Free Republic

President Donald Trump told Time magazine in an interview published Friday that genocidal Chinese dictator Xi Jinping called him to discuss trade negotiations — a day after the Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed any reports of such negotiations were “fake news.” China and America are embroiled in an ongoing trade conflict that began when President Trump announced a plan to overhaul America’s trade relations with all economic partners. On April 2, Trump unveiled a list of tariffs imposed on nearly every country that exports goods to the United States, including a 34-percent tariff on China. The White House later told reporters...

China has quietly exempted from tariffs some semiconductors made in the United States, in an attempt to protect its leading technology companies from a bitter trade showdown with President Donald Trump.Levies on at least eight classifications of U.S.-made microchips have been dropped to zero, instead of the 125 percent retaliatory tariff rate Beijing has imposed on all other U.S. goods, Caijing, a Chinese financial media outlet, reported Friday.The article was later deleted. But two importers who spoke to The Washington Post confirmed that certain semiconductors are now exempted from tariffs. One company in Shenzhen listed the exemptions on social media...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Why not tax the millionaires?As Congress begins drafting a massive package for President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” with trillions of dollars in tax breaks and federal program cuts, it’s a question that won’t seem to go away.Trump himself has mused he’d “love” to tax wealthier Americans a little bit more, but the Republican president has also repeatedly walked it back. This week, the president dismissed a tax hike as “disruptive” when asked about it at the White House.But still it swirls.And it’s setting up a potential showdown between the old guard of the Republican Party, which...

China has quietly exempted some semiconductors from tariffs, and is considering more exclusions for certain US industries, as the world’s two largest economies attempt to navigate a trade war with potentially devastating effects, according to reports. Taxes on at least eight classifications of US microchips have been lowered to zero, a huge drop from China’s 125% retaliatory tariff on all other US goods, Caijing, a Chinese financial magazine, reported on Friday. Though the article was later deleted, two importers confirmed that certain semiconductors have been spared from the hefty duties, according to The Washington Post. Chinese officials are weighing further...

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is continuing his push against President Donald Trump's tariffs, with legislation he is co-sponsoring against them to come before the Senate next week. Paul says lawmakers should be in control of tariffs, rather than Trump, through the use of a national-emergency law. The discussion will come less than a month after Paul was one of the only two chamber Republicans to vote against his party's budget, which is seen as a key part of the president's tax cuts, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. "I don't have any bad feelings towards the president, but this is...

China on Thursday denied any suggestion that it was in active negotiations with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump over tariffs, saying that any notion of progress in the matter was as groundless as “trying to catch the wind.” China’s comments come after Trump said Tuesday that things were going “fine with China” and that the final tariff rate on Chinese exports would come down “substantially” from the current 145%.

Beijing instructed South Korea to halt rare material products such as transformers, EVs, aerospace and medical equipment.. Beijing has asked South Korean companies to cease exporting products containing Chinese-originated heavy rare earth metals to U.S. defense firms, warning that Seoul could face sanctions. China’s Ministry of Commerce sent official notices to at least two South Korean companies recently, the Korea Economic Daily reported on Tuesday, citing sources in the South Korean transformer industry. The outlet said the letters did not specify what type of penalties South Korean companies could face if the industry continues to export equipment to the U.S....

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made significant comments about the ongoing tariff tensions with China at a closed-door investor summit on Tuesday in Washington. According to Bloomberg, Bessent told attendees that the standoff with China -- which he said was essentially an embargo -- is unsustainable and that he expects it to de-escalate. He said that while formal negotiations haven't commenced, a deal remains possible. Risk assets have rallied on this.

This could really take a bite out of the Big Apple. The secondhand apparel industry may be dodging duties on imported goods – but the impact of President Trump’s tariffs on thrift shops may still bring a wrecking ball to businesses across the city, resellers told The Post. “There’s a lot of rhetoric that everybody’s going to turn to second-hand [clothing] when wallets tighten,” said Alexis Krase, owner of plus-size secondhand store Plus BKLYN in Greenpoint. “But overall, I think that ultimately means people are also being more critical of spending dollars in general: Overall sales will be down.” Krase,...

Trump's tariff announcement introduced uncertainty to the markets. Leading to the worst April performance in a long long time for stocks. The media believe this is a threat to Trump's support, but is it?

President Donald Trump on Monday met with chief executives from three of the nation’s top retailers, who came to the White House to discuss how his sweeping tariff plans could impact their import-heavy business models. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and Target chief executive Brian Cornell both attended, as did Home Depot CEO Ted Decker. A White House official told CNBC earlier Monday that a representative from Lowe’s would also be at the meeting. After the meeting concluded, an official told NBC News that no one from Lowe’s attended. After the meeting wrapped, the three companies issued nearly identical statements. “We...

