Tag: Trump

Trump and Kim Meet in Summit

By Nick Baum

TUESDAY – 6/12/18

Last night, US President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un met in Singapore for peace talks toward denuclearization and relations. The summit, which was held in the popular resort Capella Singapore, featured an extended handshake, signing a document in terms of denuclearization, and both leaders exchanging words for a better future.

The document that was signed by both leaders, held four main points, according to journalists, but the point of it was for the North Koreans to “work towards denuclearization”, and for the United States to halt all military exercises, according to the Wall Street Journal.

While some argued that the document itself proved to be thin and underwhelming, others argue that the document only establishes the countries’ intentions, and that lots of the summit was spent working between the two administrations at a working lunch. In the working lunch, featured a mix of western and asian foods, and for dessert was the top favorite Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream.

Sources: Time, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News

Trump Will Skip Part of G7 Summit

By Nick Baum

FRIDAY – 6/8/18

Yesterday, US President Donald Trump announced he plans to leave the Group of 7 Summit a few hours early, according to the White House. The decision came after a back and forth Twitter feud with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emanuel Macron over tariffs and a possible trade war.

At the summit, which will be held in remote Quebec, an aide of Trump will replace him for the final hours of the summit which Trump plans to skip. As said before, the decision was made after a Twitter exchange with other leaders, but the exact reason, according to the White House, is avoid confrontation or argument over the US’s new tariffs.

Trump also said he was “enthusiastic” about creating new tariffs and protecting American workers, but said he was “unenthusiastic” about waging and expressing his plans to other world leaders in person. However, trade tensions are still expected to be the top of the discussion for the two days of the G7 Summit, even after President Trump leaves.

Sources: CNN, Wall Street Journal, Wikipedia, White House

OPINION: Tariffs Never Work

By Nick Baum

THURSDAY – 6/7/18

The news about tariffs in the most recent months is absolutely idiotic, but before I dive in let me explain exactly what a tariff is. A tariff is an added tax or price on a certain product that comes from another country. For example, President Trump had the US start its tariff program by adding tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum, meaning steel and aluminum in the United States that came from China will be higher, which will force companies to buy from American workers.

So you can see why tariffs are used a lot, as it is seen as a way to protect American workers and sort of force companies to buy and hire American. Except, it doesn’t really work in real life. When tariffs are added in a certain category, it actually has a very low chance of actually helping the country’s workers, because usually, the companies who are most effected by the tariffs will either find a loophole, use a different material, or just take the same product from another country.

Not only that, but tariffs can easily backfire because it raises the price of products in America. If you’re shopping for clothes in America and you found something that recently had a tariff on, that price will rise, and in many circumstances, by a lot. Tariffs sometimes help American workers, but backfires when it makes it difficult for American consumers to get the certain product.

Donald Trump recently added tariffs in different categories on China, and the response is, well, you guessed it. Different prices are soaring, American workers are somewhat being helped, but now a trade war is occurring. A trade war is when different countries slap tariffs on certain products from the same country that slapped tariffs on them. Basically, it is an endless back and forth cycle of countries putting tariffs on different products.

Already, after the United States’s tariffs, Canada, Mexico, and the European Union decided to add their own tariffs, and that doesn’t even include China, which is most effected by this decision. Not only does this prompt poor relations, but it hurts the economy, because certain products have gotten more expensive. If it wasn’t for Trump’s tariffs, the stock market could’ve shot even further up. However, now it is rocky, not only the stock market, but trade relations with our closest allies.

Sources: CNN, Wall Street Journal, Wikimedia Commons, Fox News

Trump Cancels White House Visit with Eagles

By Nick Baum

TUESDAY – 6/5/18

Yesterday, US President Donald Trump called the White House visit off with the Super Bowl winning Philadelphia Eagles, after only 10 members of the team agreed to join. In a statement, Trump declared the reason for the canceling of the visit was “disagreements with our anthem”, after many players didn’t want to visit the White House, and the President they felt they strongly disagreed with in terms of standing or kneeling during the national anthem.

Since the decision, Trump has been criticized by many, as some thought the remaining Eagles members still should have been allowed to go, but decided not to because “the fans deserve better.” Trump has also received criticism by Philadelphia’s mayor Jim Kenney called Trump as “not a real patriot” and “a fragile egomaniac” after the decision to cancel based on anthem disagreements.

