Aside from some nice photos and a commitment to buy 200 planes, it doesn’t seem like President Xi gave Trump anything after his blockbuster trip to China. And on the way home, Trump was quick to anger. Here’s everything you need to know
Donald Trump has been having a great time in China, seeing what it’s like being a dictator, maybe picking up some tips.
But aside from that and a commitment to buy 200 planes from Boeing, it doesn’t seem like Trump managed to get very much out of it. He’s always in his element on trips like this – getting treated to military displays, crowds of children cheering for him, opulent luxury. The kind of things that make him think the dictator lifestyle might be the one for him. But reading between the lines, it seems like he walked back up the red carpet to Air Force one with little beyond a few very pretty photo-ops. So with reporters asking him all sorts of questions about what was agreed, and him having to sort of shrug at each question in turn, it’s hardly surprising he was quite quick to anger on the flight home.
Meanwhile in Trumpworld
- Trump’s China trip falls flat
- He unloads on the BBC…again
- And accuses the New York Times of treason
- He thinks Keir Starmer is in “trouble”
- He could get $1.7 billion unaccountable slush fund in IRS settlement
- His mad statue garden idea is back
- And someone really has it in for Kash Patel…
Here’s what you need to know
1. China trip falls flat
Trump claimed the US had made “great, great deals” with China, but could only name one – a commitment to ordering 200 aeroplanes from Boeing.
Tariffs weren’t discussed, Trump said on Air Force One after leaving the summit. While Trump said the pair discussed Taiwan “a lot”, he said there had been no change to American policy over the island.
And there’s no sign of political prisoner Jimmy Lai being released, with Trump shrugging and saying “It’s a tougher one”
He was very cagey about what was discussed on Taiwan – and didn’t give the impression that he’d been super paying attention to the conversation. But he did hint that the $11 billion arms deal to the island that he approved in December …might not be approved any more.
After Trump’s departure, China said the two leaders had agreed to a new vision for dealing with their relationship issues: “a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability.” The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the framework would shape ties for at least three years – the rest of Trump’s term – and would focus on cooperation, competition within proper limits, and managing differences.
2. Trump unloads on the BBC…again
a question from the BBC about an incident at the beginning of the Iran war, where a US strike reportedly hit a school killing 110 children, appeared to irritate Trump.
After saying the incident was still under investigation, Trump asked: “Who are you with?” Told the reporter was from the BBC, Trump snapped back: “Fake BBC.” “You mean the ones that put AI in my mouth?” He said. “The ones that gave me that made had me saying a statement that they now admit was not true. The ones that put terrible words in my mouth and then had to admit that it was fake. The ones that are being sued now for $5 billion and don’t know what to do? You’re with BBC. They’re another fake outfit.” Trump’s accusations against the BBC are, of course, not true. While the BBC has apologised for how clips of his January 6th speech was edited for a Panorama programme, there is no suggestion AI was used to put words in his mouth. The clips used by the BBC in the programme were all of things Trump actually said.
3. And he accused the New York Times of committing treason
Trump also accused a New York Times reporter of “treason” over the paper’s coverage of the Iran War. The Times’s David Sanger noted bombings had carried on for 38 days in Iran without achieving regime change. “I had a total military victory,” Trump shot back. “But the fake news, guys like you, write incorrectly. You’re a fake guy. We had a total military victory. I actually think it’s sort of treasonous what you write. You should be ashamed of yourself. I actually think it’s treason.””
4. Trump says Starmer is “in trouble”
Trump also had terse words for Keir Starmer, whom he said was in “a lot of trouble.” But Trump did not appear aware of the moves towards a leadership contest in the UK, instead returning to his usual criticism of Starmer over immigration, oil drilling and the use of wind energy. Asked if Starmer could survive as PM, Trump said: “It’s a tough thing. Unless he can straighten out immigration where he’s weak and uh if he doesn’t start drilling and stop with the windmills all over the place and are causing havoc. They’re causing havoc. Most expensive form of energy. They kill the birds. They’re unsightly. They’re ruining the landscape. If he doesn’t stop with the windmills, he’s got to do energy. Got to he’s got to open up the North Sea.” Trump’s vendetta against wind energy dates back to a court battle in the early 2000s against the Scottish Government, over plans for a wind farm off the coast of Aberdeenshire that is now visible from his Trump International golf resort.
5. Trump could get $1.7 billion unaccountable ‘slush fund’ in IRS settlement
Earlier this year Donald Trump decided to sue the IRS – that’s America’s equivalent of HMRC, the taxman.
Why? Because he was angry over the leaks of some of his tax returns during his first term as President. This all came after years of Trump refusing to publish his tax records – something American political candidates routinely do – and falsely claiming he couldn’t because he was being audited. The guy who leaked them to the press was sentenced to five years in prison last January, just before Trump returned to office – but that wasn’t enough.
