Democrats want Trump to reveal who he's giving security clearances to without background checks

Russell Payne
Fri, January 31, 2025 

Donald Trump; Elon Musk Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images

In the flurry of President Donald Trump’s first two weeks in office, the new administration ordered that an unknown number of people be granted immediate access to top secret classified information. Democrats and other critics are now demanding that the White House disclose the list and details of the people Trump allowed to skip background checks and gain access to the country's most sensitive secrets.

On Jan. 20, Trump ordered White House Counsel David Warrington to provide the White House Security Office a list of personnel to grant immediate Top Secret (TS) and Sensitive Compartmentalized Information (SCI) clearances, proclaiming it “necessary to perform the duties of the office to which they have been hired." That list, he added, could expand "as necessary."

That's an alarming way to go about protecting the nation's secrets, according to Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., ranking member of the House Oversight Committee. In a letter sent Thursday to Warrington and the White House Counsel’s office, Connolly is demanding a list of who exactly the administration is giving clearance to and all records related to what if any background investigations were carried out.

Specifically, with respect to those granted fast-tracked clearances, Connolly is asking for any records of “foreign contacts, conflicts of interest, history of financial impropriety, or have attempted the violent overthrow of the U.S. government."


In the letter, Connolly cites the Trump administration’s historic “disdain for the security clearance process,” noting Trump’s decision to give his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a security clearance despite myriad concerns from the CIA. He also notes Trump's decision to give 25 individuals security clearance despite “concerns about ties to foreign influence, conflicts of interest, questionable or criminal conduct, financial problems, or drug abuse.”

The letter also includes accounts of past embarrassments for the Trump White House, such as when Trump fired Michael Flynn, a former general, “after news reports revealed that he had lied to then-Vice President Mike Pence about conversations Flynn had with the Russian Ambassador.”

“Then-Oversight Chairman Elijah E. Cummings revealed that Flynn had also lied on his security clearance renewal forms about receiving trips from Russian firms and forcing Flynn to invoke his fifth amendment right against self-incrimination to avoid disclosing further wrongdoing,” the letter reads.

Connolly also recounts how Trump “had to fire a personal assistant because he failed to gain a security clearance because of his financial troubles and gambling habit that exposed him to blackmail and coercion.”

“The White House only discovered the issue when then-Chief of Staff John Kelly implemented a more stringent security clearance policy after discovering ‘a couple of spreadsheets worth of people’ working at the White House on interim clearances and at least 35 people who inappropriately held top secret clearances,” Connolly wrote.


While Trump used the backlog of background investigations as justification for his order, Connolly noted that there are already provisions for fast tracking background inventions and even beginning background investigations before the presidential election in the name of a speedy transition.

“However, the Trump-Vance Transition Team’s decision to forego requiring nominees to submit to FBI background checks thus delaying further investigations,” Connolly notes. “A backlog is not a license to compromise our national security now that the Trump Administration is in place.”

A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Some have questioned whether Trump will be granting a full security clearance to billionaire Elon Musk, who currently enjoys a TS clearance but not an SCI. Musk has also been given access to swaths of government data despite despite his connection with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other foreign entanglements.

While The Guardian reported last December that Musk would not receive a security clearance due to some of those entanglements and his reported drug use, Musk's closeness to the president and the potential risks it poses has led to lingering concerns that he will be provided access to top-secret information.

Bradley Moss, an attorney who specializes on national security issues, told Salon that Trump has “made clear that he has no intention of complying with the security clearance vetting process wherever and whenever he deems it a bureaucratic annoyance.”

“His January 20, 2025, order made clear his intention to grant interim security clearances encompassing some of our nation’s most closely guarded secrets to a yet-to-be-identified group of individuals without any vetting beyond President Trump’s personal assessment,” Moss said.

While Moss noted that the Constitution “arguably” grants Trump the authority to bypass background checks, doing so “is a serious risk to national security in that it potentially exposes classified secrets to individuals with all manner of disqualifying personal or professional backgrounds.”

“The security clearance vetting process exists for that very reason, to identify potential risks, determine if they can be mitigated, and if not place the individual into the administrative appeals process by which they can make their case for their eligibility. Tossing the process aside on a whim is foolish, risky, and a national security crisis just waiting to happen,” Moss said.

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Elon Musk’s DOGE Wants Access to the Treasury’s Payment Systems: Report

Nikki McCann Ramirez

Fri, January 31, 2025 at 8:58 AM MST·4 min read

97

Senior Treasury Department official David A. Lebryk is expected to step down from his position as fiscal assistant secretary after more than three decades at the agency. According to The Washington Post, Lebryk’s departure was prompted by a clash with surrogates of billionaire Elon Musk over their attempts to gain access to sensitive department payment systems.

