Donald Trump gave his first rally-style speech since his election victory in Phoenix on Sunday.
At the event — AmericaFest 2024 — he discussed immigration, defended some of his most controversial cabinet picks, and laid out his plans for when he takes office on January 20, which he referred to as “liberation day.”
Trump also repeated his threats of retaking the Panama Canal.
“We’re being ripped off at the Panama Canal like we’re being ripped off everywhere else,” he said.
On Truth Social Saturday, Trump accused Panama of charging American vessels “exorbitant prices” to use the vital waterway that acts as a shortcut linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
“The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the US,” Trump vented.
“If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question,” he stridently added, referring to a 1977 treaty.
The 78-year-old Republican also echoed his plans to impose tariffs against the European Union, Canada and Mexico. He said he wouldn’t let the E.U. turn the U.S. into a “dumping ground.”
Key Points
- Donald Trump addresses AmericaFest in Phoenix, Arizona
- Trump attempts to move on from spending bill debacle by threatening to retake Panama Canal
- Lara Trump abandons Senate bid
- Wall Street Journal editorial board eviscerates Trump and Musk over ‘budget fiasco'
Justice Thomas failed to disclose two additional luxury trips funded by billionaire patron
06:00
Kelly Rissman
Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose two trips — which hadn’t been publicly reported — paid for by a billionaire Republican donor, a new Congressional report reveals.
In the wake of ProPublica’s explosive 2023 report into Thomas’ failures to disclose his ties to wealthy donor Harlan Crow, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee conducted a 20-month investigation into the ethics challenges at the Supreme Court.
The report — spanning 97 pages plus 824 pages of supporting documents — was released Saturday, detailing two additional trips paid for by Crow that Thomas hadn’t previously disclosed. More broadly, the report also captured an array of conflicts of interest and undisclosed gifts by justices, prompting the panel to recommend the nation’s highest court establish an enforceable code of conduct.
Read the full story.
Congressman floats theory that Musk has promised Trump a ‘windfall’ if he does billionaire’s bidding
05:00
Kelly Rissman
Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York suggested Thursday night that Elon Musk would provide President-elect Donald Trump with a “windfall” if the incoming commander-in-chief does the bidding of the X owner.
The Tesla CEO was successful in his efforts to take down a continuing resolution that was set to allow the government to remain funded through Christmas, forcing Speaker Mike Johnson back to the drawing board.
Musk tweeted against the bill Wednesday before Trump did the same, pushing for it to be voted down. Speaker Mike Johnson then withdrew the bill before introducing a shorter version Thursday which was rejected even as it was backed by both Musk and Trump.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
In photos: Trump and prominent Republicans speak in Phoenix
04:00
Kelly Rissman
Lara Trump teases ‘big announcement’ as she removes herself from the Florida Senate race
03:00
Kelly Rissman
Lara Trump dropped out of the running for the Senate on Saturday evening, teasing a “big announcement” to come in January.
Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law was floated as a possible replacement for Marco Rubio, the president-elect’s choice for secretary of state.
Two weeks ago Trump announced she was also stepping down from her role as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
“After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate,” Trump shared in a post on X.
“I do have a big announcement that I’m excited to share in January, so, stay tuned,” she added.
Rhian Lubin has the full story.
Donald Trump picks Apprentice producer to be special envoy to UK
02:00
Kelly Rissman
Donald Trump has named the British producer behind The Apprentice reality TV series as his special envoy to the UK.
The president-elect said Mark Burnett would bring “a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition” to the role.
Mr Burnett, 64, was instrumental in significantly raising the profile of Mr Trump in the US when he was appointed as the main host in the north American version of The Apprentice.
Here’s the full story.
WATCH: Donald Trump Threatens To Retake Panama Canal
01:00
Kelly Rissman
The Palestinian-Americans suing the State Department over Gaza
00:00
Kelly Rissman
Ahmed Moor thinks about his family in Gaza every day. His uncle has been seeking shelter from the relentless Israeli airstrikes for more than a year, and finding none. He has lost cousins and extended family to sniper fire and bombing.
Now, the Palestinian-American father of three is suing Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and the State Department for their role in the carnage, accusing them of violating U.S. law by providing the weapons and support for Israel’s devastating onslaught.
