President Trump on Tuesday slammed French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent rebuke of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), saying France historically is the country most in need of the military protection afforded by the 70-year-old alliance.
In London at a bilateral meeting alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Trump reacted to Macron telling The Economist magazine in early November that recent U.S. troop actions in Syria are contributing to the “brain death” of the NATO military alliance.
Trump said Macron made a “very, very nasty statement” which was “very disrespectful” to the 28 countries who are members of the alliance.
“Nobody needs NATO more than France,” Trump said, alluding to France being invaded twice during both World Wars. “It’s a very dangerous statement for them to make,” Trump said. “Frankly, the one that benefits the least is the United States. We are helping Europe unite and go against a common foe – may not be a foe – I can't tell you."
“It is a very tough statement to make when you have such difficulty in France when you look at what is going on," Trump continued. "They have had a very rough year. You just can't go around making statements like that about NATO. It is very disrespectful."
"What we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO," Macron told magazine in the wake of the United States' decision to withdraw troops from northeast Syria. He said the U.S. appears to be "turning its back on us."
"So as soon as you have a member who feels they have a right to head off on their own, granted by the United States of America, they do it," Macron said, referring to Turkey's military offensive into Syria following the troop withdrawal. "And that's what happened."
Speaking Tuesday, Trump suggested he could see France “breaking off” from NATO but did not elaborate further.
"It is a very, very nasty statement. I think they have a very high unemployment rate in France. France is not doing well economically at all," Trump said. He pointed to the yellow vest movement in which demonstrators took to the streets to protest government tax reforms burdening the middle class.
Trump also slammed Macron’s recent decision to impose a French digital services tax on American companies, including Facebook, Google and Twitter. The White House this week announced that the tax, which it claims “discriminates” against U.S. companies, will be met with tariffs of up to 100 percent on $2.4 billion worth of French products such as cheese, yogurt, sparkling wine and makeup, The Washington Post reported.
“I’m not so in love with Facebook, Google, or Twitter—well, I do well on Twitter from the other side,” Trump said. “But I don’t want France taxing American companies.”
Trump said if anyone is going to be “taking advantage” of American companies, it’s going to be the United States. “Before me, the United States was a sucker,” Trump added.
This comes as Trump is set to meet with NATO members during a two-day summit in London. Trump would not confirm if he'll meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Turkish media in late November quoted Erdogan's adviser saying the country was considering dropping out of NATO. Turkey withdrew some 40 troops from a NATO drill in Norway after the country's founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and Erdogan himself were depicted as enemies.
Fox News' Greg Norman and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un cuts a ribbon during a ceremony in North Korea in a KCNA photo provided on Dec. 2, 2019.
TOKYO — North Korea said Tuesday that dialogue with the United States has been nothing but a “foolish trick” and warned Washington that it could be on the receiving of an unwelcome Christmas gift.
The North Korean regime has given the United States until the end of the year to drop its “hostile policy,” come up with a new approach to talks and offer concessions in return for its decision to end nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests in 2018.
But a recent decision by the United States to postpone a joint air drill with South Korea clearly has not satisfied Pyongyang.
Ri Thae Song, vice foreign minister in charge of U.S. affairs, accused Washington of trying to buy time by calling for a “sustained and substantial dialogue,” an approach he rejected.
“The dialogue touted by the U.S. is, in essence, nothing but a foolish trick hatched to keep the DPRK bound to dialogue and use it in favor of the political situation and election in the U.S.,” he said, referring to his country by the initials of its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. “The DPRK has heard more than enough dialogue rhetoric raised by the U.S. whenever it is driven into a tight corner,” Ri said. “So, no one will lend an ear to the U.S. any longer.”
Ri then again reminded the United States of the fast-approaching deadline, effectively repeating a veiled threat to resume long-range missile tests.
“The DPRK has done its utmost with maximum perseverance not to backtrack from the important steps it has taken on its own initiative,” he said in a statement carried by the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency. “What is left to be done now is the U.S. option, and it is entirely up to the U.S. what Christmas gift it will select to get.”
North Korea has a history of timing launches with an eye on international developments and even U.S. holidays.
Last week, North Korea chose Thanksgiving Day to launch two projectiles from what it called a “super large multiple-rocket launcher,” marking the 14th test of short-range rockets or missiles it has undertaken this year.
On July 4, 2017, North Korea conducted its first test of an ICBM, the Hwasong-14, with leader Kim Jong Un describing it as a “gift package” for the Americans on their Independence Day.
North Korea has also dialed up the military threats in recent months, suggesting it may soon launch a ballistic missile in the direction of Japan.
When Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said last week’s launch was a threat to the region and the worldand described the projectiles as ballistic missiles, North Korea responded by calling him the worst idiot in the world and the stupidest man in history.
“Abe may see what a real ballistic missile is in the not distant future and under his nose,” KCNA said Saturday. “Abe is none other than a perfect imbecile and a political dwarf.”
House Republicans defend Trump in impeachment report
Latest updates on the impeachment inquiry
Lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee are beginning to review a report on President Trump and Ukraine.
Republicans finished their own report on the investigation, accusing Democrats of conducting "an orchestrated campaign to upend our political system."
The Judiciary Committee is gearing up for its first hearing in the impeachment probe, scheduled for Wednesday.
The White House says it won't participate in Wednesday's hearing, calling the impeachment inquiry "baseless" and "partisan."
Ukraine's president denied the July 25 call with Trump involved discussion of a "quid pro quo."
Washington -- The House Intelligence Committee is beginning to review a draft of report on the investigation into President Trump's dealings with Ukraine on Monday, before turning over the impeachment inquiry to the House Judiciary Committee. In their own report, House Republicans defended the president's dealings with Ukraine and accused Democrats of trying to overturn the results of the 2016 election.
Members on the Intelligence Committee returning from the Thanksgiving break could begin going over the draft on Capitol Hill on Monday evening, a committee official said. The committee will meet Tuesday at 6 p.m. to vote on adopting the report before sending it to the Judiciary Committee, along with the separate report prepared by Republican members.
Also on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied his July 25 phone conversation with President Trump involved any discussion of a quid pro quo. "I never talked to the president from the position of a quid pro quo," he told Time and three European publications.
The Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold its first hearing in the impeachment probe on Wednesday. Lawmakers will hear from four constitutional law experts about the history of impeachment and what constitutes an "impeachable offense." Republicans on the Judiciary Committee demanded the addition of other witnesses to showcase a "wider array of perspectives regarding impeachment."
The White House said Sunday it won't participate in the hearing, responding in a letter to an offer from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler. Under the House resolution governing the process, Mr. Trump or his counsel can attend proceedings and question witnesses.
White House counsel Pat Cipollone rejected the offer, saying it only "exacerbates the complete lack of due process and fundamental fairness afforded the president throughout this purported impeachment inquiry."
Schiff: Republican report "intended for an audience of one"
6:42 p.m.: Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff reacted to the Republicans' impeachment report, accusing the minority of ignoring evidence of wrongdoing by the president.
"The Minority's rebuttal document, intended for an audience of one, ignores voluminous evidence that the president used the power of his office to pressure Ukraine into investigating his political rival by withholding military aid and a White House meeting the President of Ukraine desperately sought. In so doing, the President undermined our national security and the integrity of our elections," he said.
"Tellingly, the Minority dismisses this as just part of the President's 'outside the beltway' thinking. It is more accurately, outside the law and constitution, and a violation of his oath of office," he added. -- Stefan Becket
Judiciary Committee announces witnesses for Wednesday's hearing
4:17 p.m.: The House Judiciary Committee released the names of the four people who will appear in Wednesday's impeachment hearing, which is titled "The Impeachment Inquiry into President Donald J. Trump: Constitutional Grounds for Presidential Impeachment." They are:
Noah Feldman, a professor at Harvard Law School
Pamela S. Karlan, a professor of public interest law at Stanford Law School and the co-director of the Supreme Court Litigation Clinic
Michael Gerhardt, a University of North Carolina law professor of jurisprudence
Jonathan Turley, a professor of public interest law at George Washington University and a CBS News legal analyst
-- Caroline Cournoyer
Top Republican on Judiciary Committee slams Democrats over hearing
4:10 p.m.: Less than 48 hours before the first impeachment hearing in the House Judiciary Committee, the committee's highest-ranking Republican accused Democrats of violating the minority party's rights and conducting an unfair impeachment process.
In a letter to Democratic Chairman Jerry Nadler, ranking member Doug Collins complained that neither the witness list for Wednesday's hearing nor the report from the House Intelligence Committee have been publicized. Without those, Collins said the committee will have to weigh impeachment "without any evidence for us to review."
The Intelligence Committee, however, held weeks of closed-door and televised hearings with more than a dozen witnesses, and nearly all of the transcripts of the closed-door sessions have been released.
The Intelligence Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday to consider the report, a draft of which will be made available to members Monday evening. Chairman Adam Schiff said last week that their findings will be given to the Judiciary Committee "soon after Congress returns from the Thanksgiving recess."
The Judiciary Committee released the witnesses for Wednesday's hearing shortly after the release of Collins' letter.
