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With its flattering rhetoric, leniency in responding to US trade threats and alignment with Washington this week at a summit on artificial intelligence, the United Kingdom has signalled a willingness to take President Donald Trump’s side over Europe.”The UK has no closer ally than America,” Britain’s newly appointed ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, said on Tuesday, in a video overflowing with superlatives posted on Elon Musk’s X platform.The Labour party grandee, formerly a European commissioner, had told the BBC on Monday that Britain has “to respect and understand what drives (Trump), what his mandate is to do, and how his allies need to adjust sometimes”.David Lammy, Britain’s top diplomat, also lavished praise on Trump last month, saying he displayed “incredible grace and generosity” and was “very funny, very friendly, very warm” during their meeting last September.The comments were somewhat more complimentary than previous remarks by Lammy in which he called Trump a “woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath”.The conciliatory tone is “likely to be calculated at keeping the UK out of Trump’s crosshairs when it comes to tariffs and any other forms of aggressive US foreign policy,” said Michael Plouffe, an associate professor at UCL university in London.Jonathan Portes, an economist at King’s College London, said “the UK, as usual, is trying to have its cake and eat it”. “This is perfectly rational and sensible,” he added. “It is hoping to avoid the worst excesses of Trump at the same time as it pursues its rapprochement with the EU.”- ‘Makes sense’ -The European Union remains by far Britain’s largest trading partner, but London has dreamt of a trade agreement with Washington, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently called for, since leaving the bloc.Faced with the frenetic start to Trump’s presidency and his unpredictable diplomatic manoeuvrings, Starmer has in recent days made strategic choices to distance himself from the Europeans.There is no question of Britain joining the EU’s countermeasures promised on Tuesday in response to Trump’s newly announced 25-percent customs duties on steel and aluminium, which the United States will impose from March 12.Britain instead says that it is “engaging” with the United States on the details of the tariffs.”What British industry needs and deserves is not a knee-jerk reaction but a cool and clear-headed sense of the UK’s national interest based on a full assessment of all the implications of the US’s actions,” said British trade minister Douglas Alexander.London also sided against the EU on the crucial issue of artificial intelligence, teaming up with the United States in refusing to sign the final declaration of the AI summit in Paris on Tuesday.”We felt the declaration didn’t provide enough practical clarity on global governance, nor sufficiently address harder questions around national security and the challenge AI poses to it,” said a British government spokesperson.This “cautious approach to the US” over AI is aligned with Starmer’s promise to make the Britain a world leader in the sector, said Plouffe.It also “makes sense” that Starmer would avoid “antagonism with the state that is home to three of the leading AI providers”, he added.”This may win some favour with Trump” at a time when the digital giants, who have become the Republican’s close allies, are locked in regulatory disputes with the EU.”I think he’s done a very good job thus far,” Trump said of Starmer in late January. “I like him a lot.”But can the British strategy work in the long term?”That depends on just how confrontational Trump is with the EU and whether he wants to try to lever the UK away from the EU,” Portes said.”Since nobody — including him — knows what he’s going to do, I certainly don’t,” he added.

