WASHINGTON – With his “big, beautiful” budget now law, President Donald Trump turned his attention again to another priority – tariffs.
Trump threatened a new 50% tariff on imported copper, a move decried by environmentalists who oppose efforts to establish new copper and nickel mines on the Iron Range.
“Broad tariffs on copper, including those from key allies, artificially inflate demand and falsely justify expanding domestic copper mining that would irreparably damage America’s favorite wilderness – the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness,” said Ingrid Lyons, executive director of Save the Boundary Waters, in a statement.
Trump also threatened Brazil with 50% tariffs if the government of leftist President Ignacio Lula da Silva does not end a “witch hunt” against former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro, a political ally of Trump who is facing trial for allegedly attempting to stage a coup.
Trump also sent letters threatening tariffs of up to 40% to 21 other nations, many in Asia and the Middle East, that would go into effect on Aug. 1 unless deals were cut with his administration.
Unlike the chaos unleashed on the stock market after Trump announced tariffs on trading partners earlier this year, Wall Street’s reaction this time was much more muted. Perhaps that’s because Trump has threatened many nations with tariffs but imposed a lot fewer.
The other news this week is that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth apparently acted without White House authorization when he paused weapons systems to Ukraine last week.
Trump suggested on Tuesday that Hegseth was not responsible for the decision. Asked during a Cabinet meeting whether he approved of the pause in shipments, Trump avoided a direct response, saying only that the United States would continue to send defensive weapons to Ukraine.
Pressed again on who authorized the pause, Trump replied, “I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?”
The incident prompted a whisper campaign in the nation’s capital about whether Hegseth, a former Fox News host with no experience managing a large company or government agency, will remain much longer in his job.
Hegseth paused weapons to Ukraine without authorization in February and was a key figure in “Signalgate” — a security incident involving high-ranking officials, including Hegseth and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz — in which discussions of a planned military strike on Houthi targets in Yemen were held on an unsecured app. Journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly added to the chat and published details about it in The Atlantic.
GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina indicated he had buyer’s remorse about voting for Hegseth’s confirmation to lead the Pentagon. In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Tillis said the defense secretary appeared “out of his depth as a manager of a large, complex organization.”
Crypto Week!
Meanwhile, the fortunes of Rep. Tom Emmer, R-6th District, are rising. As House Majority Whip whose duties focus on rounding up votes for GOP legislation, Emmer was challenged last week to win support for President Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.”
Once again, Trump stepped in to help persuade recalcitrant ultraconservative “Freedom Caucus” lawmakers to vote for a bill they did not like, this time because the legislation would greatly add to the deficit. Trump also praised Emmer, whom he once called a RINO (Republican In Name Only) who did not deserve to be Speaker of the House when the Minnesota Republican failed in his attempt to win the position in 2023.
“Minnesota: You have a GREAT Congressman in Tom Emmer. As Majority Whip, he was instrumental in helping us get the “ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ACT,” the BIGGEST OF ITS KIND ever approved in Congress. He is a fantastic guy with a fabulous wife Jacqueline and family. Thank you to Tom Emmer and family!,” Trump gushed on Truth Social.
Emmer is set to have another victory as the U.S. House considers his crypto legislation next week, which has been dubbed “Crypto Week” because votes are planned on three industry backed bills.
The effort, backed by Trump, who launched his own crypto coin shortly before taking office and invited top investors to an exclusive dinner at one of his golf clubs, is aimed at boosting and legitimizing cryptocurrency by establishing regulations for the digital currencies that are weaker than those for traditional financial assets.
Emmer’s Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act (FIT21), was approved by the U.S. House in the last Congress, but never cleared the U.S. Senate. It would classify many digital assets as commodities that would be regulated by the Agriculture Department instead of the Securities and Exchange Commission, an agency that Emmer had bitterly feuded with during the Biden administration.
But the U.S. House plans to consider a similar bill, co-sponsored by Emmer, next week. Rep. Angie Craig, D-2nd District, is also a sponsor of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025.
Because of his efforts, Emmer, who established the Congressional Crypto Caucus with Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., to mobilize support for crypto currency, has become an industry leader.
“Tom Emmer’s significance to the crypto market is rooted in his consistent and aggressive push for regulatory clarity,” said a recent post in Blockchain News.
Omar attacked, again
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-5th District, no stranger to attacks on her Somali background and progressive ideology, was targeted again this week in an Islamophobic and – in this era of escalating political violence – potentially dangerous posting on X by Florida Republican Rep. Randy Fine.
Omar’s criticism of the invitation to visit Washington, D.C., this week to “war criminal” Benjamin Netanyahu prompted Fine to write, “I’m sure it’s difficult to see us welcome the killer of so many of your fellow Muslim terrorists.”
“The only shame is that you serve in Congress,” Fine added.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant in November against Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, over alleged war crimes in Gaza. The Israeli leader denies the charges.
Fine’s post prompted condemnation from the House Democratic leadership.
“The unhinged, racist and Islamophobic comments made by Randy Fine about Rep. Ilhan Omar are bigoted and disgusting,” the Democrats said in a statement. “We are just weeks removed from heinous acts of political violence targeting elected officials in Minnesota for assassination.”
Fine dismissed their criticism in a subsequent online post, saying the Democratic leaders are sympathizers of extremism.
In case you missed it:
-Some Minnesotans stand to win and others stand to lose in President Trump’s “big, beautiful” budget bill, and we tallied up the sides.
-We also explained how Medicaid cuts in that bill could affect rural hospitals in Minnesota that rely heavily on Medicaid payments.
-And Matthew Blake wrote about the impact of the bill on Minnesota’s clean energy goals.
-Meanwhile, Matthew Blake took a look at Minnesota’s mascot law after the Trump administration began a probe of New York state, which has a similar law against the use of American Indian mascots and logos.
Your questions and comments
A reader was very critical of the “big, beautiful” budget act’s tax cuts and cuts to social welfare programs.
“As much as I hate this bill, it doesn’t impact me directly,” the reader wrote. “What it represents is a transfer of wealth away from young people to those who are older and more successful. For example, how many children will go hungry and homeless to finance one year of tax cut for those who are better off … ?”
Please keep your comments, and any questions, coming. I’ll try my best to respond. Please contact me at aradelat@minnpost.com.
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