Moor joined a group of Palestinians and their families in filing the lawsuit against the State Department for failing to adhere to a 1997 law. The Leahy Law prohibits U.S. assistance to foreign security forces that are credibly implicated in gross human rights violations.
Richard Hall has the story.
GOP congresswoman living in care facility after she was found wandering ‘confused’
Sunday 22 December 2024 23:00
Kelly Rissman
A Texas congresswoman is living in a care facility for senior citizens after being found wandering and confused in her old neighborhood, despite being a current elected representative, a Dallas-area news outlet has reported.
The Dallas Express reports that Kay Granger, a retiring congresswoman representing Tarrant County in the House of Representatives, now lives full-time at an assisted living facility. A spokesperson denied that Granger was “in memory care” in a statement to NBC News on Sunday, but did not dispute the Express’s reporting indicating that Granger relocated to the facility after she was “found wandering lost and confused in her former Cultural District/West 7th neighborhood” in Fort Worth.
Nor did the spokesperson dispute a claim from the facility’s executive director that Granger lives there. Tradition Senior Living’s Taylor Manziel told the Express: “This is her home.”
Granger, according to Fort Worth Magazine and other outlets, was present in the Capitol as recently as November for the unveiling of her congressional portrait. But she did not participate in votes last week as the single-digit Republican majority in the House of Representatives fought to pass several funding bills aimed at preventing a government shutdown at the end of Friday.
Catch up on the saga here.
Elon Musk will not become the president, Trump reassures Arizona crowd
Sunday 22 December 2024 22:30
Kelly Rissman
Speaking at AmericaFest on Sunday, Trump dismissed a rumor that he might “cede the presidency” to his “best buddy” Elon Musk.
“No, he’s not going to be president, that I can tell you,” Trump said. “And I’m safe. You know why he can’t be? He wasn’t born in this country.”
The president-elect’s reassurance comes after The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board eviscerated Trump and Musk in an op-ed after the spending bill “fiasco,” in which legislation meant to keep the government open was effectively thwarted by the 78-year-old Republican and the tech billionaire this week.
Trump “on the advice of Elon Musk blew up the end-of-session budget bill without a plan for getting another one passed,” the board wrote.
“There are bad omens here for 2025 and the ability of Republicans to govern,” the board said. “The immediate result has been a fiasco by any measure.”
Read more here.
Trump nominates Stephen Alexander Vaden as deputy secretary of the department of agriculture
Sunday 22 December 2024 22:00
Kelly Rissman
The president-elected named Judge Stephen Alexander Vaden as his deputy secretary of agriculture in a Truth Social Post on Sunday shortly after he gave a rally-style speech in Arizona. “In my First Term, Stephen was the General Counsel of the Department of Agriculture, and a Member of the Board of the Commodity Credit Corporation, where he won two cases before the United States Supreme Court, relocated and reorganized the Agencies that comprise the Department to better serve Rural America, and engaged in substantial regulatory reform,” Trump wrote.
“Stephen joined the USDA on Day One of my First Term, and left in December 2020 after I nominated him, and the U.S. Senate confirmed him, to continue to serve the American People as an Article III Judge on the Court of International Trade,” he said.
Texas Republican Rep. Kay Granger found in retirement facility after months out of the public eye
Sunday 22 December 2024 21:30
Kelly Rissman
The discovery by a local newspaper of “confused” Texas Republican Representative Kay Granger, 81, in an assisted care facility on Saturday after she dropped out of sight last month has retriggered concerns about aging lawmakers clinging to their powerful roles in the face of fears about diminishing competence.
Age became a political issue in 2024 as in no other election cycle in the modern era of American politics, touching on former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Peloisi, the late California Representative Dianne Feinstein, President Joe Biden, President-elect Donald Trump and other aging leaders.
With the presidential election now in the rear-view mirror, a troubling picture is increasingly emerging of Washington.
John Bowden has the full story.
WATCH: “They better be careful,” Trump says, repeating tariff threats against EU
Sunday 22 December 2024 21:00
Kelly Rissman
Biden admin looks to lock in legacy on immigration and death penalty
Sunday 22 December 2024 20:45
Kelly Rissman
The Biden administration is using its waning days in office to make a final mark ahead of the incoming Trump White House.