When President Donald Trump froze nearly all US foreign aid, Cambodia was forced to suspend workers removing dangerous mines from the country  — until China stepped in with the necessary funding.In the Cook Islands, traditionally bound to New Zealand and friendly with the United States, the prime minister has announced plans to head to Beijing to sign a cooperation deal.Successive US administrations have vowed to wage a global competition with China, described as the only potential rival for global leadership.But as seen in Cambodia and the Cook Islands, two small but strategic countries, the United States has effectively ceded one of its main levers of influence.The dramatic shift by Trump — following the advice of billionaire advisor Elon Musk — has put nearly the entire workforce on leave at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), marking the end of a key decades-old effort by the United States to exercise “soft power” — the ability of a country to persuade others through its attractiveness.Trump has unapologetically turned instead to hard power, wielding tariffs against friends and foes and threatening military force to get his way, even against NATO ally Denmark over Greenland.When John F. Kennedy created USAID, he pointed to the success of the Marshall Plan in rebuilding Europe and hoped that alleviating poverty would reduce the allure of the Soviet Union, the main adversary of the United States at the time.Michael Schiffer, who served as USAID’s assistant administrator for Asia under former president Joe Biden, warned that China could become the dominant player in the developing world in areas from public health to policing.”We’ll be sitting on the sidelines and then in a couple of years we’ll have a conversation about how we’re shocked that the PRC has positioned itself as the partner of choice in Latin America, Africa and Asia,” he said, referring to the People’s Republic of China.”At that point, the game will be over.”- Will China step up? -The United States has long been the top donor in the world, giving $64 billion in 2023.A number of other Western countries, especially in Scandinavia, have been more generous compared with the sizes of their economies. But Schiffer doubted they could replace the United States either in dollar terms or in the longstanding US role of mobilizing international aid to priorities around the world.China’s aid is more opaque. According to AidData, a research group at the College of William and Mary, China has provided $1.34 trillion over two decades — but unlike Western nations, it has mostly provided loans rather than grants.Samantha Custer, director of policy analysis at AidData, doubted there would be any “huge, dramatic increase in aid dollars from China,” noting Beijing’s focus on lending and the economic headwinds facing the Asian power.Still, she said, the United States will struggle to counter perceptions it is no longer reliable.”China can win the day by not even doing anything,” she said.”You can’t partner with somebody who’s not there.”Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, said China is more interested in construction and benefiting its domestic industries, like building a hospital rather than training its doctors.And with the freeze in USAID, China may have even less reason to step up aid.”If they become the only game in town, it doesn’t generate strong incentives for China to compete and significantly increase development assistance,” he said.One major gap will be conflict-related funding, said Rebecca Wolfe, an expert in development and political violence at the University of Chicago.She pointed to Syria, where the Islamic State extremist group gained grounds in areas that lacked governance.”Yes, the Chinese can come in and do the infrastructure. But what about the governance part?”She said Western countries may not step up until they feel real effects, such as a new migrant crisis.- Different soft power? -Trump’s aid freeze is officially only a 90-day review, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that he issued waivers for emergency assistance. But aid groups say effects are already being felt by the sweeping pause, from schools shutting down in Uganda to flood relief shelters under threat in South Sudan.Hendrik W. Ohnesorge, a scholar of soft power, said Trump has a highly transactional worldview and is more attuned to hard power.But Ohnesorge, managing director of the Center for Global Studies at the University of Bonn, said Trump also represented a new, post-liberal sort of soft power in a polarized world.He noted that other leaders have styled themselves after Trump and gladly followed his lead. For instance, Argentina’s libertarian president, Javier Milei, swiftly joined Trump in leaving the World Health Organization.”Perhaps it may henceforth be better to even speak of US soft powers — in the plural — as there are starkly different visions of America and the world prevalent in the US today,” Ohnesorge said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will try on a US visit to pick up where he left off four years ago in wooing Donald Trump, as he offered quick tariff concessions in hopes of avoiding the second-term president’s wrath.For nearly three decades, US presidents from both