Bessent confirms trade talks with China begin Saturday in Switzerland Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, told the Fox host Laura Ingraham that he will meet with Chinese officials to look for a way out of the trade war Donald Trump started last month when he imposed massive tariffs.
“Laura, we haven’t had negotiations,” Bessent said. “The world has been coming to the US, and China has been the missing piece. I was going to be in Switzerland to negotiate with the Swiss. Turns out the Chinese team is traveling through Europe. And they will be in Switzerland, also. So, we will meet on Saturday and Sunday.”
“Look, we have shared interests,” Bessent continued. “This isn’t sustainable,” he added, referring to the effective halt in trade between the two largest economies in the world since Trump imposted a 145% tariff on goods from China. That level of tariff, Bessent said “is the equivalent of an embargo”.
“We don’t want to decouple. What we want is fair trade,” he said.
Bessent’s first statement, that there have been no negotiations with China directly contradicts a claim Trump made two weeks ago that there have been talks.
Asked by Jeff Mason of Reuters on 24 April if he could “clarify with whom the US is speaking with China? They’re saying it’s ‘fake news’ that trade talks are happening”, Trump replied: “Well, they had a meeting this morning.”
When Mason asked, “Who’s ‘they’?” Trump said: “I can’t tell you; it doesn’t matter who ‘they’ is. We may reveal it later, but they had meetings this morning. And we’ve been meeting with China. So I think you have, Jeff, as usual. I think have your reporting wrong.”
As Mason clarified that he “was saying what China said”, Trump abruptly ended the press availability.
Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Key events
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Closing summary We have reached the end of another day chronicling the second Trump administration. The blog will be closing now, but will revive on Wednesday morning. Here are a few of the day’s developments:
Donald Trump met with Mark Carney, the new Canadian prime minister he helped elect (by enraging the Canadian public with threats of annexation and economic warfare). Both men seemed satisfied with the Oval Office meeting, even if Carney told a reporter later he was “glad you couldn’t tell what was going through my mind” when Trump railed about erasing the border between their two nations, and attacked Carney’s close friend who handled previous trade negotiations. Carney also said he asked Trump to stop calling Canada the 51st state.
US treasury secretary Scott Bessent and US trade representative Jamieson Greer will meet with their Chinese counterparts later this week in Switzerland, in what could be the first step to negotiating an end to the trade war between the world’s two largest economies over tariffs imposed by Trump.
Bessent also contradicted a previous claim from Trump that talks with China had been going on for weeks. “We haven’t had negotiations,” Bessent told Fox. “The world has been coming to the US, and China has been the missing piece.”
Trump revealed to reporters that three more Israeli hostages have died in Gaza, meaning that just 21 of the hostages taken from Israel on October 7 2023 remain alive. “I say 21, because, as of today, it’s 21. Three have died,” the president said.
At the White House event on the 2026 World Cup, Trump learned from a reporter that Russia is banned from taking part, as a result of its invasion of Ukraine.
Columbia University announced that it laid off nearly 180 researchers in response to the Trump’s administration’s decision to cancel $400 million in funding over the Ivy League school’s handling of student protests against the war in Gaza.
The Trump administration may deport migrants to Libya for the first time this week, three US officials tell Reuters.
Columbia lays off nearly 180 researchers whose work was funded by federal government Columbia University announced on Tuesday that nearly 180 researchers would lose their jobs in response to the Trump’s administration’s decision to cancel $400 million in funding over the Ivy League school’s handling of student protests against the war in Gaza.
“Across the research portfolio we have had to make difficult choices and unfortunately, today, nearly 180 of our colleagues who have been working, in whole or in part, on impacted federal grants, will receive notices of non-renewal or termination” the university’s acting president,Claire Shipman, wrote. “This represents about 20% of the individuals who are funded in some manner by the terminated grants.”
“Included in the $400 million cut was $250 million from the National Institutes of Health, totaling over 400 research grants”, the student-run Columbia Spectator reports.