It announced Friday it would forgive another $4.28 billion in student debt for 54,900 borrowers who pursued careers in public service, bringing Biden’s total to some $180 billion of forgiveness overall, the largest sum of debt forgiveness from any president in U.S. history.
At the same time, the administration said it would scrap further forgiveness proposals from the U.S. Department of Education, noting “uncertainty around the implementation” given Trump’s impending inauguration.
“The Department at this time intends to commit its limited operational resources to helping at-risk borrowers return to repayment successfully,” Education Secretary Migual Cardona wrote in official notices.
Josh Marcus has the full story.
ICYMI: Lara Trump will not run for the Senate
Sunday 22 December 2024 20:15
Kelly Rissman
Lara Trump dropped out of the running for the Senate on Saturday evening, teasing a “big announcement” to come in January.
Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law was floated as a possible replacement for Marco Rubio, the president-elect’s choice for secretary of state.
Two weeks ago Trump announced she was also stepping down from her role as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
Rhian Lubin has the full story.
Donald Trump’s tariffs will be ‘surgical’, his former communications director warned
Sunday 22 December 2024 19:45
Kelly Rissman
Donald Trump will impose “surgical” tariffs when he enters office, his former director of communications has warned, as concern grows over an imminent trade war with the United States.
Anthony Scaramucci said Trump will impose the levies in a targeted way on any “industries that we need to protect”.
The former adviser’s intervention comes just days after Sir Keir Starmer hit out at the “dangers” of tariffs, putting the prime minister on a collision course with the incoming US president.
Read the full story.
Fascism is ‘not a word that regular people use:’ Sen. John Fetterman, when discussing Trump’s election win
Sunday 22 December 2024 19:15
Kelly Rissman
Fetterman says Trump has "political talent that's undeniable" and adds, "I never believed that it was about fascism ... that's not a word that regular people use." pic.twitter.com/jhSKLaC2eN
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 22, 2024
The president-elect welcomes a ‘commonsense revolution'
Sunday 22 December 2024 18:40
Kelly Rissman
Donald Trump said a “commonsense revolution” is coming soon to America.
“Woke has to stop. It’s destroying our country. Woke is bulls***,” Trump said, citing the renaming of ships and military bases that were named after Confederate figures. “We will get critical race theory and transgender insanity out of our schools,” he said.
In his second term, Trump promised taxes will be slashed, wages will be increased, violent crime will end and America’s “once-great cities” will be rebuilt.
“We are finally going to build up our country, defend our land and protect our citizens,” the president-elect promised.
“Together we will fight, fight, fight, and together we will win, win, win!” Trump said at the conclusion of his speech.
Before walking off the stage, he did his signature “Trump dance” as the Village People’s “YMCA” played.
Trump lays out anti-trans policies that he will sign on ‘day one'
Sunday 22 December 2024 18:22
Kelly Rissman
“With the stroke of my pen, on day one I will stop the transgender lunacy,” Donald Trump told the Phoenix crowd.
He said he plans to stop “gender mutilation,” keep transgender Americans out of the military and “keep men out of women’s sports,” he said.
WATCH: Donald Trump Threatens To Retake Panama Canal
Sunday 22 December 2024 18:15
Kelly Rissman
Former GOP chair suggests Musk is steamrolling ‘too old’ Trump
Sunday 22 December 2024 18:00
Kelly Rissman
The former chairman of the Republican Party turned the tables on Donald Trump’s long-running criticism of Joe Biden and suggested it’s now the president-elect who may be “too old” to hold his own — especially against his new “best buddy” Elon Musk.
Michael Steele hit out amid lawmakers’ harsh rebukes of Trump after the tech billionaire appeared to play a major role earlier this week via X to kill the first bipartisan stopgap government funding deal floated by Republican House speaker Mike Johnson.
Trump issued a statement agreeing with his billionaire backer only after Musk launched the initial attacks, leading some to mock Trump as Musk’s obsequious vice president.
Read the full story.
