US politics live: Trump says Canada’s move to recognise Palestinian state dooms trade deal

Donald Trump has signalled that a trade deal with Canada may be in jeopardy after the nation made a major call on Palestine.

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The family of Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre has urged Donald Trump not to pardon the sex trafficker’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.

Mr Giuffre’s family called Mr Trump’s comments yesterday, complaining that Epstein “stole” Ms Giuffre and other employees from him, “shocking”.

“It was shocking to hear President Trump invoke our sister and say that he was aware that Virginia had been ‘stolen’ from Mar-a-Lago. It makes us ask if he was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s criminal actions,” the family said.

“Especially given his statements two years later that his good friend Jeffrey ‘likes women on the younger side .... no doubt about it.’ We and the public are asking for answers.”

White House Press Secretary has responded, in a statement.

“He did not bring her up,” she said of Mr Trump and Ms Giuffre.

“The fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club for being a creep to his female employees.”

That does not align with Mr Trump’s own comments in the last 48 hours, in which he said Epstein was banished from Mar-a-Lago for poaching members of his staff.

“We would like to clarify that it was convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell who targeted and preyed upon our then 16-year-old sister, Virginia, from Mar-a-Lago,” said the family.

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Meanwhile the prospect of Australia getting a decent trade deal with the US are looking dimmer with Donald Trump signalling he is determined to put in place tariffs of potentially as high as 20 per cent on nations that haven’t finalised an agreement with Washington hy Friday.

The US President on Wednesday, US time, said the August 1 deadline for tariffs “will not be extended”.

Australia was initially set to have a 10 per cent “baseline tariff”. But in recent days, Mr Trump has suggested that “baseline” could be as high as 15 or 20 per cent.

Read on for more updates.

Originally published as US politics live: Trump says Canada’s move to recognise Palestinian state dooms trade deal