Donald Trump suggestion he’ll settle for luxurious aircraft from Qatar attracts criticism from allies and rivals – US politics stay

President Donald Trump is able to settle for a luxurious Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a present from the ruling household of Qatar throughout his journey to the Center East this coming week – and American officers say it may very well be transformed into a possible presidential plane.

The Qatari authorities stated a ultimate choice had not been made, AP experiences.

Nonetheless, Trump defended the concept – what would quantity to a US President accepting an astonishingly beneficial reward from a international authorities – as a fiscally shrewd transfer for the nation.

“So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane,” Trump posted on his social media web site on Sunday evening. “Anybody can do that!”

ABC Information reported that Trump will use the plane as his presidential aircraft till shortly earlier than he leaves workplace in January 2029, when possession can be transferred to the inspiration overseeing his yet-to-be-built presidential library.

The reward was anticipated to be introduced when Trump visits Qatar, in accordance with ABC’s report, as a part of a visit that additionally consists of stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the primary prolonged international journey of his second time period.

Laura Loomer, a far-right ally of Trump, stated accepting Qatar’s aircraft could be a “stain” on the administration, including that Qatar “fund the same Iranian proxies in Hamas and Hezbollah who have murdered US Service Members.”

The Democratic Nationwide Committee stated the transfer was proof of Trump utilizing the White Home for private monetary acquire, whereas Democratic lawmakers blasted the plan as “wildly illegal,” and “corruption in plain sight.”

Good day and welcome to the US politics stay weblog. I’m Tom Ambrose and can be bringing you the most recent information strains.

We begin with the information that China and the US have agreed a 90-day pause to the deepening commerce battle that has threatened to upend the worldwide economic system, with reciprocal tariffs to be lowered by 115%.

Chatting with the media after talks in Geneva, the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, stated either side had proven “great respect” within the negotiations.

Bessent stated: “The consensus from both delegations this weekend was neither side wants a decoupling”.

The 90-day decreasing of tariffs applies to the duties introduced by Donald Trump on 2 April, which in the end escalated to 125% on Chinese language imports, with Beijing responding with equal measures.

China additionally imposed non-tariff measures, resembling limiting the export of essential minerals which might be important to US manufacturing of hi-tech items.

The US commerce consultant, Jamieson Greer, stated China’s retaliation had been disproportionate and amounted to an efficient embargo on commerce between the world’s two greatest economies.

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In different information:

• Hamas introduced on Sunday that it’s going to launch the final residing American hostage in Gaza, Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American soldier who was kidnapped on 7 October 2023. Trump confirmed the information in a social media publish, writing that Alexander, 21, “is coming home to his family”, whereas thanking mediators Qatar and Egypt.

• A bunch of 49 white South Africans departed their homeland on Sunday for the US on a personal constitution aircraft having been supplied refugee standing by the Trump administration underneath a brand new program introduced in February. They’re the primary Afrikaners – a white minority group in South Africa – to be relocated after Trump issued an govt order in February accusing South Africa’s Black-led authorities of racial discrimination towards them.

• Mass terminations and billions of {dollars}’ value of cuts on the Division of Well being and Human Companies (HHS) have gutted key packages – from little one assist providers to HIV remedy overseas – and created a “real danger” that illness outbreaks can be missed, in accordance with former employees. Staff on the HHS, now led by Robert F Kennedy Jr, and in public well being warned in interviews that chaotic, flawed and sweeping reductions would have broad, detrimental results throughout the US and past.

• The US transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, plans to scale back the variety of flights out and in of the Newark Liberty worldwide airport for the “several weeks”, as the power – one of many nation’s busiest airports – struggles with radar outages, quite a few flight delays and cancellations as a result of a scarcity of air visitors controllers.

• A bunch of Quakers had been marching greater than 300 miles from New York Metropolis to Washington DC to reveal towards the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants. Organisers of the march say their protest seeks to point out solidarity with migrants and different teams which might be being focused by Trump.

• Trump stated on Sunday he would signal an govt order to chop prescription costs to the extent paid by different high-income international locations, an quantity he put at 30% to 80% much less. The White Home didn’t instantly provide extra particulars on how the plan would work.