Musk, an unelected barnacle to President Donald Trump, has been installed as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — a rebranded version of the United States Digital Service. Despite lacking congressional approval, DOGE has been tasked by the president with finding ways to slash government spending, bureaucracy, and regulations. DOGE has little legal authority to execute these cuts, and no mandate to meddle with the Treasury, but Musk has been leveraging his entanglement with the president to influence virtually every aspect of Trump’s early administration.

According to the Post, since shortly after the election, Musk’s DOGE team has been requesting access to payment systems under the Bureau of the Fiscal Service that control the distribution of more than $6 trillion in annual funds. Some of the payments that run through the bureau include Social Security and Medicare benefits, tax refunds, and federal salaries.

“This is a mechanical job — they pay Social Security benefits, they pay vendors, whatever. It’s not one where there’s a role for nonmechanical things, at least from the career standpoint. Your whole job is to pay the bills as they’re due,” former senior Treasury official Mark Mazur told the Post. “It’s never been used in a way to execute a partisan agenda,” he said, adding: “You have to really put bad intentions in place for that to be the case.”

Musk and DOGE’s reasoning for seeking access to the digital payment system is not clear. But the world’s richest man, who continues to run his companies while advising the president, has had a heavy hand in Trump’s hard-right takeover of the federal government.

According to a Tuesday report from Wired, Musk has succeeded in placing close allies at the head of the Office of Personnel Management, which recently sent out emails to federal employees encouraging them to resign, offering them months of paid leave in a message similar to the resignation letter sent to Twitter employees after Musk bought the platform. As Rolling Stone reported today, while the administration is pitching the resignation offers as “a nice vacation,” the government could still force the employees to work.

It’s not yet clear why Musk and DOGE are seeking direct access to the Treasury Department’s payment system, but according to the Post, the resignation of Lebryk — a career employee long seen as a nonpartisan actor — is expected to send shockwaves through the department should he step down.

If his social media posts are to be believed, Musk is getting a thrill out of exerting his newfound power over the government, but some of Trump’s inner circle are frustrated with what they see as abuses of his proximity to the president.

According to a report from Politico last week, White House staffers were livid after Musk publicly bashed a $500 billion artificial intelligence investment announced by Trump earlier this month.

“It’s clear he has abused the proximity to the president,” one Trump ally told Politico. “The problem is the president doesn’t have any leverage over him and Elon gives zero fucks.”

When asked about Musk’s criticism of the deal, the president dismissed it as a personal dispute between the Tesla billionaire and another investor, likely OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman.

“The government’s not putting up anything. [The investors are] putting up money. They’re very rich people, so I hope they do,” Trump said. “And, I mean, Elon doesn’t like one of those people.”

Trump administration seeks access to database of immigrant minors, Washington Post reports

Reuters
Fri, January 31, 2025

Different agencies conduct border security training exercise at Anzalduas Park, in Mission

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is seeking to grant U.S. immigration officers access to a database that contains information on immigrant minors who crossed into the United States without their parents, the Washington Post quoted White House border czar Tom Homan as saying on Friday.

While noting that the information would mainly be used to ensure the children were safe, Homan said he would not rule out the use of the data for enforcement purposes in the future.

"This is about finding the kids. The data won’t be used for enforcement work," Homan said in an interview with the newspaper.

During U.S. President Donald Trump's first administration, the Office of Refugee Resettlement began to share identifying information about unaccompanied migrant minors and their potential sponsors with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for use for arrest and deportation. The policy was later stopped by Congress.

The ORR at the Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for unaccompanied migrant children who enter the U.S. The ORR identifies and screens potential sponsors for children, according to the agency, which said most sponsors are a parent or close family members living in the U.S.

Approximately 64% of the unaccompanied migrant children referred to ORR in fiscal year 2024 were over 14 years old, according to the agency's website.

Homan could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)

Trump diversity order hits federal workers in non-DEI jobs, Washington Post says

Reuters
Sat, February 1, 2025

Annual LGBTQ+ Capital Pride parade in Washington


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Dozens of U.S. government workers linked to diversity initiatives but whose jobs are not directly related to diversity, equity and inclusion have been placed on leave after President Donald Trump ordered the elimination of DEI positions, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.

The Post said its findings suggest some federal agencies may be using the order by Trump, a Republican, to broadly target "people who have expressed interest or participated in programs related to" DEI.

The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

DEI programs seek to promote opportunities for women, ethnic minorities, LGBT people and other traditionally underrepresented groups. Civil rights advocates argue such programs, generally backed by Democrats, are needed to address longstanding inequities and structural racism.