Trump’s threats to retake the Panama Canal continue
Sunday 22 December 2024 17:53
Kelly Rissman
Donald Trump also once again threatened to reclaim the Panama Canal.
“We’re being ripped off at the Panama Canal like we’re being ripped off everywhere else,” he said.
The canal would help with “rapid deployment” of the Navy, he said, adding that the fees being charged by Panama are “ridiculous, highly unfair.”
He repeated the same claim that he wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday: former President Jimmy Carter “foolishly gave it away for one dollar.”
Read more about Trump’s threats to retake the Panama Canal here:
Trump repeats tariff threats during AmericaFest speech
Sunday 22 December 2024 17:45
Kelly Rissman
“The golden age of America is upon us!” Trump declared.
He praised the post-election stock market, “small business optimism,” and a surge in bitcoin.
Trump also said he informed Mexico and Canada that they have to “stop pouring illegal drugs and aliens into our country,” he said. The president-elect has threatened to impose hefty tariffs on the neighboring countries if they don’t stop the flow of drugs and migrants into the U.S.
Trump then said the European Union has “treated us very badly,” saying they don’t take our agricultural products or cars but “we take ours.”
We’re not going to let the E.U. turn the U.S. into a “dumping ground,” the president-elect continued.
Earlier this week, threatened to levy tariffs against the E.U. in a Truth Social post: “I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large scale purchase of our oil and gas. Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way.”
Trump takes the stage at AmericaFest to deliver his first rally-style speech since his re-election
Sunday 22 December 2024 17:32
Kelly Rissman
The 78-year-old Republican walked through a cloud of smoke as he stepped onto the AmericaFest stage as Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” blared.
The red MAGA cap-wearing crowd cheered and chanted “USA! USA!” as Trump approached the microphone.
His 2024 election victory “really was one of the great political victories in the history of our country,” he said.
“If I didn’t know that we won in 2020, I wouldn’t have done this,” he said, repeating claims of 2020 election fraud.
Donald Trump addresses AmericaFest in Phoenix, Arizona
Sunday 22 December 2024 17:25
Kelly Rissman
The president-elect will step onto the Phoenix stage momentarily.
You can watch Donald Trump’s first rally-style speech since he won the 2024 election here:
Trump taps Stephen Miran to chair his Council of Economic Advisers
Sunday 22 December 2024 17:19
Kelly Rissman
The president-elect announced on Truth Social on Sunday that Stephen Miran would serve as the chair of his Council of Economic Advisers.
Miran was a senior advisor for economic policy at the Treasury Department during Trump’s first term. He is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
“I am pleased to announce that I will nominate Stephen Miran to be the Chairman of my Council of Economic Advisers. Steve will work with the rest of my Economic Team to deliver a Great Economic Boom that lifts up all Americans. Steve was a Senior Advisor for Economic Policy at the Treasury Department during my First Term, and received his Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University. Congratulations Steve!”
Miran responded to the announcement, posting a statement on X: “I am beyond honored that President Trump has chosen me to lead his Council of Economic Advisers. I look forward to working to help implement the President’s policy agenda to create a booming, noninflationary economy that brings prosperity to all Americans!”
Trump’s incoming ‘border czar' delivers a speech
Sunday 22 December 2024 17:03
Kelly Rissman
Tom Homan began by saying bluntly: “If I offend anyone today, I don’t care.”
He called Trump’s re-election the “best day of his life.”
The incoming border czar slammed the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis and promised to secure the border.
He told the crowd: “If you enter this country in violation of federal law, you’re going home and Tom Homan is going to make sure that happens.”
Homan also addressed the elected officials who have said they plan to thwart Trump’s proposed mass deportations and remain “sanctuary cities.”
He said: “Shame on any elected representative...who don’t want to remove safety threats from their community.”
Ted Cruz takes the stage
Sunday 22 December 2024 16:50
Kelly Rissman
The Texas Senator gave a wide-ranging, energized speech about what he believes the next administration will bring.
“Donald J Trump is truly an extraordinary leader. Has there ever been anyone in American history who gets shot in the head and stands up and says ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’?” Cruz asked the Arizona crowd.
