Trump Tariffs Unveiled & FBI Censored Biden Laptop | 4.3.25

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary Episode: Trump Tariffs Unveiled & FBI Censored Biden Laptop | 04.03.25

Introduction In this episode of Morning Wire, hosts John Bickley and Georgia Howe delve into two major news stories shaping the current political landscape: President Donald Trump’s newly unveiled tariff plan and the FBI’s alleged censorship of Hunter Biden’s laptop investigation. Additionally, the podcast explores the implications of a pro-life activist’s case in the UK on US-UK trade negotiations. This comprehensive summary captures the essential discussions, insights, and conclusions presented during the episode.

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1. President Trump Unveils Historic Tariff Plan

Rose Garden Speech Highlights The episode opens with Georgia Howe reporting on President Trump’s pivotal Rose Garden speech where he announces a transformative tariff plan aimed at revitalizing American industry.

• President Trump’s Declaration (00:08)

  • “My fellow Americans, this is Liberation Day.” (00:08)

• Key Components of the Tariff Plan

  • Minimum Baseline Tariff: A 10% tariff will be established on all countries regardless of their current rates.
  • Reciprocal Rates: Tariffs will be adjusted based on other countries’ tariffs on the US, described by Trump as “kindly reciprocal” (01:50).
  • Country-Specific Rates: Examples include China at 34%, the EU at 20%, Japan at 24%, Australia at 10%, and India at 26% (02:10).
  • Statements on Trade Discrepancies: Trump emphasized that existing imbalances have hurt American industry and national security but did not blame other countries directly, stating, “I don't blame these other countries at all for this calamity. I blame former presidents and past leaders.” (03:43)

Impact on Industries Trump focused significantly on the auto industry, announcing an additional 25% tariff on all auto imports to combat outsourcing and revive domestic manufacturing.

• Personal Testimony (04:28)
  • Brian Panbaker, a United Auto Worker, shared, “We support Donald Trump's policies on tariffs 100%.” (04:40)

Political Reactions The tariff plan marks a significant shift in Republican economic policy, traditionally opposed to tariffs, contrasting with Democratic support.

• Democratic Criticism:

  • Minority Leader Chuck Schumer labeled the plan as “taking a sledgehammer to the US Economy” and vowed to oppose the tariffs vigorously (05:43).

• White House Defense:

  • The administration argued that the global economy is no longer a free market, citing other countries’ market manipulations and currency controls as justifications for the new tariffs (05:50).

Expert Commentary Cabot Phillips highlighted the political transformation, noting Trump’s unique stance on tariffs diverges from traditional Republican free-market principles (04:15).

Conclusion on Tariff Plan The episode underscores the potential for significant shifts in global trade dynamics and domestic economic policies, positioning Trump's tariff announcements as a defining moment for American trade strategy.

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2. FBI’s Alleged Censorship of Hunter Biden’s Laptop

House Investigations Reveal Cover-Up The discussion transitions to the House investigations revealing that the FBI attempted to silence its agents from publicly discussing Hunter Biden’s laptop ahead of the 2020 election.

• Internal Messages and Analysis (07:07)

  • Mary Margaret Olihan explains that redacted internal messages suggest an FBI cover-up, where an FBI official imposed a gag order on discussing the laptop during an active criminal investigation (07:07).

• Impact on Public Discourse:

  • The FBI’s suppression efforts are portrayed as an attempt to discredit truthful reporting, with Cabot Phillips asserting, “They spread us a bunch of BS because the truth was detrimental to Joe Biden.” (08:41)

Broader Implications: The Deep State The episode delves into the concept of the deep state, with Cabot Phillips discussing how multiple intelligence agencies collude to suppress information unfavorable to certain political figures.

• Consequences for Intelligence Officials:
  • Former officials, including Anthony Blinken, are criticized for orchestrating the censorship, leading to the revocation of security clearances for those involved (09:21).

Political Ramifications John Bickley emphasizes that these revelations strengthen arguments supporting Trump’s claims about the deep state undermining democratic processes (10:14).

Conclusion on FBI Censorship The segment concludes that the FBI’s actions represent a significant challenge to media transparency and accountability, highlighting ongoing tensions between government agencies and the press.

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3. Pro-Life Activist’s Case as a US-UK Trade Negotiation Lever

Case Overview: Olivia Tsiki Bolt (10:32) Georgia Howe introduces the case of Olivia Tsiki Bolt, a retired medical scientist arrested in Bournemouth, England, for pro-life activism near an abortion clinic. Her case is now a point of contention in US-UK trade negotiations.

• Legal Context:
  • The UK’s buffer zone laws prohibit pro-life activities and silent prayers near abortion clinics, leading to Bolt’s prosecution (10:43).

