Donald Trump

Trump Says Vietnam to Face 20% Tariff under 'Great' Deal

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he had struck a trade deal with Vietnam under which the country would face a minimum 20 percent tariff and open its market to US products. The deal comes less than a week before Trump's self-imposed July 9 deadline for steeper tariffs on US trade partners to take effect if agreements are not ...

Washington Moves Toward Easing Economic Pressure on Syria

In a move that could signal a turning point in Washington-Damascus relations, United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order on June 30, 2025, partially lifting economic sanctions against Syria. These measures, in place for more than two decades, had severely isolated the Syrian economy and disrupted the functioning of most public ...

With Tariffs Looming, US Trade Partners Scramble for Last-Minute Deals

A week before US President Donald Trump reimposes steep tariffs on dozens of economies, including the EU and Japan, many are still scrambling to reach a deal that would protect them from the worst. The tariffs taking effect July 9 are part of a package Trump imposed in April, citing a lack of "reciprocity" in trading ties. He slapped a 10 ...

Big Beautiful Bill: America’s Divisive Tax Overhaul

Passed by the US Senate last Tuesday by a majority of 51 votes to 50, thanks to the decisive vote of Vice President J.D. Vance, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), nicknamed the “Big Beautiful Bill” (BBB), is currently the most ambitious and polarizing budget bill championed by Donald Trump since his return to the political ...

Trump Urges 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire Deal Ahead of Netanyahu Visit

US President Donald Trump urged Hamas on Tuesday to accept a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, saying that Israel had agreed to finalize such a deal, as its forces also stepped up operations in the Palestinian territory. Trump, in a post on social media, said his representatives had met with Israeli officials about the raging conflict, ahead of Prime ...

Trump Attacks Musk Subsidies in Spending Bill Row

US President Donald Trump once again targeted former aide Elon Musk on Tuesday, attacking the amount of government subsidies the entrepreneur is receiving, after the tech billionaire renewed criticism of the president's flagship spending bill. "Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far," Trump said on social media. "And ...

US Senate in Final Push to Pass Trump Spending Bill

US senators were in a marathon session of amendment votes Monday as Republicans sought to pass Donald Trump's flagship spending bill, an unpopular package set to slash social welfare programs and add an eye-watering $3 trillion to the national debt. The president wants his "One Big Beautiful Bill" to extend his expiring first-term tax cuts at a ...

Lebanon’s Role in the Emerging Middle East: The Armistice as a Cornerstone

Although Hezbollah has refrained from directly involving Lebanon in the Israel-Iran conflict – limiting its role to rhetorical support – the country remains deeply affected by the ceasefire between these regional powers, according to an Arab diplomat. This truce is part of a broader peace initiative that United States President Donald Trump ...

Netanyahu to Visit White House on July 7

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House on July 7 for talks with President Donald Trump, a US administration official told AFP Monday, as Washington presses for a ceasefire in Gaza. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier that Netanyahu had "expressed interest" in what would be his third meeting with ...

Trump Signs Executive Order Lifting Sanctions on Syria

President Donald Trump on Monday formally dismantled US sanctions against Syria, hoping to reintegrate the war-battered country into the global economy as Israel eyes ties with its new leadership. Trump lifted most sanctions against Syria in May, responding to appeals from Saudi Arabia and Turkey after former Islamist guerrilla Ahmed al-Sharaa ...

Massive Trump Budget Plan Moves Forward, Faces Divided Senate

US senators were inching Sunday towards a vote on Donald Trump's "big, beautiful" spending bill, a hugely divisive proposal that would deliver key parts of the US president's domestic agenda while making massive cuts to social welfare programs. Trump is hoping the "One Big Beautiful Bill" will help seal his legacy, extending his expiring ...

Canada Drops Digital Tax on US Tech Giants as Trade Talks with Trump Resume

Canada will rescind taxes impacting US tech firms that had prompted President Donald Trump to retaliate by calling off trade talks, Ottawa said Sunday, adding that negotiations with Washington would resume. The digital services tax, enacted last year, would have seen US service providers such as Alphabet and Amazon on the hook for a ...