President Donald Trump has been vowing to ‘make America great again’ for the last decade, and one of his answers for doing that is bringing in more aggressive tariffs.
The 78-year-old spoke at the House GOP retreat at his golf club, the Trump National Doral, in Miami, Florida, where he revealed his plans to make the US ‘more powerful than ever before’, and it has left people shocked.
“America is going to be very rich again, and it’s going to happen very quickly. It’s time for the United States to return to the system that made us richer and more powerful than ever before,” President Trump said, just one week on from his inauguration.
“Do you know the United States, in 1870 to 1913, all tariffs – and that was the richest period in the history of the United States, relatively speaking, in other words, relatively – and they set up the great Tariff Commission of 1887.
“And this commission had one function – what to do with all the money that we took in. It was so enormous that they had no idea, it was a blue ribbon committee was set up 1887.”
There’s a lot of talk being said about tariffs, so let’s clear up what they are – they are taxes imposed on foreign goods, meaning many of these goods will cost more to sell in the US.
While Trump has vowed to end federal income taxes, it doesn’t mean residents will get away Scot-free. What is likely to happen is that prices will go up on foreign-made goods, meaning the consumer will pay more.
(The White House)
Advanced countries fell out of favor with tariffs following World War II, because they often lead to ‘reduced trade, higher prices for consumers, and retaliation from abroad’, the Council on Foreign Relations reports.
A tariff is a tax imposed on foreign-made goods, paid by the importing business to its home country’s government.
Back to Trump’s speech…
The president continued: “And what to do with all of the money that we had. And again, Teddy Roosevelt [26th POTUS] was a beneficiary, because when [William] McKinley [25th POTUS] was killed, he took over this vast sum of money, and he did all of those national parks and all of the other things.
“And I’m not knocking him, but he was given a vast amount of money, and that was all made through tariffs, as we had no income tax. The income tax came in in 1913.
President Trump has vowed to impose more aggressive tariffs on foreign goods ((Melina Mara-Pool/Getty Images)
“As I said in my speech last week, instead of taxing our citizens to enrich foreign nations, we should be tariffing and taxing foreign nations to enrich our citizens. Does that make sense? Right?”
In short, this means Trump has plans to impose tariffs on foreign goods.
After a snippet of his speech was uploaded to Twitter, US citizens were left shocked at the suggested move.
“Wow,” typed one person simply, as another commented: “Not a huge fan of him but reducing or completely canceling the income tax would make a huge difference to us.”
And a third added: “American citizens shouldn’t pay, we should tariff all of other countries who have used our economy as a piggy bank.”
Conversation11 Comments
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I don’t know how this is going to work in the US, but in all other countries the tariffs are paid by the citizens of that country. The tariffs are paid by the importer and transfered to the consumers.
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Works the same here in the US. All smoke and mirrors. This will be passed onto the consumer meaning the lower and middle class in the form of products costing more for all of us. It didn’t work the first time he imposed them and it won’t work this time either.
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1870-1910. The Gilded Age when in 1890, the wealthiest one per cent of American families owned 51% of the United States real and personal property, while the bottom 44% owned 1.2%. If that’s where Trump once to take us back to, no thanks. They literally had children working in mines and factories w…
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Let muricans freeze in the dark when Canada taxes it’s exports of oil ( 25 % of total US consumption ) and electricity.
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From America, we’re scared.
Featured Image Credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News
Joe Yates
Donald Trump signs new executive bill to reinstate ‘global gag rule’ on abortions
Experts have warned the ‘Mexico City policy’ will have ‘deadly consequences’ for people across the globe
Donald Trump has signed a new executive bill that is set to reinstate the ‘global gag rule’ on abortions – but what does it actually mean?
President Trump has been in the Oval Office for just a matter of days but he’s wasted no time getting his feet under the table.
Trump signed off on numerous executive orders – which included halting the ban of TikTok, changing laws on immigration, and declaring that there are ‘only two genders’ – a matter of hours upon his return to the White House.
Now, the president has signed off a new executive bill that is set to reinstate the ‘global gag rule’ on abortions, known as the ‘Mexico City policy’.
Donald Trump has signed off a number of executive orders in his first week (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
What is the Mexico City policy?
The new executive bill, known as the ‘Mexico City policy’, cuts off any aid provided by the US to any foreign organization that provides abortion services, counseling, or even advocacy.
So, essentially, a bunch of companies face a tough choice – either cease all abortion-related services, or they’ll lose assisted funding provided by the US.
In fact, organizations must now provide proof they will not use funding from any other source for abortion-related services, including that of non-US donors, if they want assistance from the US.