Full Statement: “The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow. They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country. The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better.”

Sources: CNN, Fox News, The New York Times

Trump Cancels US – North Korea Summit

By Nick Baum

FRIDAY – 5/25/18

Just yesterday, US President Donald Trump announced that he will be cancelling the planned summit between the United States and North Korea on June 12 in Singapore due to current relations with North Korea and recent actions committed by the country, the White House announced. President Trump sent a letter to North Korea through the same channel where CIA Director Mike Pompeo communicated to North Korea with.

The decision by Trump was thought to be because of declining relations with North Korea, in which North Korea threatened the summit due to U.S. – South Korea military drills being taken place on the southern part of the peninsula. Just days after, a top North Korean official said that recent decisions by the US have threatened relations between the nations, and that North Korea could see the United States “on the brink of nuclear showdown”.

The decision by Trump has met both approval and criticism from both sides of the aisle. Democrats held a press release in which House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi panned the decision, saying “Kim Jong Un must be giggling”. However, North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un said that the summit can happen “Anytime, and anywhere”.

Sources: CNN, Wall Street Journal, Fox News

OPINION: We Should Root for Trump’s Success

By Nick Baum

TUESDAY – 5/22/18

There’s a new term being said, “Liberals hate Trump more than they love America”, and no bigger example of that can be given than what their reactions have been these past few months. The US gains a serious foreign policy loss but its because of Trump? Hooray! Peace talks which were started by Trump have been threatened? Celebrate! That is the left wing mindset which brain controls them to hate Trump at all costs. Democrats can’t admit Trump has done anything good.

Take the U.S. – North Korea peace talks for example, because of Trump’s pressure on North Korea and Kim Jong Un, the country came out and opened itself up, including a planned summit between the nation’s leaders. However, Democrats will be Democrats, and they didn’t give Trump credit. They cited that it was Moon’s fault, despite Moon not even campaigning for pressuring North Korea and instead just letting it be for the mean time. Democrats might’ve not given Trump credit there, but when North Korea threatened the summit, that’s when they put Trump as responsible for the entire thing, and celebrated. They celebrated the fact that Trump lost, but at the same time America did.

So maybe that quote from earlier was right. Democrats and liberals do hate Trump more than they love America. Why else will they be rooting for Trump’s failures, which also means America’s failures? And why do they hate Trump’s successes if it means America’s successes? Democrats need to put their differences aside and root for America, instead of hating Trump. We should root for Trump because rooting for Trump is rooting for America. He’s the President. We want the President to do the best job as possible so it will be good for America. I don’t get why the left’s blind hate for Trump will be put first before their love for America. We are all Americans, not just Republicans and Democrats.

Sources: Vox, Fox News, The Weekly Standard

Justice Department will Review FBI Probe of Trump Presidential Campaign

By Nick Baum

MONDAY – 5/21/18

In a series of tweets on Sunday, US President Donald Trump criticized Mueller’s FBI probe and its handle of investigating into Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. After the tweets were sent out, the Department of Justice asked its internal watchdog group, in charge of investigating different probes, groups, and political groups, to review the full case of the FBI probe and to find any points of being biased after Trump denounced the Mueller probe in a tweet, calling it a “witch hunt”, and that is was completely biased.

The reason for Trump’s series of tweets and the DOJ’s investigation is most likely to be because of suspicions that the FBI surveilled and/or infiltrated any offices relating to Trump’s campaign, and more over if the Obama administration ever wire tapped Trump’s campaign, as well as if the Obama administration asked the FBI in the first place to surveil Trump. These three points were the driving factor in Trump’s tweets, and is seen by the Republican base as a big win for them and for Trump.

Also in the plea, Trump referred to a man who allegedly approached more than two Trump aides in the campaign, and that the man was thought to be linked to the counterintelligence investigation into the Presidential campaign. It is unclear what the results of the DOJ’s investigation will find, but one of Trump’s legal aids and former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani, said that Mueller, in charge of the FBI probe, can finish the investigation with an interview with Trump this summer.

Sources: CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Fox News, ABC News