Trump

DOHA, Qatar — Qatar’s emir spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss de-escalation and regional security as tensions between Washington and Tehran sharpen, the royal court said Wednesday. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Trump reviewed “the current situation in the region and international efforts aimed at de-escalation and strengthening regional security and peace,” according to a statement from the emir’s office. The two leaders also discussed “supporting diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving crises…

Former Irish ambassador to the United States Dan Mulhall has urged the Taoiseach to raise the case of Irish detainee Seamus Culleton directly with U.S. President Donald Trump on St. Patrick’s Day if Culleton has not been released by then, saying the episode underscores how “uncompromising” immigration enforcement has become. Mulhall told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland he remains hopeful Culleton will be freed sooner, but said the length of his detention is “surprising” and that the Irish embassy is “doing all it can” on his behalf.…

Netanyahu to press Trump on tougher Iran deal as White House weighs second carrier deployment Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to push U.S. President Donald Trump to harden Washington’s stance in nuclear talks with Iran during a hastily arranged White House meeting today, as the president signals he may send a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East. The talks, set to begin at 11 a.m. local time (4 p.m. Irish time), come days after Iran resumed negotiations with the United States in Oman…

Rubio to visit Hungary and Slovakia after Trump backs Orbán, amid EU tensions U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Hungary and Slovakia next week after President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ahead of April elections, the State Department said, setting up a high-profile diplomatic swing as transatlantic tensions flare. Rubio will represent the United States at the Munich Security Conference before heading to Budapest and Bratislava. He is stepping in for Vice President JD…

Ukraine’s foreign minister said only U.S. President Donald Trump can close a deal to end the war with Russia and urged an in-person summit between Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin to settle the most sensitive points still blocking a cease-fire. “Only Trump can stop the war,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told Reuters in an interview in Kyiv, arguing that what remains of a 20-point peace framework must be decided at the leaders’ level. He said Kyiv wants to accelerate U.S.-brokered negotiations while momentum…

President Donald Trump on Friday condemned but declined to apologize for a video posted from his social media account that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes — a dehumanizing trope that drew swift, bipartisan backlash and forced the White House into an unusual retreat. The minute-long clip, shared late Thursday on Trump’s Truth Social account, amplified false claims that his 2020 defeat stemmed from election fraud. Near its end, the video spliced in what appeared to be an…

Trump condemns but won’t apologize after White House deletes racist video depicting Obamas as apes President Donald Trump on Friday condemned but declined to apologize for a video posted to his Truth Social account that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes — an AI-style clip that drew swift, bipartisan outrage before the White House deleted it roughly 12 hours after it appeared. The minute-long video, shared late Thursday, amplified false claims that Trump’s 2020 defeat was the result of election fraud. Near its end, a…

Trump video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys sparks outrage; White House calls it ‘internet meme’ President Donald Trump triggered a wave of condemnation from top Democrats after posting a Truth Social video that briefly depicts Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president, and former first lady Michelle Obama as monkeys. The White House dismissed the criticism as “fake outrage,” saying the clip was an online meme. The roughly one-minute video, posted late yesterday, promotes conspiracies about Trump’s 2020…

Trump links Rep. Ilhan Omar to ISIS in Somalia without evidence, escalating feud WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump on Thursday escalated his long-running attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar, suggesting without evidence in a social media post that the Minnesota Democrat is aligned with ISIS leaders in Somalia. On Truth Social, Trump shared a report about recent U.S. strikes on ISIS-Somalia positions in remote mountain caves and appended a caption questioning whether Omar was present “to protect her corrupt ‘homeland.’” U.S.…

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Ryan Routh, the 59-year-old man found hiding in the bushes along a Florida golf course with a semi-automatic rifle during an attempt to assassinate Donald Trump less than two months before the 2024 election, was sentenced to life in prison in federal court. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon imposed the punishment after a jury in September convicted Routh on five counts, including attempted assassination. “It’s clear to me that you engaged in a premeditated, calculated plot to take a human life,” Cannon…