History of the Mexico City policy
The ‘Mexico City policy’ is often used by Republican presidents, having first been brought in by Ronald Reagan at a 1984 United Nations conference.
The policy has remained divisive for a number of years and has been yo-yo’d in and out of law – it tends to go that Republicans will sign it in, Democrats will revoke it.
The bill has even been dubbed the ‘global gag rule’ due to it restricting not just services but also speech, according to its harshest critics.
The bill has its critics (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
What impact does the Mexico City policy have in the real world?
The Guttmacher Institute, which looks into stats on abortion restrictions and their subsequent impact, states the policy can cut off access to contraception, while also leading women to go towards unsafe abortions.
Rebecca Hart Holder, who is the president of Reproductive Equity Now, said: “Reinstating the Mexico City policy will have deadly consequences for people across the globe.
“The United States is a vital partner to healthcare providers and organizations around the world, and robbing those frontline providers of their ability to provide the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare, and even information about people’s options, will result in people losing their lives to pregnancy complications.”
Conversation38 Comments
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America truly is becoming a state from a dystopian novel – Handmaid’s Tale, springs to mind here – and shows women who voted for Trump that men control women just as much as they ever did
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I think this is a dangerous move and will lead to intense suffering for millions of women. What right foes Trump (or any politician) have to tell a woman she is a criminal. What about the woman who is raped and falls pregnant. Or the woman whose life is endangered due to unforseen complications of …
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He doesn’t. He’s literally proving our autonomy is the systems discretion.
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The United States gives $10 Million dollars to Israel A DAY, and they use it to provide universal healthcare for their people including abortion on demand… does this mean we cut off the money to Israel????
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This man’s time will be short lived. We have to stand up.
Featured Image Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics
Callum Jones
Martin Luther King Jr.’s family break silence on Donald Trump releasing secret FBI files on assassination
The family have had their say following the move by President Trump
Martin Luther King Jr.’s family have spoken out on Donald Trump’s decision to release the secret FBI files on arguably the world’s most infamous assassination.
President Trump has been in The White Office for only a matter of days, but he’s certainly wasted no time getting his feet under the table.
Trump signed off on numerous executive orders, which included halting the ban of TikTok, changing laws on immigration, and declaring that there are ‘only two genders’, a matter of hours upon his return to the Oval Office.
And on Thursday (January 23), Trump signed off an executive order that would see the files connected to the deaths of King, President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy declassified.
Donald Trump has signed off a number of executive orders this week (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Following the news, a statement has been released on behalf of King’s family.
They said: “Today, our family has learned that President Trump has ordered the declassification of the remaining records pertaining to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy, and our father, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“For us, the assassination of our father is a deeply personal family loss that we have endured over the last 56 years. We hope to be provided the opportunity to review the files as a family prior to its public release.”
On the evening of April 4, 1968, King was shot and killed by James Earl Ray as he stood on a second-floor balcony at a Memphis hotel.
While the assassination may have taken place nearly 60 years ago now, King’s family have continued to search for answers regarding his death.
Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968 (Bettmann via Getty Images)
Also impacted by Trump’s new order is JFK’s family, after the 47th US president announced plans to release classified files on the assassination of the 35th president.
In 1963, JFK was gunned down in broad daylight as he rode through Dallas, Texas, becoming the subject of numerous conspiracy theories over the years.
Jack Schlossberg, the former president’s grandson, has since spoken out following Trump’s executive order.
Taking to Twitter, he wrote: “JFK conspiracy theories — The truth is a lot sadder than the myth — a tragedy that didn’t need to happen. Not part of an inevitable grand scheme.
“Declassification is using JFK as a political prop, when he’s not here to punch back. There’s nothing heroic about it.”
It’s certainly been an eventful first week in Trump’s second term as president!
Conversation5 Comments
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Everyone one deserves the right to know what happened so we don’t make the same mistake.
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Jfk’s grandson is acting like a fool, like JFK would not want his files to be released no is acting like a fool, like JFK would not want his files to be released no matter The reason could be. Thank you Trump!
Featured Image Credit: Bettmann via Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News
Callum Jones
Resurfaced footage from 1999 shows Donald Trump explaining his surprising pro-choice stance
The 47th president was very clear about his opinions before he was ever voted in to the White House
Footage filmed almost two decades before Donald Trump first became president shows him talking about how he was ‘strongly for choice’ when it came to the subject of abortion.
The video, which was originally filmed in 1999, has come to light again after Trump was sworn in for a second time on January 20 after winning the 2024 election.
The 78-year-old has already made a whole host of changes in his first few days in office, and while he has not yet officially addressed the subject of abortion, the president does have a history of pushing anti-abortion policies.
