Catégorie oBox : OBOXMA

The Chinese government returned Trump’s favorite phrase by labeling him « fake news », after the latter suggested that talks were underway between the two countries to end the tariff war he himself started.

Chinese officials have insisted that no tariff negotiations are occurring, even as President Trump — whose trade war has rattled financial markets and threatened to disrupt huge swaths of trade — suggested on Friday that he has been in touch with Xi Jinping.

— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2025-04-25T15:46:13.269Z

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jaikun called Trump’s repeated statements this week that China and the US would be « actively » discussing trade issues « fake news ».

Trump even said, in response to questions from reporters, that two representatives had met to begin discussions.

However, according to ABC News, he refused to reveal the identity of the participants in these alleged negotiations, while China continues to claim that Trump is telling lies.

Later, in an interview with The Times, Donald Trump maintained that discussions were underway between China and the US, going so far as to claim that President Xi had personally called him on several occasions to raise the issue.

On the Chinese side, the authorities deny that they are « actively negotiating » with the United States, claiming that no consultations or negotiations on the tariff issue are underway.

This statement strongly calls into question the progress in negotiations that Trump claims to have made.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum denounces Trump administration ad campaign as « discriminatory propaganda ».

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says her government plans to ban advertisements from the Department of Homeland Security, which show Secretary Kristi Noem warning migrants not to enter the United States illegally.

— CNN (@cnn.com) 2025-04-24T01:13:18.310Z

Sheinbaum announces her intention to ban an ad featuring the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Kristi Noem, who crossed the border into Mexico to send migrants a threatening message: « We will hunt you down. »

The ad prompted Sheinbaum to announce reform proposals to prohibit foreign governments from disseminating what they consider political or ideological propaganda in Mexico.

The ad featuring Kristi Noem, broadcast notably during a prime-time soccer match, was described by Sheinbaum as « discriminatory propaganda ».

Claudia Sheinbaum claims that the same American propaganda ad was also broadcasted on radio and relayed on social networks.

She insists that Mexico « does not agree » with this propaganda targeting the migrant population.

According to CNN, the Trump administration and the Department of Homeland Security are reportedly rejoicing in the supposed effectiveness of the ad, claiming that there would be a general drop in border crossings, without specifically targeting Mexico.

No hard evidence has been presented, however, to directly link the drop in crossings to the ad campaign, rather than economic tensions, including tariff wars.

These tensions coincide with a clear drop in interest in staying in the United States, seen worldwide, including at the Canadian border. This trend was accentuated after several of Trump’s offensive statements about Canada, which led many Canadians to boycott the United States.

While Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine on his first day as president, weeks have passed with no clear outcome in sight.

Five days before his 100th day in office, President Trump is frustrated his efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine have so far fallen short, and has privately told advisers that mediating a deal has been more difficult than he anticipated, sources told CNN.

— CNN (@cnn.com) 2025-04-24T23:54:21.589Z

According to a CNN source, frustration is starting to set in for the president, who now privately admits that a peace deal in Ukraine has been more difficult than he anticipated.

In private discussions, Trump would express his frustration and acknowledge that he had underestimated the depth of animosity between Putin and Zelensky, which he believed would explain the slow pace of negotiations.

Trump would express surprise at Ukraine’s refusal to accept the peace plan proposed by his administration, a plan that includes no concessions from Russia, while demanding that Kyiv renounce the occupied territories and its plans to join NATO.

Meanwhile, Russian bombing continues, including a recent strike on Kyiv that prompted Trump to post on TruthSocial: « Very bad timing », before adding: « Vladimir, Stop! ».

Recently asked by a reporter about Putin’s concessions, suggesting that Trump’s plan favored Russia, Trump replied that Putin’s real concession was gonna be « stopping the war » and not to seize Ukraine in its entirety.

Let’s recall that since President Trump launched mediation efforts, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been willing to consider a peace agreement, provided Ukraine’s sovereignty is respected.

However, Russia has responded evasively, rejecting several American proposals and continuing its attacks, notably on Kyiv, which is complicating negotiations.

Despite a rise of over 7% in worldwide sales of electric vehicles, Tesla recorded a 13% drop in its own sales compared with the same period last year, leading to a collapse in profits, down 71% in the first quarter of 2025.

Billionaire Elon Musk said he will step back from the U.S. DOGE Service next month and focus on Tesla, his reeling electric vehicle company, which on Tuesday reported a stunning 71 percent plunge in profits compared with the first quarter of 2024.

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost.com) 2025-04-23T12:02:46.607Z

Most of the decline is attributed to the heated controversies surrounding Elon Musk, including his US political involvement alongside Trump with DOGE, his controversial comments and gestures, and his closeness to the far right.

This major setback prompted the CEO to announce to Tesla investors that he would be taking a step back from DOGE as early as next month, in order to refocus some of his attention on the electric vehicle company.

However, Elon Musk has said he has no intention of withdrawing from DOGE altogether, stating that he will remain heavily involved with the department under the Trump administration until the end of Donald Trump’s term.

Elon Musk’s erratic statements and behavior have clearly turned off some of Tesla’s customers, who were already weakened by the rise of competitors in the electric vehicle sector.

The company now has to contend with tariffs imposed by Donald Trump, further complicating its situation.

As well as trying to reassure investors of his renewed involvement in the company, Elon Musk also sought to appease them about his position on tariffs, saying he was in favor of a reduction.

However, he made it clear that, ultimately, decisions rest with the President.