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Donald Trump has faced questions on US television about his current legal woes and what he would do if he wins the presidency for a second time.

He is currently favourite to claim the Republican nomination and take on the Democrats in November 2024.

Here are 10 key takeaways from the wide-ranging Meet The Press interview on NBC.

1. Ukraine and how to end the war

Mr Trump did not spell out exactly how he would pursue the end of the war between Ukraine and Russia “because if I did… I lose all my bargaining chips”.

“But I would say certain things to [Vladimir] Putin. I would say certain things to [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy, both of whom I get along,” he added.

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in July 2018. Pic: AP
Image:
Trump and Vladimir Putin in July 2018. Pic: AP

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in September 2019. Pic: AP
Image:
Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in September 2019. Pic: AP

Asked if he would push for a deal that allowed the Russian president to keep Ukrainian territory, Trump said “no, no, no, no”.

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“I’d make a fair deal for everybody,” he said.

2. Appreciation for Putin comment

Mr Trump expressed appreciation for a remark Putin recently made.

The Russian leader said: “We surely hear that Mr Trump says he will resolve all burning issues within several days, including the Ukrainian crisis. We cannot help but feel happy about it.”

In response, Mr Trump said: “Well, I like that he said that.

“Because that means what I’m saying is right. I would get him into a room. I’d get Zelenskyy into a room. Then I’d bring them together. And I’d have a deal worked out. I would get a deal worked out. It would’ve been a lot easier before it started.”

Mr Trump has long declined to overly-criticise Mr Putin, and in February 2022 he called the Ukraine invasion “genius” and “savvy”.

3. Trump won’t rule out sending troops to Taiwan if China invades

Mr Trump said the option of sending US forces to defend Taiwan against China remains open.

But he would not commit to this policy, unlike Democrat President Joe Biden.

“I won’t say. I won’t say,” Mr Trump said. “Because if I said, I’m giving away – you know, only stupid people are going to give that.”

“I don’t take anything off the table,” he added.

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Roe v Wade: US abortion rights a year on

4. Trump is against full abortion bans

The former Republican president said members of his own party “speak very inarticulately” about abortion, and he criticised those who push for abortion bans without exceptions in cases of rape and incest, and to protect the health of the mother.

“I watch some of them without the exceptions,” he said.

“I said, ‘Other than certain parts of the country, you can’t – you’re not going to win on this issue. But you will win on this issue when you come up with the right number of weeks.”

He did not state what kind of legislation he would sign to ban abortion after a certain number of weeks – or if he prefers the issue be solved at the federal level rather than on a state-by-state basis – but he tried to portray himself as a dealmaker who could unite “both sides”.

5. Trump might pressure Fed to lower interest rates

He complained US interest rates were too high and indicated if he gets another term in office, he might pressure Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell to loosen monetary policy.

He said: “Interest rates are very high. They’re too high. People can’t buy homes. They can’t do anything. I mean, they can’t borrow money.”

Asked specifically whether he would try to strong-arm Mr Powell into lowering rates, Mr Trump said: “Depends where inflation is. But I would get inflation down.”

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Trump charges in 60 seconds

6. Trump likes democracy

Mr Trump claimed he still believes democracy is the most effective form of government – but added a key caveat.

“I do. I do. But it has to be a democracy that’s fair,” he said. “This democracy – I don’t consider us to have much of a democracy right now.”

He suggested US democracy was unfair because of the charges he faces for allegedly mishandling classified documents, trying to conceal hush money payments to women ahead of an election and attempting to overturn the 2020 election.

He added: “We need a media that’s free and fair. And frankly, if they don’t have that, it’s very, very hard to straighten out our country.”

7. Not afraid of going to jail

Despite facing four trials, Mr Trump said he’s not consumed with visions of prison.

“I don’t even think about it,” he said. “I’m built a little differently I guess, because I have had people come up to me and say, ‘How do you do it, sir? How do you do it?’ I don’t even think about it.”

He later said: “I truly feel that, in the end, we’re going to win.”

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Trump speaks to NBC

8. Doesn’t rule out pardoning himself

Trump declined to rule out pardoning himself if he becomes president again. But he called the scenario “very unlikely”.

“What, what did I do wrong? I didn’t do anything wrong,” Trump said. “You mean because I challenge an election, they want to put me in jail?”

