Donald Trump has bragged once again about the successes of his tariffs in a Truth Social post, despite China recording a historic trade surplus of $1 trillion.
The president claimed that his “DIRECT” policy has created a “STRONG AND DECISIVE NATIONAL SECURITY RESULT,” hours before new data suggested China is shrugging off the effects of his tariffs.
Figures published by China’s General Administration of Customs revealed that the country’s exports had grown by 5.9 percent by November, reversing a 1.9 percent contraction in October.
The apparent failure to dent China’s trade comes as Trump faces criticism over his policies from his within his own party.
Former loyalist Marjorie Taylor Greene blasted the president in a 60 Minutes interview, claiming his actions no longer put “America First”.
Greene claimed that Trump’s allies are “making fun of him” behind his back and that many of them started “kissing his a**” after it was clear that he was set to become president once again.
Trump latest news: Key points
- Trump lauds tariff policy despite China recording historic trade surplus
- MTG says that Republicans are "making fun" of Trump behind his back, as his support dwindles
- Trump once bragged that China would be in "serious trouble" without the US
- Fury in Japan grows over Trump's silence on China row
- Watch: MTG speaks out against Trump on 60 Minutes
- Pete Hegseth repeatedly warned of Trump giving illegal military orders in 2016
Pete Hegseth repeatedly warned of Trump giving illegal military orders in 2016
13:46 , Owen ScottPete Hegseth repeatedly warned of Trump giving illegal military orders in 2016, in resurfaced interview clips, which come as the Secretary of Defense becomes increasingly mired in controversy over his alleged “double-tap” strike.
“You’re not just gonna follow that order if it’s unlawful,” Hegseth said on Fox and Friends in March 2016, referring to army officials.
“The military’s not gonna follow illegal orders,” he said on an appearance on Fox Business during the same month.
At the time, Trump claimed that military lawyers and officials should ignore the rules of war to meet their goals.
The news comes after Pete Hegseth allegedly ordered officers to “kill everybody” on board an alleged Venezuelan drug boat.
A strike was launched at the vessel shortly before the survivors were bombed in a second attack.
Now, the secretary of defense is facing increased pressure with Kentucky Senator Rand Paul demanding that Hegseth testify under oath about the strike.
Trump's top pick to lead the federal reserve could send inflation skyrocketing
13:45 , Owen ScottExperts have warned that Donald Trump’s top-pick to lead the Federal Reserve could send inflation soaring.
Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, is expected to take over from the incumbent Jerome Powell, whom Trump has repeatedly clashed with.
However, economist Justin Wolfers has warned the president against appointing a loyalist to the role.
“We’ve seen it happen in other countries like Turkey—you appoint a loyalist, the loyalist puts in place policies that reflect the president’s idiosyncratic, utterly bizarre, dreamtime views about how the economy works,” Wolfers told MS NOW. “And what happened in Turkey was inflation rose to 80 percent.”
Experts say the US-China trade truce will hold...for now
13:25 , Owen ScottThe truce in China and the United States’ trade war should hold into next year, according to experts.
Economists told The Telegraph that exports remain a key driver in the economies of both countries, so it makes sense for each nation to continue trading as normal for now.
“We believe exports will remain a key driver for growth next year,” an analyst at Citi told the publication. “In our base case, the US-China trade truce will likely be sustained through 2026 despite being fragile.”
Duncan Wrigley from Pantheon Macroeconomics added that Chinese economic growth could continue, even if the EU clamps down on imports.
Much of that growth will be driven by exports to Africa.
“November’s data suggest this approach remains viable, despite US tariffs, with shipments to non-US markets rising 12.1pc,” Wrigely told The Telegraph. “That said, some developed markets are likely to take protectionist measures, as President Macron said with respect to the EU.”
“Exports to the Global South should remain resilient, though growth rates to markets like Africa may slow given the meteoric rises this year,” he added.
Watch: Trump claims that people were coming into America from the 'fourth world'
13:17 , Owen ScottDonald Trump has claimed that immigrants from the “fourth world” were coming into America, before he took office.
However, scholars have not normally defined any country as being “fourth world.”
Even the use of “third world” has become increasingly outdated, with economists generally using the term Economically Less Developed Countries.
Trump no longer disputing criticisms of Hegseth, report says
12:55 , Owen ScottPresident Donald Trump is starting to grow weary of the ongoing controversies plaguing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to a new report.
While the president has stood by Hegseth in public, he has shown less enthusiasm behind closed doors, The Atlantic reported on Friday.