At least 50 employees at the Education Department who were involved in initiatives such as diversity training or an affinity group were affected, even though "almost none of them worked in jobs directly related to DEI," the newspaper reported.

It identified similar occurrences at the Energy Department and the Office of Personnel Management, affecting around a dozen other federal workers.

Trump last week signed an order calling for the elimination of government diversity programs, including the ending of all federal offices and jobs related to DEI and put all federal DEI office staff on paid leave as their offices face closure.

(Reporting by John Kruzel; Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by William Mallard)

What is DEI? More on the initiative, what companies rolled back DEI, Trump DEI order

Mariyam Muhammad, Columbus Dispatch
Fri, January 31, 2025 


Diversity, equity and inclusion programs, commonly referred to as DEI, have been discussed frequently in recent years. You may have heard of it at the school you attend, your place of work or an organization you're part of.

Here's a quick look at what DEI is.

What is DEI?

DEI stands for diversity, equity and inclusion. It refers to programs that ensure people from different backgrounds, cultures, identities, and experiences feel accepted in their environments, whether at school, work, or other organizations.

In its 2021-23 DEI plan, Ohio's Department of Development defined DEI like this:

Diversity: The condition of having or being composed of differing elements; variety; human variety of experiences, identities, and perspectives that our employees bring to state employment.


Inclusion: To take in or comprise as a part of a whole or group; the practice of understanding and applying diversity to improve work culture and influence the way we serve Ohioans.


Equality: The state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunity; fairness; the right of and access to resources to achieve the outcome of equality.

Many organizations, including businesses and schools, adopted DEI standards and guidance over the last several decades to ensure people of all backgrounds feel welcome and accepted, and to support success for traditionally underrepresented groups.

According to Ohio State University's Office of Diversity, research has shown that DEI programs, when nurtured kindly, encourage behaviors such as:

Critical thinking.


Reducing harmful stereotypes.


Strengthening the ability to communicate.


Working and playing across lines of identity and difference.
Some companies have scaled back on DEI recently

President Donald Trump announced the end of government DEI programs in an executive order. Since and before then, many large companies scaled back their DEI policies. According to Time Magazine, some of those companies include:


Target.


Amazon.


Walmart.


Meta.


McDonald's.


Harley-Davidson.


Lowe's.


Ford.


John Deere.


Tractor Supply.


Brown-Forman.
What companies are keeping their DEI programs?

Even with President Trump's executive order to end DEI programs, companies still have the choice to continue with their DEI initiatives. Companies that remain committed to their DEI programs include:

Apple.


Costco.


Ben & Jerry’s.


E.l.f Beauty.


JP Morgan.
Trump includes DEI comments when discussing Washington, D.C., plane crash

During a press conference on Thursday, President Donald Trump criticized DEI programs implemented by the Obama and Biden administrations in relation to the deadly Washington plane crash.

Trump argued that diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in hiring lowered the standards for air traffic controllers without providing evidence of this claim.

Trump also said the Army helicopter pilot should have seen the approaching American Airlines flight and avoided it, according to a report by USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch

‘The new n-word’: Trump’s purge of DEI programs incenses Black leaders in South Florida

Raisa Habersham
Sat, February 1, 2025 

In his first two weeks as president, Donald Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders, some aimed at rolling back civil rights advancements and purging the federal government of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, more commonly known as DEI.

“The Biden Administration forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs, going by the name ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI), into virtually all aspects of the Federal Government, in areas ranging from airline safety to the military,” Trump’s Jan. 20 Executive Order states.

Trump and his supporters have thrown the three letters around pejoratively—from calling Kamala Harris a “DEI candidate,” to blaming the ship that crashed into the Baltimore Bridge and the Los Angeles wildfires on DEI hiring practices that somehow put unqualified individuals in places of authority. Just this week, he blamed DEI for a deadly plane crash in Washington, D.C.

When asked how he could blame the crash on DEI without a full investigation being complete, Trump replied, “Because I have common sense.”


As Black History Month begins, the onslaught of reversals to hard-won gains has some Black leaders in South Florida frustrated. Some consider that DEI has become a scapegoat and a way to insinuate that Black and brown people were given jobs based solely on their race, usurping a more qualified white person. Trump’s executive actions signal he is ready to dismantle civil rights policies put in place to ensure that workplaces were more reflective of the country’s diverse population.

“There’s no need to sugarcoat it: DEI is the new n-word, and they’re using it to discredit the qualifications of people who are more qualified than individuals who have no qualifications at all,” Florida State Senator Shevrin Jones told the Miami Herald.

Jones said in many ways Florida was ground zero for what we’re seeing at the federal level.

