Trump information right this moment: President says he ‘couldn’t care much less’ if automobile costs go up as trade braces for tariffs
Vice President JD Vance said during his visit to Greenland on Friday that he doesn’t believe military action will ever be needed on the island amid President Donald Trump’s claims that the U.S. requires control of the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, scolded the Trump administration’s rhetoric, taking issue with its “tone” while emphasizing a commitment to Arctic security and cooperation with the U.S.
“Many accusations and many allegations have been made. And, of course, we are open to criticism,” said Rasmussen.
“But let me be completely honest: we do not appreciate the tone in which it is being delivered. This is not how you speak to your close allies.”
Meanwhile, Trump has signed an executive order threatening the Smithsonian Institution with loss of federal funding over programs that contain what he calls “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology.”
The president said there has been a “concerted and widespread” effort to rewrite American history by replacing “objective facts” with a “distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth.”
His order instructs Vance to “remove improper ideology” from the Smithsonian’s museums, education and research centers, and the National Zoo.
UK PM preparing for trade war as Trump tariffs on Britain ‘look inevitable’
The prime minister has suggested he could follow the EU and Canada’s lead on retaliatory tariffs, vowing to “act in the national interest” and “leaving everything on the table”.
David Maddox reports.
Tourists are avoiding the USA after Trump’s border crackdown
The Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants has a whole other group of people scared to come to the U.S: tourists.
Federal statistics show that overseas visitors to the U.S. dropped 2.4 percent in February 2025, the first full month of Trump’s presidency, compared to the same time last year.
And some experts fear a permanent chilling effect that could displace the USA’s decades-long status as a hub for both business travel and vacations.
Io Dodds reports from San Francisco.
Why Trump had to rescind Elise Stefanik’s UN nomination
The move came so abruptly that The Independent informed Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who sits on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, about the sudden change of plans.
Eric Garcia reports from Washington, D.C.
Most US Institute of Peace workers get late-night word of their mass firing
Most employees at the U.S. Institute of Peace, a congressionally created and funded think tank now taken over by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, received email notices of their mass firing, the latest step in the Trump administration’s government downsizing.
The emails, sent to personal accounts because most staff members had lost access to the organization’s system, began going out about 9 p.m. Friday, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisal.
Read on…
EDITORIAL: Stand up to Donald Trump on tariffs, prime minister
The prime minister is considering retaliation against the United States after giving up hope of avoiding tariffs due to be imposed by Donald Trump on Wednesday. Sir Keir Starmer is right to hit back, unfortunately, because that is the only language that the US president understands.
Continue reading…
Why does Trump now have a problem with the Smithsonian?
President Trump has launched an attack on what he calls “divisive, race-centred ideology” within American cultural institutions, starting with the Smithsonian.
His executive order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” aims to redirect funding away from exhibits and programs deemed to contradict “shared American values.” Critics argue this is a thinly veiled attempt to whitewash history.
Read on…
Hegseth brought his wife to high-level foreign meetings, report says
The Wall Street Journal reports that sensitive information was discussed in both meetings, one with U.K. officials and another with NATO defense ministers, according to multiple people who were either present or had knowledge of the discussions.
Read on…
Vance admits that he wasn’t entirely sure why Trump wanted Greenland
Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, went on a “national security” visit to the autonomous territory, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, on Friday. The vice president’s boss, President Donald Trump, has said the US needs Greenland for international safety and security and has suggested his willingness to take it by any means necessary.
The Vice President has now fully embraced Trump’s point of view, despite conceding that he understands Americans’ apprehension over the pursuit of the land
Michelle Del Rey reports.
Trump commutes sentence of Ozy Media co-founder Carlos Watson
Donald Trump has commuted the sentence of Carlos Watson, co-founder of Ozy Media, shortly before he was due to report to prison to serve a 10-year sentence in a financial conspiracy case.
Watson and the now-defunct company were found guilty last summer of charges including wire fraud conspiracy. Watson denied any wrongdoing.
Mike Bedigan reports.
PREMIUM: Why plans are already in motion for a Trump third term – no matter what the law says
When Donald Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon said, “I’m a firm believer that President Trump will run and win again in 2028,” last week, it should have been a surprise, but it wasn’t. “We’re working on it. … We’ll see what the definition of term limit is”, the disheveled Bannon told NewsNation. It wasn’t the first time he had mentioned it either. The president’s adviser, who went to prison for refusing to testify before a congressional committee about the 6 January insurrection, suggested it in December. Then, he argued that Trump could circumvent the 22nd Amendment, which codifies the two-term limit because the word “consecutive” is not in the text of the document.
Trump has been making his feelings clear too.
Continue reading…
Source: independent.co.uk