Several unnamed sources familiar with White House discussions spoke to the publication, with one describing it as a “rough week for Pete.”
Brendan Rascius has the full story...
Trump no longer pushing back when insiders say Hegseth is not up for the job: report
Trump once bragged that China would be in "serious trouble" without the US
12:46 , Owen ScottIn 2016, Trump bragged to CNBC that “without us, China would be in serious trouble.”
During his first administration, he banned the sale of advanced chip technologies to China and blacklisted Chinese tech firms.
Now, China controls 61 percent of the world’s rare earth minerals and 90 percent of the processing tools needed to refine them.
Those minerals are used in everything from defense technology, mobile phones and advanced medical equipment.
Trump told 60 Minutes that the U.S. would no longer be dependent on Chinese rare earth minerals in a year and a half but it is unknown how he plans to achieve this.
However, the United States’ current dependency on China’s minerals means that the US does not have as many cards to play against China as it once did.
During negotiations earlier this year, China was able to force Trump to lower tariffs and offer the country direct channels with tech firm Nvidia.
Trump, though, seemed optimistic.
When asked to give the trip a score out of 10, the U.S. president told reporters that he would rank the trip as a “12.”
Watch: Pastor says Barron Trump is 'very close' to publicly declaring Christian faith
12:30 , Owen ScottPastor Stuart Knechtle has claimed that he spoke with Barron Trump late into the night and that the president’s son is “very close” to declaring his Christian faith.
Speaking onThe George Janko Show, Knechtle said that he persuaded Barron by regailing him with stories about a missionary’s work in Africa. Knechtle claimed that this missionary had a divine revelation while conducting his work.
"He's very close to putting his faith in Christ, very close," he said, meaning Barron.
"He was like, ‘Oh, that's a very, very interesting point,’” Knechtle added. “And you have eyewitness testimony.”
Russia describes Trump's security strategy as 'consistent with our vision'
12:17 , Owen ScottVladimir Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, has cheered Donald Trump’s security strategy as being “consistent” with Russia’s vision.
The Trump administration unveiled its National Security Strategy last week, which was filled with excoriating words for Europe.
In the guideline, the U.S. warned that Europe faces “civilizational erasure,” and claimed that the continent needed to “ reestablish strategic stabilitywith Russia.”
Peskov said that the report was welcome news in Russia.
"The adjustments we are seeing, I would say, are largely consistent with our vision, and perhaps we can hope that this could be a modest guarantee that we will be able to constructively continue our joint work on finding a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, at the very least," Peskov said, according to local reports.
Watch: Trump appears to fall asleep at own cabinet meeting
12:01 , Owen ScottDonald Trump appeared to be unable to keep his eyes open at his own cabinet meeting.
The president gently nodded and shut his eyes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the room.
Concerns over Trump’s health and age have swirled in recent months, with the president being spotted with bruised hands smeared with makeup.
He also confirmed that he underwent an MRI scan for cardiovascular and abdomen checks. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, described this as “standard” and claimed that the president “remains in excellent overall health.”
Trump weighs in on Netflix buying Warner Bros
11:59 , Owen ScottDonald Trump suggested that Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros “could be a problem,” during an event on Sunday.
The president also claimed that Netflix already has a “big market share.”
Although it requires government approval to seal the deal, Netflix is poised to acquire the historic production company for $83 billion.
If the streaming giant is successful, it will be given access to HBO franchises, including Sex and the City and The White Lotus, as well as blockbusters, including Harry Potter.
Trump considering ditching Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary, reports say
11:49 , Owen ScottPresident Donald Trump is reportedly considering moving on from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a staff shakeup that could come in time for the New Year, according to a report.
Two former DHS officials who served under both Trump and former President Joe Biden told The Bulwark that Trump is considering moving on from Noem, with the change potentially coming “really soon.”
A third official cautioned that the current situation is “fluid,” meaning Trump may still let the ex-South Dakota governor lead new enforcement operations planned for January and February, according to the report.
Isabel Keane has the full story...
Trump is considering moving on from Kristi Noem
Fury in Japan grows over Trump's silence on China row
11:40 , Owen ScottAnger has continued to build in the Japanese government over Trump’s silence on the growing feud between China and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Takaichi said that an invasion of Taiwan by China posed an “existential threat” which could force Japan to launch military action against Beijing’s government.
China has threatened retaliatory economic actions and even had warplanes lock their radars on Japanese fighter jets south-east of Okinawa on Saturday, according to Takaichi.