Shevrin Jones, Miami-Dade DEC Chair and State Senator, speaks during the Blue Gala hosted by the Miami-Dade Democratic Party at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Florida on Saturday, September 21, 2024.

Diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI as it is more commonly called, is a framework created to treat all groups equitably. But its ideology in more recent years has been subject to scrutiny as it pertains to gender and racial groups. The effect has been seen statewide when in 2022, Florida enacted its “Stop Woke” Act, limiting how race-related issues are taught in public universities, colleges and in workplace training.

Roni Bennett, founder of nonprofit South Florida People of Color, which is dedicated to empowering diverse voices in the region through educational programming, explains DEI programs are all-encompassing, and can include providing opportunities and support to people with disabilities, people who are economically disenfranchised, people who practice different religions.


South Florida People of Color founder Roni Bennett speaks to the Miami Herald at her home on Friday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Miami, Fla.

The irony, she says, is that white people, specifically white women, tended to benefit the most from DEI programs and often work in administrative positions in DEI programming.

Because Black people were at the forefront of the civil rights movement, there is a misconception that DEI and affirmative action was meant only for their benefit, Bennett says.

Miami-Dade County School Board member Steve Gallon III

Miami-Dade County School Board member Steve Gallon III echoed Bennett’s sentiments and cautioned against equating the term “DEI” with “Black people,” noting that they are not the sole, or even the main, beneficiaries of DEI.

“It is factually inaccurate if not maliciously misleading to suggest or even intimate that diversity, equity and inclusion is about Black people,” he said. “It is also both ignorant and ludicrous to assert that diversity and merit do not coexist.”

RELATED: Miami-Dade schools brace for potential immigration stings. Here’s what you need to know

Like Gallon, Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson was quick to point out that Trump’s comments and executive orders are harmful to his base, which includes poor white Americans.

“Every member of Congress has constituents who are affected by his words and his deeds,” she said, adding that some of the poorest districts are represented by Republicans.

“So as he proceeds through his sickening announcements, he has to be aware that he is not hurting Democratic families as much as he’s hurting Republican families and he’s hurting white women more than he’s hurting Black people.”

Congresswoman Frederica Wilson

Bennett noted Trump’s rhetoric around civil rights has taken many forms: the criticism of critical race theory, mocking the term “woke,” and now turning DEI into a pejorative. Like Jones, she called DEI “the new n-word.”

“It’s always something,” she said, adding that it’s important for Black people concerned about what’s happening at the federal level to lean into community. “We need to get together as a community,” she said, “So when it burns, we can probably put something else in place that works for everyone.”

“There’s very little we can do with legislation,” Jones said, adding that Republicans have a majority in the state legislature. “But it doesn’t mean that there’s nothing we can do through advocacy and organizing. We’re at a point in history now where the gloves are off and the only way that we’re going to be able to fight this is with truth, no scapegoating.”

JPMorgan’s $4bn delivery of gold bullion adds to fears Trump’s tariffs will reshape global trade

Edward Helmore
Sat 1 February 2025 
THE GUARDIAN

The Charging Bull on Wall Street in New York City on 16 January 2019.Photograph: Carlo Allegri/Reuters

US banking giant JPMorgan plans to deliver $4bn of gold bullion weighing more than 937 tons to New York this month, before an anticipated escalation of Donald Trump’s trade-rebalancing tariff moves planned for Saturday.

The US bank, the world’s biggest bullion dealer, said it would deliver the hefty raw material, weighed as 30m troy ounces of gold, or 1.875m lbs, against contracts that will expire in February.

The delivery comes as the price of gold has surged to $2,813 per ounce, and the delivery notices are the second largest ever in bourse data going back to 1994, according to Bloomberg.

The outlet has also reported that tariff-war fears have made it profitable to fly silver into the US – a commodity that typically is transported by ship because it is considered too cheap and bulky to justify the costs.


The gold shipment is just one of a series of signals that Trump’s tariff threats are reshaping global trade, which many fear could exacerbate inflation in the US and test the patience of allies.

Trump is expected to move ahead with plans on Saturday to impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada and a 10% levy on China. The three countries account for almost half of the total volume of US imports. The US president has hinted at a reprieve for Mexico and Canada if they move against undocumented immigrants and illegal drugs coming across their borders into the US.

Before an expected press conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday, Trump said he planned to impose new tariffs on imports of computer chips, pharmaceuticals, steel, aluminum, copper, oil and gas as soon as mid-February.

“That’ll happen fairly soon,” he told reporters in the Oval Office, saying he also wants to hike tariffs on the European Union, which has “treated us so horribly”. Trump didn’t specify the European behaviors or actions he was referring to, but the tariff threats are a part of a pressure package on Europe to increase domestic defense spending.