Collins also pointed out that a former Democratic representative, Jane Harman, said on Sunday that "the process is being rushed." -- Caroline Cournoyer
House Republicans defend Trump on Ukraine in impeachment report
House Intelligence Committee ranking member Devin Nunes is flanked by Chairman Adam Schiff at a House Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on November 20, 2019.
JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
3:45 p.m.: House Republicans have finished a report detailing their conclusions from the initial stages of the impeachment investigation, issuing a staunch defense of President Trump's dealings with Ukraine and accusing Democrats of conducting "an orchestrated campaign to upend our political system."
The 110-page report, written by Republican staffers on the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight Committees, is meant to supplement the Democrats' report on their findings.
The Republicans' report argues that the evidence collected over nearly two months of private and public testimony does not support the allegations at the center of the impeachment inquiry, which they portray as an attempt to overturn the results of the 2016 campaign.
"The Democrats' impeachment inquiry is not the organic outgrowth of serious misconduct; it is an orchestrated campaign to upend our political system," it says. "The Democrats are trying to impeach a duly elected President based on the accusations and assumptions of unelected bureaucrats who disagreed with President Trump's policy initiatives and processes." -- Stefan Becket and Arden Farhi
Judiciary chairman: If Trump has “nothing to hide,” he should comply with impeachment process
Nadler speaks during a hearing on May 21, 2019.
Patrick Semansky / AP
3:06 p.m.: House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler said it's "unfortunate" that neither President Trump nor anyone to represent him will participate in the impeachment hearing on Wednesday.
"Allowing the President to participate has been a priority for the House from the outset," he said in a statement. "The American people deserve transparency. If the President thinks the call was 'perfect' and there is nothing to hide, then he would turn over the thousands of pages of documents requested by Congress, allow witnesses to testify instead of blocking testimony with baseless privilege claims, and provide any exculpatory information that refutes the overwhelming evidence of his abuse of power." -- Caroline Cournoyer
Pompeo criticizes timing of next impeachment hearing
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to the media in the briefing room at the State Department, on November 26, 2019, in Washington, D.C.
Getty
12:24 p.m.: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized House Democrats for continuing to hold impeachment hearings this week while the president is out of the country.
The House Judiciary Committee will conduct its first public hearing on Wednesday. Mr. Trump departed the White House for London on Monday morning, where he will attend the NATO summit through Wednesday.
Pompeo called the timing "unfortunate" and said Democrats are breaking a "long tradition" of supporting presidents when they travel overseas.
"I regret that they've chosen to hold these hearings at the same time that the president and our entire national security team will be traveling to Europe, to London, to work on these important matters," he said. -- Melissa Quinn
Trump predicts impeachment inquiry will be "boon" to Republicans
Trump calls impeachment a "boon" for Republicans
11:18 a.m.: Before leaving the White House for the NATO summit in London, Mr. Trump spoke with reporters about the impeachment inquiry. He called the probe a "hoax" that is hurting Democrats among voters.
"They're getting killed in their own districts," he said. "I think it's going to be a tremendous boon for the Republicans. Republicans have never been so committed as they are right now, so united. So it's really a great thing in some ways but in other ways it's a disgrace."
Mr. Trump also criticized Democrats for holding Wednesday's hearing, given that he will be overseas, and noted the trip was planned months ago.
"This is one of the most important journeys that we make as president," he said of the meeting with other world leaders, during which they will mark the 70th anniversary of the NATO alliance.
The White House informed the House Judiciary Committee on Sunday it would not participate in Wednesday's proceedings and accused the panel of deliberately scheduling the hearing to conflict with Mr. Trump's trip. -- Melissa Quinn
Trump tweets about Zelensky's interview
9:30 a.m. President Trump responded with a tweet to reports of the Ukrainian president's interview with Time and other news outlets.
"Breaking News: The President of Ukraine has just again announced that President Trump has done nothing wrong with respect to Ukraine and our interactions or calls. If the Radical Left Democrats were sane, which they are not, it would be case over!" Mr. Trump wrote.
Zelensky also warned against claims by the president that Ukraine is a corrupt country and said when such comments come from the U.S., it "is the hardest of signals."
"Everyone hears that signal. Investments, banks, stakeholders, companies, American, European, companies that have international capital in Ukraine, it's a signal to them that says, 'Be careful, don't invest.' Or, 'Get out of there,'" Zelensky said. "This is a hard signal." -- Melissa Quinn
Zelensky says July 25 call with Trump was not from "position of a quid quo pro"
9 a.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated in a new interview his July 25 phone conversation with President Trump did not take place "from the position of a quid pro quo."