His more recent views mark a stark change from those he presented in 1999, though Trump did make clear even back then that he did not like the idea of abortion.
Donald Trump has already made a number of changes in office (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
What did Trump say about abortion in 1999?
Before the turn of the century, Trump was working in real estate and his company, the Trump Organization, had started building and buying golf courses.
He wasn’t yet the star of The Apprentice or anywhere close to being in the White House, but the businessman was still sharing his thoughts on wider issues, which is how he came to comment on abortion when he appeared on the NBC show Meet The Press in 1999.
During the interview, Trump presented a view that, looking through a 2025 lens, seems very surprising.
He said: “I’m very pro-choice.”
Trump clarified that he ‘hate[d] the concept of abortion’, adding: “I hate it, I hate everything it stands for. I cringe when I hear people debating the subject.”
However, he said: “I just believe in choice. I am strongly for choice and yet I hate the concept of abortion.”
When asked whether he would ‘ban’ abortion, Trump responded: “No.”
What were Trump’s thoughts on abortion during his first term?
Fast-forward to Trump’s first term, which began at his 2017 inauguration, and Trump took on a much stronger anti-abortion stance.
During his time in office, he appointed Supreme Court justices who opposed reproductive rights, ultimately leading to the overturning of Roe v. Wade – the landmark 1973 decision which had established a federal right to abortion.
By 2024, anti-abortion politicians in 17 states had banned abortion.
Trump also attended the March for Life, the nation’s biggest anti-abortion gathering.
Trump attended the March for Life while in office (OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)
What has Trump said about his abortion for his second term?
As he prepared to go up agains the Democrats in the 2024 election, Trump claimed that the overturning of Roe v. Wade meant that the US now had ‘abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint’.
In a video shared online, he said: “The states will determine by vote or legislation, or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land.”
During his debate against Kamala Harris in September 2024, Trump was accused by Harris of planning to ‘sign a national abortion ban’.
He refuted this claim, saying there was ‘no reason to sign a ban’.
However, when asked by debate moderator Linsey Davis whether he’d veto a ban if it were passed by Congress, Trump refused to give a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.
Davis said: “But if I could just get a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ because your running mate, JD Vance, has said that you would veto if it did come to your desk.”
In response, Trump said: “I didn’t discuss it with JD, in all fairness.”
0 comments
Featured Image Credit: NBC
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, Health
Emily Brown
People have just realized what the employment act Donald Trump revoked actually means for workers now
Donald Trump has made a lot of changes just days after getting back into power
Some people on the internet have come to the conclusion as to what the employment act revoked by Donald Trump actually means for workers.
President Trump only took office on Monday (January 20) and he certainly hasn’t wasted any time in getting his feet under the table.
Just hours after returning to The White House, Trump signed off on 25 executive orders, which included halting the ban of TikTok, changing laws on immigration, and declaring that there are ‘only two genders’.
And undoubtedly among his most controversial moves was the signing on Tuesday (January 21) of a proposal which would bring an end to ‘radical and wasteful government diversity, equity and inclusion’ (DEI) programs.
The president is accelerating his plan to dismantle DEI plans, having revoked the Executive Order 11246 (1965) and sending the message that government employees responsible in the Department of Labor will see their DEI programs removed ‘immediately’ while they face paid leave, The New Republic reports.
Donald Trump has signed off a number of executive orders (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The law was designed to protect workers from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.
Advocates for it have long argued it presents a level playing field for underrepresented minorities such as LGBTQ+ people.
But now, Trump’s order to remove aims to stop companies hiring candidates on the basis of race and sex.
The order states: “As a part of this plan, each agency shall identify up to nine potential civil compliance investigations of publicly traded corporations, large non-profit corporations or associations, foundations with assets of 500 million dollars or more, State and local bar and medical associations, and institutions of higher education with endowments over 1 billion dollars.”
The order has certainly received a lot of criticism online, with one person saying of it on Twitter: “Good for straight white males. Bad for everyone else.”
There has even been a public outcry for the order to not go ahead.
Trump’s order has received some criticism online (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Basil Smikle Jr, a political strategist and policy advisor, commented: “There’s this clear effort to hinder, if not erode, the political and economic power of people of color and women.
“What it does is opens up the door for more cronyism.”
Not everyone is against the changes being made by Trump however, with Louisiana Senator John Kennedy (Republican) telling USA Today reporters: “The best way to stop discriminating against people on the basis of race of gender is to stop discriminating against people on the basis of race and gender.
“The truth is the American people don’t think about race or gender merely as much as some folks in Washington want to pretend.”
