https://www.scmp.com/rss/520777/feed Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States of America on January 20, 2025, in Washington. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Frank Tang Frank Tang China’s flagship sovereign wealth fund has revealed that it opened a representative office in London shortly after Donald Trump’s victory in last year’s US presidential election, a move made amid increased scrutiny of Chinese investments in the United States. The London office was officially registered in December 2024, with the mission of “advancing the company’s overseas investment business” and “promoting cross-border investment cooperation”, China Investment Corporation (CIC) said in its... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3335938/chinas-sovereign-wealth-fund-reveals-it-opened-london-office-after-trump-win?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3335938/chinas-sovereign-wealth-fund-reveals-it-opened-london-office-after-trump-win?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Events since the start of the year have reignited the downward spiral in relations between mainland China and Taiwan that accelerated following Democratic Progressive Party leader William Lai Ching-te’s election victory last year. In February, the US State Department removed mention of opposition to Taiwan independence from its website. In mid-March, Lai lashed out against Beijing, calling it a “foreign hostile force”. At the end of the month, during a visit to Japan, United States Defence... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3305250/missed-signals-only-worsen-tensions-over-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3305250/missed-signals-only-worsen-tensions-over-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Apr 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Ishani Sarkar Ishani Sarkar Fox News conservative commentator Jesse Watters shocked no one when he continued his attacks on former US vice-president Kamala Harris, as well as her husband, Doug Emhoff, in a recent episode of Jesse Watters Primetime. Reacting to photographs released by the New York Post of the couple shopping in Westwood, Los Angeles, he quipped, “What kind of man gets up in the morning and says, ‘I’m going to go grocery shopping with my wife’?” The comment was met with vitriol from netizens, including... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3297554/who-jesse-watters-second-wife-emma-digiovine-she-met-fox-news-tv-host-work-and-he-cheated-his-first?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3297554/who-jesse-watters-second-wife-emma-digiovine-she-met-fox-news-tv-host-work-and-he-cheated-his-first?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:00:13 +0000 Joy Villa, one of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters, returned to the Grammys with another fashion look inspired by the president of the United States. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Joy Villa Lifsey (@joyvilla) On Sunday, the 38-year-old musician was photographed wearing a gold dress with a red baseball cap reminiscent of a Maga hat, plus a gold chain with a dog sporting a knit hat, which she said represented a cryptocurrency meme coin, per The... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3297291/meet-joy-villa-singer-who-wore-maga-inspired-red-hat-grammys-scientologist-recently-hung-out-ivanka?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3297291/meet-joy-villa-singer-who-wore-maga-inspired-red-hat-grammys-scientologist-recently-hung-out-ivanka?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Feb 2025 21:00:09 +0000 Faye Bradley Faye Bradley Some of the world’s most famous tech billionaires reunited to great fanfare at US President Donald Trump’s recent inauguration. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Harsh (@vharshkofficial) From Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, to Tesla’s Elon Musk and Apple’s Tim Cook, to Alphabet and Google’s Sundar Pichai … the cumulative net worth in the room was staggering. While we know plenty about most of those billionaires’ partners – Bezos’... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3296704/who-sundar-pichais-low-key-wife-anjali-pichai-google-ceo-met-his-business-minded-partner-when-they?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3296704/who-sundar-pichais-low-key-wife-anjali-pichai-google-ceo-met-his-business-minded-partner-when-they?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jan 2025 22:00:08 +0000 The Justice Department said on Monday that it had fired more than a dozen employees who worked on criminal prosecutions of US President Donald Trump, moving rapidly to pursue retribution against lawyers involved in the investigations. The abrupt action targeting career prosecutors who worked on special counsel Jack Smith’s team is the latest sign of upheaval inside the Justice Department and reflects the administration’s determination to purge the government of workers it perceives as disloyal... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3296519/us-justice-department-says-it-has-fired-employees-involved-trump-prosecutions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3296519/us-justice-department-says-it-has-fired-employees-involved-trump-prosecutions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jan 2025 22:53:12 +0000 Siggy Flicker, The Real Housewives of New Jersey alum and self-proclaimed “No. 1 Trump Supporter”, has amped up her pro-Trump rhetoric ever since the Maga figurehead was sworn in as the 47th US president. A recent text-led photo posted to her Instagram page titled “Trump within 48 hours,” shared a list of presidential actions Flicker implied she was proud of. The list reads: “Reclassified the Houthi rebels as a foreign terrorist organisation; Sanctioned the ICC (International Criminal Court);... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3296435/who-siggy-flicker-rhonj-alum-and-trumps-no-1-supporter-us-israeli-ex-reality-star-and-matchmaker?