US Involvement and Diplomatic Implications (11:18) Sebastian Gorka explains that the US State Department is monitoring Bolt’s case as a potential bargaining chip in trade talks, signaling US concern over UK’s stance on free speech and censorship.

• Statement by Vice President J.D. Vance:
  • Vance emphasized the importance of protecting freedom of expression to uphold civilizational values (12:06).

Expert Insights Mary Margaret Olihan and Sebastian Gorka discuss the broader implications for US-UK relations, questioning whether traditional alliances can withstand such divergences in free speech policies.

• Implications for Free Speech:
  • The case highlights a crisis for free speech in the UK, prompting US officials to publicly address concerns and advocate for civil liberties (13:58).

Pro-Life Activist’s Perspective (14:02) Olivia Tsiki Bolt expressed gratitude towards the US for supporting her case, emphasizing the importance of freedom of expression (14:02).

Conclusion on Trade Negotiations The episode concludes that Bolt’s case exemplifies the intersection of human rights advocacy and international trade policy, potentially reshaping US-UK diplomatic relations based on shared values of free speech.

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Final Thoughts Morning Wire delivers an in-depth analysis of President Trump’s ambitious tariff plan and the contentious issue of the FBI’s handling of Hunter Biden’s laptop investigation. Additionally, the podcast sheds light on the intricate dynamics of US-UK relations through the lens of pro-life activism. By incorporating expert opinions and firsthand testimonies, the episode provides listeners with a nuanced understanding of these pivotal events shaping the contemporary political and economic landscape.

Notable Quotes:

• President Trump (00:08): “My fellow Americans, this is Liberation Day.”
• Brian Panbaker (04:40): “We support Donald Trump's policies on tariffs 100%.”
• Chuck Schumer (05:43): “Taking a sledgehammer to the US Economy.”
• Cabot Phillips (08:41): “They spread us a bunch of BS because the truth was detrimental to Joe Biden.”
• Olivia Tsiki Bolt (14:02): “I'm very grateful to the United States for the role they're playing in tackling UK censorship.”

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This summary encapsulates the critical discussions from the April 3, 2025, episode of Morning Wire, offering a comprehensive overview for those seeking to understand the key issues without listening to the full podcast.

Transcript

[Georgia Howe]

President Trump unveils his highly anticipated tariff plan in a Rose Garden speech.

[President Trump]

My fellow Americans, this is Liberation Day.

[John Bickley]

Did Trump win over his critics?

[Georgia Howe]

I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor in Chief John Bickley. It's Thursday, April 3rd and this is Morning Wire. Damning new evidence points to an FBI cover up ahead of the 2020 election.

[Cabot Phillips]

It's inescapable now that it was clearly so they could help steer the election.

[John Bickley]

Towards Joe Biden and trade negotiations between the US and the UK hang in the balance as the fate of a pro life protester becomes a bargaining chip.

[Georgia Howe]

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

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[John Bickley]

Anticipation, President Trump rolled out his plan to implement historic tariffs on Wednesday, transforming American trade policy with the stroke of his pen.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips is here with the highlights. So Cabot, everyone has been waiting to hear this tariff plan. What did Trump announce?

[Tim Pierce]

Yeah, world leaders, investors, the business community, everyone has been holding their breath ahead of what Trump described as Liberation Day. And it did not disappoint. Speaking from the Rose Garden before an audience of lawmakers, small business owners, farmers and auto factory workers, the President kicked things off with a simple message.

[President Trump]

April 2, 2025 will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America's destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to make America wealthy again.

[Georgia Howe]

So no doubt this will transform the global economy. What did the final plan look like?

[Tim Pierce]

So first, the US will establish a minimum baseline tariff of 10% on all countries, regardless of what they charge. Now from there, the President announced that rates will be reciprocal, AKA will decide what to charge based on what other countries charge us. But according to Trump, the US Will be gracious in his words, quote, kind, reciprocal, not full reciprocal. In a truly just remarkable scene, the President held up a giant poster board displaying dozens of countries along with the exact rate that they'll now pay. Trump says that number was decided by adding up each country's tariffs, value added taxes, and currency manipulation. That number was then divided by two, and the final rate was decided. For example, according to Trump, China's overall rate on U.S. imports is 67%. So they'll get 34%. The EU will face 20% rates. Japan, 24%, Australia, 10%. India, 26. The list goes on.

[President Trump]

If you look at Switzerland, 61% to 31%. Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia. Look at Cambodia, 97%. We're going to bring it down to 49. They made a fortune with the United States of America, United Kingdom, 10%.

[Tim Pierce]

And it was interesting. The President noted that while he views existing tariff discrepancies between the US and trading partners as unfair, he did not blame those other countries for those policies.