Cruz touched on the incoming administration’s immigration policies: “If you are an illegal alien, if you’re a murderer, if you’re a rapist...pack your bags because you’re out!” He also promised that Americans will see illegal immigration numbers “plummet” in January and February.
We will enforce the law “especially against universities in this country,” the Texas Senator said, referencing pro-Palestine demonstrations that cropped up in colleges in the fall.
Cruz predicted the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East will soon come to an end, saying Putin and Hamas will lose.
Justice Thomas failed to disclose two additional luxury trips, Congressional report reveals
Sunday 22 December 2024 16:30
Kelly Rissman
Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose two trips — which hadn’t been publicly reported — paid for by a billionaire Republican donor, a new Congressional report reveals.
In the wake of ProPublica’s explosive 2023 report into Thomas’ failures to disclose his ties to wealthy donor Harlan Crow, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee conducted a 20-month investigation into the ethics challenges at the Supreme Court.
The report — spanning 97 pages plus 824 pages of supporting documents — was released Saturday, detailing two additional trips paid for by Crow that Thomas hadn’t previously disclosed. More broadly, the report also captured an array of conflicts of interest and undisclosed gifts by justices, prompting the panel to recommend the nation’s highest court establish an enforceable code of conduct.
Catch up here.
Donald Trump is set to appear in Phoenix for his first rally-style speech since his election victory
Sunday 22 December 2024 16:12
Kelly Rissman
Actor Rob Schneider, former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and Sen. Ted Cruz will speak to the crowd before Donald Trump headlines AmericaFest 2024 on Sunday.
Schneider opened with a speech that included addressing Democrats as to why he believed “you lost” the presidential election.
Among wide-ranging comments about Democrats’ policies, the comedian delivered one particularly harsh line: “You lost because flying Haitians into Ohio in the middle of the night just to increase your voting base is kind of a shady thing to do. Now I have no problem with legal immigration. I’m just not sure Haiti is sending us their best cat-eating rapist cannibals.”
The line was met with mixed reactions, prompting Schneider to apologize: “Sorry. That was too much even for me.”
The offensive claim comes months after Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance amplified unsubstantiated allegations that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating pets. Local officials and police swiftly debunked those claims and Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine even wrote an op-ed in the New York Times about the dangers of spreading such harmful rhetoric.
Trump taps a producer behind his hit TV show to serve as his special envoy to the UK
Sunday 22 December 2024 16:00
Kelly Rissman
Donald Trump has named the producer behind The Apprentice as his special envoy to the UK.
The president-elect said Mark Burnett would bring “a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition” to the role.
British producer Mr Burnett helped build Mr Trump’s profile but distanced himself from the tycoon during the 2016 presidential contest.
Announcing the envoy role, Mr Trump said: “It is my great honor to appoint Mark Burnett as the special envoy to the United Kingdom.
Read the full story.
ICYMI: Congress Narrowly Averts Government Shutdown — And Rejects Trump’s Debt Ceiling Commands
Sunday 22 December 2024 15:30
Kelly Rissman
Some Republicans are calling on Elon Musk to be the next House Speaker
Sunday 22 December 2024 15:00
Kelly Rissman
Republicans are calling for Elon Musk to be the new speaker of the House amid contentious negotiations over a spending deal to avoid a government shutdown.
“The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress . . . Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk,” Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky wrote on X on Thursday. “Think about it . . . nothing’s impossible (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds).”
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia also piped in on X: “DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency. The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday. This could be the way.”
Josh Marcus has the full story.
Trump threatens to retake Panama Canal in Truth Social post
Sunday 22 December 2024 14:30
Rhian Lubin
President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to retake the Panama Canal in a lengthy post on Truth Social.
Trump accused Panama of “ripping off” American vessels by charging “exorbitant prices” to use the vital waterway that acts as a shortcut linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Without it, ships would be forced to sail a much farther distance around South America’s rocky Cape Horn.
Trump was referring to the 1977 treaty over the canal’s status, which transferred control of the canal from the U.S. to Panama at the end of the 20th century.
Read more
Team Trump slaps back at claims Elon Musk is running the show
Sunday 22 December 2024 13:30
Rhian Lubin
President-elect Donald Trump’s team has snapped back at claims that Elon Musk is running the show after the billionaire played a significant role in tanking a spending bill that would have averted a government shutdown.