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3296435/who-siggy-flicker-rhonj-alum-and-trumps-no-1-supporter-us-israeli-ex-reality-star-and-matchmaker?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jan 2025 10:00:27 +0000 China’s factory activity fell back into contractionary territory in January in advance of an early Lunar New Year holiday period, a drop-off following a rush of purchase orders issued in the run-up to the inauguration of US President Donald Trump and a likely escalation of tariffs on Chinese goods. The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) – an indicator of factory sentiment – fell to 49.1 in January, compared to 50.1 a month earlier, according to data released by the National... https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3296378/chinas-factory-activity-contracts-january-breaking-3-month-expansion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3296378/chinas-factory-activity-contracts-january-breaking-3-month-expansion?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jan 2025 01:36:21 +0000 Pete Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, has come forward to allege that the one-time Fox News host was abusive to his second wife, Samantha Hegseth, as reported by Time. Senators vetting the nomination of Pete Hegseth as Donald Trump’s defence secretary received the affidavit, which was later obtained by the Associated Press. The affidavit alleges that Pete’s treatment of Samantha included repeated drunkenness and situations which reached the point where she feared for her... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3296177/who-pete-hegseths-ex-samantha-hegseth-trump-nominees-second-wife-shares-3-kids-former-fox-host-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3296177/who-pete-hegseths-ex-samantha-hegseth-trump-nominees-second-wife-shares-3-kids-former-fox-host-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Jan 2025 22:00:08 +0000 Margo Martin is celebrating Donald Trump’s first day in office. The communications adviser and special assistant to the president shared a series of posts on her Instagram Story this week. “Day one. President signs executive orders in the Oval Office,” she wrote over one shot of The Apprentice alum at his desk. Martin, who has remained by Trump’s side as one of his most loyal confidantes, has already become known for her stylish appearance. Here’s what else we know about her. What is Margo... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3295939/who-donald-trumps-glamorous-adviser-margo-martin-special-assistant-president-hangs-out-elon-musk-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3295939/who-donald-trumps-glamorous-adviser-margo-martin-special-assistant-president-hangs-out-elon-musk-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Jan 2025 20:00:10 +0000 African countries are set to lose key financing for life-saving healthcare programmes after President Donald Trump ordered a US exit from the World Health Organization and put a freeze on disbursement of all foreign aid for 90 days pending a review. In a flurry of executive orders signed on Monday, Trump initiated a plan to exit the global health agency whose biggest donor is Washington. Trump accused the WHO of continuing to “demand unfairly onerous payments from the United States, far out of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3296185/africa-braces-trumps-who-withdrawal-aid-freeze-set-gut-global-public-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3296185/africa-braces-trumps-who-withdrawal-aid-freeze-set-gut-global-public-health?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Jan 2025 08:00:14 +0000 Comedian Theo Von fell into YouTuber Logan Paul after his chair collapsed during President Donald Trump’s inauguration. MAKE CHAIRS GREAT AGAIN @TheoVon pic.twitter.com/jOZJWvaHRj — Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) January 20, 2025 “Make Chairs Great Again @TheoVon,” Logan Paul jokingly shared on X above a clip of the incident – which has since garnered over 18 million views. Von responded to the post by saying it “wasn’t an accident. Paul kids thought it was [funny] to mess with the chair. There’s a... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3295915/meet-theo-von-who-fell-logan-paul-trumps-inauguration-comedian-and-podcaster-friends-joe-rogan-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3295915/meet-theo-von-who-fell-logan-paul-trumps-inauguration-comedian-and-podcaster-friends-joe-rogan-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Jan 2025 20:00:10 +0000 As a child, Trace Cyrus wanted to be just like dad Billy Ray Cyrus growing up. Nowadays, he says, he can “barely recognise” his father as someone he once thought was “the coolest person ever”. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Trace Cyrus (@tracecyrus) The younger Cyrus, whose sisters are pop stars Miley Cyrus and Noah Cyrus, expressed his complex emotions about the “Achy Breaky Heart” singer Wednesday on Instagram. The emotional open letter said... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3296117/who-billy-ray-cyrus-son-trace-whos-genuinely-worried-about-him-after-his-dads-performance-trumps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3296117/who-billy-ray-cyrus-son-trace-whos-genuinely-worried-about-him-after-his-dads-performance-trumps?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Jan 2025 10:00:22 +0000 Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer thinks Donald Trump’s second term is “going to be cataclysmic”, according to an opinion video for The New York Times. Trump was inaugurated earlier this week, making him the 45th and 47th US president. “This is a Donald Trump that is being celebrated,” Spicer said. “This time, I think he wants to be a much more aspirational and magnanimous president. How can we make people more prosperous? How can we lift people up out of poverty? How can we secure... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3295905/who-former-trump-press-secretary-sean-spicers-wife-rebecca-miller-spicer-communications-executive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3295905/who-former-trump-press-secretary-sean-spicers-wife-rebecca-miller-spicer-communications-executive?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jan 2025 22:00:10 +0000 On the first day of Donald Trump’s second presidency, the Maga leader officially pardoned Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, as he had promised at the Libertarian National Convention in May last year. Silk Road was an online marketplace on the dark web that traded illegal drugs using bitcoin. However, Ulbricht – who went by the pseudonym Dread Pirate Roberts – as in the Princess Bride character, was also accused of conspiring to launder money, selling hacking equipment and stolen identity... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3295947/meet-silk-roads-ross-ulbricht-just-pardoned-donald-trump-texan-physics-major-was-serving-life-prison?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3295947/meet-silk-roads-ross-ulbricht-just-pardoned-donald-trump-texan-physics-major-was-serving-life-prison?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jan 2025 21:00:08 +0000 Karoline Leavitt is officially the youngest press secretary in the White House’s history, according to various media outlets. The 27-year-old teased an announcement for a big new infrastructure initiative on Donald Trump’s first day in office. “It’s going to be a massive announcement and it’s going to prove that the world knows that America is back,” she told Fox & Friends on Tuesday. Trump later revealed a US$500 billion AI infrastructure investment in the US, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3295900/meet-donald-trumps-new-gen-z-press-secretary-karoline-leavitt-27-year-old-just-became-youngest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3295900/meet-donald-trumps-new-gen-z-press-secretary-karoline-leavitt-27-year-old-just-became-youngest?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jan 2025 20:00:10 +0000 In his first speech at the World Economic Forum of his second term, US President Donald Trump voiced optimism about Sino-American relations while warning of tariffs on companies that do not manufacture stateside. Addressing the annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, via video from the White House on Thursday, Trump described a “very good” relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying their countries needed only to make the trade relationship “fair”, not “phenomenal”. He criticised... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3296042/donald-trump-tells-davos-he-hopeful-about-us-china-ties-he-warns-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3296042/donald-trump-tells-davos-he-hopeful-about-us-china-ties-he-warns-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jan 2025 19:30:51 +0000 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification Donald Trump was sworn in as president of the United States on Monday. His inauguration reveals how he is leaning on Christianity as a unifying symbol amid politically and socially challenging times... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3295809/trump-using-christianity-unifying-symbol-what-end?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3295809/trump-using-christianity-unifying-symbol-what-end?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jan 2025 03:30:08 +0000 On Monday, opera tenor Christopher Macchio sang the national anthem at President Donald Trump’s inauguration before a much smaller crowd than he was expecting, a letdown with a silver lining. The ceremony had been moved indoors because temperatures were set to plummet, making it the coldest Inauguration Day in 40 years. The Capitol Rotunda holds only 600 people, while more than 250,000 guests were ticketed to view the inauguration from around the Capitol grounds. “I was looking forward to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3295753/meet-christopher-macchio-who-sang-trumps-inauguration-opera-tenor-whos-long-known-president-was?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3295753/meet-christopher-macchio-who-sang-trumps-inauguration-opera-tenor-whos-long-known-president-was?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jan 2025 10:00:16 +0000 South Korea has unveiled a plan to build a US$330 million defence system similar to Israel’s Iron Dome to intercept rockets fired by the North – as newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump called the hermit state a “nuclear power” and touted his friendship with its leader Kim Jong-un. Officials said the ground-based shield, expected to become operational by 2028, could protect vital military and civilian infrastructure in the Seoul metropolitan area from North Korea’s rockets. Seoul’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3295680/south-korea-seeks-iron-dome-system-trump-gets-friendly-kim-jong-un?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3295680/south-korea-seeks-iron-dome-system-trump-gets-friendly-kim-jong-un?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jan 2025 01:00:51 +0000 US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would be supportive of the world’s richest man and his close aide, Elon Musk, buying TikTok “if he wanted to”. Trump was asked if he would be open to the billionaire founder of Tesla buying the short-video platform facing a nationwide ban in the US after the Supreme Court last week upheld a law requiring TikTok to sever ties with its Chinese parent ByteDance. “If he wanted to,” he responded, adding: “I have the right to make a deal.” Trump said he had... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3295718/donald-trump-says-hes-open-elon-musk-buying-tiktok-if-he-wanted?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3295718/donald-trump-says-hes-open-elon-musk-buying-tiktok-if-he-wanted?