He sued the IRS for TEN BILLION DOLLARS – which is about ten times their operating budget. It’s a nonsensical amount of money.
It’s also weird because as President, Donald Trump is in charge of the IRS. He was also in office when the original leaks happened. So he’s effectively suing himself. And if he wins, he’ll be able to siphon billions of dollars from American taxpayers and …give it to himself.
The judge in the case appears to have noticed this bizarre turn of events, and has started pointedly asking: “Hang on…are sure you’re really on opposite sides of this issue?”
It looks increasingly like the judge is going to throw this nonsense case out when it returns to court this week.
Which makes it extra weird that the IRS, represented by the Justice Department, is reportedly talking to the White House about settling the case out of court.
And before you say “wait what? You mean a government department has just decided to give Donald Trump a Dr Evil amount of cash for no reason?” – just wait until you hear the proposed terms attached to the settlement.
The New York Times reported the other day that there could be a clause attached that banned the IRS from investigating Trump’s taxes, or those of his family and businesses. Which is great when you’re talking about President Crypto and his family of grifters.
The other idea, reported by ABC News last night is even more astonishing. They’ve suggested a £1.7 billion fund be set up to …pay out compensation to allies of Trump who were “wronged” under the Biden administration. And that includes the January 6th rioters he pardoned when her returned to office.
The fund would be controlled by a commission appointed by Trump, which would have no obligation to disclose its procedures or decision making process. And while they’d be barred from paying cash to Trump directly, they would be fine to give cash to entities related to him, like his businesses or family members.
This looks awfully like a variation on a ‘slush fund’, used to pay for illicit activities. It’s like Watergate, except instead of using it to pay crooks to play dirty tricks against his political opponents, he would use it to pay people who were convicted of trying to overthrow the government in a violent coup. At least Nixon had the good sense to try and cover it up.
6. Trump is back on his mad statue garden idea
Since 2020, Trump has been trying to get a garden built with 250 statues depicting notable Americans. It was his way of addressing conservative grievances sparked by protesters and states removing statues of slave owners and civil war traitors at the time.
He originally wanted to build it in South Dakota, for some reason – but now he’s set his sights on somewhere a bit closer to home: West Potomac Park in Washington DC. About 10 minutes walk from the White House.
The initial list, which included evangelical leader Billy Graham, 19th-century politician Henry Clay, frontiersman Davy Crockett, first lady Dolley Madison and conservative Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, was described by James Grossman of the American Historical Association as varying from “odd to probably inappropriate to provocative”.
The list has since been expanded to include Frank Sinatra, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Woody Guthrie and Dr Seuss.
The location is going to create some hurdles. The area is one of the most tightly controlled areas of the District of Columbia. It would theoretically require congressional approval to build anything there. And any statues would be subject to the Commemorative Works Act, which states monuments can’t be raised to anyone in the area until they’ve been dead for 25 years.
That would be an issue for the most recent version of Trump’s list, which includes a lot of people – including Whitney Houston, basketball legend Kobe Bryant and former Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia – who died much more recently than that.
And despite the President declaring it a “a totally BARREN field of Prime Waterfront Real Estate,” on Truth Social last week, it and the surrounding area are frequently used by young people and local teams to play baseball and other sports.
7. Someone really has it in for Kash Patel…
Kash Patel, the most hilarious FBI director since William Sessions (Look him up) – has had a pretty rough week while Trump has been in China.
He’d already been hit with allegations about drinking – which he denies. Then there was the thing about him giving out personalised whisky bottles to friends and colleagues, which he can’t deny, because some of them ended up on eBay.
Then there was the unedifying exchange that took place at a Senate committee this week where he told egregious lies about a man the Trump administration accidentally deported to a torture prison.
And now, on top of the whisky bottles and the lying to congress, the Patel pile-ons have somehow continued. There was a story about Patel juicing the FBI’s arrest figures – and coincidentally adding people to the famous most wanted list days or even hours before they were arrested, which allowed Patel to claim he was rinsing the list at a record rate.
And today emails have been published which show Patel took time during a trip to Hawaii – which the FBI insisted was NOT a holiday – to enjoy what officials described as a “VIP snorkel” around the USS Arizona.
So, you might think “he swam around a naval vessel? Bit weird, but big deal. Why are people upset about that?”
Well, because the USS Arizona…was sunk in the attack on pearl harbour…and is now tomb for more than 900 dead sailors and marines. It is officially a military cemetery, and is very much off limits. Dives and snorkelling are only very occasionally allowed to survey the condition of the wreck.
If Kash Patel remains in his job until the midterms, I will be absolutely astonished.