Connect with us

World

Trump again spreads baseless claims about Trudeau, Canada’s election

Published

on

Trump again spreads baseless claims about Trudeau, Canada’s election

US president accuses outgoing Canadian prime minister of seeking to use issue of tariffs to extend his time in office.

United States President Donald Trump has reiterated baseless claims that outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is seeking to use US tariffs against Canada to extend his time in office, as a rift widens between the two countries.

In a social media post on Thursday, Trump said he believed Trudeau “is using the Tariff problem, which he has largely caused, in order to run again for Prime Minister”.

“So much fun to watch!” the US president wrote.

The remark follows a similar post Trump shared on his Truth Social website on Wednesday, accusing Trudeau of using trade tensions as a way “to stay in power”.

Advertisement

“He was unable to tell me when the Canadian Election is taking place, which made me curious, like, what’s going on here? I then realized he is trying to use this issue to stay in power. Good luck Justin!” Trump wrote.

Tensions have soared between the two leaders since Trump first threatened late last year to impose steep tariffs on Canadian goods if Trudeau’s government did not do more to stem irregular migration and drug trafficking over its border with the US.

This week, the Trump administration followed through on its plans and imposed 25-percent tariffs on most Canadian imports, as well as 10-percent levies on oil and gas.

Canada responded by announcing it would be implementing 25-percent tariffs against $106bn (155 billion Canadian) worth of US goods. Tariffs on $21bn (30 billion Canadian) came into immediate effect on Tuesday.

“This is a very dumb thing to do,” Trudeau told reporters on Tuesday of the US measures, which he described as an unjustified “trade war against Canada”.

Advertisement

Trudeau, who has been Canada’s prime minister since 2015, is set to step down as leader of the governing Liberal Party after it chooses its next leader on Sunday.

The new leader is expected to assume the duties of prime minister after a short transition period.

Asked during a news conference on Thursday whether he would consider staying on as prime minister in a caretaker role to help manage the uncertainty surrounding US tariffs, Trudeau said: “No. I will not be.”

He added, “I look forward to a transition to my duly elected successor in the coming days or week.”

Meanwhile, some experts in Canada have said Trump’s attack on Trudeau underscores his ignorance of the country’s political system.

Advertisement

Stewart Prest, a political science professor at the University of British Columbia, said on social media that the US president’s remarks represent “a reckless disregard for the Canadian democratic system”.

“To be clear, Trudeau will step aside after the Liberal leadership race,” Prest wrote on the social media platform Bluesky on Wednesday.

Under Canadian electoral rules, the next federal election must be held by October 20.

But the Liberals, as the party in government, can choose to trigger a vote before then.

An election could also be called earlier if opposition parties pass a vote of no confidence in Canada’s Parliament, which is set to resume on March 24.

Advertisement

As it currently stands, no election date has been formally set.

“Parliamentary democracy is by design more flexible than the American presidential system, with its fixed election dates,” Prest explained.

“That’s deliberate, as it makes it much easier to get rid of a leader who is either unfit or unpopular – or both.”

Many experts have speculated that the Liberals may choose to call a vote shortly after their next leader is chosen in an effort to capitalise on a recent upswing in public support.

At the beginning of the year, the Liberals had been trailing the opposition Conservatives by as many as 26 percentage points.

Advertisement

But Trudeau’s decision to resign – coupled with the race to select his replacement as Liberal leader and Trump’s threats against Canada – have helped the party bounce back in the polls.

World

Iran closes Strait of Hormuz over ceasefire violations

Published

on

Iran closes Strait of Hormuz over ceasefire violations
Iran’s top joint military command, ​Khatam al-Anbiya Central ‌Headquarters, said on Saturday that the Strait ​of Hormuz would ​be closed to vessel ⁠traffic, citing ​alleged violations of a ​ceasefire agreement by the U.S. and Israel, Iran’s ​Mehr state ​news agency reported.
Continue Reading

World

Keir Starmer reportedly considering stepping down as PM and could announce timetable for departure

Published

on

Keir Starmer reportedly considering stepping down as PM and could announce timetable for departure

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is reportedly considering stepping down and could announce a timetable for his departure as early as Monday, according to a report published Saturday.

Advertisement

Britain’s Observer newspaper reported that Starmer was discussing his future with his wife at his Chequers country residence before making a final decision.

The outlet reported that senior Labour Party figures expect a statement addressing his future as early as next week.

A government source told Reuters that Starmer remains focused on governing and pointed to previous comments in which he vowed to remain in office.

AS EPSTEIN-LINKED APPOINTMENT SPARKS BACKLASH, UK PM STARMER FACES PARTY REVOLT AMID RESIGNATION CALLS

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer awaits Switzerland’s Federal President Guy Parmelin on the sidelines of the G7 summit, in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday. (Isabel Infantes/Pool Reuters via AP)

Advertisement

Fox News Digital has reached out to the prime minister’s office for comment.

Pressure on Starmer has been building for months amid growing dissatisfaction within his party and concerns over the government’s handling of the economy and cost-of-living issues.

The political threat to Starmer intensified Friday after rival Andy Burnham won a seat in Parliament, positioning him to mount a formal leadership challenge.

