-of-its-kind resource to provide “reliable, up-to-date information” about climate change litigation, according to the group. The project’s reach has extended to various state and federal courts, including powerful appellate courts, and comes as various cities and states pursue high-profile litigation against the oil industry. Fox News Digital has previously reported on the group, funded by left-wing nonprofits, and how critics say it continues to work with judges and experts involved in climate change litigation despite publicly downplaying the extent of those connections. “They’re going out and really kind of rigging the game before cases have even been brought to the courts,” Isaac said. “They’ve tainted over 2,000 American judges at the federal and state level using climate education, these so-called climate education modules, modules that had even been debunked by left-leaning organizations like Snopes.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, ELI communications director Nick Collin said, “ELI has decades of experience providing highly respected judicial education programs. The Climate Judiciary Project offers evidence-based information about climate science and trends in the law so that judges can make informed decisions. It does not participate in litigation, support or coordinate with parties in litigation, and it does not tell judges how to rule in any case or on any issue.” Gonzalez, a Republican, has signaled that she is open to embracing fossil fuels and Isaac’s letter calls on her to take three key steps to push back on climate activists on the island. First, Isaac asks Gonzales to “Direct the Secretary of Justice to withdraw Puerto Rico’s complaint in the Puerto Rico v. Exxon Mobil case filed in the Superior Court of San Juan.” Second, the letter asks the governor to “file amicus briefs in the San Juan and Puerto Rican municipalities litigation in favor of dismissal with prejudice.” RESEARCHERS BLAME CA WILDFIRES ON CLIMATE CHANGE, PEDDLE ‘ALARMIST’ NON-PEER REVIEWED STUDIES: EXPERTS The letter also asks for judges to be appointed to the Puerto Rican judiciary who “will respect the separation of powers and leave political issues to the democratically elected branches” and for the government to “discourage state contracts with outside counsel, such as Milberg or Smouse & Mason, who are using public legal engagements to advance far-left political objectives.” Puerto Rico’s power grid is considered to be barely functional as blackouts have become a part of everyday life, including the most recent grid failure during Holy Week that left more than 1.4 million residents without power for days. It has been estimated that power failures cost the island $230 million in lost revenue every day. Ultimately, it’s the Puerto Rican people who suffer the most when climate litigation hampers the island’s grid, Isaac told Fox News Digital, explaining that residents are living in “energy poverty” with constant rolling blackouts and an unreliable grid. “They’re kind of experiencing what the energy transition does, it transitions people from affordable and reliable energy to less reliable energy, economic despair,” Isaac said. Fox News Digital reached out to Gonzalez’s office for comment. “Climate lawfare threatens to derail your administration’s common-sense approach,” Isaac wrote. “The climate plaintiffs are advancing a fundamentally neocolonial agenda. They are steering Puerto Rico toward a ‘green’ energy future it did not choose – one that ignores the basic needs of its people, who simply require cheap and reliable electricity.”
Pahalgam Terrorist Attack: PM Modi strengthens India’s stance, gives armed forces complete operational freedom
In the meeting, PM Modi expressed complete faith and confidence in the professional abilities of the Indian Armed Forces. They said that PM Modi stated that the Indian Armed Forces have complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets, and timing of India’s response.
Texas lottery bans online sales through third-party couriers amid mounting criticism
After years of claiming that companies selling lottery tickets online could not be regulated, the Texas Lottery Commission voted to ban the practice.
Trump to ease auto tariffs as he celebrates 100th day with Michigan rally
President Donald Trump will sign a proclamation later Tuesday aboard Air Force One that will soften auto tariffs, senior White House officials confirmed. Senior administration officials said Tuesday during a call with the media that the current 25% tariff leveled on imported cars will remain intact but that other similar tariffs, such as tariffs on steel and aluminum, will not stack on top of the 25% auto tariff. The announcement comes on Trump’s 100th day back in the Oval Office, which he will celebrate at a Michigan rally near Detroit — the U.S.’ former auto manufacturing capital. Additionally, domestic auto manufacturers that finish building cars in the U.S. will receive an offset for automobile part tariffs equal to 3.75% of the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of a manufacturer’s U.S. production for the next 12 months and 2.5% of U.S. production for year following. The figures were calculated to reflect the tariff that would be owed when a 25% duty tax is applied to 15% of the value of a U.S.-assembled car, Fox Digital learned. TRUMP TO REDUCE IMPACT OF AUTO TARIFFS AS INDUSTRY MAKES EFFORT TO RETURN MANUFACTURING TO US: ‘MAJOR VICTORY’ The 25% tariff on certain auto parts is set to take effect May 3, with administration officials explaining that auto manufacturers can use the offset credits against the tariff on auto parts. The administration stressed that the offset plan is not a rebate. TRUMP’S TARIFFS COULD DRIVE UP AUTO REPAIR COSTS, EXPERTS SAY “A part comes into the country and it gets tariffed,” a senior Commerce Department official said Tuesday. “And the auto manufacturers say, ‘Look, I sold a car, I have a credit. I have an offset amount of $1,600. Please use that $1,600 tariff offset amount against this particular part.’ So it will not cost the government any money whatsoever. It is basically allowing them to bring 15% foreign parts and put that in their cars.” NO ‘BUYERS’ REMORSE’: VETERAN UAW MEMBER ON IMPACTS PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TARIFFS COULD HAVE ON THE AUTO INDUSTRY The plan intends to allow all domestic auto manufacturers “to grow their plants, to grow their employment, and to build more factories in America,” according to senior Commerce Department officials, by building in a two-year time frame to amp up the U.S. supply chain for the auto industry, according to senior administration officials. The White House detailed that under the plan, if a car manufacturer builds a vehicle with 85% U.S. parts or parts made under the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, they will effectively not owe tariffs. All other autos and auto parts imported to the U.S. will face 25% tariffs.
