Trump Rolls Out Red Carpet For China’s Xi
President Donald Trump literally rolled out the red carpet for Xi Jinping as China’s leader was welcomed to the White House — a remarkable sight given the longstanding rivalry between the two superpowers.
The official state visit started at just after 10 a.m. ET with Trump and first lady Melania Trump walking out of the White House residence onto the South Lawn to greet Xi and Madame Peng.
During public remarks at the arrival ceremony, Trump noted it was the first time the two were meeting at the White House proper.
“From the time of my first election in 2016, President Xi and I have forged a friendship — a truly great friendship, actually — built on mutual respect and the vital interests of our people,” Trump said.
The Chinese leader, in his opening remarks, said he was visiting the U.S. to “carry on our friendship, expand cooperation and promote well-being of both our peoples.”
He added China and the U.S. have the responsibility to make sure AI is “always under human control and serves the well-being of the people.”
AI will be one of the thorny issues the two leaders discuss.
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'You Cannot Be Asking Me That!': Trump’s AG Goes Nuclear On Live TV Over Press Ban
Attorney General Todd Blanche clashed with ABC’s Martha Raddatz after she grilled him over President Donald Trump’s decision to ban three major news outlets from accessing the White House.
Days after Trump announced the ban, the outlets — CNN, MS NOW and Politico — had their credentials reinstated on Thursday after a federal judge ruled that the administration had to restore White House access for journalists.
On Sunday’s “This Week,” Blanche claimed that Trump never “denied access” to the outlets and argued it is a privilege, not a right to be at the White House.
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The Trump Admin Is Airing Yet Another Taxpayer-Funded Political Ad
The Trump administration is airing what appears to be a second political ad paid for with taxpayer dollars, this time using a video from the president’s 2024 campaign in which he vows to destroy figures and institutions he deems “villains.”
The black-and-white video shows Trump looking at the camera while walking down a hallway as a voiceover by the president airs. At the bottom of the clip says, “Paid for by the U.S. Government.”
“With you at my side we will demolish the deep state. We will expel the warmongers from our government,” Trump, who started an ongoing war with Iran, is heard saying. “We will drive out the globalists. We will cast out the communists, Marxists and fascists. We will throw off the sick political class that hates our country. We will rout the fake news media, and we will liberate America from these villains once and for all.”
The video began airing Saturday in more local markets, with ad spending jumping to over $70,000 after it appeared on Fox News Sunday.
The clearly political clip was aired just days after the Trump administration released another political ad on Fox News condemning communism, also with the disclaimer that it was paid for by the government. The administration defended the ad by claiming it’s a public service announcement. Critics have slammed it as a violation of restrictions against the government using taxpayer dollars to fund political propaganda.
Thom Tillis Says Trump Made 'Colossal Mistake' By Not Supporting Cornyn In Texas
Sen. Thom Tillis said Sunday that President Donald Trump “made a colossal mistake” by supporting state Attorney General Ken Paxton over longtime Sen. John Cornyn as the Republican Senate nominee in Texas.
“John Cornyn’s a great member of the U.S. Senate. Paxton has his challenges. We would not be spending tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in Texas if Cornyn had won,” the North Carolina Republican told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
With just a month before the midterm elections, Paxton faces a close race against Texas state Rep. James Talarico. A new Texas Public Opinion Research poll found the Democrat even leading by five points, and being favored by independent voters by double digits.
“This party has evolved to a point to where one or two disagreements with the president – Cornyn’s a classic example, voting with the president over 98, 99% of the time. Folks, now is not a time for these loyalty oaths,” Tillis said, referring to Trump’s need for complete allegiance.
“So Republicans that go after other Republicans for only being in the 95th percentile, I’d like them to go find another party, because that’s unsustainable for me as a lifelong member of the Republican Party, to live up to those expectations,” he continued. “They’re unrealistic, they’re unsustainable, and they also cause us to lose elections.”