Trump’s administration has been silent on the worsening situation, despite George Glass, ambassador to Japan, previously saying that the U.S. president and his administration “have her back,” meaning Takaichi.
According to the Financial Times, Shigeo Yamada, Japan’s ambassador in Washington, has expressed his government’s frustrations to the Trump administration and urged them to ramp up support for his country.
MTG says death threats against her were 'directly fueled by President Trump'
11:32 , Owen ScottMarjorie Taylor Greene told Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes that death threats against her increased after Trump issued a vicious Truth Social post about her.
In the post, the president branded her as “Marjorie ‘traitor’ Greene” for breaking with him over the Epstein files.
“After President Trump called me a traitor, I got a pipe bomb threat on my house,” she told Stahl. “And then I got several direct death threats on my son.”
“The subject line for the direct death threats against my son was his words – Marjorie Traitor Greene,” she added. “Those are death threats directly fueled by President Trump.”
Watch: MTG speaks out against Trump on 60 Minutes
11:25 , Owen ScottMarjorie Taylor Greene tore into Trump on 60 Minutes, in yet another bombshell interview following her dramatic fallout with the commander-in-chief.
Wearing a jumper with an American flag on the front, Greene claimed that her fellow Republicans are scared of the GOP leader but that support for him was continuing to fray.
MTG says that Republicans are "making fun" of Trump behind his back, as his support dwindles
11:21 , Owen ScottFormer Trump loyalist Marjorie Taylor Greene has claimed that support for the president continues to fracture in the Republican Party.
Speaking on 60 Minutes, Taylor Greene said that many Republicans only switched to supporting Trump when he won the primary in 2024.
“I watched many of my colleagues go from making fun of him, making fun of how he talks, making fun of me constantly for supporting him, to when he won the primary in 2024, they all started — excuse my language, Lesley — kissing his a** and decided to put on a MAGA hat for the first time,” she said.
Taylor Green also alleged that Republicans are “terrified to step out of line” publicly, though, because they could “get a nasty Truth Social post on them.”
The representative for Georgia was one of the most vocal critics of Trump’s botched handling of the Epstein files.
She was branded “Marjorie ‘traitor’ Greene” by Trump for urging him to release the files and claimed that she received death threats from his supporters.
Tensions between China and the U.S. have worsened due to Trump's national security strategy
11:12 , Owen ScottTensions between the United States and China were strained even further when the U.S. unveiled its controversial national security strategy.
In the 33-page document, Washington outlined that it does not “support any unilateral change” in the Taiwan Strait and that it maintains its "declaratory policy in Taiwan.”
In other words, the U.S. has said that the security of Taiwan remains vital for trade to continue to flow in the region.
Meanwhile, China, which has long coveted the island, warned against “external interference” from the U.S after launching a huge wave of naval vessels into East Asian waters last week.
Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, told Reuters that the U.S. should “handle the Taiwan question with the utmost prudence, and stop indulging and supporting 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces in seeking independence by force or resisting reunification by force.”
Trump lauds tariff policy despite China recording historic trade surplus
10:55 , Owen ScottDonald Trump has claimed that his tariff policy has led to a “DECISIVE NATIONAL SECURITY RESULT,” despite China recording a $1 trillion trade surplus.
His rambling Truth Social post was uploaded yesterday evening, hours before the news of China’s historic economic success broke.
“While the United States has other methods of charging TARIFFS against foreign countries, many of whom have, for YEARS, TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF OUR NATION, the current method of Tariffing before the United States Supreme Court is far more DIRECT, LESS CUMBERSOME, and MUCH FASTER, all ingredients necessary for A STRONG AND DECISIVE NATIONAL SECURITY RESULT. SPEED, POWER, AND CERTAINTY ARE, AT ALL TIMES, IMPORTANT FACTORS IN GETTING THE JOB DONE IN A LASTING AND VICTORIOUS MANNER,” Trump wrote.
China's economic success comes as exports rebound from Trump's tariffs, prompting criticism from France
10:50 , Owen ScottData from China’s General Administration of Customs revealed that the country’s trading performance in November had added $112 billion to its trading surplus. That is the third-largest increase ever recorded by China.
Despite shipments to the United States plummeting in November, sales to the European Union and Africa surged. That allowed China to offset the balance, hindering the effectiveness of Trump’s strategy.
However, French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that the EU may be forced to take “strong measures” to address the trade imbalance.
“I’m trying to explain to the Chinese that their trade surplus isn’t sustainable because they’re killing their own clients, notably by importing hardly anything from us any more,” Macron told Les Echos newspaper.