On Friday, Trump dismissed concerns that increased US import tariffs could increase domestic US inflation and disrupt global supply chains. Trump said “there could be some temporary, short-term disruption and people will understand that”.

“The tariffs are going to make us very rich and very strong,” he added.

US industries, including the oil and auto sectors, have lobbied the new administration for tariff exemptions, while Canada and Mexico have prepared a list of retaliatory measures to hit US products.

Trump has repeatedly said “tariff” is among his favorite words and sees import duties as a way to finance the extension of his first-term tax cuts that are due to expire in 2026.

The non-partisan congressional budget office has put the cost of extending the 2017 tax cuts at $4.6tn over 10 years, and a 25% tariff on the more than $900bn in annual imports from Canada and Mexico would raise roughly $225bn annually or $2.3tn over a decade if they had no impact on trade, according to Bloomberg.

On Friday, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, dismissed a report that Trump might delay the Mexico, Canada and China tariffs, just as a threatened tariff war with Colombia over the country’s acceptance of US immigrant deportation flights escalated and diminished over the space of several hours last weekend.

“I saw that report, and it is false,” Leavitt told reporters. “I was just with the president in the Oval Office.”

Wall Street Journal slams Trump’s tariff plans: ‘The dumbest trade war in history’

Ashleigh Fields
Sat 1 February 2025 

The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board published a punchy Saturday op-ed listing all the failed reasons for President Trump’s tariff plan, citing a declining trend in trade and manufacturing culpability following signed sanctions.

Trump on Saturday imposed significant tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, fueling a potential trade war.

“Tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China are SIGNED!” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields posted on X. “This bold move holds these countries accountable for stopping illegal immigration and the flow of dangerous drugs like fentanyl.”

“Leaving China aside, Mr. Trump’s justification for this economic assault on the neighbors makes no sense,” the board wrote.


Writers challenged the idea that exorbitant pricing for imports and exports would urge neighboring governments to stem the flow of illicit drugs.

“White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says they’ve ‘enabled illegal drugs to pour into America. But drugs have flowed into the U.S. for decades, and will continue to do so as long as Americans keep using them,” read the Wall Street Journal op-ed.

“Neither country can stop it.”

The board denied the notion that increasing the cost of business deals between borders would lead to a fulfilling economy.

“Mr. Trump sometimes sounds as if the U.S. shouldn’t import anything at all, that America can be a perfectly closed economy making everything at home. This is called autarky, and it isn’t the world we live in, or one that we should want to live in, as Mr. Trump may soon find out,” they outlined.


“Take the U.S. auto industry, which is really a North American industry because supply chains in the three countries are highly integrated. In 2024 Canada supplied almost 13% of U.S. imports of auto parts and Mexico nearly 42%. Industry experts say a vehicle made on the continent goes back and forth across borders a half dozen times or more, as companies source components and add value in the most cost-effective ways,” they added.

“And everyone benefits.”

The board alleged that the car industry, farm goods and oil would suffer from the president’s new policies.

“None of this is supposed to happen under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement that Mr. Trump negotiated and signed in his first term. The U.S. willingness to ignore its treaty obligations, even with friends, won’t make other countries eager to do deals,” they wrote.

“Maybe Mr. Trump will claim victory and pull back if he wins some token concessions. But if a North American trade war persists, it will qualify as one of the dumbest in history.”


Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

FLIMSY EXCUSE FOR A TRADE WAR!

White House to impose tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China due to ‘invasion of illegal fentanyl’

WTF!  FENTANYL COMES INTO CANADA FROM THE U$A

Diana Stancy

FOX NEWS
Updated Fri, January 31, 2025

White House to impose tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China due to ‘invasion of illegal fentanyl’


President Donald Trump isn't worried about American consumers taking a hit after unveiling new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, and said the tariffs will ensure that other countries treat the U.S. "fairly."

"There may be temporary, short-term disruption, and people will understand that," Trump told reporters Friday in the Oval Office.

Trump also signaled that he also may increase tariffs for European Union countries, and said that the tariffs would make the U.S. "very rich and very strong."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced earlier Friday that Trump would roll out tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China starting Saturday.


Trump’s economic plan during his campaign called for extending the 2017 tax cuts and imposing tariffs ranging from 10% to 20% on all imported goods. For countries like China, that number could go up to 60%.

Trump Treasury Pick: Extending Trump Tax Cuts ‘Single Most Important Economic Issue’

Read On The Fox News App

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt holds her first news conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

These countries will face these tariffs because they have allowed an "unprecedented invasion of illegal fentanyl that is killing American citizens," according to Leavitt.

