Injecting fresh uncertainty at a time of global economic jitters, President Donald Trump sent mixed messages Sunday on the U.S.-China trade war as leaders at a global summit pushed the unpredictable American president to ease frictions over tariffs and cooperate on other geopolitical challenges.
Trump's head-snapping comments at the Group of Seven summit about his escalating trade fight with China — first expressing regret, then amping up tariff threats — represented just the latest manifestation of the hazards of the president's go-it-alone mantra. Allies fault his turbulent trade agenda for contributing to a global economic slowdown.
Despite Trump's insistence that reports of U.S. tensions with allies are overblown, fissures between the U.S. and six of the world's other advanced economies were apparent on trade policy, Russia and Iran as the leaders gathered at a picturesque French beach resort.
Two days after the U.S. and China traded a fresh round of retaliatory tariffs and Trump threatened to force U.S. businesses to cut ties with China, the president appeared to harbor qualms about the trade war, which has sent financial markets tumbling.
Asked during a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson if he had any second thoughts about escalating the trade conflict, Trump told reporters, "Yeah. For sure."
He added, "I have second thoughts about everything."
Hours later, the White House backpedaled. Press secretary Stephanie Grisham issued a statement saying the press had "greatly misinterpreted" Trump's comments. She said the president only responded "in the affirmative - because he regrets not raising the tariffs higher."
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow, who was in the room when Trump spoke and was later interviewed by CBS' "Face the Nation," offered his own explanation.
Kudlow claimed Trump "didn't quite hear the question" although reporters asked the president three times whether he had any second thoughts about ramping up the trade war and he responded three times.
At first, Trump's admission appeared to mark a rare moment of self-reflection by the famously hardnosed leader. The subsequent explanation fits a pattern of Trump recoiling from statements he believes suggest weakness.
Earlier this month, Trump backed off on a threat to place even tougher tariffs on Chinese imports as aides fretted about their impact on the holiday shopping season and growing fears of a recession in the U.S.
Trump had hoped to use the summit to rally other leaders to do more to stimulate their economies, as fears rise of a potential slowdown in the U.S. before he stands for reelection in November 2020.
Johnson, for his part, praised Trump for America's economic performance — but chided the U.S. leader for his unbending China policy.
"Just to register a faint sheep-like note of our view on the trade war," he told Trump. "We're in favor of trade peace."
Trump said he had "no plans right now" to follow through on his threat of an emergency declaration, but he insisted he would be within his rights to use a 1977 law designed to target rogue regimes, terrorists and drug traffickers as the newest weapon in the clash between the world's two largest economies
"If I want, I could declare a national emergency," Trump said. He cited China's theft of intellectual property and the large U.S. trade deficit with China, saying "in many ways that's an emergency."
For all of that, Trump disputed reports of friction with other G-7 leaders, saying he has been "treated beautifully" since he arrived.
The cracks started to emerge moments later after the French government said the leaders had agreed at a Saturday dinner that French President Emanuel Macron would deliver a message to Iran on behalf of the group.
Trump denied he had signed off on any such message.
"No, I haven't discussed that," he told reporters during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Administration officials said Trump was noncommittal when the leaders discussed the subject of a message to Iran during a conversation about Iran's nuclear program.
For several months, Macron has assumed a lead role in trying to save the 2015 nuclear accord, which has been unraveling since Trump pulled the U.S. out of the agreement. The French went even further Sunday, inviting Iranian Foreign Minister Jawad Zarif to Biarritz in a bid to open talks meant on lowering tensions.
Trump curtly told reporters he had "no comment" on Zarif's presence. Officials said the White House was not aware in advance of the invitation to Zarif — a further indication of Trump's diminished role.
Trump also faced opposition from European leaders over his stated desire to find a way to re-admit Russia to the G-7 before next year's meeting of the world leaders, which will be held in the United States. Russian President Vladimir Putin was expelled from the former G-7 in 2015 following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
And, sitting feet away from Abe, Trump declined to forcefully condemn North Korea's flouting of international sanctions with a recent burst of short-range ballistic missile tests, calling them "much more standard missiles. Abe views them as a critical security threat.
Trump told reporters: "We're in the world of missiles, folks, whether you like it or not."
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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will go before voters Tuesday in Pennsylvania’s presidential primaries, a prelude to the November general election, when the commonwealth is expected to once again play a critical role in the race for the White House. Further down the ballot, voters will also select nominees in competitive primaries for Congress, the state legislature and three statewide offices.
Biden clinched the Democratic nomination and Trump clinched the Republican nomination on March 12, and neither faces serious opposition on the primary ballot. Nonetheless, both presumptive nominees have campaigned in Pennsylvania in recent days with their focus more on the November election and each other than on Tuesday’s vote.
Biden just completed a three-day campaign swing that began Tuesday in his hometown of Scranton and concluded Thursday in Philadelphia in an event with members of the Kennedy family. Days earlier, Trump held a rally in Lehigh County, his third visit to the state this year.
Pennsylvania, with its 19 electoral votes, was one of three critical swing states along with Michigan and Wisconsin that went narrowly for Trump in 2016 after almost 30 years of voting for Democratic presidential candidates. Biden won back all three states four years later with a margin in Pennsylvania of about 80,000 votes out of more than 6.9 million votes cast, and the states remain key electoral prizes this November.
