President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for dinner at the White House on Monday evening and used the occasion to liken his decision to bomb Iran last month to Harry Truman ordering nuclear strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the close of the Second World War.
Trump drew the same parallel at a Nato summit in the Netherlands in June as he sought to justify his actions.
The president also hinted at the dinnner that his new August 1 deadline for the imposition of steep “reciprocal” tariffs on America’s trading partners could be extended again.
Asked by a reporter if the revised date was “firm”, Trump answered: “I would say firm but not 100 percent firm. If they call up and they say they’d like to do something in a different way we’re going to be open to that but essentially that’s the way it is right now, yeah.”
The president first introduced his aggressive tariff plan on April 2, which he dubbed “Liberation Day,” only to hurriedly announce a 90-day suspension after they spooked the stock markets.
That pause was due to expire on Wednesday but has now been extended to allow more time for the administration to agree individual trade deals with other nations.
Netanyahu meanwhile surprised his host by revealing he had nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize, an accolade Trump has long coveted.
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Key Points
- Donald Trump compares Iran bombing to Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- Benjamin Netanyahu nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
- Analysis: The real reason Netanyahu nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize
- Trump floods Truth Social with tariff letters to foreign trading partners
- Right reacts with dismay and disbelief after FBI says Jeffrey Epstein client list doesn’t exist
Trump says Iran is 'not the bully anymore,' hopes U.S. can lift sanctions so they could rebuild in 'peaceful manner'
02:10
,
Rachel Dobkin
President Donald Trump said he hopes the United States can lift sanctions off Iran to rebuild in a “peaceful manner” now that they are “not the bully anymore.”
“I would love to be able to, at the right time, take those sanctions off [Iran], give them a chance at rebuilding, because I'd like to see Iran build itself back up in a peaceful manner,” Trump said at a White House dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday night.
.@POTUS: "We took the sanctions off [Syria] because we want to give them a chance ... and I would love to be able to — at the right time — take those sanctions off [Iran], give them a chance at rebuilding, because I'd like to see Iran build itself back up in a peaceful manner." pic.twitter.com/bDU8DLbLNH
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 8, 2025
Trump spoke of Iran as less aggressive following U.S. strikes that hit three of its nuclear sites.
“They were the bully of the Middle East, and now they’re not the bully anymore,” he said.
Trump responds to question about admin's '90 deals in 90 days' promise
02:30
,
Rachel Dobkin
President Donald Trump said, “It’s all done” when asked about his administration’s promise of “90 deals in 90 days,” relating to trade negotiations with other countries.
“It's all done. I told you we'll make some deals, but for the most part, we're gonna send a letter, we’re gonna say, ‘Welcome to the United States, if you’d like to participate in the greatest, most successful ever...,” Trump told a reporter during a White House dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday night.
REPORTER: What happened to 90 trade deals in 90 days?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 8, 2025
TRUMP: It's all done. I told you we'll make some deals, but for the most part we're gonna send a letter pic.twitter.com/4zpUEV3wJt
Trump said the White House has made deals with the United Kingdom and China and is “close to making a deal with India.”
Earlier Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Trump would push back the July 9 deadline for tariff negotiations to August 1, as the president sent letters to over a dozen countries, threatening tariffs of 25 to 40 percent if a trade deal wasn’t reached by then.
In pictures: Trump-Netanyahu dinner
02:50
,
Rachel Dobkin
President Donald Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a dinner in the Blue Room of the White House Monday night.
Here are some photos from the dinner:
ICYMI: Trump plans to delay tariff start to August 1 as he announces 25% levy for Japan and South Korea
03:10
,
Rachel Dobkin
President Donald Trump has once again delayed the sweeping import tax hikes he has threatened to impose on imports from nearly every single country by extending a Wednesday deadline to August 1 while he continues to push for foreign nations to enter into trade negotiations with him and his administration.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday told reporters that Trump would sign an executive order delaying the new taxes by three and a half weeks along with letters to a dozen foreign leaders threatening specific import tax rates unless countries take as-yet unspecified actions to reduce trade deficits.
The announcement that Trump would once again delay implementing new import taxes on almost every American trading partner came just one hour after he told the Japanese and South Korean heads of government that he will force Americans to pay a 25 percent import tax on all goods imported from their countries starting August 1.