parties have prioritized building ties with India, seeing a natural partner against a rising China. But Trump has also raged against India over trade, in the past calling the world’s fifth-largest economy the “biggest tariff abuser.”Trump himself has unapologetically weaponized tariffs against friends and foes since returning to office last month. Ahead of Modi’s visit, the Indian government slashed duties on high-end motorcycles — a boost to Harley-Davidson, the iconic American company whose struggles in motorbike-loving India have captured Trump’s attention.India has “done its groundwork and has already taken positive steps to set a good tone” with Trump, said Lisa Curtis, the National Security Council director on South Asia during Trump’s first term.Modi “has prepared for this, and he is seeking to preempt Trump’s anger,” said Curtis, now a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.Modi has also obliged Trump on one of his top priorities — deporting undocumented immigrants.While public attention has focused on Latin American migrants, India is the third source of undocumented immigrants in the United States after Mexico and El Salvador.In an account that drew wide attention in India, some 100 migrants were flown back from the United States in shackles the whole journey. Angered activists in New Delhi burned an effigy of Trump.The main opposition Congress party called the treatment of Indian citizens an “insult” and accused Modi of weakness toward Trump.But Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government — which itself has vowed no tolerance for undocumented migrants from Muslim-majority Bangladesh — has promised cooperation.- ‘Recreate their bonhomie’ -Modi arrives Wednesday in Washington after an artificial intelligence summit in Paris and will see Trump on Thursday, making him the fourth world leader to visit him at the White House since his return, following the prime ministers of Israel and Japan and king of Jordan.Modi assiduously courted Trump during his first term. The two share much in common, with both campaigning on promises to promote the interests of their countries’ majority communities over minorities and both shifting long-held democratic norms by doggedly pursuing critics.In February 2020, Modi invited Trump before a cheering crowd of more than 100,000 people to inaugurate the world’s largest cricket stadium, later renamed for the prime minister himself, in his home state of Gujarat.It remains the last presidential trip made overseas by Trump, with the Covid-19 pandemic grounding him soon afterward.”Prime Minister Modi and his advisors hope that he and President Trump are able to recreate their bonhomie of the past and use that to ensure India avoids any negative trade-related actions or sanctions,” said Aparna Pande, a fellow at the Hudson Institute.India, she said, “remains one of the few countries that retains bipartisan support across the aisle in the US.”President Joe Biden kept building relations with Modi including by elevating the Quad — a four-way grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the United States, perceived by China as an attempt to box it in — by holding annual summits.India is scheduled to hold a Quad summit this year, which would mean another visit to India by Trump.The Biden administration, however, occasionally offered gentle critiques on Modi’s record on the rights of Muslims and other minorities, an issue unlikely to resonate with Trump.The Biden team issued stronger criticism, albeit privately, after US prosecutors said that India attempted to assassinate a Sikh separatist with US citizenship in New York.Curtis said that she believed that India has “learned a lesson” from Biden’s warning on the plot and that the issue was effectively closed.”I think that the Trump administration is hoping to move on from this issue,” she said.

Elon Musk made his debut public appearance with Donald Trump at the White House Tuesday to announce fresh powers to overhaul the US government — even if the tech tycoon’s son tried to steal the show.Dressed in a black “Make America Great Again” cap, black t-shirt and overcoat, the SpaceX and Tesla tycoon spoke to reporters in the Oval Office while the US president sat behind the historic Resolute Desk.Tasked by Trump to lead federal cost-cutting efforts through his “DOGE” agency — the so-called Department of Government Efficiency — Musk warned that the United States would go “bankrupt” without cuts.The world’s richest man rejected criticisms of a lack of transparency and possible conflicts of interest. He admitted he would make “mistakes” but said he would be tackling what he called the power of an “unelected” bureaucracy.Trump signed an order that was set to give DOGE extra powers to order the heads of government departments to prepare for more of the cuts that have shaken the United States.Critics have blasted the Musk-led cuts as unconstitutional concentration of power in the presidency.But for a few seconds at least, Musk had something else to worry about.