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Evening Report

TRUMP FIRST 100 DAYS

© AP Photo

Trump takes 'America First' to the world stage

PRESIDENT TRUMP TOOK HIS "AMERICA FIRST" DOCTRINE to the world leaders gathered in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum on Thursday, where he spoke by video and promised to use U.S. economic leverage to extract steep concessions from countries that fail to meet his terms.

In his video message, Trump said that any country that doesn’t bring its business to the U.S. will face steep tariffs.

“My message to every business in the world is very simple: come make your product in America and we will give you among the lowest taxes of any nation on earth ... but if you don't make your product in America … then very simply, you will have to pay a tariff … which will direct hundreds of billions, even trillions into our treasury.”

Trump also called on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to lower oil prices, while blaming OPEC for the war between Russia and Ukraine.

“If the price [of oil] came down the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately … you gotta end that war. You should have done it long ago. They’re responsible for millions of lives being lost.”

Trump said he’d be willing to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to “get that war ended” as soon as possible.

The president also slammed the European Union’s fines against major tech firms, calling it a “form of taxation,” as he defended the Silicon Valley executives that have gravitated toward his new administration.

Trump has never shown an interest in the social niceties involved in foreign diplomacy, and in his first term he often seemed like an outsider at global gatherings.

But Trump's Thursday speech drew so many spectators that it was nearly standing-room only.

A global electoral backlash against inflation and COVID-era policies led to the rise of more right-wing leaders abroad, some of whom have fashioned themselves after Trump.

Argentinian President Javier Milei on Thursday took aim at the “global hegemony” of left-wing politics.

“What once seemed like a global hegemony of the ‘woke’ left in politics, educational institutions, in the media, in supranational organizations or even in forums like Davos, has begun to crumble,” he said.

TRUMP BOASTS OF FOREIGN INVESTMENTS

Trump on Wednesday spoke with controversial Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, his first official call with a foreign leader since being sworn in for a second term.

Trump announced to the Davos crowd that the Saudi crown prince, whose country has a poor human rights record, pledged $600 billion in investments in the U.S., although Trump said he’d pressure him to “round it out to around $1 trillion.”

RUBIO HEADS TO PANAMA

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will make his first foreign trip to Central America, including a stop in Panama, which could happen next week.

Trump has threatened to reclaim the Panama Canal, accusing the country of treating the U.S. poorly and being too cozy with Russia and China.

THE LATEST WITH TIKTOK

Trump is confident he’ll reach a deal with the Chinese-based owners of TikTok to divest so the social media app can continue to operate in the U.S.

In an interview with Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity, Trump downplayed concerns of Chinese spying through TikTok, arguing that the data they harvest isn’t of critical importance because it’s just “young people watching crazy videos and things.”

Trump signed an executive order giving ByteDance more time to divest from TikTok after Congress passed a bipartisan divest-or-ban bill that former President Biden signed into law.

The bill was driven by national security concerns over Chinese spying and social influence campaigns.

ByteDance board member Bill........

© The Hill