Don’t go by the defiant rhetoric, China is hurting and in deep trouble over Trump’s tariffsFor the purpose of writing this column, I had to do some research as I always do. What struck me was how effortlessly China is winning the battle of narratives. It’s all a little confusing. We are apparently in the middle of a trade war, caught in the crossfire as the world’s two largest economies slap each other with tariffs in an escalatory spiral with the Donald Trump administration imposing 145% levies on most Chinese goods this month. That’s more than a little concerning for...

The Dow plunged more than 1,100 points as President Trump intensified his attacks on the Federal Reserve’s independence — calling chairman Jerome Powell “a major loser” for not lowering interest rates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was recently off 1,084.93 points, or 2.8%, at 38,057.30 in midday trades after plunging losing 1,406 points during the previous holiday-shortened week. US markets were closed on Friday in observance of Good Friday. The S&P 500 on Monday fell 2.9% and the Nasdaq slipped 3.1%. In a fiery Truth Social rant on Monday, Trump once again called for the Federal Reserve to slash interest...

Key Events: US Dollar Index (DXY) drops to 98 amid reports Trump plans to restructure the Fed EURUSD surges above 1.15, Gold nears 3,400, and GBPUSD approaches 1.34 China threatens with retaliatory tariffs to nations aligning with US trade policy IMF Spring Meetings kick off amid heightened trade negotiations and global economic uncertainty Markets stumbled in early Monday trading following news that Trump may attempt to overhaul the Federal Reserve. Although it is illegal for a sitting president to fire the Fed Chair, the attacks have raised concerns about the independence and stability of US monetary policy, driving the Dollar...

President Trump’s tariff war isn’t going well, with market ructions and evidence of a slowing economy. So it was probably inevitable that Mr. Trump would demand that the Federal Reserve ride to his rescue by cutting interest rates. The President took to social media Thursday morning to blast Fed Chairman Jerome Powell with his familiar nuance. “Jerome Powell of the Fed, who is always TOO LATE AND WRONG, yesterday issued a report which was another, and typical, complete ‘mess!’ Oil prices are down, groceries (even eggs!) are down, and the USA is getting RICH ON TARIFFS,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Too...

In the tariff war between China and the United States, a lot of chatter in the Pravda Media is about Xi Jinping's defiance, his outreach to European countries and other less important but collectively significant developing countries, and his retaliatory moves against America. They make it sound like China has a lot of cards to play in the trade war with America. China has put civilian government officials on a "wartime footing” and ordered a diplomatic charm offensive aimed at encouraging other countries to push back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. https://t.co/rZWU2zsARQ— The Japan Times (@japantimes) April 14, 2025Collectively,...

Temu has officially turned off ALL Google Shopping campaigns. They went from being a top 5 iOS app to now being ranked 64. What a brutal blow. This is obviously a big thanks to tariffs and the end of the Section 321 loophole. Temu is no more.

WSJ policy on excerpting. But these are quotations made by Trump President Trump is actively considering at least 15 trade proposals with countries, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Last week, the Trump administration announced a 90-day pause on so-called reciprocal tariffs to allow time to negotiate deals with nations. “He has made clear, he wants to personally sign off on all of these deals,” Leavitt said. “There’s a lot of work to do, we do believe we can announce some deals very soon.” She did not say which nations were close to reaching a deal with the...

Three times as many Canadians are staying away from the U.S. than the national travel industry first predicted—setting up a potential $6 billion economic loss this year. Key Facts Last month, the number of Canadians taking road trips into the U.S.—representing the majority of Canadians who visit—dropped by 32% compared to March 2024, according to new data from Statistics Canada. There was also a 13.5% decline in air travelers from Canada compared to March 2024. It was the third consecutive month of steep decline of inbound Canadian car travel, following a 23% year-over-year drop in car travel and a 2.4%...

Australia’s cattle industry is experiencing a significant boost in exports to China as US beef shipments have ground to a halt amid escalating trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies. The US’ $2.5 billion beef trade to China has effectively ceased after about 300 abattoirs failed to have their export licenses renewed, creating an unexpected opportunity for Australian producers. Statistics from Meat and Livestock Australia show Australian grain-fed beef exports to China have surged nearly 40% in February and March compared to the same period last year, with 21,886 tonnes shipped during those months. “Australia is now the lone...