- ‘Gravitas can be difficult’ -“Gravitas can be difficult sometimes,” said Musk as his young son X — full name X Æ A-Xii — began to chatter and squirm during his remarks. At other times the boy, dressed in a tan overcoat, knelt down and leaned against Trump’s desk as Musk’s comments drew near the half-hour mark. As Musk talked about consumer debt at one point, the boy picked his nose.It was a typically unorthodox appearance by Musk, whose iconoclastic style was a large part of the attraction for Trump as he sought a front-man for his sweeping overhaul of the US government.Musk, who was the biggest donor to Trump’s election campaign to the tune of a quarter of a billion dollars, has brought in a team of young engineers to drive a ruthless efficiency program.The plans have effectively shuttered some federal agencies and sent staff home — and have sparked legal battles across the country and sparked accusations of an illegal power grab.Asked by a reporter about his “detractors,” Musk first joked “I have detractors? I don’t believe it” — before claiming that thanks to Trump’s election win “you couldnt ask for a stronger mandate from the public.” “The people voted for major government reform and that’s what people are going to get,” said Musk. – ‘Unelected’ -Musk has also drawn accusations of hypocrisy given that he regularly rails against “unelected” bureaucrats — while he himself is an unelected official wielding huge power, yet answering media questions for just the first time since Trump returned to office.The tech baron has also faced questions about potential conflicts of interest given that SpaceX has billions of dollars in contracts with the same government that he is auditing. Musk rejected the criticisms, saying he was being “transparent” and adding: “It’s not like I think I can get away with something, I’ll be scrutinized non-stop.”As he spoke about transparency, the Associated Press said that its White House reporter was barred from the Musk event over the top US news agency’s refusal to follow Trump’s order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.After Musk, it was Trump’s turn to speak, as he hailed Musk’s work so far and embarked on a lengthy rant against US judges who are blocking some of their plans.That left the elephant in the room. Or rather — how can one room as cramped as the Oval Office accommodate two powerful egos who are used to getting their own way?Time Magazine’s latest issue caused a stir with a cover featuring Musk behind the same Resolute Desk.Musk however moved to show that he knew who is the boss. “I check frequently with the president to make sure that this is what the president wants to happen. So, we talk almost every day,” he said.

The Associated Press said Tuesday that its White House reporter was barred from an event with President Donald Trump over the top US news agency’s refusal to follow his order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.”We were informed by the White House that if AP did not align its editorial standards with President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, AP would be barred from accessing an event in the Oval Office,” AP Executive Editor Julie Pace said.”This afternoon AP’s reporter was blocked from attending an executive order signing,” Pace said in a statement.In another executive order after taking office last month, Trump declared that the Gulf of Mexico would henceforth be called the “Gulf of America.”In the past the body of water, which also borders Mexico, has always been known by both governments as the Gulf of Mexico. Trump called it an “indelible part of America” critical to US oil production and fishing and “a favorite destination for American tourism and recreation activities.”Pace, in her statement, said “it is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism.””Limiting our access to the Oval Office based on the content of AP’s speech not only severely impedes the public’s access to independent news, it plainly violates the First Amendment,” she said.In a style note last month, AP said Trump’s executive order “only carries authority within the United States.””Mexico, as well as other countries and international bodies, do not have to recognize the name change,” the AP said, adding that “the Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years.””The Associated Press will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen,” the news agency said.”As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences,” it added.The White House Correspondents’ Association, which advocates for the media covering the US presidency, branded the barring of AP “unacceptable” and called on the Trump administration to “immediately change course.””The White House cannot dictate how news organizations report the news, nor should it penalize working journalists because it is unhappy with their editors’ decisions,” WHCA head Eugene Daniels said in a statement.Along with the Gulf of America, Trump also signed an executive order changing the name of the highest mountain in North America, Denali in Alaska, to Mount McKinley.In that case, the AP said it would refer to Mount McKinley since it “lies solely in the United States and as president, Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within the country.”The AP is the biggest US news agency and for years its Stylebook — a compendium of the organization’s rules for correct usage of grammar and language — has been a go-to reference for newsrooms and corporate offices.