Democrats in the Keystone State also will decide competitive contests for state attorney general, treasurer and auditor general. For attorney general, five candidates are running for the nomination for the position once held by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro. They are Philadelphia attorney Keir Bradford-Grey, former auditor general and state Rep. Eugene DePasquale, former prosecutor and Bucks County solicitor Joe Khan, Philadelphia state Rep. Jared Solomon and Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer.
The Republican primary for attorney general pits York County District Attorney Dave Sunday against state Rep. Craig Williams.
In the race to control the closely divided Congress, first-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Summer Lee faces a primary challenge in the 12th District from Bhavini Patel, a member of the Edgewood Borough Council in Allegheny County. The two have sparred over their positions on the Israel-Hamas war. Lee has accused Israel of “war crimes” in Gaza and was an early proponent of a cease-fire. She was also supportive of a campaign to vote “uncommitted” in Democratic presidential primaries to send a message to Biden over the war.
In the 10th Congressional District, six Democrats are competing for the nomination to face Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, who played an active role in the effort to keep Trump in office after his loss to Biden in the 2020 election. A federal court recently ordered Perry to hand over hundreds of his texts and emails to FBI agents investigating the effort. His cellphone was seized in 2022 as part of the probe.
In the 1st Congressional District, Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick faces a primary challenge from Mark Houck, an anti-abortion activist. In the 7th District, three Republicans are vying to take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Susan Wild in the fall.
Pennsylvania is also home to a competitive U.S. Senate contest, but Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick are both running unopposed in Tuesday's primary.
Here’s a look at what to expect on Tuesday:
The Pennsylvania presidential and state primaries will be held on Tuesday. Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.
The Associated Press will provide coverage for the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries, as well as 48 additional races down the ballot. Biden and Dean Phillips will appear on the Democratic presidential ballot, while Trump and Nikki Haley will appear on the Republican ballot. Voters in both primaries are also given the option to write in a candidate. The AP will also provide coverage for contested primaries for attorney general, auditor, treasurer, U.S. House, state Senate and state House.
Pennsylvania has a closed primary system, which means that only voters registered with a political party may participate in that party’s primary. Democrats may not vote in the Republican primary or vice versa. Independent or unaffiliated voters may not participate in either primary.
Pennsylvania’s 159 pledged Democratic delegates are allocated according to the national party’s standard rules. Thirty-five at-large delegates are allocated in proportion to the statewide vote, as are 19 PLEO delegates, or “party leaders and elected officials.” The state’s 17 congressional districts have a combined 105 delegates at stake, which are allocated in proportion to the vote results in each district. Candidates must receive at least 15% of the statewide vote to qualify for any statewide delegates, and 15% of the vote in a congressional district to qualify for delegates in that district.
Pennsylvania has 67 Republican delegates. The winner of the statewide vote will receive all 16 at-large delegates. The state’s 17 congressional districts each have an additional three delegates, for a total of 51 district-level delegates, but they are not awarded to candidates based on the primary vote. Instead, people running to be a convention delegate appear on the ballot and are elected directly by voters. They are elected as unbound delegates, meaning they are not obligated to vote for any particular candidate at the convention. The AP will not report vote totals for delegate candidates.
In the presidential race, Biden and Trump are the favorites in their primaries as neither candidate faces a credible challenge. The first indications that they are winning statewide on a level consistent with the overwhelming margins seen in most other contests held this year may be sufficient to determine the statewide winners.
For other statewide primaries, the key jurisdictions to watch are the vote-rich counties of Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware, Lancaster and Chester.
The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
In Pennsylvania, races with a vote margin of 0.5 percentage points or less are subject to an automatic recount. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is eligible for a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.
As of April 15, there were more than 8.7 million registered voters in Pennsylvania, about 45% Democrats and 40% Republicans.
In the 2022 midterm primaries, turnout was about 15% of registered voters in both the Democratic and Republican primaries. About 42% of votes in the Democratic primary that year were cast before Election Day, compared with about 11% in the Republican primary.
As of Thursday, a total of 413,952 ballots had been cast before Election Day, about 73% from Democrats and about 26% from Republicans.
In the 2022 midterm primaries, the AP first reported results at 8:04 p.m. ET, or four minutes after polls closed. The election night tabulation ended at 2:45 a.m. ET with about 91% of total votes counted.
As of Tuesday, there will be 83 days until the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, 118 days until the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and 196 until the November general election.
Follow the AP's coverage of the 2024 election at https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.
FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event in Schnecksville, Pa., April 13, 2024. President Joe Biden and Trump will go before voters April 23, 2024, in Pennsylvania's presidential primaries, a prelude to the November general election when the commonwealth is expected to once again to play a critical role in the race for the White House.(AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)
FILE - President Joe Biden speaks at the United Steelworkers Headquarters in Pittsburgh, April 17, 2024. Biden and former President Donald Trump will go before voters April 23, 2024, in Pennsylvania's presidential primaries, a prelude to the November general election when the commonwealth is expected to once again to play a critical role in the race for the White House.(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
FILE - Voters check in at their polling place before casting their ballots on election day in Philadelphia, Nov. 7, 2023. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will go before voters April 23, 2024, in Pennsylvania's presidential primaries, a prelude to the November general election when the commonwealth is expected to once again to play a critical role in the race for the White House.(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