Read more from Andrew Feinberg:
Analysis: The real reason Netanyahu nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize
03:30
,
Rachel Dobkin
Richard Hall writes about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presenting a Nobel Peace Prize nomination to President Donald Trump during a White House dinner Monday night:
“Being nominated for a peace prize by Benjamin Netanyahu is akin to being nominated for a ‘not breaking the law’ prize by fictional mob boss Tony Soprano.
But Netanyahu’s nomination has less to do with world peace and more to do with the softening up of Trump ahead of crunch talks this week.
This visit was supposed to be a victory lap for the Israeli prime minister after the realization of a decades-long-held wish to bomb Iran’s nuclear program. He achieved it with Trump’s help and he will likely need it again in the near future to ensure it does not rebuild.
The Israeli leader’s relationship with Trump is also a political crutch that he leans on when he needs to shore up support in his shaky ruling coalition at home. Trump has, in recent weeks, gone to the extraordinary lengths of calling for corruption charges against Netanyahu to be dropped, linking U.S. support for Israel to the fate of its prime minister.”
Read on...
Jim Jordan says Trump 'deserves' Nobel Peace Prize after being asked if the president will be the first felon to win it
04:00
,
Rachel Dobkin
Representative Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, said Donald Trump “deserves” a Nobel Peace Prize after being asked on Fox News whether the president will be the first felon to be awarded it.
“Do you think we’ll see the first felon get a Nobel Peace Prize?” Fox News’ Charles Hurt asked Jordan Monday night.
“Well, he certainly deserves it, but knowing how the left is and how the left seems to control so many of these institutions, I’m not holding my breath,” Jordan responded. “But he certainly warrants it. He should get the Nobel Peace Prize, and God bless Prime Minister Netanyahu for that nomination.”
HURT: Do you think we'll see the first felon get a Nobel Peace Prize?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 8, 2025
JIM JORDAN: Well, he certainly deserves it pic.twitter.com/9oMmP0sM8M
Israel’s leader presented Trump, who was convicted in May 2024 of falsifying business records in a hush money payment scheme, with the nomination during a White House dinner earlier Monday.
“He forged the Abraham Accords. He's forging peace, as we speak, in one country, in one region after the other,” Netanyahu said at the dinner.
ICYMI: Epstein ‘client list’ doesn’t exist, feds say, despite Musk’s claim that Trump is on it
04:30
,
Rachel Dobkin
Jeffrey Epstein had no “client list”, according to a new memo from the Department of Justice and FBI, a month after Elon Musk accused President Donald Trump of being on it.
The convicted pedophile died by suicide in a New York City jail cell on August 10, 2019, the new two-page memo also confirmed, following years of conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein’s death.
“This systematic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list,’” the memo reads. “There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”
Read more from Rhian Lubin:
Trump says U.S. has agreed to diplomatic talks with Iran
05:00
,
Rachel Dobkin
President Donald Trump told reporters Monday night his administration has agreed to diplomatic talks with Iran after the U.S. bombed three of its nuclear sites.
“We have scheduled Iran talks,” Trump said, adding, “They want to talk.”
Steve Witoff, special envoy to the Middle East who was sitting at the dinner table with Trump, said the talks may happen in the next week, the Associated Press reported.
Trump was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize...and it isn't the first time
05:30
,
Rachel Dobkin
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a Nobel Peace Prize nomination to Donald Trump Monday night — an honor the president is becoming familiar with.
Oleksandr Merezhko, the head of Ukraine's parliamentary foreign committee, nominated Trump for the prize last November, but this past June, the lawmaker told Newsweek he withdrew his nomination.
Merezhko said he had "lost any sort of faith and belief" in Trump and his ability to get a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Pakistan also nominated Trump for the prize last month after he helped broker its truce with India following the fatal shooting of at least 26 tourists in Kashmir.
Fewer than 24 hours after Pakistan praised Trump for the truce, it condemned him for the U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.
Read more:
How many people have been nominated for Nobel Peace Prizes this year?
06:30
,
Rachel Dobkin
Over 300 candidates have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year.
Of those candidates, 244 are individuals and 94 are organizations, according to the Nobel Peace Prize website. This is up from the 286 nominees in 2024.
Last year’s winner was an organization called Nihon Hidankyo for its efforts to create a world free of nuclear weapons.