US President Donald Trump accused the judges blocking his executive orders of committing a “serious violation” Tuesday as his administration veered towards a constitutional clash with the courts over his plans to radically downsize the government.With the Republican Party controlling Congress and completely loyal to Trump, the billionaire president has largely ignored the legislature as he carries out his unprecedented policies.But he has faced growing pushback from the courts since taking office three weeks ago, with around a dozen court orders issued against the administration from some 40 lawsuits.As the courts and Trump appeared increasingly to be on a collision course, the president pledged to stand by their rulings — but claimed that judges were preventing him from cleaning up the government.”We want to weed out the corruption. And it seems hard to believe that a judge could say we don’t want you to do that,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.”So maybe we have to look at the judges, because that’s very serious. I think it’s a very serious violation.”Although the US Consitution designates the federal judiciary as an independent branch of government with as much authority as the White House, it is inherently politicized, as judges are selected by presidents for lifetime appointments. The judges who have ruled against Trump were appointed by six different Democratic and Republican presidents, however, including the current White House occupant himself.Trump fell afoul of the judiciary over an attempt to freeze $3 trillion in federal grants and loans, a deferred resignation program for government workers and a plan to transfer transgender women inmates to men’s prisons.He has also clashed with judges over his abolition of birthright citizenship, sending Venezuelan migrants to Guantanamo Bay, funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health, firing a government ethics watchdog and placing workers from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on leave.Injunctions have been placed on each of these actions and there was further bad news for Trump on Tuesday as a federal judge ordered him to restore a glut of public health web pages removed last month.Asked by reporters at the White House if he would honor the will of the courts, Trump told reporters: “I always abide by the courts, and then I’ll have to appeal it.”But concerns are mounting that Trump could ultimately defy the rulings, prompting a full-blown constitutional crisis.- ‘That’s tyranny’ -The Republican’s harshest critics say that horse has already bolted after a federal judge upbraided the White House on Monday for failing to comply with his order to end the federal funding freeze.Vice President JD Vance has fueled speculation over a coming clash, claiming in a social media post Sunday that judges lack authority to “control the executive’s legitimate power.”In fact, the US Constitution gives federal judges the right to rule on cases involving the president as part of their oversight role of the other branches of government.Vance’s comments — which came after a judge blocked tech billionaire Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) from accessing Americans’ personal data — earned him a rebuke from legal scholars and political opponents. “If you believe any of the multiple federal courts that have ruled against you so far are exceeding their statutory or Constitutional authority, your recourse is to appeal,” Liz Cheney, a former Republican lawmaker and vocal Trump critic, replied.”You don’t get to rage-quit the Republic just because you are losing. That’s tyranny.” The DOGE injunction also came under attack from Musk, who has called for an annual mass firing of federal judges and claims that democracy is “being destroyed by judicial coup.”But critics characterize the deluge of criticism from the world’s richest man, the US president and the vice president as a coordinated assault on the rule of law.”This is not just a musing from a dude with some various ideas,” tech commentator and veteran Musk watcher Kara Swisher said of the SpaceX and Tesla CEO.”The next step is to hollow out the judiciary and also not follow their rulings, which have been against Musk’s efforts. This is a very obvious coup, for those not paying attention.”

Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has been tapped by President Donald Trump to lead federal cost-cutting efforts, said Tuesday that the United States would go “bankrupt” without budget cuts.Musk leads the efforts under the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and was speaking at the White House with Trump, who has in recent weeks issued a flurry of orders aimed at slashing federal spending.In particular, Musk pointed to the country’s budget deficit, which topped $1.8 trillion in the last fiscal year, and took aim at high interest payments on the public debt.”It’s not optional” for Washington to reduce federal expenses, he told reporters. “It’s essential.”The remarks, however, came as the Trump administration finds itself on a collision course with the US courts, as federal judges questioned the legality of White House cost-cutting measures.Trump’s sweeping plans, which have effectively shuttered some federal agencies and sent staff home, have sparked legal battles across the country.Multiple lawsuits seek to halt what opponents characterize as an illegal power grab.Meanwhile, Musk’s team has moved through federal agencies, freezing aid programs and pushing workforce reductions.Asked to respond to criticism, Musk said that Americans voted for “major government reform,” an issue that Trump spoke about at rallies.And Musk, who also heads SpaceX and Tesla, said he is seeking to be as transparent as possible when asked about potential conflicts of interest.Musk’s role faces criticism in part because his companies have had huge US government contracts.The DOGE reform team has triggered alarm among critics as well by gaining access through the US Treasury to sensitive data.