LABOUR MP PUTS CABINET ‘ON NOTICE,’ THREATENS TO TRIGGER LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE AGAINST STARMER BY MONDAY

Britain’s Labour party candidate Andy Burnham speaks to supporters after the Makerfield by-election in Ashton in Makerfield, England, Friday. (Jon Super/AP)

Advertisement

Starmer congratulated Burnham following the victory, writing on X that voters, “chose Labour’s campaign of hope and optimism over division and hate.”

When asked about Burnham’s apparent ambitions to replace him, Starmer insisted he intends to remain in office.

“I’ve said repeatedly I’m not going to walk away from that,” Starmer said.

UK’S STARMER JUGGLES TROUBLE AT HOME AS HE WALKS GEOPOLITICAL TIGHTROPE WITH TRUMP

Sir Keir Starmer is battling to save his position and refusing to stand aside despite dozens of Labout MP’s demanding he resigns. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Advertisement

Starmer has led the Labour Party since 2020 and became prime minister in 2024.

Calls for his resignation intensified last month, with more than 100 Labour lawmakers publicly urging him to step aside or set out a timetable for his departure. Several parliamentary aides also resigned in protest.

The internal revolt followed a series of disappointing local election results for Labour, which lost hundreds of council seats across England, surrendered long-held ground in Wales and fell behind political rivals in Scotland.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks a news conference at Downing Street in London, March 5. (Tolga Akmen/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images, File)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Advertisement

Starmer’s popularity has also declined amid a persistently high cost of living, sluggish economic growth and criticism over his acceptance of gifts from wealthy donors.

Fox News Digital’s James Cirrone and Emma Bussey, and Reuters contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

World

Trump vows Iran will not charge Strait of Hormuz tolls, but says US might

Published

on

Trump vows Iran will not charge Strait of Hormuz tolls, but says US might

United States President Donald Trump has pledged there will be no tolls for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, unless they are collected by his own country.

Trump’s statement, made in a Saturday afternoon post on Truth Social, is the latest sign that a recently signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) may be unravelling.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 itemsend of list

“There will be NO TOLLS in the Hormuz Strait for 60 days during the Cease Fire Period, and there will be NO TOLLS after the 60 day period has expired,” Trump wrote, “unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America.”

Since the US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, Iran has successfully used the Strait of Hormuz as a pressure point, closing the strategic waterway to traffic.

But under the terms of Wednesday’s ceasefire memorandum, the strait is supposed to reopen for an interim period of 60 days. During that time, Iran is barred from charging vessels for passage.

Advertisement

On Saturday, however, Iran’s joint military command said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, citing a “clear breach” of the memorandum’s commitments.

US Central Command (CENTCOM), the agency that oversees military operations in the region, denied that report and maintained that the traffic continues to flow through the waterway.

The Strait of Hormuz has long been a flashpoint in the conflict between the US and Iran. Nearly 20 percent of the world’s oil and natural gas is transported through the strait, as well as about 30 percent of the global fertiliser trade.

Closure of the strait has caused global fuel costs to soar and has tested agricultural sectors across the world.

Trump had responded to Iran’s chokehold over the strait by imposing a US naval blockade on Iran’s ports in the region.

Advertisement

But that naval blockade was lifted under the terms of Wednesday’s memorandum. The deal also paused fighting on all fronts in the regional conflict, including in Lebanon.

The memorandum, though, was not intended as a long-term deal. It serves as a launching point for negotiations on key issues, including the future of Iran’s nuclear programme.

Several points of divergence also went unaddressed in the memorandum. Nowhere does the memo say that future tolls cannot be collected from the strait after the 60-day period expires.

Before the war, there was no charge for passage through the strait. Trump himself said in an interview with The New York Times that the waterway should remain “permanently toll-free”.

But he appeared to reverse course in Saturday’s post, once again floating the possibility that the US could extract tolls in the strait, while barring Iran from doing so.

Advertisement

No fees should be levied, Trump wrote, “unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America, should the deal not be completed”.

He explained that such a charge would compensate the US “for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs”.

Trump used similar language in his New York Times interview earlier this week, floating the US becoming “the guardian of the Middle East” in exchange for 20 percent of its revenue.

Saturday’s post is not the first time Trump has mused about the US imposing tolls in the strait, either.

In April, for instance, he discussed the idea with reporters, saying, “What about us charging tolls? I’d rather do that than let them have them. Why shouldn’t we? We’re the winner. We won.”

Advertisement

 

There has been no indication that Trump’s plans have been officially presented to countries in the region, many of whom have struck a careful balance in their dealings with both the US and Iran during the war.

Iranian officials, meanwhile, have repeatedly said they will not rule out imposing tolls in the strait, framing the issue as a matter of sovereignty and regional negotiation. The strait sits between Iran and Oman.

Further discussions are expected on the matter in the coming weeks.

But such negotiations have been thrown into jeopardy amid ongoing Israeli military operations in Lebanon, which threaten to violate Wednesday’s ceasefire memorandum.

Advertisement

Iran claimed that Saturday’s closure of the strait was a result of new Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon, which killed dozens of people after the ceasefire was announced.

Iranian officials have also said that any upcoming talks should focus on proper implementation of the initial memorandum, and that the 60-day negotiating period stipulated in Wednesday’s deal would begin after that was settled.

Pakistan, a top mediator between the US and Iran, has said that follow-up talks are set to begin in Switzerland on Sunday.

Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that an Iranian delegation, led by parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, has already arrived for the negotiations.

On the US side, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Vice President JD Vance are expected to attend.

Advertisement

Vance departed for Switzerland late Saturday.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending