China Escalates Trade War & Trump SCOTUS Victories | 4.14.25

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary: April 14, 2025

Title: China Escalates Trade War & Trump SCOTUS Victories
Host: John Bickley & Georgia Howe
Release Date: April 14, 2025
Episode: China Escalates Trade War & Trump SCOTUS Victories | 4.14.25

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1. China-United States Trade War Escalation

The episode opens with a pressing update on the intensifying trade conflict between China and the United States.

• China's Retaliation:
  At [00:03], John Bickley reports, “China strikes back, cutting off shipments of rare earth minerals and magnets after Trump paused most tariffs for everyone but them.” This move by China significantly impacts the global supply chain, as these materials are essential for high-tech industries.

• Economic Leverage Discussion:
  Senior Economist Kevin Hassett adds at [00:10], “The United States also has considerable and profound economic leverage over China. So China would be very wise to pursue the path of de-escalation.” This underscores the strategic balance of power in the trade negotiations.

• Trump’s Tariff Strategy:
  Cabot Phillips explains at [01:52], “Stateside President Trump made big news over the weekend, announcing that electronics like smartphones and laptops will temporarily be exempt from tariffs.” This strategic exemption aims to alleviate pressure on tech giants while using tariffs as leverage against China.

• Public Response and Economic Concerns:
  The episode delves into the American public’s reaction to the trade war. At [03:07], Cabot Phillips cites a CBS poll indicating, “just 42% of Americans favor tariffs compared to 58% who oppose.” Additionally, concerns over inflation and unemployment are highlighted as major issues affecting consumer sentiment, as noted by Megan Basham at [03:07].

• Generational Shift in Political Perception:
  A Quinnipiac poll mentioned at [04:37] reveals a significant shift: “Republicans and Democrats are now tied on the question of which party cares more for the needs of people like you,” indicating a potential generational change in political alignment favoring Republican economic policies.

• Trump’s Public Appearance:
  In a high-profile move, President Trump made a surprise appearance at a UFC event in Miami, garnering a “standing ovation” as reported by Cabot Phillips at [05:04]. This event featured prominent figures such as Marco Rubio and Elon Musk, emphasizing Trump’s active engagement in public and political spheres.

2. Supreme Court Battles Over Trump's Executive Actions

The podcast transitions to discuss the Supreme Court's role in shaping President Trump's executive agenda.

• SCOTUS Rulings Overview:
  Megan Basham provides an analysis at [06:49], stating, “SCOTUS has ruled on six of those emergency applications,” largely in favor of the administration. Notable cases include the Alien Enemies Act and federal workers' rehiring mandates.

• Alien Enemies Act Case:
  The Supreme Court lifted a lower court's block on deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, albeit with modifications. Attorney General Pam Bondi celebrated the ruling at [07:40], saying, “This is a landmark victory for the rule of law.”

• Federal Workers' Rehiring Case:
  In a 7-2 decision, SCOTUS overturned a lower court's order to rehire 16,000 federal workers, declared by Cabot Phillips at [08:21], emphasizing the court's stance against what many perceive as judicial activism.

• Setbacks and Judicial Concerns:
  Despite several victories, there have been setbacks. For instance, Chief Justice John Roberts put a temporary hold on orders to reinstate Biden-appointed board members, leaving key issues unresolved as noted at [08:58].

• Future SCOTUS Docket:
  Looking ahead, Megan Basham mentions upcoming cases at [09:54], including Trump's claim of immunity from prosecution over the 2020 election and challenges to executive orders on birthright citizenship and federal funding cuts. Chief Justice Roberts is seen steering the court towards narrow rulings to avoid major confrontations.

3. El Salvador President Nayib Bukele’s Washington Visit

The podcast highlights the significant visit of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele to Washington, focusing on immigration and trade discussions.

• Agenda and Relationship Building:
  Kevin Hassett discusses at [11:03], “the two leaders have really been on positive terms,” highlighting the strategic alliance between Trump and Bukele on immigration issues, particularly the detainment of suspected gang members.

• High-Profile Statements by Trump:
  President Trump praised Bukele at [11:23], stating, “I think he's doing a fantastic job... some of the worst people on earth are in that prison.” This remark pertains to the deportation and incarceration of migrants suspected of gang ties in El Salvador.

• Visa Revocations and Security Measures:
  A report at [12:15] reveals that “as many as 800 visas of foreign students have been revoked so far by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.” Rubio elaborated at [13:27], “We expect you to go to class and study and get a degree... if you come here to vandalize a library... we're going to get rid of these people.”