Speaking with reporters from Time and three European publications, Zelensky denied that the withholding of U.S. military aid was an attempt by President Trump to pressure his administration to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. But Zelensky did criticize the Trump administration's decision to hold back the assistance given Ukraine's ongoing war against Russia.
"Look, I never talked to the president from the position of a quid pro quo. That's not my thing," Zelensky said in the interview. "I don't want us to look like beggars. But you have to understand. We're at war. If you're our strategic partner, then you can't go blocking anything for us. I think that's just about fairness. It's not about a quid pro quo. It just goes without saying."
Zelensky's comments prompted a response from Mr. Trump, who again defended the controversial call and attacked congressional Democrats.
"Breaking News: The President of Ukraine has just again announced that President Trump has done nothing wrong with respect to Ukraine and our interactions or calls. If the Radical Left Democrats were sane, which they are not, it would be case over!" Mr. Trump tweeted.
Zelensky also warned against claims by the president that Ukraine is a corrupt country and said when such comments come from the U.S., it "is the hardest of signals."
"Everyone hears that signal. Investments, banks, stakeholders, companies, American, European, companies that have international capital in Ukraine, it's a signal to them that says, 'Be careful, don't invest.' Or, 'Get out of there,'" Zelensky said. "This is a hard signal." -- Melissa Quinn
White House won't participate in Wednesday's hearing
6 a.m.: In his letter Sunday night, Cipollone accused Nadler of intentionally scheduling the hearing to interfere with Mr. Trump's trip to the NATO summit in London later this week. He called the Democrats' impeachment inquiry "baseless" and "partisan."
Cipollone also said Nadler had provided "little information" about the hearing.
"We understand from rumors and press reports (though not from any notice provided in your letter or in the official notice of the hearing) that the hearing will consist of an academic discussion by law professors. We understand this to mean that your initial hearing will include no fact witnesses at all," the letter said.
5:30 a.m.: The House Judiciary Committee will hold its first hearing in the impeachment inquiry this week, as Democrats move quickly into the next phase of the proceedings.
The first hearing, titled "The Impeachment Inquiry into President Donald J. Trump: Constitutional Grounds for Presidential Impeachment," will feature testimony from legal experts, Democratic committee aides said.
"The Committee intends this hearing to serve as an opportunity to discuss the historical and constitutional basis of impeachment, as well as the Framers' intent and understanding of terms like 'high crimes and misdemeanors,'" Nadler wrote.
LONDON – President Donald Trump lashed out at France's President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday ahead of scheduled direct talks between the two leaders on the sidelines of NATO meetings talking place in Britain's capital.
Quarrels over defense spending, fights about trade and climate policy, rifts over Turkey's actions in Syria, and Iran – Trump is in London for a gathering connected to the military alliance's 70th anniversary. The official program starts Wednesday.
But ahead of that, Trump said Tuesday recent comments from Macron that NATO is experiencing "brain death" were "very insulting" to the alliance's other 28 members. "Nobody needs NATO more than France," he said.
"It's a very dangerous statement for them to make."
Trump's NATO visit now risks being overshadowed by his meeting with Macron.
"Macron is seizing (the) moment, seeking to be disruptive in his own way, and so we will see how that works," said Heather Conley, a foreign affairs expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.
NATO comes to London: Cracks in alliance's armor begin to show
Among Macron's disruptions: continuing to argue for the relevance of the Iran nuclear deal that Trump has withdrawn from; announcing at the end of August that Europe needed to seek a greater accommodation with Russia and China; and his "brain death comments," made in an interview in The Economist, and a reference, in part, to NATO member Turkey's incursion into Kurdish-held Syria to root out fighters it considers terrorists, but who had also been successfully assisting U.S.-led forces battle the Islamic State group. Macron has long argued that Trump's exit from the international climate accord was a mistake. France's president's wants the military alliance, founded in 1949 to act as a bulwark against the then Soviet Union, to pivot more toward fighting global terrorism.
For his part, Trump has repeatedly called the alliance "obsolete" and publicly attacked NATO members for failing to meet defense spending commitments, a scenario that has slowly started to be rectified as more NATO allies meet 2%-of-GDP spending levels. At last year's NATO summit, Trump arrived late and called Germany a "captive" of Russia.
In a further ratcheting up of tensions, as Trump arrived in London on Tuesday night the White House said it was considering imposing tariffs on up to $2.4 billion worth of French goods in response to that country's new digital services tax targeting U.S. technology companies such as Amazon, Facebook and Google.
The tariffs would affect French cheese, wines and handbags.