Gorscuh scolds Supreme Court litigator in rare, heated exchange
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch scolded an experienced lawyer during oral arguments Monday in a case centered on disability discrimination in public schools – a rare and heated exchange that surprised many longtime court-watchers. The tense exchange took place during oral arguments in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, a case centered on whether school districts can be held liable for discriminating against students with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Gorsuch scolded Williams & Connolly lawyer Lisa Blatt, an experienced Supreme Court litigator representing the Minnesota public schools, for accusing the plaintiffs of “lying” in their assertions before the high court. Plaintiffs in the case are representing the parents of a girl with severe epilepsy, who sued the public school for refusing to provide at-home school during the morning, an accommodation she would receive in other districts in the state. 100 DAYS OF INJUNCTIONS, TRIALS AND ‘TEFLON DON’: TRUMP SECOND TERM MEETS ITS BIGGEST TESTS IN COURT The exchange between Gorsuch and Blatt took place after she accused them of lying about the public school’s stance. Counsel “should be more careful with their words,” Gorsuch told Blatt in a warning. “Okay well, they should be more careful in mischaracterizing a position by an experienced advocate of the Supreme Court, with all due respect,” Blatt responded. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKS SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW EL SALVADOR DEPORTATION FLIGHT CASE Later, he referenced the lying accusation again. “Ms. Blatt,” Gorsuch told her, “I confess I’m still troubled by your suggestion that your friends on the other side have lied.” “Okay,” she fired back. “Let’s pull it up. In oral arguments…” Gorsuch cut in, telling her, “I think we’re going to have to, here. And I’d ask you to reconsider that phrase.” “You can accuse people of being incorrect, but lying—” Gorsuch said, before Blatt attempted to interject. “Ms. Blatt, if I might finish,” Gorsuch said, before continuing: “But lying is another matter.” He then started to read through page one of their brief, before she interrupted again. “I’m not finished,” Grouch told her, raising his voice. “Withdraw your accusation, Ms. Blatt,” he then told her of the lying accusation. “Fine, I withdraw,” she shot back. Plaintiffs said on rebuttal only that they would not dignify the name-calling. The exchange sparked some buzz online, including from an experienced appeals court litigator, Raffi Melkonian, who noted of the exchange on social media, “I’ve never heard Justice Gorsuch so angry.”
Gorsuch scolds Supreme Court litigator in rare, heated exchange
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch scolded an experienced lawyer during oral arguments Monday in a case centered on disability discrimination in public schools – a rare and heated exchange that surprised many longtime court-watchers. The tense exchange took place during oral arguments in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, a case centered on whether school districts can be held liable for discriminating against students with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Gorsuch scolded Williams & Connolly lawyer Lisa Blatt, an experienced Supreme Court litigator representing the Minnesota public schools, for accusing the plaintiffs of “lying” in their assertions before the high court. Plaintiffs in the case are representing the parents of a girl with severe epilepsy, who sued the public school for refusing to provide at-home school during the morning, an accommodation she would receive in other districts in the state. 100 DAYS OF INJUNCTIONS, TRIALS AND ‘TEFLON DON’: TRUMP SECOND TERM MEETS ITS BIGGEST TESTS IN COURT The exchange between Gorsuch and Blatt took place after she accused them of lying about the public school’s stance. Counsel “should be more careful with their words,” Gorsuch told Blatt in a warning. “OK well, they should be more careful in mischaracterizing a position by an experienced advocate of the Supreme Court, with all due respect,” Blatt responded. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKS SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW EL SALVADOR DEPORTATION FLIGHT CASE Later, he referenced the lying accusation again. “Ms. Blatt,” Gorsuch told her, “I confess I’m still troubled by your suggestion that your friends on the other side have lied.” “OK,” she fired back. “Let’s pull it up. In oral arguments…” Gorsuch cut in, telling her, “I think we’re going to have to, here. And I’d ask you to reconsider that phrase.” “You can accuse people of being incorrect, but lying–” Gorsuch said, before Blatt attempted to interject. “Ms. Blatt, if I might finish,” Gorsuch said, before continuing: “But lying is another matter.” He then started to read through page one of their brief, before she interrupted again. “I’m not finished,” Gorsuch told her, raising his voice. “Withdraw your accusation, Ms. Blatt,” he then told her of the lying accusation. “Fine, I withdraw,” she shot back. Plaintiffs said on rebuttal only that they would not dignify the name-calling. The exchange sparked some buzz online, including from an experienced appeals court litigator, Raffi Melkonian, who noted of the exchange on social media, “I’ve never heard Justice Gorsuch so angry.”