• Case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia:
  The podcast covers the mishandling of the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly sent to El Salvador despite fears for his safety. As reported at [12:26], Garcia remains in El Salvador, highlighting issues in the administration's deportation protocols.

4. Conclusion

The episode concludes with an overview of ongoing and upcoming political maneuvers:

• Upcoming Meetings and Negotiations:
  With Bukele’s visit, expectations are high for consolidating alliances and potentially addressing trade and immigration more robustly, as noted at [14:05].

• Ongoing Challenges:
  The administration continues to face challenges both domestically, with public sentiment shifting, and internationally, as seen in the complex trade and immigration negotiations.

Notable Quotes:

• John Bickley [00:25]: “The Supreme Court weighs in on several of Trump's executive actions. How is his agenda faring and what's next on the docket?”

• Kevin Hassett [04:00]: “Right now, 130 countries, 130 countries have responded and we're negotiating with them.”

• Pam Bondi [07:40]: “This is a landmark victory for the rule of law... Americans are safer from this point forward.”

• Marco Rubio [13:27]: “If you come here to like vandalize a library, take over a campus and do all kinds of crazy things... we're going to get rid of these people.”

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This comprehensive summary captures the critical discussions and insights from the April 14, 2025, episode of Morning Wire, providing listeners with an in-depth understanding of the ongoing trade war with China, Supreme Court battles affecting Trump's executive actions, and significant international diplomatic engagements.

Transcript

[John Bickley]

China strikes back, cutting off shipments of rare earth minerals and magnets after Trump paused most tariffs for everyone but them.

[Kevin Hassett]

Well, the United States also has considerable and profound economic leverage over China. So China would be very wise to pursue the path of de escalation.

[Georgia Howe]

How has the White House reacted? And how do Americans view the president's trade war?

[John Bickley]

I'm Daily Wire editor in chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Monday, April 14th, and this is Morning Wire. The Supreme Court weighs in on several of Trump's executive actions. How is his agenda faring and what's next on the docket?

[Georgia Howe]

We called on the Supreme Court to rein in these activist judges like Judge Boasberg, who was completely out of line. And President Trump welcomes El Salvador's president to the White House today after what Trump's calling a model deal.

[John Bickley]

Thanks for waking up with MORNING wires. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

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[Georgia Howe]

President Trump will host a number of foreign leaders for trade negotiations this week as Congress prepares to pass a crucial spending package.

[John Bickley]

Daily Wire's senior editor, Cabot Phillips is here to break down the high stakes week ahead in Washington. Hey, Cabot. So let's start with the latest from this trade war. What did we see over the weekend?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, two big developments on that front. First, after the president paused tariffs on every country but China, then Beijing predictably responded by raising their own tariffs on U.S. goods from 84% to 125%. They went a step further Sunday, halting the export of rare earth minerals and magnets. For context, China produces upwards of 60% of the world's rare earth minerals and 90% of all rare earth magnets, which are crucial for high tech chips, semiconductors, batteries and car manufacturing. The White House says the fact America is so reliant on Chinese products in the first place shows just how crucial it is that we increase American manufacturing or at least form stronger trade alliances elsewhere. Stateside President Trump made big news over the weekend, announcing that electronics like smartphones and laptops will temporarily be exempt from tariffs. That's a major relief to tech giants like Apple, Nvidia and Microsoft. The White House said those exemptions would be temporary. Presumably they're sending a message to Beijing that they better make a deal before they become permanent.

[John Bickley]

So easing those tariffs for now, but using them as leverage.

[Cabot Phillips]

Exactly.

[John Bickley]

So it's been a wild ride for the stock market over the last few weeks. We documented that here. How are people responding? How have Trump's tariffs played with the American people so far? Well, it's still early.

[Cabot Phillips]

Remember, the White House has been saying all along there will be short term pain and that it will take time for these measures to fully pay off. But to this point, it's been a mixed bag with the public on the negative side for Trump. A big CBS poll this weekend showed that just 42% of Americans favor tariffs compared to 58% who opposes, while his approval rating on the economy fell to 44%. Similarly, the university of Michigan's closely watched consumer sentiment index fell 11% to its lowest point since the height of COVID Americans cited the potential for rising inflation and unemployment as their biggest areas of concern. For their part, though, the White House says those concerns are being driven more by fear mongering from the media and Democrats. They argue that inflation is falling and markets are recovering and that President Trump will soon secure historic deals with trading partners that will benefit the economy. Here's National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on CNN.