The feud between Elon Musk and Sam Altman has become one of the bitterest rivalries in business history, with the Tesla tycoon bidding to buy Altman’s OpenAI in an apparent attempt to derail the ChatGPT maker’s ascent to becoming one of the world’s most important companies.- What sparked the rivalry? -Musk and Altman were among the 11-person team that founded OpenAI in 2015. Created as a counterweight to Google’s dominance in artificial intelligence, the project got its initial funding from Musk, who invested $45 million to get it started.Three years later, Musk departed OpenAI. The company initially cited “a potential future conflict for Elon…as Tesla continues to become more focused on AI,” noting the electric vehicle company’s ambitions in autonomous driving. However, subsequent lawsuits revealed a more contentious story: OpenAI claimed Musk left after his attempts to become CEO or to merge the company with Tesla were rejected.The situation remained relatively quiet until November 2022, when OpenAI’s release of ChatGPT created a global technology sensation — one that didn’t feature Musk at its center and which made Altman a star.Musk quickly began criticizing the company, trolling it on social media for keeping its source code private and signing a widely publicized manifesto calling for a pause in AI development, even as he pursued his own AI projects.The conflict escalated in August 2024 when Musk refiled a lawsuit against OpenAI and its backer Microsoft, claiming the ChatGPT maker had betrayed its founding mission of benefiting the public good in favor of pursuing profits. Musk later updated the lawsuit to prevent OpenAI’s conversion to a for-profit company — a change Altman considers crucial for the company’s development.- Buy OpenAI? -OpenAI’s unusual structure — a non-profit with a money-making subsidiary — reflected its idealistic origins as a counter to Google. However, the massive costs of designing, training, and deploying AI models have forced the company to seek a new corporate structure that would give investors equity and provide more stable governance.This need for stability became particularly evident after a 2023 boardroom coup briefly saw Altman fired, only to be reinstated days later following Microsoft’s intervention. The transition to a traditional for-profit company requires approval from California and Delaware authorities, who will scrutinize how the non-profit arm of OpenAI is valued when it becomes a shareholder in the new company.Current investors prefer a lower valuation to maximize their share of the new company. Musk’s bid, valuing the OpenAI non-profit at $97.4 billion — approximately $30 billion above current negotiations according to The Information — appears designed to disrupt the company’s fundraising efforts.”Overall this is Musk’s attempt to hurt OpenAI’s conversion into a non-profit to slow them down. I doubt Musk’s business rationale for the bid will play out in his favor,” said Lutz Finger , visiting senior lecturer at Cornell University.- Trump attention? -Musk’s latest move to undermine his former ally came shortly after Altman made an appearance at the White House, announcing his involvement in Stargate, a Donald Trump-sponsored AI infrastructure project partnering with Japan’s SoftBank.Musk, who plays a central role in the Trump White House, immediately criticized the $500 billion AI project claiming the funding wasn’t secured in an apparent dissension with the president.Facing the barrage of hostility from the Tesla billionaire, Altman has increasingly suggested that Musk’s actions stem from regret over leaving OpenAI in 2018, particularly as Musk’s competing venture, xAI, struggles to gain traction despite massive investments.”He’s just trying to slow us down. He obviously is a competitor,” Altman told Bloomberg TV. “I wish he would just compete by building a better product…. Probably his whole life is from a position of insecurity. I don’t think he’s a happy person. I do feel for him.”

