Trump announces deal with China that doesn’t actually exist
ALSO INSIDE: The ‘grand military parade’ is less than a mile long
Cam here 👋 bringing you your daily dose of what people are doing – good, bad, and otherwise – in the world of politics. We’re diving into the stories you won’t see anywhere else. And remember, you can also keep up with me over on TikTok and Bluesky.
What Happened
President Donald Trump declared victory in his trade war with China Wednesday morning, claiming that China will give the US any rare minerals it wants, reduce its tarrifs to 10% while the US keeps theirs at 55%, open the country to “American Trade” — and he admitted to using Chinese college students studying in the US as economic pawns.
Only one of these things is true.
Despite Trump’s all-caps declaration on Truth Social, there is no deal. While representatives from both countries have spent the week in London developing a framework of a deal — a concept of a plan, if you will — they have released no concrete details on what that framework entails. Statements from both parties involved offer almost no details and, more importantly, nothing to infer that Trump’s declaration was anything more than hollow bluster.
The only official statement from the US came from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who returned from London on Wednesday to testify before a congressional committee. He gave no sign that what Trump claimed was in the framework at all, only that if China would only embrace capitalism, the whole ordeal would work out better for everyone.
“China has a singular opportunity to stabilize its economy by shifting away from excess production towards greater consumption,” Bessent said. “If China will course-correct by upholding its end of the initial trade agreement we outlined in Geneva last month, then a big, beautiful rebalancing of the world’s two largest economies is possible.”
Similar to Bessent, China's international trade representative Li Chenggang referenced upholding the Geneva agreement from May of this year, which declared a truce, between both countries to reduce tariffs—which the US broke almost immediately. Under that agreement, which the framework is based on, both countries reduced their tariffs to 10%—not the 10% / 55% split Trump claimed was in the current framework or any mention of rare earth minerals.
The only kernel of truth in Trump’s Truth was that his administration’s decision to “aggressively revoke” the visas of Chinese students wasn’t because of any ties to the Communist Party of China: it was so that student visas could be used as leverage in tariff negotiations.
Attempts to Sanewash
Trump says US gets magnets and rare earth minerals from China, tariffs on Chinese goods going to 55%
'Relationship is excellent!": Trump says US and China have made a deal on rare earth minerals
Far-Right Spin
Mile-long birthday parade sparks million-person protest
The US Army parade this upcoming Saturday, which coincidentally is on the same day as Trump’s birthday, is going to be packed — but not because of the crowd size. The parade route covers about 8 blocks in front of the White House, where thousands of soldiers, hundreds of military vehicles, and around 30 battle tanks will be crammed together for a couple of hours under a stormy sky.
Around 200,000 people are expected to attend Trump’s knock-off version of a dictator’s military parade, but the real crowds will be on the other side of the fence. Nearly 2,000 “No Kings” protests are planned that day, according to Rolling Stone, and organizers say they expect more people to show up than the 3 million people who protested the Trump administration during the April “Hands Off” protests.
No Kings is a massive collaborative undertaking between nearly 200 local and national organizations. Labor unions and non-profits targeted by Trump are rallying their supporters, as well as newly formed grassroots movements like 50501 and those that formed as opposition to Trump’s first term, like Indivisible and Our Revolution.
“Donald Trump wants tanks in the street and a made-for-TV display of dominance for his birthday. A spectacle meant to look like strength. But real power isn’t staged,” No Kings said in their initial call to action. “Instead of allowing this birthday parade to be the center of gravity, we will make action everywhere else the story of America that day.”
To maximize drawing attention from the parade, No Kings is purposefully not holding a protest in DC; they instead hope to draw attention away from Trump and to the hundreds of actions planned across the country. No Kings has created a number of resources for those looking to do something, including leadership and first-timer trainings, shareable social media assets, and a comprehensive map of every protest taking place on June 14th.
US Rep. Robert Aderholt, Alabama’s 4th Congressional District
Since taking office in 2019, Rep. Aderholt has:
Seen his net worth increase from $4 million to $12 million
Sponsored 95 bills
Authored four bills that have been signed into law and one that was vetoed by former President Barack Obama
Asked for prayers after being evacuated during the Jan. 6 Insurrection, then voted in favor of the insurrectionists’ goal to overturn the 2020 election results
Accepted campaign contributions from fraudulent crypto bank FTX
Fun Facts
Rep. Aderholt has spent this year championing the work of disgraced White House employee Elon Musk’s failed attempt to cut government spending, but he appears to play fast and loose when it comes to taxpayer dollars. Aderholt is a commissioner for military parade organizer America250, which is planning Trump’s parade this weekend, the cost of which is expected to be upwards of $45 million. He’s also received criticism from voters for using his committee positions not to benefit his district, but to funnel money to the university where his wife sits on the board of trustees.
International affairs seem to be a hobby horse of Aderholt’s: though he doesn’t have any professional experience abroad and doesn’t sit on any related committees, he’s spent a fair amount of time and taxpayer money abroad. In 2010, Aderholt was under investigation for ethics violations related to pocketing per diem money while traveling. During several of his trips, Aderholt met with far-right, anti-Semitic leaders in Eastern Europe, whom he described as close, long-term friends.
Meet the Iowa nurse who sparked Ernst’s pro-death proclamation
Remember that clip of Iowa US Sen. Joni Ernst telling a town hall crowd that she didn’t care about the real-world harm Medicaid cuts would cause because “we’re all going to die” went viral a few weeks ago? Now you can hear from the person who got Ernst to say the quiet part out loud.
India May, a nurse from Charles City, Iowa, drove to Ernst’s town hall because of concern she had about how Trump’s budget proposal would impact her patients. Listening to Ernst defend the cuts did nothing but strengthen the frustration felt by those in the room, culminating in May shouting out, “People will die!”
May sat down with Amie Rivers, community editor for COURIER’s Iowa Starting Line, to talk about the incident and aftermath on the Cornhole Champions podcast. One outcome from May’s viral moment? She’s decided to run for office.
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