[Kevin Hassett]

Right now, 130 countries, 130 countries have responded and we're negotiating with them. The small business owner has experienced over the last few weeks the start of a process that's settling down really quite quickly.

[Cabot Phillips]

And as for the good news for the president, that CBS poll I mentioned earlier found that nearly 60% of Americans believe he's using tariffs as a negotiating tool. So that message does seem to have gotten through. But most notably, Quinnipiac found that Republicans and Democrats are now tied on the question of which party cares more for the needs of people like you. For decades, Democrats have had a massive, at times 20 point lead on that question.

[John Bickley]

Right.

[Cabot Phillips]

So it's big. It appears more and more Americans view Republicans as caring about the needs of average folks. That is a generational shift that's indicative of where Trump is trying to take the party economically.

[John Bickley]

Now, before we go, and related to the public perception of Trump, he made a high profile appearance this weekend that really made a splash. What happened there?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, Trump dominated social media Saturday night after making a surprise appearance at the UFC event in Miami. Have a listen.

[Donald Trump]

We're making the entrance right now to a standing ovation. The 47th President of the United States of America.

[Kevin Hassett]

Is there anybody else that has a walk in other than a fighter? He has no music. Kid Rock starts playing.

[Marco Rubio]

People love it.

[John Bickley]

They do.

[Cabot Phillips]

The Daily Wire's David Cohn was there covering the event. He said the crowd was never louder than when Trump made that entrance. Worth noting. The president was joined ringside by a number of cabinet members, including Marco Rubio, RFK Jr. Cash Patel, Tulsi Gabard and Elon Musk.

[John Bickley]

I know you're a little jealous you weren't there ringside. Kevin, thanks for reporting.

[Cabot Phillips]

Absolutely.

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[John Bickley]

The Trump administration is at the center of several high stakes battles before the Supreme Court. The rulings are testing the limits of executive power on issues ranging from deportations to federal regulations.

[Georgia Howe]

Joining us now to break down how the administration has fared so far before SCOTUS and what's ahead is Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham. So, Megan, let's start with the big picture. We know that the lower courts have been challenging Trump at just about every turn. And the administration has been filing emergency appeals to the Supreme Court court along the way. What are some of the big results we've seen?

[Megan Basham]

Yes, and at this point, SCOTUS has ruled on six of those emergency applications. And I'd have to say that the president is faring mostly pretty well. One of the most significant rulings we've seen so far has been on that Alien Enemies Act. Now, it's a somewhat unique situation where both sides, the administration and the aclu, are claiming victory. The administration argued that illegal alien gangs like Trend Aragua pose such a national security threat that under the authority of that 1798 act, they can remove the gang members rapidly without hearings because they're not citizens. And as we've reported here, last week, SCOTUS lifted a lower judge's block on those deportations, but it did add some guardrails. Detainees must now receive notice and a Chance for judicial review. Attorney General Pam Bondi celebrated that ruling on Fox News.

[Pam Bondi]

This is a landmark victory for the rule of law. And this is what we've been arguing on behalf of President Trump from day one. These are enemies of our state, of our country, and they should be deported. And what the judge ruled was going forward, from this day forward, all those planes that are gone are there. Those people are staying. So there are a lot of reasons why Americans are safer from this point forward. The hearing will be held. It's a habeas hearing in the Court of Confinement, which means in Texas. Yeah, so it will be a much faster hearing and these people will be deported.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, what about the cases relating to federal workers?

[Megan Basham]

Yeah, that was another big win, though, again, a bit of a win on technicality. A lower court had ordered Trump to rehire about 16,000 provisional federal workers that he had fired from agencies like Agriculture, Defense and Veteran Affairs. Well, in a 7 to 2 ruling, SCOTUS found that the organization suing lacked standing since individual workers weren't part of that lawsuit. So it overturned the lower court ruling. So as with a couple of these other rulings, it's part of a trend of the court putting the brakes on what many are calling judicial activism from these lower courts.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, there have been some setbacks, though. Tell us a little about those.

[Megan Basham]

Oh, yeah, there definitely have. And that has led to some significant grumbling from conservatives about Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Chief Justice John Roberts, who have tended to be the two that are siding with the liberal justices. The administration had asked SCOTUS to block orders from two federal judges who required Trump to reinstate two Biden appointed board members that he had fired from two independent agencies, the National Labor Relations Board and the Merit Systems Protection Board. Well, last Wednesday, Roberts did put a temporary hold on those orders, but it wasn't the clear ruling that the administration was looking for. So it's a partial setback because essentially it leaves the issue unresolved and it will likely have big implications for how much control Trump has over these federal agencies and whether he's able to continue pursuing that aggressive agenda through executive actions.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, just looking forward, what's still on the docket?