[President Trump]

Such horrendous imbalances have devastated our industrial base and put our national security at risk. I don't blame these other countries at all for this calamity. I blame former presidents and past leaders.

[Tim Pierce]

Now, Trump devoted much of his address to the auto industry, saying foreign tariffs have driven American companies to outsource production, leaving our manufacturing base decimated. In an effort to bring back that auto production to the U.S. he announced additional 25% tariffs on all auto imports across the board. Following that move, he called Brian Panbaker, a United Auto Worker, to the podium.

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

My entire life, I have watched plant after plant after plant in Detroit and in the Metro Detroit area close the UAW members and I brought 20 of them with me.

[Cabot Phillips]

They're sitting right over here. We support Donald Trump's policies on tariffs 100%.

[Georgia Howe]

So what sort of political response did we see from yesterday's speech?

[Tim Pierce]

Yeah, it's interesting. This plan marks not just a transformation of global trade, but also a political transformation that was on full display yesterday. For decades, Republicans, at least the Reagan style free market types, have loudly opposed tariffs, while it was Democrats who were the ones generally in favor. But Donald Trump has flipped things entirely. As you can imagine, the left came out hard before and after yesterday's announcement. They argue tariffs are a tax on consumers and will only drive inflation higher. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, for example, said Trump was, quote, taking a sledgehammer to the US Economy, and he vowed to fight those tariffs tooth and nail. We'll have to see what exactly that fight from Democrats. Looks like in the meantime, the White House has flooded the airwaves, making their case to the American people. They argue tariffs go beyond the economy and have national security implications. In the past, for example, the president has argued that tariffs have even stopped wars.

[President Trump]

I said, if you go to war and they do a lot of business with the United states, I'm putting 100% tariff on everything you do.

[Tim Pierce]

The White House also says that tariffs may not be preferred in a free market, but that the global economy is, in their view, no longer a true free market. They argue that other countries are manipulating markets and currencies and that we cannot continue playing by what they call an outdated set of rules. Obviously, now the big question becomes how those other countries will respond. We'll have to wait and see.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, this is a big test of Trump's economic plans. Cabot, thanks for reporting.

[Tim Pierce]

Anytime.

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[Georgia Howe]

House investigations revealed Tuesday that the FBI sought to silence its own agents from discussing Hunter Biden's laptop publicly.

[John Bickley]

Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to talk about the COVID up. PAYTM so these newly released internal messages reveal some pretty damning things about the FBI.

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

What did they say? First, I wish we could see more of them. The messages received by the Judiciary Committee were heavily redacted. Still, what we can see looks a lot like a cover up. To set the stage, an FBI analyst actually confirmed the laptop's authenticity in a phone call with Twitter on October 14th of 2020, the day that a story in the New York Post dropped on information found in Biden's laptop. After that, the FBI's brass shut down public discussion. According to these messages, an FBI official told Elvis Chan that the FBI liaison for social media companies that there was a, quote, gag order on talk about the laptop. Now, this was apparently as the FBI was actively investigating the laptop for criminal conduct. Chan asked what specific crime was suspected of being committed and the response is censored, but it was apparently shocking enough to make Chan write back. Oh, crap. Okay, it ends here.

[John Bickley]

All right, so the allegation is that the FBI knew the laptop was actually real as early as October 14, 2020, but then went on to censor the New York Post anyway.

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

Right. Morning Wire spoke with Washington Free Beacon reporter John Levine about that. He was reporter at the Post when the laptop story first broke. Here's what he said.

[Cabot Phillips]

I mean, if the FBI just been like, look, you know, we're looking into this, but we're not going to comment, that would. I mean, we wouldn't be having this discussion right now. It was their active effort to not just discredit, but to discredit when they were actually the ones who were speaking the falsehoods. We were trying to tell the truth. They essentially ran an information operation on the American people. They spread us a bunch of BS because the truth was detrimental to Joe Biden. They didn't want it out.

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

All the FBI had to do was confirm the laptop's existence. Instead, it allowed a huge censorship operation to take place on what was a very real news story. And then, of course, you even had news outlets propping up the FBI narrative from NPR saying it didn't want to, quote, waste our time on stories that are not really stories to Politico publishing a story on dozens of foreign intelligence officials that suggested the laptop was somehow Russian disinformation, all while the FBI was, in fact, investigating a very real Hunter Biden laptop.

[John Bickley]

Right. So the fact that dozens of intelligence officials joined to sign that letter would suggest that it's beyond just the FBI that's involved here.

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

Right, right. Levine also had some insight on that as well.

