United States: President Donald Trump conveyed a resolute stance on trade negotiations, stating that the 90-day tariff grace period granted to most nations will not be prolonged past July 9. As the deadline looms, his administration prepares to dispatch formal notices forewarning that punitive tariffs will be imposed on nations that fail to broker favorable terms with the United States.
The president, during a sweeping discussion on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” mentioned that these advisory letters will soon begin to circulate. “We’ll weigh how each nation interacts with us—whether they treat us fairly or not. Some, we frankly won’t even bother about—they’ll just get a lofty tariff rate,” Trump asserted.
These notices, he explained, would essentially declare: “Congratulations, you’re permitted to access the US market, but that privilege carries a cost—perhaps a 25 percent, 35 percent, 50 percent, or even a 10 percent duty.”
At a recent White House press briefing, Trump minimized the likelihood of reaching individualized pacts with every nation, citing the complexity of such undertakings. The original objective was to finalize 90 agreements within a 90-day span.
“Let’s be honest, you’ve got nearly 200 nations out there—you can’t speak to each of them,” he said plainly, according to AP News.
Unfolding Deal on TikTok Still Shrouded in Mystery
Turning to digital affairs, President Trump hinted at a possible acquisition of TikTok by a wealthy group of investors. The transaction, if finalized, could secure TikTok’s longevity on American soil, circumventing ongoing security concerns tied to its parent company, China’s ByteDance.
“We do have a suitor lined up for TikTok,” Trump confirmed. “I imagine it’ll need greenlighting from China, and I believe President Xi will most likely go along with it.”
Pressed for identities, Trump demurred: “Just a cadre of very wealthy individuals,” promising clarity in a fortnight—a phrase he frequently uses to defer revealing strategic decisions.
Notably, this isn’t the first deadline Trump has extended regarding TikTok’s U.S. operations. The latest 90-day reprieve, signed earlier this month via executive order, marks the third such extension since his inauguration—an attempt to anchor the app under U.S. ownership after it briefly went dark following a national ban.
Trump: Iranian Nuclear Facilities ‘Annihilated’
In his interview, Trump laid claim to a decisive blow against Iran, asserting that US airstrikes had decimated the nation’s nuclear infrastructure. He emphasized that individuals who leaked intelligence suggesting otherwise should face legal consequences.
“They were mere weeks away from a nuclear weapon,” Trump warned, “until we wiped out their sites—erased like chalk from a blackboard. That put a pin in their ambitions—at least for the short haul.”
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took to X to call Trump’s account an “exaggeration to distort reality.” Iran’s UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani told CBS that Tehran’s nuclear intentions are peaceful and that uranium enrichment is their inalienable right under international law.
Rafael Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency remarked that although the strikes caused severe harm, they didn’t amount to total destruction. He also rejected claims that Iran was on the brink of acquiring a nuclear bomb, dismissing pressure to falsify IAEA assessments.
Trump doubled down, asserting that sources behind the leak must face prosecution, and journalists must be pressed to reveal their informants. His press secretary confirmed that an internal probe is underway.
Immigration Raids: Flexibility for Agriculture and the Hospitality Industry?
While touting his stringent immigration policies, Trump carved out a nuanced exception for sectors like agriculture and hospitality. “Nobody has championed strict immigration more than me,” he declared, “but no one has fought harder for our farmers, either.”
He acknowledged that mass deportations disrupt vital industries, noting, “When farmhands disappear, so do harvests. It’s a real issue,” according to AP News.
Trump hinted at the creation of a “temporary pass” or buffer mechanism that would grant farms and hotels some oversight over enforcement actions on their premises.
Though earlier this month he proposed a moratorium on raids affecting key industries, a senior Homeland Security official later contradicted him, warning that no sanctuary would be granted to employers sheltering violent offenders or subverting immigration law.
China Trade Talks and Strategic Posturing
On economic diplomacy, Trump praised a breakthrough trade pact with Beijing regarding rare earth elements. However, he stressed that restoring balance would necessitate imposing “sizeable tariffs.”
“Amicable ties with China? That’s beneficial,” Trump said. “But they’ll be footing the bill—our trade deficit is no secret, and they’re fully aware.”
He also expressed conditional openness to lifting sanctions on Iranian oil exports to China, contingent on Iran’s behavior. “If they show us goodwill and back off from aggression, we might reconsider,” he said.
In a moment of candor, Trump responded to allegations of Chinese cyber theft: “You think we don’t do that to them too?”