9. What about pardoning January 6 rioters?

Mr Trump said he views the prison sentences given to some January 6 rioters following the attack on the US Congress in early 2021 as unfair.

“We have to treat people fairly,” he said.

“These people on January 6, they went – some of them never even went into the building, and they’re being given sentences of, you know, many years.”

Mr Trump was asked if he would pardon the imprisoned rioters.

“Well, I’m going to look at them, and I certainly might if I think it’s appropriate,” he said.

10. Trump says he won’t seek a third term should he win in 2024

Mr Trump was asked if there was any scenario in which he would seek a third term should he win the presidency next year.

“No,” he said, before criticising Republican rival Ron DeSantis, who has promoted his ability to serve two full terms rather than one.

The 22nd Amendment of the Constitution limits presidents to two four-year terms. That was enacted after former President Franklin Roosevelt was elected to four terms in office.

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Donald Trump announces 30% tariff on imports from EU

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Donald Trump announces 30% tariff on imports from EU

Donald Trump has announced he will impose a 30% tariff on imports from the European Union from 1 August.

The tariffs could make everything from French cheese and Italian leather goods to German electronics and Spanish pharmaceuticals more expensive in the US.

Mr Trump has also imposed a 30% tariff on goods from Mexico, according to a post from his Truth Social account.

Announcing the moves in separate letters on the account, the president said the US trade deficit was a national security threat.

In his letter to the EU, he wrote: “We have had years to discuss our trading relationship with The European Union, and we have concluded we must move away from these long-term, large, and persistent, trade Deficits, engendered by your tariff, and non-Tariff, policies, and trade barriers.

“Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from reciprocal.”

In his letter to Mexico, Mr Trump said he did not think the country had done enough to stop the US from turning into a “narco-trafficking playground”.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said today that the EU could adopt “proportionate countermeasures” if the US proceeds with imposing the 30% tariff.

Ms von der Leyen, who heads the EU’s executive arm, said in a statement that the bloc remained ready “to continue working towards an agreement by Aug 1”.

“Few economies in the world match the European Union’s level of openness and adherence to fair trading practices,” she continued.

“We will take all necessary steps to safeguard EU interests, including the adoption of proportionate countermeasures if required.”

Ms von der Leyen has also said imposing tariffs on EU exports would “disrupt essential transatlantic supply chains”.

Meanwhile, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on the X social media platform that Mr Trump’s announcement was “very concerning and not the way forward”.

He added: “The European Commission can count on our full support. As the EU we must remain united and resolute in pursuing an outcome with the United States that is mutually beneficial.”

Mexico’s economy ministry said a bilateral working group aims to reach an alternative to the 30% US tariffs before they are due to take effect.

The country was informed by the US that it would receive a letter about the tariffs, the ministry’s statement said, adding that Mexico was negotiating.

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How ‘liberation day’ unfolded

Trump’s tariff threats and delays

On his so-called “liberation day” in April, Mr Trump unleashed “reciprocal tariffs” on many of America’s trade partners.

The US president said he was targeting countries with which America has a trade imbalance.

However, since then he’s backed down in a spiralling tit-for-tat tariff face-off with China, and struck a deal with the UK.

The US imposed a 20% tariff on imported goods from the EU in April but it was later paused and the bloc has since been paying a baseline tariff of 10% on goods it exports to the US.

In May, while the US and EU where holding trade negotiations, Mr Trump threated to impose a 50% tariff on the bloc as talks didn’t progress as he would have liked.

However, he later announced he was delaying the imposition of that tariff while negotiations over a trade deal took place.

As of earlier this week, the EU’s executive commission, which handles trade issues for the bloc’s 27-member nations, said its leaders were still hoping to strike a trade deal with the Trump administration.

Without one, the EU said it was prepared to retaliate with tariffs on hundreds of American products, ranging from beef and auto parts to beer and Boeing airplanes.

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Donald Trump plans to hit Canada with new tariff – while warning of blanket hike for other countries

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Donald Trump plans to hit Canada with new tariff - while warning of blanket hike for other countries

Donald Trump has said he plans to hit Canada with a 35% tariff on imported goods, as he warned of a blanket 15 or 20% hike for most other countries.

In a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the US president wrote: “I must mention that the flow of Fentanyl is hardly the only challenge we have with Canada, which has many Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers.”