ICYMI: Netanyahu presents Trump with Nobel Peace Prize nomination
07:00
,
Rachel Dobkin
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented President Donald Trump with a Nobel Peace Prize nomination during a White House dinner Monday night.
Strongmen expert calls Trump Nobel Peace Prize nomination 'pathetic'
07:30
,
Rachel Dobkin
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of the New York Times bestseller Strongmen, called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nomination of President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize “pathetic.”
Reacting to a clip of Netanyahu presenting Trump with the award nomination at a White House dinner Monday night, Ben-Ghiat wrote on X: “Pathetic...also a nomination by someone who has a warrant out for his arrest by the ICC [International Criminal Court] might not count much in Stockholm...”
Netanyahu has vehemently denied committing war crimes in connection with Israel’s war in Gaza.
Pathetic...also a nomination by someone who has a warrant out for his arrest by the ICC might not count much in Stockholm... https://t.co/lizViTdwHS
— Ruth Ben-Ghiat (@ruthbenghiat) July 8, 2025
ICYMI: Trump calls Elon Musk’s idea for new political party ‘ridiculous’ and ‘confusing’
08:00
,
Rachel Dobkin
President Donald Trump slammed tech billionaire Elon Musk’s idea for a new political party, calling it “ridiculous” and “confusing.”
“Starting a third party just adds to the confusion,” Trump told reporters while traveling to the White House from his New Jersey golf club Sunday. “They’ve never worked—he can have fun with it, but I think it’s ridiculous.”
Musk announced the formation of the “America Party” a day earlier.
“Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom,” he wrote on X.
By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2025
When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy.
Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom. https://t.co/9K8AD04QQN
Recap: Israel’s Netanyahu nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize amid hopes for Gaza ceasefire
08:30
,
Joe Sommerlad
Good morning!
If you’re just joining us, here’s our top story: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, making his third visit to the White House in six months on Monday, surprised President Trump by announcing he has nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, an accolade long-coveted by the American.
“I want to express the appreciation and admiration, not only of all Israelis, but of the Jewish people and many, many admirers around the world for your leadership,” said Netanyahu, who also buttered up Trump’s “extraordinary team.”
“I think our teams together make an extraordinary combination to meet challenges and seize opportunities. But the president has already realized great opportunities. He forged the Abraham accords. He's forging peace, as we speak, in one country, in one region after the other.”
That comes weeks after Trump risked further inflaming the Middle East by bombing Iran and with conflict still raging in Gaza and Ukraine, despite his pledges to bring both wars to a complete halt.
Here’s a full report from Andrew Feinberg.
Analysis: The real reason Netanyahu nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize
08:50
,
Joe Sommerlad
Here’s Rich Hall on why Bibi’s gesture is akin to being nominated for a “not breaking the law” prize by Tony Soprano.
Trump calls Ukraine war a ‘Biden-created monster’ and compares himself to Harry Truman at ‘private’ Netanyahu dinner
09:10
,
Joe Sommerlad
Here are a few choice comments from the president’s dinner with Bibi last night, which took place in front of the press despite being touted as private.
Perhaps most significantly, Trump hinted that his new August 1 deadline for the imposition of steep “reciprocal” tariffs on America’s trading partners could be extended again.
Asked by a reporter if the revised date was “firm”, Trump answered: “I would say firm but not 100 percent firm. If they call up and they say they’d like to do something in a different way we’re going to be open to that but essentially that’s the way it is right now, yeah.”
Trump says he may extend the tariff deadline past August 1
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 7, 2025
pic.twitter.com/mFUUq95CsI
Trump describes Putin's war on Ukraine as a "Biden-created monster" pic.twitter.com/T4keM82GxH
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 7, 2025
Trump says his bombing of Iran reminded him of Truman dropping nukes on Japan pic.twitter.com/TUUTpmnkyy
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 7, 2025
Netanyahu on a two state solution: "Overall security will always remain in our hands. Now that is a fact. And no one in Israel will agree to anything else, because we don't commit suicide." pic.twitter.com/kpJ4FjgVdP
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 7, 2025
Trump: They told us they were coming and where they were and what time they were coming and they said if you would like to have a different time, we will do that. That's respectful when they do that. I appreciate that they did that. There was no surprise. They knew they were… pic.twitter.com/rnSo2SLjxK
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 8, 2025
Trump floods Truth Social with tariff letters to foreign trading partners
09:30
,
Joe Sommerlad
I’m not sure why it was necessary to post 15 versions of the same boilerplate template letter on social media but that’s what the president has done.