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 23:30:47 +0000 Elise Stefanik, US President Donald Trump’s choice to serve as America’s top envoy to the United Nations, has vowed to counter China’s ascendant influence and “significant inroads” at the intergovernmental body. At her Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday to serve as US ambassador to the UN, the Republican congresswoman from New York outlined plans to push back against what she described as China’s systematic efforts to expand its presence in UN agencies and gain support among developing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295716/elise-stefanik-trumps-un-ambassador-pick-vows-counter-chinas-significant-inroads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295716/elise-stefanik-trumps-un-ambassador-pick-vows-counter-chinas-significant-inroads?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 22:30:11 +0000 Donald Trump on Wednesday called a Washington bishop “nasty” and demanded an apology, after she told the US president from the pulpit that he was sowing fear among the country’s immigrants and LGBTQ people. “The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295714/trump-lectured-bishop-after-he-targets-transgender-people-and-immigrants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295714/trump-lectured-bishop-after-he-targets-transgender-people-and-immigrants?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 20:48:03 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed ties with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, as the two face a more geopolitically assertive US government led by Donald Trump, who criticised the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine on the first day of his second term as president. On Monday, Trump’s return to the Oval Office was marked by a blitz of executive orders, largely focused on domestic issues but including several affecting the global community, particularly withdrawing the US from... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295711/xi-jinping-and-vladimir-putin-reaffirm-ties-donald-trump-returns-white-house?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295711/xi-jinping-and-vladimir-putin-reaffirm-ties-donald-trump-returns-white-house?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 18:28:22 +0000 China’s vice-premier warned that the development of artificial intelligence could pose a major risk if it is not carefully managed, amid a rivalry with the US that has seen the emerging technology take centre stage. Ding Xuexiang addressed the risks of AI and outlined China’s economic goals while addressing the World Economic Forum at its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday. His remarks offered the first clue from Beijing on how its competition with Washington might be managed after... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295705/chinas-vice-premier-says-chaotic-competition-ai-could-bring-grey-rhino?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295705/chinas-vice-premier-says-chaotic-competition-ai-could-bring-grey-rhino?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 14:51:47 +0000 US President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily suspending all American foreign help programmes for 90 days pending reviews to determine whether they are aligned with his policy goals. It was not immediately clear how much help would initially be affected by the Monday order as funding for many programmes has already been appropriated by Congress and is obliged to be spent, if that has not already happened. The order, among many Trump signed on his first day back in office, said... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295695/trump-suspends-us-foreign-aid-90-days-pending-american-values-review?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295695/trump-suspends-us-foreign-aid-90-days-pending-american-values-review?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 12:41:59 +0000 Donald Trump declared “America’s decline is over” in his inauguration speech on Monday, outlining an ambitious plan to reclaim the country’s “rightful place” in the world in the face of growing challenges from rivals including China. Compared to his address when he became US president in 2017 and the one by his predecessor Joe Biden four years ago – both of which had a domestic focus – Trump spoke for considerably longer and put more emphasis on foreign policy. Analysts said Trump appeared more... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295694/trumps-speech-signals-more-cajoling-and-containing-china-analyst-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295694/trumps-speech-signals-more-cajoling-and-containing-china-analyst-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 12:37:00 +0000 US President Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony and his activities on day one were covered extensively by Chinese state media, as commentaries called for a responsible handling of ties. Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily offered spot news on the ceremony and some of the executive orders signed by Trump on his first day back at the White House. These included revoking dozens of Biden-era executive orders and the withdrawal of the US from the World Health Organization (WHO). The newspaper... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295692/chinas-state-media-runs-blow-blow-account-trumps-return-calls-more-bridges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295692/chinas-state-media-runs-blow-blow-account-trumps-return-calls-more-bridges?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 12:24:56 +0000 A who’s who of the world’s wealthiest people surrounded President Donald Trump as he took the oath of office – gathering a combined net worth exceeding US$1.3 trillion for the occasion. Seated prominently behind the Trump family for Monday’s swearing-in were the top three individuals on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg. Also spotted inside the Capitol Rotunda for the inaugural ceremony were LVMH Chief Executive Officer and France’s richest man, Bernard... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295678/trumps-inauguration-support-worth-us13-trillion-musk-bezos-zuckerberg-attendance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295678/trumps-inauguration-support-worth-us13-trillion-musk-bezos-zuckerberg-attendance?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 11:05:35 +0000 A small town mayor in New Zealand has picked a nuclear fight with Donald Trump, after the freshly sworn-in US president heaped praise on American scientists for splitting the atom. Trump’s inauguration address rattled off a list of crowning American feats such as ending slavery, launching into space, and the moment they “split the atom”. The mayor of Nelson seized on the subatomic slight, pointing out that New Zealand-born physicist Ernest Rutherford pioneered work to split the atom. “I was a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3295654/trump-challenged-new-zealand-mayor-after-he-claims-us-split-atom-during-inauguration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3295654/trump-challenged-new-zealand-mayor-after-he-claims-us-split-atom-during-inauguration?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 09:17:37 +0000 Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, opening up a new chapter in relations with rival China, which despite featuring as a regular punching bag before and after his re-election was barely mentioned in the newly installed president’s inaugural address. The half-hour speech name-checked China just once, when Trump mentioned the world’s second-largest economy’s role in the Panama Canal and vowed to return it to American hands. “We didn’t give it to China,” he said... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3295641/trump-inauguration-china-and-tariffs-get-few-mentions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3295641/trump-inauguration-china-and-tariffs-get-few-mentions?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 09:00:53 +0000 Da Wei is director of Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy in Beijing. His research focuses on China-US relations and US security and foreign policy. In this interview, he discusses US President Donald Trump’s inauguration speech and first day back in the White House. I’d like to start by asking about US President Donald Trump’s first day in office. While he did not impose any immediate tariffs, US reports stated that he would issue a broad memorandum directing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295632/going-soft-china-first-day-trump-leaves-room-deal-making-tsinghuas-da-wei?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295632/going-soft-china-first-day-trump-leaves-room-deal-making-tsinghuas-da-wei?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 08:07:40 +0000 US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he plans to remove over 1,000 appointees from the administration of former president Joe Biden, announcing four dismissals on social media, including celebrity chef Jose Andres and former top general Mark Milley. “My Presidential Personnel Office is actively in the process of identifying and removing over a thousand Presidential Appointees from the previous Administration, who are not aligned with our vision to Make America Great Again,” Trump said in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295627/trump-announces-purge-over-1000-biden-appointees?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295627/trump-announces-purge-over-1000-biden-appointees?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 07:42:46 +0000 Vice-President Vance, Speaker Johnson, Senator Thune, Chief Justice Roberts, justices of the United States Supreme Court, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, President Biden, Vice-President Harris and my fellow citizens: The golden age of America begins right now. From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation. And we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer. During every single... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295585/read-full-transcript-donald-trumps-inauguration-speech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295585/read-full-transcript-donald-trumps-inauguration-speech?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 03:20:21 +0000 While red baseball caps have become synonymous with President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump made her own millinery-related fashion statement, sporting a navy wide-brimmed hat by an American designer on inauguration day. The hat designed by Eric Javits shielded the first lady’s eyes as her husband was sworn in Monday for the second time. Javits said dressing the first lady has been one of the greatest honours of his career. “My art background gave me an edge in bringing harmony and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/celebrity-style/article/3295582/melanias-big-hat-who-designed-mrs-trumps-inauguration-day-outfit-she-skipped-ralph-lauren?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/celebrity-style/article/3295582/melanias-big-hat-who-designed-mrs-trumps-inauguration-day-outfit-she-skipped-ralph-lauren?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 03:12:52 +0000 Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk said Tuesday his critics needed “better dirty tricks” after a row erupted over a gesture he made at an inauguration event for US President Donald Trump that some likened to a Nazi salute. The X, SpaceX and Tesla chief appeared on stage at the Capital One Arena in Washington, where supporters of the newly inaugurated president had gathered for a rally. Upon thanking the crowd for returning Trump to the White House, Musk tapped the left side of his chest with his... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295571/elon-musk-causes-stir-hand-gesture-trump-inauguration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295571/elon-musk-causes-stir-hand-gesture-trump-inauguration?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 02:07:44 +0000 We have put together stories from our coverage of Donald Trump’s inauguration to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump signs executive order delaying TikTok ban, threatens tariffs if no deal On his first day in office, US President Donald Trump followed through on his campaign promise to delay a controversial TikTok divest-or-ban law by signing an executive order, warning that he would impose significant tariffs on China if... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3295569/trumps-inauguration-tiktok-reactions-china-everything-you-need-know?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3295569/trumps-inauguration-tiktok-reactions-china-everything-you-need-know?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 02:04:59 +0000 US President Donald Trump granted pardons on Monday to more than 1,500 of his supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in a bid to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Trump, just hours after taking office, also ordered that all pending criminal cases against Capitol riot defendants be dropped. Among those receiving a pardon was Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for directing a military-style assault on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295565/trump-pardons-over-1500-january-6-us-capitol-riot-participants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295565/trump-pardons-over-1500-january-6-us-capitol-riot-participants?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 01:33:49 +0000 Alyssa Chen,Sylvie Zhuang Alyssa Chen,Sylvie Zhuang Beijing has signalled its readiness for greater engagement with Washington under US President Donald Trump, who also appeared to tone down the rhetoric on China during his inaugural address on Monday. However, observers said Trump’s pledge to plant the American flag on Mars and build the world’s “strongest military” was likely to escalate the big power rivalry. China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the country was ready to promote greater progress in the relationship with the United... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295562/initial-reaction-trump-speech-muted-china-space-competition-could-rise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295562/initial-reaction-trump-speech-muted-china-space-competition-could-rise?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2025 01:00:19 +0000 The US Senate unanimously approved Marco Rubio as secretary of state on Monday, putting the fellow senator on the front line of President Donald Trump’s often confrontational diplomacy. Rubio, who is the first Hispanic and first fluent Spanish speaker to assume the position of top US diplomat, is Trump’s first cabinet nominee to be confirmed by the Republican-led Senate, only hours after the inauguration. Unusually in a highly partisan era, Rubio was confirmed 99-0, with several senators from... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295559/marco-rubio-track-take-office-quickly-us-secretary-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295559/marco-rubio-track-take-office-quickly-us-secretary-state?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jan 2025 23:50:27 +0000 Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday congratulated US President Donald Trump on returning to the White House and expressed his intention to strengthen the bilateral relationship amid China’s growing assertiveness in the region. “I look forward to collaborating with you to reinforce the enduring Japan-US partnership and jointly pursue our shared goal of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Ishiba said on social media. Trump was sworn in on Monday for his second term as US president. He has... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3295558/ishiba-hopes-enduring-japan-us-ties-trump-returns-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3295558/ishiba-hopes-enduring-japan-us-ties-trump-returns-power?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jan 2025 23:19:02 +0000 US President Donald Trump on Monday began issuing a raft of expected executive actions on immigration, energy and other issues, moving swiftly on some of his campaign pledges mere hours after being sworn in for a second term. Among the 46 issued on Monday, 10 had to do with immigration and six were related to climate and energy. Cracking down on illegal migration and “climate extremism” while championing an “America-first” stance were cornerstones of Trump’s presidential election campaign. As... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3295557/immigration-crackdown-and-paris-agreement-pull-out-among-first-acts-second-trump-term?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3295557/immigration-crackdown-and-paris-agreement-pull-out-among-first-acts-second-trump-term?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jan 2025 23:12:46 +0000 China got only one mention in US President Donald Trump’s inaugural address on Monday, but the comment was threatening – especially to a country much closer to America. Suggesting that China’s operations in the Panama Canal constituted a degree of ownership of the Central American waterway, Trump asserted that Panama – the country it runs through – violated the treaty that transferred the canal to it. In his address, Trump also warned generally of tariffs and the need to protect American... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295556/donald-trump-goes-light-china-day-one-except-where-panama-canal-concerned?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3295556/donald-trump-goes-light-china-day-one-except-where-panama-canal-concerned?