Poll: Global Opinion of U.S., Trump Down Since Election GLOBAL DEALS “The world is going to respect us again,” the president said on the campaign trail repeatedly. “Believe me.” Five months into his administration, a new Pew poll reveals the opposite. Global opinions of the president, and the nation he leads, has fallen since Trump’s election: just 22 percent of the rest of the world has confidence in Trump, while 39 percent have an unfavorable view of the United States (up from 26 percent at the end of the Obama’s presidency.) Just two countries have more confidence in Trump than they did in Obama at the end of his presidency: Israel, with a 7 point more favorable view, and Russia, which has a 42 point more favorable view. Share this -







Trump Pulls U.S. Out of Paris Climate Agreement GLOBAL DEALS The United States will pull out of a landmark global coalition meant to curb emissions that cause climate change, President Donald Trump announced, keeping one of his bigger campaign promises. "The United States will withdraw from the Paris climate accord," Trump said to applause from the crowd gathered in the White House Rose Garden. He added that the U.S. will begin negotiations to re-enter either the Paris accord or a new treaty on terms that are better for American businesses and taxpayers. As a candidate, Trump repeatedly lambasted his predecessor for the focus placed on combating climate change, laughing off the Obama statement that climate change is the biggest threat the planet currently faces. READ MORE Share this -







Donald Trump and NATO: Why His Silence on Article 5 Is a Big Deal GLOBAL DEALS President Donald Trump has often shocked and confounded the world with his unique brand of rhetoric. But on Thursday it was what he did not say that caused a stir. The 45th president had been expected to promise that America would defend its NATO allies if they ever came under attack. That principle of collective defense is, in theory, cemented by Article 5 of the alliance's charter, NATO's core tenet. It means that "an attack against one ally is considered as an attack against all." No other president since NATO was founded in 1949 has questioned that principle — until Trump. READ MORE Share this -







100 Days In: How's Trump Doing on Global Deals? GLOBAL DEALS Status: Some action, little progress Trump kept his campaign promise to withdraw the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which he said on the trail was badly negotiated and harmful to American workers. On the other global deals, he has accomplished few of his promises: He has not withdrawn the U.S. from the trade deal NAFTA, though he announced late Wednesday that he's begin renegotiating it. He also has not removed the U.S. from the Paris Climate Change Agreement. His budget did, however, propose cancelling the billions of planned U.S. funding to United Nations climate change efforts, a step towards keeping that promise. On the matter of global adversaries, Trump vowed to be tough on Iran and has issued sanctions on the nation over some missile tests in February. Still, he has yet to make good on his promise to unravel the nuclear deal his predecessor struck with the country — in Trump’s eyes, “one of the worst deals I’ve ever seen.” His administration said in mid-April that Iran was complying with the sanctions-relieving nuclear deal at present and subsequently continued the sanctions relief the president had condemned from the campaign trail. The White House said at the time they were reviewing the deal still, and Trump argued that Iran was violating the "spirit" of the deal, which may set the stage for future action. Meanwhile, after promising to label China a currency manipulator within his first 100 days, he reversed himself entirely in April. "They're not currency manipulators," Trump told the the Wall Street Journal. After an unorthodox call with the president of Taiwan in December and the suggestion that he might not abide by the One China policy, Trump agreed to honor it in February. The move came during a phone call with the Chinese president, who had reportedly only agreed to take if Trump publicly stated support for the One China policy. Early calls with global allies have also proved problematic: A phone call with one of America's top allies, Australia, saw the president reportedly berate the Australian prime minister over a refugee deal, boast over his election win, and end a scheduled hour-long call after just 25 minutes. They have since appeared to mend ways and the Australian Prime Minister plans to meet with Trump in New York City next month. Share this -







Trump Agrees Not to Terminate NAFTA 'At This Time,' Says He'll Renegotiate GLOBAL DEALS Donald Trump tweeted that he’d begin renegotiating the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement on Thursday, fitting the first step on a core campaign promise just under the wire ahead of Saturday’s 100 days marker. Trump campaigned repeatedly on his promise to renegotiate or withdraw from the deal, running televised ads on it while deriding from the campaign trail as “the worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere.” The deal was a bludgeon Trump used to criticize his opponent, Hillary Clinton, whose husband implemented the deal after it was negotiated by his Republican predecessor. For a president who called the deal “a total disaster” that caused “carnage” and was “horrible," the renegotiation is a tempered step. After initial reports that he might take steps to leave it on Wednesday, Trump agreed to let it stand for now while the three nations — Mexico, Canada, and the United States — attempt to renegotiate the terms. He tweeted Thursday to insist that withdrawal was still on the table, saying he agreed to renegotiate “subject to the fact that if we do not reach a fair deal for all, we will then terminate NAFTA. Relationships are good - deal very possible!” Share this -







In Major Reversal, Trump Says China 'Not Currency Manipulators' GLOBAL DEALS President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he no longer believes China manipulates its currency, a complete shift from the position he repeatedly took during his 2016 campaign. “They’re not currency manipulators,” Trump told the the Wall Street Journal during an Oval Office interview. The reason he changed his mind, the president said, was because China has stopped manipulating its currency in recent months and the accusations could jeopardize U.S. negotiations with China to deal with the nuclear threat from North Korea. Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency (making it hard for our companies to compete), heavily tax our products going into.. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2016 their country (the U.S. doesn't tax them) or to build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea? I don't think so! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2016 READ MORE Share this -







Trump Blames Canada in Latest Trade Tiff GLOBAL DEALS After repeated campaign promises to "get tough on trade," President Donald Trump has moved to slap a roughly 20 percent tariff on softwood lumber entering the United States from Canada, reviving a long-smoldering trade dispute between the U.S. and its second-largest trading partner. "People don't realize Canada has been really rough with the United States," Trump said before signing an executive order on an agriculture task force on Tuesday." They've outsmarted our politicians for years." "We don't want to be taken advantage of by other countries and that's stopping and that's stopping fast," he said. READ MORE Share this -







Charity Worker Detained in Egypt for 3 Years Credits Trump for Release WINNING An Egyptian-American charity worker returned home to the Washington, D.C. area Thursday night after spending three years in an Egyptian jail over what human rights groups say were bogus charges. A freed Aya Hijazi got the opportunity Friday morning to shake hands with President Donald Trump, who her lawyer said helped to secure her release. "First and foremost, there have been countless number of people advocating for Aya Hijazi's freedom," Wade McMullen told NBC News. "I think Trump and his team deserve credit for making this a priority at the most critical time in her case." READ MORE Share this -