Trump could deport migrants to Libya — report The Trump administration may deport migrants to Libya for the first time this week, three US officials tell Reuters.
The news agency reports that despite the US government’s condemnation of Libya’s harsh treatment of detainees, the US military could fly migrants to the North African country as soon as Wednesday.
‘Make America normal again’, former cybersecurity official targeted by Trump says Chris Krebs, the former director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency secured a top spot on Donald Trump’s enemies list on 12 November 2020 —by tweeting a link to a statement from government experts that called the presidential election Trump lost “the most secure in American history”.
Trump fired Krebs, by tweet, five days later, claiming that the election was marred by “massive improprieties and fraud”.
On Tuesday, Krebs returned to the social media platform that has since been sold to Trump’s donor Elon Musk and rebranded X to post a simple plea: “Make America normal again”.
Things have been far from normal for Krebs since he was singled out for investigation by Trump last month in a presidential memorandum headlined: “Addressing Risks from Chris Krebs and Government Censorship”.
The memorandum charged that Krebs had “falsely and baselessly denied that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen, including by inappropriately and categorically dismissing widespread election malfeasance and serious vulnerabilities with voting machines.”
“We’re going to find out about this guy”, Trump said as he signed the memorandum, “because this guy’s a wise guy”.
Since then, Krebs has had his security clearance revoked and and his Global Entry pre-approval to enter the US canceled. A spokesperson for the homeland security department in which Krebs once held a senior role, told NBC News last week that Krebs was ineligible for Global Entry because he “is under active investigation by law enforcement agencies”.
Bessent confirms trade talks with China begin Saturday in Switzerland Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, told the Fox host Laura Ingraham that he will meet with Chinese officials to look for a way out of the trade war Donald Trump started last month when he imposed massive tariffs.
“Laura, we haven’t had negotiations,” Bessent said. “The world has been coming to the US, and China has been the missing piece. I was going to be in Switzerland to negotiate with the Swiss. Turns out the Chinese team is traveling through Europe. And they will be in Switzerland, also. So, we will meet on Saturday and Sunday.”
“Look, we have shared interests,” Bessent continued. “This isn’t sustainable,” he added, referring to the effective halt in trade between the two largest economies in the world since Trump imposted a 145% tariff on goods from China. That level of tariff, Bessent said “is the equivalent of an embargo”.
“We don’t want to decouple. What we want is fair trade,” he said.
Bessent’s first statement, that there have been no negotiations with China directly contradicts a claim Trump made two weeks ago that there have been talks.
Asked by Jeff Mason of Reuters on 24 April if he could “clarify with whom the US is speaking with China? They’re saying it’s ‘fake news’ that trade talks are happening”, Trump replied: “Well, they had a meeting this morning.”
When Mason asked, “Who’s ‘they’?” Trump said: “I can’t tell you; it doesn’t matter who ‘they’ is. We may reveal it later, but they had meetings this morning. And we’ve been meeting with China. So I think you have, Jeff, as usual. I think have your reporting wrong.”
As Mason clarified that he “was saying what China said”, Trump abruptly ended the press availability.
Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images US treasury secretary and trade representative to meet Chinese officials in Switzerland this week for trade talks US treasury secretary Scott Bessent and US trade representative Jamieson Greer will meet with their Chinese counterparts later this week in Switzerland, in what could be the first step to negotiating an end to the trade war between the world’s two largest economies over tariffs imposed by Donald Trump.
Bessent’s office said in a statement that he will travel to Switzerland on Thursday to discuss trade with the Swiss president, Karin Ketter-Sutter, and “will also meet with the lead representative on economic matters from the People’s Republic of China”.
According to a statement from Greer’s office, he will also “discuss negotiations about reciprocal trade” with the Swiss leader and “will also meet with his counterpart from the People’s Republic of China to discuss trade matters.”
Neither statement revealed the names of the Chinese officials expected to attend, but China’s vice premier He Lifeng is widely seen as China’s economic czar and chief trade negotiator.
Trump says three more Israeli hostages have died in Gaza, only 21 remain alive Asked to comment on the renewed Israeli assault on Gaza, Donald Trump revealed that three more Israeli hostages have died in Gaza, meaning that just 21 of the hostages taken from Israel on October 7 2023 remain alive.
“Well, we’ve gone very slowly,” Trump said of efforts to end the conflict, “because we want to try and get as many hostages saved as possible, and we’ve done a good job in that regard.”
“Two weeks ago, I had 10 hostages come in and they thanked me profusely,” Trump continued. The Oval Office meeting was in fact two months ago, with eight former hostages.
The president then appeared to recount a conversation with the freed hostages about how many captives remained in Gaza.
“I said, ‘How many people are left?’” Trump said. “They said 59. I said, ‘Oh, wow, that’s more than I thought’. They said, ‘Well, only 24 are living.’”
“But now, it’s 21,” Trump added, without revealing the source of his information. “That was a week ago. Now it’s 21 are living.”
“I say 21, because, as of today, it’s 21. Three have died,” the president said.
Asked about Kashmir, Trump mistakenly says India and Pakistan have been fighting ‘for centuries’ Asked by a reporter in the Oval Office if he had any reaction to the Indian missile attack on Pakistan-controlled territory in Kashmir on Tuesday, the president of the United States wrongly claimed that the countries of India and Pakistan, which were created in 1947, have been fighting “for centuries”.
“No, it’s a shame,” Trump said. “They’ve been fighting for a long time, you know, they’ve been fighting for many, many decades. And centuries, actually, if you really think about it. No, I just hope it ends very quickly.”
The missile attacks follow the killing of 25 Indian tourists and one Nepalese national in Kashmir last month.
Two weeks ago, Trump offered the same incorrect response to questions about the tensions in Kashmir which revealed his lack of understanding about the history of the conflict there.
“They’ve had that fight for 1,000 years in Kashmir. Kashmir’s been going on for 1,000 years, probably longer than that,” Trump said. “Well, there have been tensions on that border for 1,500 years. So, you know. The same as it’s been.”
Trump was born in June of 1946, making him just over a year older than the conflict in Kashmir, which started after the partition of India in 1947.
Trump on trade: ‘I’m the shopkeeper and I keep the store’ Speaking at an Oval Office event to formally swear in Steve Witkoff as his diplomatic envoy, Trump just repeated his claim that he can simply set the terms of trade with other countries as a shopkeeper sets prices on goods, because “our country is the greatest store in the world”.
“I could announce 50 to 100 deals right now, because I’m the shopkeeper and I keep the store, and I know what countries are looking for, and I know what we’re looking for and I can just set those terms,” the president said, “and they can go shopping or they don’t have to go shopping, because everybody wants to shop here.”
Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday. Photograph: Kent Nishimura/Reuters Donald Trump, who has harshly criticized federal judges for blocking a number of his orders, nominated five people to the federal bench on Tuesday.
In a series of social media posts, Trump announced the nominations of: Joshua Divine, a former clerk for supreme court justice Clarence Thomas, Zachary Bluestone, Maria Lanahan and Cristian Stevens to serve on a district court in Missouri; and Edward O’Connell to serve on the DC superior court.
Trump finds out Russia is banned from 2026 World Cup At the White House event on the World Cup, Donald Trump was asked by a reporter what his position is on the fact that Russia is banned from taking part, as a result of its invasion of Ukraine.
“I didn’t know that,” Trump said, before turning to ask the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, seated beside him: “Is that right?”
“Yeah, it is right. They are banned for the time being from playing,” Infantino replied. “But we hope that something happens and peace will happen and Russia can be re-admitted.”
“Hey, that could be a good incentive, right?” Trump said. “We want to get them to stop.”
Russia has been barred from international soccer competition since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Since qualification for the 2026 World Cup is already under way, it seems likely that Russia, the hosts of the 2018 World Cup, would have to wait until the following tournament, in 2030, to take part.
Trump with Infantino at the White House. Photograph: Francis Chung/EPA
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