[Megan Basham]

So next week, the court is set to hear arguments regarding the president's claim of immunity from prosecution over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. And we still have challenges to executive orders on birthright citizenship and federal funding cuts. So still several major rulings ahead. But I think it's worth noting that so far, the court has been pretty restrained. And a lot of analysts are pointing out that Chief Justice John Roberts is steering the court toward narrow technical rulings in order to avoid any blockbuster showdowns with Trump. So we'll have to see if that's what continues.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, always fascinating to see how SCOTUS navigates these issues. Meghan, thanks for reporting.

[Megan Basham]

Anytime.

[Georgia Howe]

The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, arrived in Washington on Sunday and is expected to meet with President Trump later today. The administration has worked closely with the Salvadorian leader on immigration and the detainment of suspected foreign gang members.

[John Bickley]

Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to discuss what we can expect today and the latest news on Trump's immigration agenda. Hey, Tim. So first, what do we know about what's going to happen today? Why is Bukele in Washington?

[Kevin Hassett]

Well, for a lot of handshaking and deal making, I think we can expect him and Trump to show off and consolidate the alliance they've built over the last few months. The two leaders have really been on positive terms. White House press Secretary Caroline Levitt said the relationship has become a model for others to work with the Trump administration. Trump himself had some pretty high praise for Bukele over the weekend.

[Donald Trump]

I think he's doing a fantastic job and he's taking care of a lot of problems that we have that we've really wouldn't be able to take care of from a cost standpoint. And he's doing really, he's been amazing. We have some very bad people in that prison, people that should have never been allowed into our country, people that murdered drug dealers. Some of the worst people on earth are in that prison.

[Kevin Hassett]

Trump was talking there about the migrants who were deported from the US over suspected gang ties that are now sitting in a high security prison in El Salvador. There's been about 250 of them sent so far. But in addition to immigration, trade may also be on the agenda. Trump and Bukele haven't mentioned this publicly, but El Salvador is technically under a blanket 10% tariff that Trump put into place last week. That'll put a dent in El Salvador's overall exports, about a third of which are to the US So a significant.

[John Bickley]

Percentage of their trade impacted there. What about the Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador? As we reported, the Supreme Court ruled he has to be returned. Is he still down there?

[Kevin Hassett]

Yeah. Kilmar Abrego Garcia is still in El Salvador. The White House confirmed that in a court filing over the weekend. The Trump administration deported Garcia over his suspected gang ties. But someone made a clerical mistake in allowing Garcia to be deported back to his home country of El Salvador. He had previously claimed that he would face violence if he returned there. The administration has wrestled with the courts over when Garcia should be returned to the US Administration attorneys have said his situation is complicated because the US doesn't have jurisdiction over prisoners in El Salvador. Regardless, Garcia's return seems seems like an obvious topic to be discussed during Bukele's time in Washington.

[John Bickley]

Right now, there's a new report out there that says as many as 800 visas of foreign students have been revoked so far by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. What's the latest on that front?

[Kevin Hassett]

Well, that's not surprising. Rubio said last month that his department was in the middle of reviewing cases and revoking visas daily. The revocations continue to make headlines, very often in coverage critical of the administration. Rubio addressed that at the Cabinet meeting last week.

[Marco Rubio]

If you come to this country as a student, we expect you to go to class and study and get a degree. If you come here to like vandalize a library, take over a campus and do all kinds of crazy things, you know, we're going to get rid of these people and we're going to continue to do it. So when we identify lunatics like these, we take away their student visa.

[Kevin Hassett]

Rubio also said that the administration is working well getting other countries to take back their citizens who are in the US Illegally. For those who don't, Rubio said, there is a cost to that.

[Marco Rubio]

We have countries that refuse to do it or kind of ignore our calls. All of them are doing it. The ones that are not are paying a price. And we've also found cooperation in other countries that are willing to take some of these people, some very dangerous criminals.

[Kevin Hassett]

You can expect more news on this to come later today from Bukele's meeting with the president.

[John Bickley]

We'll certainly be watching. Tim, thanks so much for joining us.

[Kevin Hassett]

Thanks for having me on.

[Georgia Howe]

Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back later this afternoon with more news. You need to know.

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