"(Macron) wants a real strategy discussion" about NATO, said Thomas Gomart, director of IFRI, a Paris-based international relations think tank.
"Not just to pretend that everything is OK."
New threat: Trump administration threatens tariffs on French cheese, wines
Trump has called the NATO meetings in London "one of the most important journeys that we make as president" and he kicked off a series of meetings Tuesday by holding closed-door talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
In wide-ranging remarks to the press, including about Macron’s comments on NATO being "brain dead," Trump said "NATO serves a great purpose."
He also criticized France for the digital services tax, saying that "if anyone was going to tax American companies it will be me."
Trump also addressed the prospect of signing a trade deal with China, saying he "likes the idea of waiting until after the (2020) election" for that agreement.
He described recent violent protests in Iran, in which rights group said more than 200 people were killed, as a "terrible thing." He confirmed that he will be meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson but said he had "no thoughts" about Britain's impending general election on Dec. 12. The British press has speculated that a meeting with Trump, mired as he is in the impeachment inquiry, may not be a good look for Johnson before the vote. "I don't want to complicate it," Trump said of Britain's election. Later, Trump will participate in a reception with Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate the military alliance.
While he won't be in Washington for Wednesday's impeachment hearing in which the House Judiciary Committee will unveil witnesses, the inquiry has followed Trump to London. That's largely by his own design.
"Just landed in the United Kingdom, heading to London for NATO meetings tomorrow. Prior to landing I read the Republicans Report on the Impeachment Hoax. Great job! Radical Left has NO CASE. Read the Transcripts. Shouldn’t even be allowed. Can we go to Supreme Court to stop?" the U.S. president tweeted after arriving at Stansted Airport on the outskirts of London.
Sitting next to Stoltenberg on Tuesday, Trump said: "I did nothing wrong. You don’t censure somebody when they did nothing wrong."
President Donald Trump has denounced recent comments made by French President Emmanuel Macron on the military alliance NATO.
In November, Macron told The Economist magazine that the world was experiencing the "brain death" of NATO, warning that members of the alliance could no longer rely on the U.S.
In comments to the press ahead of a NATO meeting in London on Tuesday, Trump said Macron's words had been "very, very nasty" to the other 28 member states. He added that it was "very insulting" for the French president to label NATO as brain dead. "You can't go around saying that about NATO," Trump added.
The U.S. president said relations between the U.S. and European NATO members were not causing any divide, with the exception of France.
"I do see France breaking off. I'm looking at him and I'm saying he (Macron) needs protection more than anybody and I seem him breaking off, so I'm a little surprised at that," said the American leader.
Trump has himself criticized the international body, previously describing NATO as "obsolete." And in comments just before arriving in the U.K., Trump also called out some of the alliance members as "delinquent," in an apparent reference to the amount of money that some nations spend on defense.
President Donald Trump participates in a listening session on youth vaping and the electronic cigarette epidemic inside the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 22, 2019.
Tom Brenner | Reuters
French tax
The U.S. leader also took a swipe at France's economy, suggesting with its high unemployment rate, that the country was "not doing well economically at all." The unemployment rate in France moved higher to 8.6% in the third quarter of 2019 but has been steadily improving over the past five years.
Trump suggested France was looking to bolster its budget by introducing a levy a digital tax on U.S. giants such as Facebook and Google. The president said he would now counter this move. "They are starting to tax other people's products, so we are going to tax them," Trump told the reporters.
On Monday, the White House had said it may impose duties of up to 100% on $2.4 billion in imports of French Champagne, cheese and other luxury goods.
Leading losers in the French stock markets on Tuesday morning were luxury stocks such as Hermes, LVMH and Kering.
Visits of the US President are hard to predict, but Trump's last two trips to Britain followed a pattern.
First, there's the build-up, in which political groups across the spectrum announce their plans to protest against Trump as soon as he sets foot on British soil.
Then there's the President's obligatory dig at Sadiq Khan, the popular Mayor of London, over the city's knife crime epidemic. He might skip that tradition this time, given the deadly terror attack that took place in London last week. But his dislike of Khan is profound, and it could be too tempting.
There's usually a "surprise" newspaper interview, in which he sticks his nose into British politics and offends a major political figure. That's often followed by a press conference where he tries to clean up the mess, but usually just ends up tying himself in a knot of contradictions.
The visits are usually more of a spectacle than anything else. This time, however, Trump lands just a few days before the UK holds what could be the most important general election in the nation's postwar history. And any unexpected grenades Trump chooses to hurl could have consequences beyond a two-day political storm and affect the outcome of an actual election.