"The president will be implementing tomorrow a 25% tariff on Mexico, 25% tariffs on Canada, and a 10% tariff on China for the illegal fentanyl they have sourced and allowed to distribute into our country, which has killed tens of millions of Americans," Leavitt told reporters on Friday at a White House press briefing. "These are promises made and promises kept."


Canada Readies Trump Tariffs Response: 'In A Trade War, There Are No Winners'

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that Canada was prepared to respond to any U.S. tariffs.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that Canada was prepared to respond to any tariffs executed, and warned there could be "disastrous consequences" for American workers and consumers.

"We’re ready with a response, a purposeful, forceful but reasonable, immediate response," Trudeau said. "It’s not what we want, but if he moves forward, we will also act."

Meanwhile, Leavitt said that the tariffs are not expected to spark a trade war with Canada and that Trump would respond to Trudeau in "due time."

"The president is intent on doing this," Leavitt said. "And I think Justin Trudeau would be wise to talk to President Trump directly before pushing outlandish comments like that to the media."


When asked if Mexico, Canada or China could offer any concessions to remove these new tariffs, Leavitt said Trump would decide at a later date.

"If the president at any time decides to roll back those tariffs, I'll leave it to him to make that decision," Leavitt said. "The president is intent on ensuring that he effectively implements tariffs while cutting inflation costs for the American people."

Leavitt also said that Trump hadn't determined a timeline for additional tariffs on European Union countries, and said she wouldn't "get ahead" of Trump on that matter.

But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he's concerned that the tariffs will only mean cost increases for American consumers.

"We should be focused on going hard against competitors who rig the game, like China, rather than attacking our allies," Schumer said in a statement Friday. "If these tariffs go into full effect, they will raise prices for everything from groceries, to cars, to gas, making it even harder for middle-class families to just get by."


House Dems Threaten To Block Trump's Big Tariff Plans: ‘Unacceptable’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump will execute tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China starting Saturday.

House Republicans moved to reintroduce the U.S. Reciprocal Trade Act on Jan. 24, a measure that would permit Trump to unilaterally impose trade taxes on both adversaries and allies.

Trump previously praised the measure in 2019, claiming it would "give our workers a fair and level playing field against other countries."

Meanwhile, Democratic Reps. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., and Don Beyer, D-Va., also introduced their own legislation in January that would block Trump from using emergency powers to implement tariffs, amid concerns that American consumers would end up footing the bill.

"The American people have clearly and consistently said that the high cost of living is one of their top concerns," DelBene said in a statement on Jan. 15. "Not only would widespread tariffs drive up costs at home and likely send our economy into recession, but they would likely lead to significant retaliation, hurting American workers, farmers, and businesses."

The Associated Press and Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Trudeau Tells Trump: Your Tariff War Will Shut American Factories

Hugh Dougherty
Sat 1 February 2025 

Patrick Doyle / REUTERS


Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau launched a broadside at Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs late Saturday, telling him they will cost American jobs—and revealing that the new president is refusing to take his calls.

The northern neighbor’s leader scoffed at Trump’s claim that he was acting because of fentanyl crossing the border, announced his own 25% tariffs, and warned Canada has “leverage” including its vast mineral resources and oil industry.

Speaking hours after the Star-Spangled Banner was booed at a hockey game in Ottawa, Trudeau spelled out an aggressive response of his own to go toe-to-toe with Trump on the sudden trade sanctions. At almost exactly the same time, Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum imposed retaliatory tariffs to match Trump’s on her country—meaning America, for the first time in history, is in a trade war with its northern and southern neighbors.

Trudeau, who went toe-to-toe with Trump repeatedly during his first term, had gone to Mar-a-Lago in November but now says they haven's spoken since Trump took office. / Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

Trump had signed an executive order putting 25% on almost all imports and 10% on energy earlier on Saturday afternoon, claiming that Canada was letting drugs and illegal immigrant crossing the border. The same tariffs apply to Mexico but not to China. Even the mention of the tariffs on Friday had caused a market sell-off, leading to fears of a stock market plunge on Monday.

But Trudeau said he wanted to speak directly to Americans and said, “Tariffs against Canada will put your jobs at risk, potentially shutting down American auto assembly and other manufacturing facilities. They will raise costs for you, including food at the grocery store and gas at the pump.”

He added, “Americans need our oil and gas, they need our car parts, they need our agricultural products,” he said bluntly. “There are many things which Canada produces which we sell to America which they depend upon for their economy. The tariffs on 25% of everything that Canada produces will hurt Americans, including consumers.

“It will be a big challenge for, for example, for the car industry. We will be there to encourage Americans to go back on these tariffs. We do not want to be in this situation, to be clear—this is the choice of America."