The recipients are informed of the new August 1 deadline for his reciprocal tariffs coming into effect and urged to sign a new custom trade deal with the United States before then in order to sidestep the steep levies.
Here’s Japan’s version, by way of an example:
— Unofficial Trump on X (@trump_repost) July 7, 2025
The Bosnia letter, like all the others, is addressed to “Mr President,” despite Zeljka Cvijanovic being, er, female, which gives you some idea of how much care and attention went into this.
This is what he had to say about the letters during last night’s dinner with Netanyahu:
REPORTER: Are the tariff letters you sent to today final offers?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 7, 2025
TRUMP: More or less final offer. We're always subject to negotiate something that's fair. pic.twitter.com/1P5T7MYZMF
Trump on his tariff letters: "I'm saying 'here it is, congratulations, welcome to the US. I hope you make a lot of money and you're gonna pay us money.'" pic.twitter.com/O6loYsHwwP
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 8, 2025
REPORTER: What happened to 90 trade deals in 90 days?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 8, 2025
TRUMP: It's all done. I told you we'll make some deals, but for the most part we're gonna send a letter pic.twitter.com/4zpUEV3wJt
Right reacts with dismay and disbelief after FBI says Jeffrey Epstein client list doesn’t exist
09:50
,
Joe Sommerlad
Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy pressed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt yesterday on the Feds’ sudden insistence that the late billionaire pedophile left behind no incriminating list of his wealthy friends and patrons.
Q: The DOJ and FBI have now concluded there was no Jeffrey Epstein client list. What do you tell MAGA supporters who say they want anyone involved in Epstein's crimes to be held accountable?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 7, 2025
LEAVITT: This administration wants anyone who has ever committed a crime to be held… pic.twitter.com/CKGzoIgSkN
DOOCY: The report says there's no Epstein client list. So what happened to the Epstein client list that the attorney general said she had on desk?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 7, 2025
LEAVITT: She was saying the entirety of all the paperwork was on her desk pic.twitter.com/Oj0imKanHu
From Jesse Watters and Alex Jones to Trump’s followers on Truth Social, MAGA was not satisfied.
Watters: We knew that Epstein did not keep a list of the people he was blackmailing in his diary, but there should be case files, mountains of them, mountains of paperwork going back decades. Where did that go? pic.twitter.com/8zwyWGZ4MU
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 8, 2025
Alex Jones starts crying and says he’s going to throw up after learning about Trump’s cover up of the Epstein files. pic.twitter.com/eacnqNAGRM
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 8, 2025
In the comment section of this Truth Social post, Trump is taking heavy heat, with users accusing his DOJ and FBI of “protecting pedophiles” and claiming they’re being “lied to.” https://t.co/j7a9SAc2Me pic.twitter.com/NRAWRVeQx5
— Zachary Petrizzo (@ZTPetrizzo) July 7, 2025
Here’s more from Justin Baragona.
Piers Morgan calls out Alina Habba for hyping ‘shocking’ Epstein files
10:15
,
Joe Sommerlad
As we’ve just seen, much of MAGA World is up in arms over the news that Trump’s Justice Department and FBI have concluded that Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide and didn’t keep a “client list” to blackmail prominent figures.
Piers Morgan, for one, reacted by tweaking one of the president’s top acolytes on Monday for previously promising “incredibly disturbing” details in the Epstein probe.
Justin Baragona has the story.
Analysis: Vance’s tweets show why the ‘Epstein list’ is a problem for Trump
10:40
,
Joe Sommerlad
As the administration tries to put out the flames, it seems JD Vance was happy to fan them before it became his job to be an authority on the matter, writes John Bowden.
Trump says US will resume weapon shipments to Ukraine days after pause
11:05
,
Joe Sommerlad
The president has said the United States will resume providing weapons to Ukrainian defense forces, as the country continues to be slammed by ongoing Russian aerial attacks, just days after the Pentagon halted shipments to review whether current stockpiles were sufficient for American defense needs.
Speaking during his Netanyahu dinner, Trump was asked if he planned to send more weapons for use by Kyiv.
He replied affirmatively, telling reporters: “We’re going to send some more weapons. We have to, they have to be able to defend themselves.