Trump buries Biden foreign policy in first 100 days
One hundred days into his new administration, President Donald Trump has reset negotiations with allies and foes across the globe, and experts say one is certain: it is all transactional. Gone are the days when the U.S. could be drawn to throw its force around the world solely in the name of defending or spreading democracy. Global leaders are learning to speak a new language with U.S. leadership, one that is less about ideology and more about how their interests benefit U.S. interests. “There is a lot more transactional engagement rather than I think we’re ideological-based, policy decisions that were sort of the hallmark of the Biden administration,” said Gregg Roman, executive director of the Middle East Forum. Here is a round-up of how Trump has changed U.S. foreign policy since taking office: FOX NEWS POLL: THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SECOND TERM Former President Joe Biden toyed with reviving a nuclear deal with Iran and criticized Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, but his administration made little progress toward serious negotiations. Trump has now expressed interest in a new nuclear deal. He told Israel the U.S. would not come to their aid in attacking Iran until diplomatic negotiations played out. As Trump’s team met with Iranian counterparts in Oman this weekend for a second round of nuclear talks, he issued another threat: if negotiations whither away, the U.S. would not be dragged by Israel into war with Iran but will be “leading the pack.” An offensive campaign against Yemen’s Houthi terrorists launched six weeks ago has struck more than 800 targets and cost nearly $1 billion – a sharp departure from the tit-for-tat retaliatory strikes seen under the Biden administration, when Houthis attacked U.S. naval ships and Western commercial vessels. “Biden pursued a policy of retaliatory strikes: If you hit us, we’ll hit you,” said Roman. “What Trump is trying to do is what I call a salting the earth strategy. If you dare challenge American military supremacy or the ability for us to conduct free trade to the bottom of or through the Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Yemen, Red Sea, Suez … We will attempt to end your ability to wage war on the United States in its interests.” US STRIKES KILL HUNDREDS OF HOUTHI FIGHTERS, HIT OVER 800 RED SEA TARGETS: CENTRAL COMMAND While Biden had promised the U.S. would stand by Ukraine “as long as it takes” in the war against Russia, Trump expressed a desire to see the war come to an end, promising that he could end the war on “day one” of his presidency. One hundred days in, the war is not over. Negotiations are ongoing, and Trump has jumped between sounding off in frustration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. As Putin continues to strike even civilian regions of Ukraine, Trump questioned on Saturday whether the Russian leader truly wants peace or is “tapping me along.” He again questioned whether he would need to slap “secondary sanctions” on nations that do business with Russia to starve its war coffers. On Monday, Russia offered a three-day ceasefire from May 8-10, but the White House was not satisfied. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump wants a “permanent ceasefire.” Trump met face-to-face with Zelenskyy in Rome on Saturday, the first time since their infamous Oval Office spat in February, after slamming Zelenskyy’s latest rejection of his peace proposal, one that would have formally ceded Crimea to the Russians. The Monroe Doctrine is back, analysts say, and Trump wants both Greenland and the Panama Canal under U.S. control. The proposals drew shock across the world, but at least in Panama, Trump’s bold words prompted a proposal to offer the U.S. “first and free” passage for its warships, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier this month. It also spurred the proposed sale of two ports of entry from Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison to U.S.-based BlackRock, though that deal has been delayed by Chinese regulatory and political scrutiny. Efforts to attain Greenland have proved less successful. Tough talk against Denmark and its ownership of Greenland has ratcheted up tensions with the NATO ally and Greenland’s leadership has expressed little interest in becoming a part of the U.S. However, Trump has called out the threat of Russia and China’s increasing arctic military capabilities – the shortest range for a missile to travel from Russia to the U.S. would be over the icy island’s territory. Trump is also interested in the rare earth mining potential of the massive swath of land. Trump’s threats to pull out of the NATO alliance – or refuse to come to the defense of allies that do not contribute enough military spending – has left nations across the world planning for the contingency that they may have to defend themselves without U.S. aid. The European Union announced a plan for its nations to spend $840 billion to “re-arm Europe” after Trump halted all aid to Ukraine in March. Countries like Spain, Belgium and Sweden have all announced plans this year to increase defense spending to meet NATO’s 2% target, while eastern European states near Russia’s border, including Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland, have announced plans to increase defense spending to around 5%. Concern over China’s hegemonic ambitions bridges the partisan divide, but the Biden White House never considered such drastic measures as 145% tariffs. Trump has said the goal of the tariffs is to both bring back US manufacturing after decades of offshore production and punish China for intellectual property theft, a massive trade imbalance, and fentanyl flowing from China to the U.S. A free trade push in the early 2000s had wrongly assumed liberal trade policies would bring democratic values and free markets into Chinese borders, his supporters argue. Trump has insisted that President Xi Jinping wants to cut a deal to lower the soaring tariffs, even as China has rejected the prospect of talks. It is