He added: “The coming weeks will be difficult for Canadians. The coming weeks will be difficult for Americans. We don’t want to be here. We didn’t ask for this. But we won’t back down.”

Trudeau said he had been trying to speak to Trump “since the inauguration” and said, “I hope to speak to him soon.” The Canadian prime minister—who is essentially acting in the job after saying he was waiting for his party to replace him with a new leader—had gone to Mar-a-Lago in November, only for Trump to mock that he wanted to make the country the 51st state and troll Trudeau as “Governor Trudeau.”

Trudeau tried to thread a needle to suggest that Trump was acting without American support, saying, “I think Canadians are a little perplexed as to why our closest friends and neighbors are choosing to target us. I don’t think there’s a lot of Americans waking up in the morning thinking ‘damn Canada, let’s go after Canada.‘”

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum is also taking tit-for-tat measures on American imports, putting Trump in a trade war on two borders. / Henry Romero / REUTERS

The move to tariff American imports to Canada on a tit-for-tat basis, with an emphasis on products from red states such as bourbon, will hit $155 billion of U.S. goods, a significant blow to American exporters. But it is the impact for American consumers and workers which is Canada’s most potent tool: Trump was elected on the back of anger at persistent inflation, but now risks significant price increases on consumer goods across the board.

And the American motor manufacturing industry, especially in Michigan, where Trump flipped the state Republican, is highly integrated with Canada’s, relying on it for key parts. The prospect of factories jacking up prices or running out of parts would be a significant crisis for Trump.

Mexico has its own weapons, including guacamole: avocados will almost certainly go up in price by as much as 25% days before the Super Bowl.

Up next

Justin Trudeau announces 25% retaliatory tariffs on US goods after Trump's tariffs hit Canada

Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert

Updated Sat 1 February 2025 at 8:59 pm GMT-7·3-min read

Justin Trudeau announces 25% retaliatory tariffs on US goods after Trump's tariffs hit Canada

• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday announced retaliatory tariffs against the US.

• Canada will impose a 25% tariff on US goods, some effective Tuesday and others in 3 weeks.

• The tariffs came after Donald Trump implemented 25% tariffs on Canadian goods imported to the US.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday announced retaliatory tariffs against the US in response to President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian imports, which were implemented earlier in the day.

"Tonight, I am announcing Canada will be responding to the US trade action with 25% tariffs against 155 billion dollars worth of American goods," Trudeau said during a press conference. "This will include immediate tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods as of Tuesday, followed by further tariffs on $125 billion worth of American products in 21 day's time to allow Canadian companies and supply chains to seek to find alternatives."

Trudeau said the tariffs will apply to everyday items shipped from the US to Canada, including alcohol, fruits, clothing, and shoes, as well as major consumer products like household appliances and furniture, and materials like lumber and plastics.

"And as part of our response, we are considering with the provinces and territories several non-tariff measures, including some relating to critical minerals, energy procurement and other partnerships," Trudeau said.

Canada's retaliatory measures come after Trump made good on an oft-repeated campaign pledge, implementing 25% tariffs on Canadian goods imported to the US in what he described as an effort to curb the fentanyl crisis.

A 2022 report by a congressional commission on combatting synthetic opioids found Canada is not a major source of fentanyl or other synthetic opioids to the United States.

Trudeau, who earlier this month announced his resignation as leader of Canada's Liberal Party, said during the Saturday press conference that he had not spoken to Trump since his inauguration on January 20 but pledged to remain available for negotiations over the countries' trade relations.

"If President Trump wants to usher in a new golden age for the United States, the better path is to partner with Canada, not to punish us," Trudeau said. "Canada has critical minerals, reliable and affordable energy, stable democratic institutions, shared values, and the natural resources you need. Canada has the ingredients necessary to build a booming and secure partnership for the North American economy, and we stand at the ready to work together."

Representatives for the Trump administration and Trudeau's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Late Saturday, in response to Trump's trade moves against the country, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also announced retaliatory 25% tariffs on imported US goods, per Reuters.

BI previously reported economists predict the Chinese government will respond similarly, with retaliatory tariffs, limiting exports of raw materials used for semiconductor production, or other changes to its trade policies to squeeze the US economy.

Read the original article on 

Justin Trudeau announces 25% retaliatory tariffs on US goods after Trump's tariffs hit Canada

Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert
Updated Sat 1 February 2025


Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday announced retaliatory tariffs against the US.


Canada will impose a 25% tariff on US goods, some effective Tuesday and others in 3 weeks.


The tariffs came after Donald Trump implemented 25% tariffs on Canadian goods imported to the US.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday announced retaliatory tariffs against the US in response to President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian imports, which were implemented earlier in the day.

