Tag: TRUMP

US President Trump to relaunch coronavirus briefings, backs mask wearing

by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse US President Donald Trump promised Monday to resume televised coronavirus briefings and finally spoke out in favor of mask-wearing — a marked change of tune as polls show him headed for election disaster. With only just over 100 days until the election against Democrat Joe Biden, Trump is scrambling to respond to public anger over his troubled months-long handling of the pandemic. Since the virus first hit the United […]

Trump says Harvard move to online courses due to virus ‘ridiculous’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump lashed out at Harvard University on Tuesday, calling its decision to move all its courses online in the fall due to the coronavirus pandemic “ridiculous.” “I think it’s ridiculous. I think it’s an easy way out. And I think they ought to be ashamed of themselves,” Trump said at a White House roundtable discussion, during which he called for schools and universities to reopen for the […]

Trump approves cutting 9,500 troops in Germany: Pentagon

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump has approved a plan to slash the US military presence in Germany by 9,500 troops, the Defense Department said Tuesday. Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said the move, which has sparked concerns in Berlin and in the NATO alliance, is to redeploy the troops and will “enhance Russian deterrence, strengthen NATO, (and) reassure allies,” as well as improving US strategic flexibility. The move will cut the current troop […]

Iran asks Interpol to help arrest Trump for killing general

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran said Monday it has called for Interpol to help arrest President Donald Trump and 35 other US officials for the January killing of its top general in an American drone strike. Tehran prosecutor Ali Qasi Mehr, quoted by state news agency IRNA, said 36 US political and military officials “involved in the assassination” of General Qasem Soleimani “have been investigated and were ordered to be arrested through Interpol”. “These people […]

US questions new China virus figures, seeks observers

  WASHINGON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Thursday questioned China’s credibility on reporting fresh coronavirus cases in Beijing and called for neutral observers to assess the extent of the outbreak. China has locked down the capital as it seeks to prevent a second wave of COVID-19, reporting 158 cases since a fresh cluster was detected last week. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, an outspoken critic of China, urged greater transparency during talks […]

North Korea denounces US two years after Singapore summit

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea criticized Donald Trump in a stinging denunciation of the United States on Friday, the second anniversary of a landmark summit in Singapore where the US president shook hands with leader Kim Jong Un. It was the latest in a series of vitriolic statements from Pyongyang aimed at both Washington and Seoul, and came a day after the North implicitly threatened to disrupt November’s election if the US […]

Backlash against Trump exiting WHO as world virus cases top 6 mn

  by Celine Le Prioux with Daniel Lawler in Paris and AFP bureaus Agence France Presse US President Donald Trump faced a broad backlash on Saturday over severing ties with the UN’s health agency during a pandemic, as coronavirus cases worldwide topped 6 million and infections surged in Latin America. The EU urged Washington to reconsider its decision to permanently cut funding to the World Health Organization over its handling of the pandemic, which has […]

Trump cuts ties with WHO mid-pandemic, signals end of US funding for UN agency

by Susan Stumme with AFP bureaus Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Friday said he was severing ties with the World Health Organization, signalling the end of hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to the UN agency as the deadly coronavirus pandemic rages on. As Europe speeded along the path to reopening after months of crippling lockdowns, Trump’s move is likely to spark dismay, especially in other […]

US President Trump says he is taking hydroxychloroquine

by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump on Monday made the surprise announcement that he is taking hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug that his own government experts say is not suitable for fighting the novel coronavirus. Trump, noting that he has tested negative for the virus and shows no symptoms, said he’d been taking the drug as a preventative measure for about a week and a half. “I take […]

WHO faces virus probe after Trump threat

by Nina LARSON with Michael MATHES in Washington and AFP bureaus Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — World Health Organization member states agreed Tuesday to launch an investigation into its coronavirus response, after US President Donald Trump threatened to quit the UN agency and branded it a “puppet of China”. Trump has been locked in a bitter spat with Beijing, alleging it covered up the initial COVID-19 outbreak in central China late last year […]

US VP Pence spokeswoman tests positive for COVID-19

  by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US vice president’s spokeswoman became the second White House staffer this week to test positive for coronavirus, officials said Friday, even as President Donald Trump continued to go mask-free at a World War II ,commemoration with veterans in their 90s. News that staffer Katie Miller had fallen ill boosted fears that the White House is at risk of becoming a viral hot […]

Coronavirus worse for US than Pearl Harbor, 9/11: Trump

by Chris Lefkow with AFP bureaus WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump renewed his criticism of China on Wednesday over the global coronavirus pandemic and said it has been worse for the United States than Pearl Harbor and 9/11. As Germany unveiled plans for a return to near-normality — including a May 15 restart of the Bundesliga — the European Union forecast a historic recession on the virus-battered continent. Countries in Asia joined […]