President Donald Trump on Tuesday doubled down on his idea of exiling Palestinians and placing a rebuilt Gaza under “US authority” but faced pushback from visiting Jordanian King Abdullah II.”I reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. This is the unified Arab position. Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all,” Abdullah said on social media after the talks.However, he told Trump that Egypt was working on a plan for how countries in the region could “work” with Trump on his shock proposal.The Jordanian monarch also appeared to offer a sweetener to Trump, who the day before the visit floated the possibility of halting US aid to Jordan if it did not take in refugees.”One of the things that we can do right away is take 2,000 children, cancer children who are in a very ill state. That is possible,” Abdullah said as Trump welcomed him and Crown Prince Hussein in the Oval Office.Trump replied that it was “really a beautiful gesture” and said he didn’t know about it before the Jordanian monarch’s arrival at the White House.The US leader stunned the world when he announced a proposal last week for the United States to “take over” Gaza, envisioning rebuilding the devastated territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East” — but only after resettling Palestinians elsewhere, with no plan for them ever to return.Abdullah urged patience and said that Egypt was coming up with a response and that Arab nations would then discuss it at talks in Riyadh.”Let’s wait until the Egyptians can come and present it to the president and not get ahead of ourselves,” Abdullah said.Trump retreated from his previous talk of an aid halt to Jordan and Egypt, saying: “I don’t have to threaten that. I do believe we’re above that.”- ‘Tough guy’ – Trump, however, kept pushing his plan to “own” Gaza and place it under “US authority,” despite the fact that it is home to more than two million Palestinians who want their own sovereign state.”We don’t have to buy. We’re going to have Gaza,” Trump said. “We’re going to take it, we’re going to hold it, we’re going to cherish it.”But Trump, who made his fortune as a real estate tycoon did however deny that he would seek to personally develop property in Gaza. “No. I’ve had a great career in real estate,” he said.The meeting came as the Gaza ceasefire appears increasingly fragile, after Trump warned on Monday that “all hell” would break out if Hamas fails to release all hostages by Saturday.Trump said he doubted that the Palestinian militant group would abide by the ultimatum — but played down the risk of a longer threat to efforts to create a lasting peace between Israel and Hamas.”It’s not going to take a long time,” Trump said. “A bully is the weakest person, and they’re bullies. Hamas is bullies.” The Jordanian king and crown prince earlier met Trump’s national security advisor, Mike Waltz.King Abdullah is a key US ally but last week rejected “any attempts” to take control of the Palestinian territories and displace its people.Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is expected to visit the White House later this week, urged on Tuesday the reconstruction of Gaza “without displacing Palestinians.”Analysts say the issue is an existential one for Jordan in particular.Half of Jordan’s population of 11 million is of Palestinian origin, and since the establishment of Israel in 1948, many Palestinians have sought refuge there.In 1970 in what became known as “Black September,” clashes erupted between the Jordanian army and Palestinian groups led by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).It resulted in the expulsion of those groups.But Jordan is also keenly aware of the economic pressure Trump could exercise. Every year, Jordan receives around $750 million in economic assistance from Washington and another $350 million in military aid.On social media after the Trump talks, Abdullah stressed that his “foremost commitment is to Jordan, to its stability and to the well-being of Jordanians.”

The US Federal Reserve is in a strong position to weather the “highly uncertain” economic outlook, but its inflation fight will take time to win, a senior US central bank official said Tuesday.”As we enter 2025, the economy is in a good place,” New York Fed President John Williams told a conference in New York, according to prepared remarks. “Growth has remained solid, supported by robust consumer spending.””From where we are now, a number of signs indicate that inflation will continue to move toward our two percent longer-run goal,” added Williams, a permanent voting member of the US central bank’s rate-setting committee, referring to the Fed’s long-term inflation target. But, he noted, “it will take time before we can achieve that target on a sustained basis,” adding he did not expect inflation to reach the Fed’s two percent target this year.Williams joined his colleagues last month to vote for a pause in cuts after three straight rate reductions, holding the Fed’s key lending rate between 4.25 and 4.50 percent. The Fed’s short-term federal funds rate influences borrowing costs for consumers and businesses, affecting the price of everything from mortgages to car loans. Williams warned that, despite the strong fundamentals, “the economic outlook remains highly uncertain, particularly around potential fiscal, trade, immigration, and regulatory policies,” a passing reference to some of US President Donald Trump’s policies. Since taking office last month, Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on US allies and top trading partners including Mexico, Canada, and the European Union, and imposed a sweeping 10 percent duty on goods from China — the world’s second-largest economy. He has also said he wants to carry out the largest program of mass deportation of illegal immigrants in American history, something many economists have said could hurt growth.People in Trump’s orbit insist that, properly implemented, any negative impact from his tariff and immigration plans should be more than offset by a deregulation and tax-cutting agenda, which they see as pro-growth and anti-inflation.