“They’re getting hit very hard. Now they’re getting hit very hard. We’re going to have to send more weapons, defensive weapons, primarily, but they're getting hit very, very hard.”
Andrew Feinberg has more.
Homeland Security not ruling out arresting LA mayor
11:25
,
Joe Sommerlad
Here’s a pretty shocking exchange on Fox last night in which DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin does not downplay the prospect of having Karen Bass arrested for allegedly impeding ICE operations in Los Angeles:
Hurt: When you have scenes where you have Mayor Bass interfering with officers.. Are you all hesitant to just go out and arrest her?
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 8, 2025
DHS Assistant Secretary McLaughlin: We’re keeping everything on the table pic.twitter.com/xTqOtADYbg
Tom Homan defends increasing number of arrests of non-violent migrants
11:45
,
Joe Sommerlad
Sticking with immigration, Trump’s “border czar” has defended the increasing number of arrests of non-violent migrants, saying “that’s our job.”
On Monday, Tom Homan said that although public safety threats were a priority, those anyone who is in the country illegally is “not off the table.”
“We’re gonna enforce immigration law,” he insisted.
Mike Bedigan has more.
Jon Stewart uses GOP’s own words to skewer lawmakers who voted for Trump’s controversial bill
12:05
,
Joe Sommerlad
The Daily Show host has skewered the Republican senators and congress members who briefly stood up to President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” last week, only to fall in line and vote in favor of it.
Speaking on Monday night’s installment of the show, Stewart characterized the bill as a “legislative coup”. He outlined the numerous welfare cuts it contained, affecting everything from Medicaid to renewable energy, student loans, and food stamps, while increasing defense spending and granting tax relief to the wealthy at a cost of an additional $3.4 trillion to the national deficit.
The comedian went on to explain how the passage of the bill through the House of Representatives and Senate prior to its signing by Trump at the White House on July 4 represented as fine an example of “general Washington bulls***ery” in action as one could ever hope to see.
Here’s more.
Iran’s president backs Trump’s claims of damage caused by US strikes
12:25
,
Joe Sommerlad
Iranian President Mahmoud Pezeshkian offered a rare moment of insight regarding the state of his country’s nuclear program over the weekend in an interview with Tucker Carlson that was published Monday.
U.S. forces struck three facilities across Iran associated with the development of nuclear weapons on June 22.
The Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan sites were hit with an array of weaponry including “bunker-buster” bombs dropped by B-52 bombers with the capability of damaging or destroying underground targets.
An initial intelligence assessment obtained by Reuters and other news outlets reported that the strikes only set Iranian development efforts back by months, but the White House and Defense Department have insisted that further assessments put the damage at a greater level than was initially reported.
In the lead-up to the interview’s publication, Carlson told viewers of his channel that he didn’t ask Pezeshkian about the status of the nuclear program and the country’s weapons development, given that he expected the Iranian government to be deceptive on the matter.
Still, the Iranian president offered a comment about the program’s fate offhandedly during the interview, telling Carlson: “The facilities there have been severely damaged, and therefore we don’t have any access to them, and we cannot see – unless this access is going to be [restored], we have to wait… to see how much they have been damaged.”
John Bowden has more.
Trump promised $5m ‘gold card’ visas. They’re not likely to happen
12:45
,
Joe Sommerlad
Within the first few weeks of his presidency, Trump had promised to open a fast lane for wealthy immigrants to obtain legal status in the United States for $5 million.
On April 3, he showed reporters a prototype for his Trump Card, which features the president’s face on a gold, laminated credit card that would act as a green card.
The card was going to be ready “in about less than two weeks,” Trump said at the time.
In June, the White House created a bare-bones website to sign up for information, promising that “The Trump Card is coming.”
Nearly one month later, it’s unclear what progress the administration is making.
Alex Woodward reports.
Judge hauls Trump team to court over plans for Kilmar Abrego Garcia
13:05
,
Joe Sommerlad
The federal judge overseeing Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s legal challenge over his arrest and removal from the United States is hauling Trump administration officials to court to get to the bottom of the government’s plans for the wrongfully deported Salvadoran immigrant.
Abrego Garcia, whose case has been at the center of Trump’s mass deportation agenda, is currently locked up in federal custody ahead of a trial on smuggling charges.
If he’s released from pretrial detention, immigration officials intend to arrest and deport him, again, before a trial even begins, according to the Department of Justice.
Alex Woodward has the latest.