Musk helped topple House Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposed bipartisan congressional spending bill by slamming it early Wednesday, which was followed later by a joint statement from Trump and JD Vance warning Republicans not to support it.
“Stop the steal of your tax dollars!” Musk wrote on his social media platform X that he threatened funded primary challenges against anyone who voted for the budget deal, a threat Trump later echoed in a post of his own.
The optics that Musk is pulling the strings have prompted Trump’s incoming White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, to hit back about who is really in charge.
Read more
Elon Musk sees massive spike on Polymarket to be the next House speaker
Sunday 22 December 2024 12:30
Rhian Lubin
Billionaire Elon Musk saw a sharp 10 percent increase in his odds of being Speaker of the House on Polymarket, the crypto-based betting platform, after several lawmakers suggested him for the job.
Musk, who has quickly ascended as a close ally of Donald Trump, proved just how powerful political influence is this week when he managed to convince Republicans in Congress to oppose the bipartisan spending bill that finally passed on Friday.
Wielding his influence on the social media platform he owns, X, Musk sent out more than 150 posts urging Republicans to break from the bill backed by the current Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.
Ariana Baio reports.
Speaker Johnson ‘faces challengers’ in new year
Sunday 22 December 2024 11:30
Rhian Lubin
After the debacle in Congress this week, all eyes are now on Mike Johnson ahead of a vote in two weeks as to whether he should stay on as Speaker.
Earlier this week we reported he could be challenged for the speaker’s chair in the new year as Republican critics draw up a list of potential replacements.
Some rebels in his party are angry at his handling of the stop-gap bill to fund the federal government through March 14, dubbed a “dumpster fire” by some Republicans.
Read more below.
ICYMI: Lara Trump abandons Senate bid
Sunday 22 December 2024 10:30
Rhian Lubin
Lara Trump dropped out of the running for the Senate on Saturday evening, teasing a “big announcement” to come in January.
Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law was floated as a possible replacement for Marco Rubio, the president-elect’s choice for secretary of state.
Two weeks ago Trump announced she was also stepping down from her role as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
“After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate,” Trump shared in a post on X.
“I do have a big announcement that I’m excited to share in January, so, stay tuned,” she added.
Catch up below
Congressman floats theory that Musk has promised Trump a ‘windfall’ if he does billionaire’s bidding
Sunday 22 December 2024 09:30
Rhian Lubin
Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York suggested Thursday night that Elon Musk would provide President-elect Donald Trump with a “windfall” if the incoming commander-in-chief does the bidding of the X owner.
The Tesla CEO was successful in his efforts to take down a continuing resolution that was set to allow the government to remain funded through Christmas, forcing Speaker Mike Johnson back to the drawing board.
Musk tweeted against the bill Wednesday before Trump did the same, pushing for it to be voted down. Speaker Mike Johnson then withdrew the bill before introducing a shorter version Thursday which was rejected even as it was backed by both Musk and Trump.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
Trump slams ‘rip off’ Panama Canal fees
Sunday 22 December 2024 08:30
Rhian Lubin
President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to retake the Panama Canal in a lengthy post on Truth Social.
Trump accused Panama of “ripping off” American vessels by charging “exorbitant prices” to use the vital waterway that acts as a shortcut linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Without it, ships would be forced to sail a much farther distance around South America’s rocky Cape Horn.
Trump was referring to the 1977 treaty over the canal’s status, which transferred control of the canal from the U.S. to Panama at the end of the 20th century.
It was hailed as one of President Jimmy Carter’s greatest accomplishments, but Trump slammed the 39th president for “foolishly giving it away for one dollar.”
Read more:
Trump names producer behind The Apprentice as his special envoy to UK
Sunday 22 December 2024 07:30
Rhian Lubin
Donald Trump has named the producer behind The Apprentice as his special envoy to the UK.
The president-elect said Mark Burnett would bring “a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition” to the role.
British producer Burnett helped build Trump’s profile, but distanced himself from the tycoon during the 2016 presidential contest.
Read more
“They better be careful,” Trump warns EU about tariff threats
Sunday 22 December 2024 21:38