Mr Trump’s tariffs were allegedly an effort to get Canada to crack down on fentanyl smuggling, and the US president has expressed frustration with Canada’s trade deficit with the US.

In a statement Mr Carney said: “Throughout the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses. We will continue to do so as we work towards the revised deadline of August 1.”

He added: “Canada has made vital progress to stop the scourge of fentanyl in North America. We are committed to continuing to work with the United States to save lives and protect communities in both our countries.”

Mr Trump has sent a series of tariff letters to 23 countries so far, including one putting a 50% tariff on Brazil in part for the ongoing trial of its former president Jair Bolsonaro for trying to stay in office after he lost the election in 2022.

Mr Trump was similarly indicted for his efforts to overturn his election loss in 2020.

The higher rates would go into effect on 1 August.

Shortly after Mr Trump unveiled his “Liberation Day” tariffs on 2 April, there was a huge sell-off on the financial markets. The US president later announced a 90-day negotiating period, during which a 10% baseline tariff would be charged on most imported goods.

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But in an interview with Sky News’s partner network NBC News, Mr Trump said he plans to impose higher blanket tariffs on most US trade partners.

“We’re just going to say all of the remaining countries are going to pay, whether it’s 20% or 15%. We’ll work that out now,” he said.

He added: “I think the tariffs have been very well-received. The stock market hit a new high today.”

The US and UK signed a trade deal in June, with the US president calling it “a fair deal for both” and saying it will “produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income”.

Sir Keir Starmer said the document “implements” the deal to cut tariffs on cars and aerospace, adding: “So this is a very good day for both of our countries – a real sign of strength.”

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The US president also teased a “major statement” he will make on Russia over its war with Ukraine.

“I’m disappointed in Russia, but we’ll see what happens over the next couple of weeks,” he said.

“I think I’ll have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday.”

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It comes as Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said a new round of talks between Moscow and Washington on bilateral problems could take place before the end of the summer.

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Palestinian activist detained by ICE suing Trump administration for $20m

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Palestinian activist detained by ICE suing Trump administration for m

A Palestinian activist who was detained for over three months in a US immigration jail after protesting against Israel is suing Donald Trump’s administration for $20m (£15m) in damages.

Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil have filed a claim against the administration alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite as the government sought to deport him over his role in campus protests.

The 30-year-old graduate student at Columbia University told Sky News’s lead world presenter Yalda Hakim being detained by ICE agents in March “felt like kidnapping”.

He described “plain-clothed agents and unmarked cars” taking him “from one place to another, expecting you just to follow orders and shackled all the time”, which he said was “really scary”.

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Mahmoud Khalil reunites with family after release

Mr Khalil said he was not presented with an arrest warrant and wasn’t told where he was being taken.

He said the detention centre he was taken to was “as far from humane as it could be” and “a place where you have no rights whatsoever”.

“You share a dorm with over 70 men with no privacy, with lights on all the time, with really terrible food. You’re basically being dehumanised at every opportunity. It’s a black hole,” he added.

Mr Khalil said he would also accept an official apology from the Trump administration.

The Trump administration celebrated Mr Khalil’s arrest, promising to deport him and others whose protests against Israel it declared were “pro-terrorist, antisemitic, anti-American activity”.

Mr Khalil said after around 36 hours in captivity he was allowed to speak to his wife, who was pregnant at the time.

“These were very scary hours, I did not know what was happening on the outside. I did not know that my wife was safe,” he said.

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‘Absolutely absurd allegations’

Mr Khalil said administration officials had made “absolutely absurd allegations” by saying he as involved in antisemitic activities and supporting Hamas.

“They are weaponising antisemitism, weaponising anti-terrorism in order to stifle speech,” he said. “What I was engaged in is simply opposing a genocide, opposing war crimes, opposing Columbia University’s complicity in the war on Gaza.”

A State Department spokesperson said its actions toward Mr Khalil were fully supported by the law.

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Asked about missing the birth of his son while he was in prison, Mr Khalil said: “I don’t think there’s any word that can describe the agony and the sadness that I went through, to be deprived from such a divine moment, from a moment that my wife and I had always dreamed about.”

Meanwhile, the deportation case against Mr Khalil is continuing to wind its way through the immigration court system.

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