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Trump's America

Today

Scott Bessent is sworn in as Secretary of the Treasury on 16 January 2025.

Trump’s team forms ‘gradual’ global tariff plan

New Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wants universal levies to rise month by month in order to give businesses time to adjust.

  • 33 mins ago
  • Aime Williams and Demetri Sevastopulo
Russian President Vladimir Putin with Donald Trump in 2017.

As Trump and Putin circle each other, an agenda beyond Ukraine emerges

The Russian leader has made it very clear he is ready to deal, keen to end three years of diplomatic isolation.

  • 1 hr ago
  • David E. Sanger and Anton Troianovski
The Little Desert bushfire threatened Dimboola on Monday, January 28, 2025. Facebook video posted by Jamie Chandler.

‘Just exploded’: bushfire destroys wedding venue in national park

A Victorian bushfire is threatening holidaymakers at a national park; Donald Trump vows “near future” tariffs, calls DeepSeek progress “good”. Follow live updates.

  • 1 hr ago
  • Lucy Slade
The Panama Canal (pictured) has been criticised by US President, Donald Trump, as being operated by China.

Trump is wrong: Climate change, not China, is the threat to Panama Canal

Any loss of capacity, which is more likely to be caused by drought will ripple through supply chains and push up costs in Australia.

  • Michael Bell
President Donald Trump speaks as SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son, Oracle’s Larry Ellison, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman stand by to announce Stargate.

China narrows gap on US in AI arms race as Australia stands idle

Donald Trump’s Stargate announcement promised big bucks for development of artificial intelligence as advancing Chinese capability underlines America’s determination to preserve its leadership.

  • Updated
  • Paul Smith
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Yesterday

Donald Trump’s election win and Elon Musk’s new role have changed the rules for technology companies, but Australia must stand firm.

Australia must face down US tech bosses and Trump

Global tech giants will still be powerful when Trump is not. Policy settings made today by Anthony Albanese or Peter Dutton need to keep that future in mind.

  • Paul Smith
Grace Tame (right) greets Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his fiancee, Jodie Haydon, at the Lodge while wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “F--- Murdoch”.

PM calls Grace Tame’s T-shirt stunt ‘disrespectful’

Anthony Albanese says he disagrees with the T-shirt Tame wore at the Australia Day event; Russian troops capture strategic town in eastern Ukraine. How the day unfolded.

  • Updated
  • Lucy Slade
China’s Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke about ending trade bans on Australian exports  in 2024.

Australia-China trade will be caught in middle of Trump’s tariff war

Australia is now more dependent on a single market than it has ever been since the late 1940s when our biggest customer was the United Kingdom.

  • Richard McGregor
The $TRUMP coin will serve as an online prediction market on the popularity of the Trump government.

Trump makes everyone a winner on bitcoin

The launch of $Trump is a clear signal that the president is serious about leaning into American exceptionalism and driving that innovation on cryptocurrencies.

  • Sinclair Davidson
President Donald Trump signs an executive order relating to cryptocurrency in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

War room, webinars: Corporate America tries to cope with Trump blitz

Businesses have been left trying to nail down what the tax, immigration, DEI and energy orders will mean for them.

  • Stephen Foley, James Fontanella-Khan and Jamie Smyth

This Month

The White House is trying to find a way around the US ban on TikTok.

Oracle in talks with White House to take over TikTok

Under the deal, TikTok’s China-based owner, ByteDance, would retain a stake in the company, but data collection and software updates would be overseen by Oracle.

  • Dawn Chmielewski, Kanishka Singh and Milana Vinn
Elon Musk on screen at the rally.

Musk praises ‘German values’ at far-right rally

The tech billionaire made a surprise appearance during an AfD rally, speaking in support of the far-right party for the second time in as many weeks.

  • Emma-Victoria Farr
Trump’s defence secretary pick Pete Hegseth made a strong rebuttal of the allegations against him at the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Hegseth wins US defence secretary confirmation after historic tie-break

Donald Trump-backed Pete Hegseth narrowly secured enough votes on Saturday to become the next US defence secretary in what was only the second time in history a cabinet nominee needed a tie-break to be confirmed.

  • Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Patricia Zengerle
Nelly, a Mexican migrant from Oaxaca, helps her son as they jump the border fence to get into the US to apply for asylum in 2018, during Donald Trump’s first term.

Shackled migrants marched onto military plane

“Deportation flights have begun,” Mr Trump’s press secretary declared, sharing photos of men on an airfield wearing chains around their ankles and wrists.

  • Ben Smith and Cameron Henderson
Donald Trump’s inauguration had more tech billionaires than any other.

More than bluster to Trump’s pro-business agenda

Donald Trump’s second coming must focus the mind of the political class on progressing the tax, workplace and regulatory reform agenda required to sharpen Australia’s international competitiveness.

  • The AFR View
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Just as Donald Trump is galvanising the world with all his wildness, the PM has clearly decided that stability and calm is the best.

Trump’s difference is in the detail second time around

Anthony Albanese was not going there when asked about this. But be assured the pressures Donald Trump is unleashing will make the need to change inevitable.

  • Laura Tingle
Donald Trump reiterated his admiration for Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Trump says he would ‘rather not’ impose tariffs on China

The president says threatening tariffs is his “one very big power” over Beijing, but he would prefer not to have to use it.

  • Iris Ouyang

Australia won’t exit Paris agreement with Trump

Anthony Albanese makes a range of promises during National Press Club address; Peter Dutton calls for more patriotism after statues were vandalised. How the day unfolded.

  • Updated
  • Lucy Slade
Donald Trump and Joe Biden debating at CNN’s Atlanta studios.

CNN sacks 200 employees as news broadcaster faces ‘profound’ shift

The cable network let go of 6 per cent of its workforce as it focuses on streaming and digital audiences amid declining ratings.

  • Updated
  • Jeremy Barr
Donald Trump and Anthony Albanese.

Trump tax threat could force Aussies out of the US

Financial advisers say it would be financially unviable for Australians to continue living in the US if Donald Trump doubled taxes on expats.

  • Michael Read and Tess Bennett

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/trump-s-america-1mp2