Mike Waltz Struggles To Explain Trump's Iran Goals, Defends Rejecting Proposal To End War
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz had a difficult time on Sunday articulating what exactly President Donald Trump is still trying to accomplish in Iran, attempting to push the narrative that the U.S. is trying to destroy the country’s nuclear capabilities despite the president repeatedly claiming they are already “obliterated.”
“We know that we obliterated their ability to enrich in a number of these facilities. But we also know they moved and dispersed highly enriched uranium,” Waltz told NBC’s “Meet the Press” after Kristen Welker aired a clip of Trump himself claiming the U.S. has already addressed Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
On Saturday, Trump rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days and end the war, saying, “They want to make a deal … because they’re losing so badly.” Asked about the rejection, Waltz defended the rejection Sunday, telling CNN’s “State of the Union” Iran was “asking for everything up front” and that Trump is “just not confident that the Iranians are coming in good faith.”
During his speech in the U.N. General Assembly, Trump threatened to “annihilate” Iran. A recent Wall Street Journal report also says the president is expected to resume bombing Iran following the midterm elections. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told “Meet the Press” that Iran is prepared for a resumption of aggression.
“We stand firm in the face of any new aggression, even if it comes to a doomsday war,” Araghchi said. “But at the same time, we stand ready for diplomacy. It is up to President Trump to choose.”
TV Networks To Work Around Trump White House's Latest CNN Block: NYT
Four of five major TV networks — ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC — will reportedly resume their video “pool” coverage of Donald Trump on Sunday despite the White House stiff-arming CNN from hopping aboard Air Force One for the president’s trip to a college football game over the weekend.
The group of four networks would return to their rotating pool duties covering the president on Sunday, sources told The New York Times.
The group, under a plan drafted late Friday, will decide on whether to replace CNN when it’s their turn in the rotation, per the sources. The networks also agreed they could suspend their coverage “at any time.”
The NYT report comes a day after the Trump-friendly Real America’s Voice got a spot on Air Force One instead of CNN, which was previously scheduled to be on the flight for Trump’s trip to Tennessee.
Saturday was CNN’s day to provide pool coverage and, as a result, the other four networks did not pick a replacement.
The move marks the latest efforts by Trump and his administration to bar CNN from covering the president after the White House blocked the network — along with MS NOW and Politico — from the grounds.
On Thursday, a federal judge ordered the administration to restore the outlets’ access to the grounds, saying the ban was likely unconstitutional.
That decision, the Times noted, related to CNN’s press badges to access the grounds and did not address the administration barring them from smaller spaces like Air Force One.
MLB Reportedly Approached Trump Administration About Holding Game In National Park: WaPo
Major League Baseball has reportedly approached the Trump administration about holding a game in Grand Teton National Park similar to the Field of Dreams games held in Iowa, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.
The administration has reportedly already scouted locations in the northwestern Wyoming park suitable for building a baseball park to host an MLB game, the Post reported, citing two people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
An MLB official who spoke to the Post said the league approached the administration about holding a game in a national park after the success of other stand-alone MLB events.
The White House said in a statement to the Post that MLB asked the administration “if it was possible to host a game at a national park, similar to the Field of Dreams game.”
“This is not a Presidential directive, nor is it being directed by the White House. It’s also not being driven by the Department of Interior,” the statement said. “Therefore, this is not a White House or Administration priority.”
The White House added that MLB has not made any final decisions and the National Park Service has not issued any permits related to the possible event.
Grand Teton is the country’s eighth-most visited national park and among the most protected federal lands.
Read more from the Washington Post here:
Trump Says He's Ended Biden's Electric Vehicles Mandate
President Donald Trump said Saturday he has approved new fuel economy standards that will eliminate former President Joe Biden’s electric vehicles mandate.
“I have just approved new Fuel Economy Standards that TERMINATE Sleepy Joe Biden and Pete Boot-EDGE-EDGE’s ridiculous EV Mandate,” Trump, 80, posted on Truth Social. “The Dumocrats cost our Great Auto Manufacturers $Billions, forced Americans into cars they never wanted, and wasted Billions on Chargers that were never built.”
Under Biden’s plan, the U.S. government mandated automakers to build more electric vehicles to meet growing fuel-efficiency standards.