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jan 2025 22:43:40 +0000 The inauguration of Donald Trump on Monday as the 47th president of the United States represents one of the greatest political comebacks in history as Trump, the only commander in chief with felony convictions, returns to power four years after his supporters stormed the Capitol building in a bid to prevent the peaceful transition of power. Any thought that his second term might start on a more high-minded note was quickly brushed aside as he revisited long-standing grievances at the hands of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3295555/donald-trump-returns-tariffs-panama-canal-theme-winning-inaugural-address?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3295555/donald-trump-returns-tariffs-panama-canal-theme-winning-inaugural-address?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jan 2025 22:27:58 +0000 Eight-time Grammy winner Carrie Underwood performed at president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20. Before the event, a member of the president-elect’s transition team announced that the 41-year-old country music star will sing “America the Beautiful”, accompanied by The Armed Forces Chorus and The United States Naval Academy Glee Club. Meanwhile, amid rumours that she and her husband, Mike Fisher, have “fallen out of love”, per an In Touch Weekly source, another insider revealed... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3295460/meet-mike-fisher-carrie-underwoods-ex-nhl-player-husband-their-meet-cute-backstage-singers-concert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3295460/meet-mike-fisher-carrie-underwoods-ex-nhl-player-husband-their-meet-cute-backstage-singers-concert?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jan 2025 22:00:11 +0000 American country music band Rascal Flatts will be among other acts such as Carrie Underwood and Billy Ray Cyrus performing at president-elect Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day on Monday, January 20. Gary LeVox, the lead vocalist of the band, shared his excitement in an Instagram post on January 15. “I am so humbled and honoured and grateful for the opportunity again to play the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States. I got to play it in 2016 and now Rascal Flatts will be... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3295457/meet-tara-vernon-wife-gary-levox-rascal-flatts-frontman-whos-performing-us-presidential-inauguration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3295457/meet-tara-vernon-wife-gary-levox-rascal-flatts-frontman-whos-performing-us-presidential-inauguration?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jan 2025 22:00:08 +0000 Newly sworn-in US President Donald Trump has tapped Mark Uyeda, a Republican member of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, to be acting chairman of the agency, the White House said on Monday. Uyeda takes over from Gary Gensler, former president Joe Biden’s hard-charging SEC chairman whose ambitious agenda led him to clash with Wall Street and the cryptocurrency industry. Trump has said he will nominate former SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins to run the agency on a permanent basis. Atkins, for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295554/trump-taps-republican-mark-uyeda-acting-sec-chairman-white-house-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295554/trump-taps-republican-mark-uyeda-acting-sec-chairman-white-house-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jan 2025 21:58:27 +0000 Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas congratulated US President Donald Trump on his inauguration on Monday and said he was ready to work for peace with Israel based on a two-state solution. “We are ready to work with you to achieve peace during your term, based on a two-state solution,” Abbas said in a statement published by the official Wafa news agency. Abbas said it would mean “the State of Palestine and the State of Israel living side-by-side in security and peace, ensuring security and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3295551/palestinian-president-abbas-ready-work-trump-two-state-solution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3295551/palestinian-president-abbas-ready-work-trump-two-state-solution?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jan 2025 21:13:17 +0000 Kid Rock wanted Michelle Obama to put politics aside and attend Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 21. “I would kindly remind her that years back when [Barack] Obama was first elected, I did not vote for him, but they asked me to play the inauguration, and I played it and I went,” Rock shared on Fox News’ Jesse Watters Primetime on Thursday night. “So I would kindly remind Miss Michelle about that.” Reports claim that the former first lady is not attending Trump’s inauguration due to her... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3295492/who-kid-rocks-loving-son-bobby-jr-31-year-old-has-said-stars-are-all-aligning-donald-trump-heads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3295492/who-kid-rocks-loving-son-bobby-jr-31-year-old-has-said-stars-are-all-aligning-donald-trump-heads?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jan 2025 20:00:10 +0000 After performing at Donald Trump’s pre-inauguration rally, the Village People underscored their journey from disco-era gay icons to Maga (Make America Great Again) favourites having seen their YMCA anthem co-opted by the US hard-right. Trump used YMCA as a song to end his rallies during campaigning last year, with the billionaire property mogul developing his own trademark dance – a stiff shuffle of the hips and fist bumps at waist-high level. Initially uneasy about being so closely associated... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295546/village-peoples-ymca-journeys-gay-anthem-trump-theme-tune?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3295546/village-peoples-ymca-journeys-gay-anthem-trump-theme-tune?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jan 2025 18:38:02 +0000