"Tonight, I am announcing Canada will be responding to the US trade action with 25% tariffs against 155 billion dollars worth of American goods," Trudeau said during a press conference. "This will include immediate tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods as of Tuesday, followed by further tariffs on $125 billion worth of American products in 21 day's time to allow Canadian companies and supply chains to seek to find alternatives."

Trudeau said the tariffs will apply to everyday items shipped from the US to Canada, including alcohol, fruits, clothing, and shoes, as well as major consumer products like household appliances and furniture, and materials like lumber and plastics.


"And as part of our response, we are considering with the provinces and territories several non-tariff measures, including some relating to critical minerals, energy procurement and other partnerships," Trudeau said.

Canada's retaliatory measures come after Trump made good on an oft-repeated campaign pledge, implementing 25% tariffs on Canadian goods imported to the US in what he described as an effort to curb the fentanyl crisis.

A 2022 report by a congressional commission on combatting synthetic opioids found Canada is not a major source of fentanyl or other synthetic opioids to the United States.

Trudeau, who earlier this month announced his resignation as leader of Canada's Liberal Party, said during the Saturday press conference that he had not spoken to Trump since his inauguration on January 20 but pledged to remain available for negotiations over the countries' trade relations.

"If President Trump wants to usher in a new golden age for the United States, the better path is to partner with Canada, not to punish us," Trudeau said. "Canada has critical minerals, reliable and affordable energy, stable democratic institutions, shared values, and the natural resources you need. Canada has the ingredients necessary to build a booming and secure partnership for the North American economy, and we stand at the ready to work together."

Representatives for the Trump administration and Trudeau's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Late Saturday, in response to Trump's trade moves against the country, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also announced retaliatory 25% tariffs on imported US goods, per Reuters.

BI previously reported economists predict the Chinese government will respond similarly, with retaliatory tariffs, limiting exports of raw materials used for semiconductor production, or other changes to its trade policies to squeeze the US economy.

Business Insider

Replacing Quebec products 'not possible' for U.S., Premier  Legault says

CBC
Fri, January 31, 2025 


Quebec Premier François Legault toured an aluminum plant in Sept-Îles on Thursday. (Renaud Chicoine-McKenzie/Radio-Canada - image credit)

Quebec Premier François Legault is warning Americans they will pay the price if President Donald Trump goes ahead with 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian exports — particularly the province's aluminum.

Trump said Thursday he would impose tariffs as soon as Saturday, though his administration has not provided details and it remains unclear which sectors could be affected.

Three people familiar with the planning told Reuters on Friday that date was pushed back to March 1, though the White House disputed that report.

The Wall Street Journal reported the tariffs could be more targeted, focusing on sectors such as steel and aluminum.


Aluminum is the second largest sector in Quebec after aerospace, representing 10 per cent of the province's export market.

Legault toured an aluminum plant Thursday in Sept-Îles in an attempt to reassure workers that he will keep fighting for their jobs.

"If Mr. Trump's goal is to replace products made in Quebec, that's not possible," Legault said.

"He'll have to import aluminum from other countries. In any case, this means a significant increase in the prices paid by American buyers."

Tariffs were levied on steel and aluminum the last time Trump was in office. In 2018, he put a 25 per cent surtax on steel imports and a 10 per cent surtax on aluminum imports. The measures were lifted the following year.

This time around, Trump has threatened to impose tariffs across the economy.


The United States is by far Quebec's biggest trading partner. In 2023, the province exported just over $87 billion in goods to the U.S., according to the Institut de la statistique du Québec.

Legault has tried to make the case before that the tariffs would hurt American consumers.

In an op-ed in the U.S. publication The Hill earlier this month, he said the levies would hurt "the American economy, many of its businesses and especially ordinary Americans by causing a new inflationary surge."

'We are very integrated'

Véronique Proulx, head of the Quebec Federation of Chambers of Commerce, recently met with business leaders in the United States, and said Quebec and Canada need to be ready to respond.

Those responses could include retaliatory tariffs on American imports, assistance to Canadian businesses and removing interprovincial trade barriers that hamper shipments between provinces.

"We — the Quebec and Canadian government — need to look at the levers that they do have in hand," she said.

Aluminerie Alouette, a plant in Sept-Îles.

A view inside Aluminerie Alouette in Sept-Îles. Aluminum is the second largest sector in Quebec after aerospace, representing 10 per cent of the province's export market. (Alban Normandin/Radio-Canada)

Gilles Pelletier, head of the Quebec Furniture Manufacturers Association, said his industry will need to turn toward the market within Canada if the tariffs go into effect.

But he said that would be a challenge, given that the United States accounts for a third of the sector's business and New York is far closer to Quebec than western Canada.

"We are very integrated," he said.