[Cabot Phillips]

It's all part of the deep state web of intelligence. You know, there's like 15 intelligence agencies. They all know each other. They all collude with each other. And what we learned later was that Anthony Blinken, who be became later Secretary of State, he was instrumental in organizing this effort among those 51 officials. And some of them have sort of walked it back. Some of them have never apologized for it. Clapper, to this day, remains the most stubborn. I know that the Post has reached out to him several times, and he'll never back down from it. And I think it's just pride. And obviously, Trump revoked all their security clearances, which is good. I don't see any reason why they're not currently in government anymore. They should have that. And especially if they're going to use their security clearances and the good names that that gives them to do partisan politics.

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

So when President Trump complains about the deep state and bad actors, it's evidence like this that gives those accusations a lot of weight.

[John Bickley]

It makes it pretty Hard to argue against that point. Tim, thanks for joining us.

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

Good to be on.

[John Bickley]

The State Department announced that it's closely monitoring the case of a woman targeted by the British government for her pro life activism. This comes as the United Kingdom negotiates a trade deal with the US Here.

[Georgia Howe]

To break down the implications of the negotiations is Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olihan. So, Mary Margaret, first, who's the woman being targeted and what's the context of her case?

[Sebastian Gorka]

Good morning. So, yes, over the weekend the State Department announced that it's monitoring the case of retired medical scientist Olivia Tsiki Bolt. She was arrested in Bournemouth, England in 2023 for holding a sign year and abortion clinic that read here to talk if you want. And she's one of many pro life activists who have been prosecuted for pro life activism and silent prayer in the vicinity of abortion clinics. The UK has buffer zone laws that prohibit this kind of activity, including silent prayer in the vicinity of abortion clinics. She faced criminal trial on March 6 and a verdict is expected to be handed down on April 4th.

[Georgia Howe]

Now why is the State Department getting involved in Livia's case and monitoring, and how has her case become a trading chip in this current trade negotiation between the U.S. and the U.K. well, the.

[Sebastian Gorka]

Announcement from the State Department was sort of an oblique warning that the US Was watching the way the UK Handles Livia's case. Headlines from the Telegraph and other high profile European publications indicate that the United Kingdom censorship of its citizens could actually become a massive liability in regard to the transatlantic relationship, which historically has been very friendly. And the State Department confirmed to me on Tuesday night that it is monitoring Libby's case. And it's very important to the US that the UK Respect and protect freedom of expression. Also, the State Department confirmed to me that its senior advisor, Sam Sampson, met with Libya in the UK recently.

[Georgia Howe]

So has the White House commented directly on this?

[Sebastian Gorka]

No, But Vice President J.D. vance continues to make this type of censorship a trademark issue. Vance spoke at the premiere of Rod Dreher's Live not by Lies documentary at the Heritage foundation on Tuesday night. And he argued that if citizens around the world quote circumstances, speak the truth and refuse to bend the knee to censorship, we can redeliver on the promise of civilization.

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

We can rebuild the kind of society where virtue and freedom and our ancient liberties are preserved and enforced and facilitated by our government rather than torn down by our government. And that's ultimately what this is all about. Yes, there are bad things happening. You see in Europe, people arrested for praying and you have the police asking them, well, what are you praying about? As if it was any of the police's business.

[Sebastian Gorka]

Another thing worth noting. Sebastian Gorka, the deputy assistant to President Donald Trump, chimed in on the topic to GB News, saying, this isn't about politics, it's about the values upon which our civilization was founded.

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I think Europe writ large has to step back and just assess what it has done to the rights of individual.

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

Citizens in the free expression of their.

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Political or religious beliefs.

[Sebastian Gorka]

I spoke with Lorcan Price, the Irish barrister and legal counsel for ADF International. He told me that this increased attention on Libya's case could have massive implications for free speech in the UK it's.

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

Now reached a point where we have a real crisis, I think, for free speech in the United Kingdom. It's really come to such a situation that now senior government officials and elected officials in the United States are starting to take notice of it and they're starting to speak about it. One of the issues that seems to have emerged is can the United States regard Europeans and the United Kingdom of being allies and partners, where there is this extraordinary divergence when it comes to freedom of expression and censorship?

[Georgia Howe]

Now, has Livia herself commented on the larger implications of her situation?

[Sebastian Gorka]

She said on Monday that she's very grateful to the United States for the role they're playing in tackling UK Censorship. She also said she's grateful for, and I'm quoting, the United States prioritizing the preservation and promotion of freedom of expression and for engaging in robust diplomacy to that end. A verdict in her case is due on Friday, so we'll have developments coming very soon.

[Georgia Howe]

All right. Well, we will have you back on to discuss them. Mary Margaret, thanks for coming on.

[Sebastian Gorka]

Thanks for having me.

[Georgia Howe]

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