Trump says he ‘couldn’t care less’ about higher car prices
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Trump says he ‘couldn’t care less’ about higher car prices Banzai Japan Music Video Donald Trump has said he “couldn’t care less” if carmakers raise prices after his 25% tariffs on foreign-made vehicles comes into effect. Some analysts have warned that Trump’s charges on businesses importing vehicles could lead to the temporary shutdown of significant car production in the US, increase prices, and strain relations with allies. But speaking to NBC News on Saturday, the US president said he hoped foreign carmakers raise prices as it means “people are gonna buy American-made cars. We have plenty”. On Wednesday, Trump announced new import taxes of 25% on cars and car parts entering the US from overseas, which go into effect on 2 April. Charges on businesses importing vehicles are expected on 3 April, and taxes on parts are set to start in May or later. Book Novotel Hotel When asked about what his message was to car bosses, he said: “The message is congratulations, if you make your car in the United States, you’re going to make a lot of money”. He went on to say: “If you don’t, you’re going to have to probably come to the United States, because if you make your car in the United States, there is no tariff.” The 25% import tax on carmakers was briefly implemented but then paused at the beginning of March following pleas from major carmakers in North America like Ford, General Motors and Stellantis. But Trump told NBC he did not plan to delay imposition of the car tariffs any further, saying he would consider negotiating “only if people are willing to give us something of great value. Because countries have things of great value, otherwise, there’s no room for negotiation”. Banzai Japan Music Video The UK is in last-minute negotiations with the White House and is trying to get an exemption, arguing that – unlike other countries – the UK has a relatively equal trading relationship with the US. The prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not want to jump into a trade war. Several major economies have also vowed to retaliate in response to Trump’s tariffs. Germany has said it “will not give in” and that Europe must “respond firmly”, France’s president branded the move “a waste of time” and “incoherent”, Canada calling it a “direct attack”, and China accused Washington of violating international trade rules. Book Novotel Hotel Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
JD Vance’s ominous pitch to Greenland
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel JD Vance’s ominous pitch to Greenland Banzai Japan Music Video A green shimmer, like a curtain of light being drawn across the night sky, formed beside the impossibly bright stars above Nuuk late on Friday evening. The appearance of the spectacular northern lights – a common wonder in these parts – seemed to mark the end of a hugely significant day in the arctic, one that brought icebound Greenland’s hopes and challenges into the sharpest relief. It was a day in which an acquisitive foreign power had sent an uninvited delegation to the world’s largest island with an uncomfortable message. Book Novotel Hotel On a brief visit to a remote US military base in the far north of Greenland, US Vice-President JD Vance may have tried at times to soften his boss’s stated aim of simply annexing the autonomous Danish territory. “We do not think that military force is ever going to be necessary,” Vance said, perhaps attempting to sound reassuring. But the vice-president’s overarching message remained stark and intimidating: the world, the climate, and the Arctic region are changing fast, and Greenland needs to wake up to threats posed by an expansionist China; long-standing Western security partnerships have run their course; the only way the island can protect itself, its values and its mineral wealth is by abandoning weak and miserly Danish overlords and turning instead to the muscular and protective embrace of the US. Banzai Japan Music Video “We need to wake up from a failed, 40-year consensus that said that we could ignore the encroachment of powerful countries as they expand their ambitions,” Vance told US troops at America’s Pituffik military base. “We can’t just bury our head in the sand – or, in Greenland, bury our head in the snow – and pretend that the Chinese are not interested in this very large landmass.” If you look at a map of the world that has the north pole at its centre, rather than the equator, it is easy to see how Greenland suddenly switches from being an easily overlooked smudge of uninhabited territory and into a key strategic landmass. It is at the heart of what many analysts now accept as an emerging power struggle between China, the US, and Russia, for control of the arctic, its minerals and its shipping lanes. But the speed and contempt with which the Trump White House has rejected its traditional reliance on Western allies – Nato in particular – has left its partners bewildered. “Not justifiable,” was the bristling response of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen after hearing Vance attack her government as he stood on its sovereign territory. ‘Like a threat’ But 1,500km (930 miles) south of the Pituffik base, in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, the American story vied for attention with a very different local event on Friday. “We will prevail,” a smiling crowd sang, at a ceremony to celebrate the formation of a new coalition government for Greenland. The mood felt mostly joyful and communal, with people locking arms and swaying gently as a band played inside the town’s house of culture. It was a powerful reminder of the shared values that bind Greenland’s tiny, and overwhelmingly native Inuit population together – the need for consensus and co-operation in an often hostile natural climate, the desire to protect and celebrate Inuit culture and the wish to be respected by outsiders, be they from familiar but distant Denmark or marginally closer America. “There are many ways to say things. But I think the way [Trump] is saying it is not the way. It’s like a threat,” said Lisbeth Karline Poulsen, 43, a local artist attending the ceremony. Her reaction appeared to capture the broader mood here – a recent poll showed just 6% of the population support the idea of being part of the US. The journey to independence Under its new government, and with overwhelming public support, Greenland is beginning a slow, very cautious move towards full independence from Denmark. It’s a process that will likely take many years, and which will involve lengthy dialogue with both Copenhagen and Washington. After all, Greenlanders well understand that their economy needs to be far more developed if their bid for independence is to stand any realistic chance of success. But they need to balance that development against realistic fears of exploitation by powerful outside commercial forces. Which brings us to the fundamental confusion, in Greenland and beyond, about the Trump administration’s approach towards their territory. What does America want? On his visit, Vance mentioned Greenland’s aspirations for independence, and implied that America’s real intention was not a sudden annexation of the island, but something far more patient and long-term. “Our message is very simple, yes, the people of Greenland are going to have self-determination. We hope that they choose to partner with the United States, because we’re the only nation on earth that will respect their sovereignty and respect their security.” If that is genuinely the American pitch – Trump’s messaging remains more aggressive than Vance’s – then Greenlanders can surely relax a little and take their time. There are still large reserves of goodwill towards the US here, and a keen interest in doing more business with American companies. On the security front, a 74-year-old treaty with Denmark permitting the US to increase its military presence in Greenland at any time – from new bases to submarine harbours – should surely take care of Washington’s concerns about countering the threat from China, just as it did during the Cold War years. What remains puzzling is Donald Trump’s impatience – the same impatience he’s displayed in attempting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. Short of owning Greenland, America could get everything it desires and needs from this vast island without much difficulty. Instead, many people in Nuuk feel they’re being bullied. It’s a deeply counterproductive approach, which has already forced Washington into