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Kevin Besson
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Cabot Phillips
President Trump's Asia trip has kicked off with a whirlwind of handshakes and signatures as he brokers several monumental deals in the region.
President Donald Trump
The United States will have a robust commerce and cooperation transactions, lots of them, with both nations, as long as they live in peace.
Georgia Howe
How could these agreements reshape everything from tech to trade?
Cabot Phillips
I'm Daily Wire Executive Editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Monday, October 27th. This is Morning Wire.
Georgia Howe
As the U.S. ramps up its war on drugs in the Caribbean, the so called Maryland man Kilmar Abrego Garcia gets set for deportation.
Tom Papert
I would be frankly shocked if his lawyers don't claim yet again that Kilmar fears he will be persecuted or tortured if removed to Liberia.
Cabot Phillips
And with the new inflation numbers in and trade deals paying dividends, we talked to an expert about the state of the Trump economy.
E.J. Antoni
One of the reasons why why I'm so optimistic here is that the growth we have seen thus far this year has been driven by increases in earnings, not simply increases in debt.
Georgia Howe
Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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Georgia Howe
President Trump landed in Asia on Sunday to kick off a whirlwind diplomatic tour aimed at securing new trade deals and peace treaties.
Cabot Phillips
Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips has the latest on those efforts and the ongoing negotiations here at home. Hey, Cabot. So a lot happened yesterday on this first leg of the Asia tour. Lots of wheeling and dealing. Tell us about this.
Kevin Besson
Yeah. President Trump arrived Malaysia this weekend on Stop one of a swing through South Asia. It's going to last almost a week. It'll include stops in South Korea and Japan later on in the week as well. Now, the main goal of this trip is to lock down more trade deals and open up access to Asian markets for US Exporters. And he hit the ground running almost immediately. Within hours of his arrival, President Trump announced new trade deals with Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia. Each of those countries will now eliminate the vast majority of tariffs that they have in place on American goods. And the latter two will also allow for unprecedented American access to rare earth minerals, which is a very big deal for the White House. They've been keen on that. And while this trip was focused on trade primarily, President Trump also helped broker a new formalized peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, two longtime foes who were on the brink of war this summer as we talked about on the show after fighting broke out over a border dispute. So under this new Trump broker peace deal, the two sides will pull back military forces from the border and then exchange POWs as well. In a moment that quickly went viral, President Trump spoke to his fondness for ending wars. You can see just how much he likes this aspect of the job.
President Donald Trump
And I love doing it. I love it's one, it's like, I shouldn't say it's a hobby because it's so much more serious than a hobby, but it's something that I'm good at.
Kevin Besson
So the White House is obviously thrilled about these new trade agreements and that peace deal as well. But this trip is going to be defined by this looming showdown with President Xi Jinping of China. The two will meet face to face on Thursday for the first time since back in 2019. Ahead of that high stakes showdown, Trump expressed optimism regarding what he called a comprehensive offensive deal that could end the tit for tat trade war that's lasted all year and resulted in unprecedented tariff rates exceeding 100% on China Dwight houses. Trump is going to push for Beijing to resume the purchasing of American farm products, primarily American soybeans. He also wants more access to China's rare earth minerals and of course, assurances that they are going to do more to crack down on fentanyl production. Ahead of that, sit down. Officials from both sides have been meeting virtually nonstop this week to hammer out the framework of a potential broader deal that we're going to see. Those tariffs were set to take place on November 1st. Here is what Besson had to say.
Cabot Phillips
Earlier this weekend, we had a very good two day meeting. I would believe that the. So it would be an extra 100% from where we are now. And I believe that that is effectively off the table.
Kevin Besson
And for their part, Beijing also seemed to be optimistic. Going in, they said that a, quote, basic consensus had been reached and that the two sides, quote, engaged in candid, in depth and constructive exchanges.
Cabot Phillips
Certainly good news. Now, on the trade issue, we had something with our northern neighbor crop up which is kind of actually remarkable. A TV ad prompted this. Tell us about this.
Kevin Besson
Yeah, this is one of the wilder chapters of the entire trade saga. So for context, earlier this year, Trump hit Canada with a 35% tariff on a host of goods, along with 50% rates on steel and aluminum exports. That resulted in an unusually chilly relationship between the U.S. and Canada over the summer. But it looked like things were starting to cool down and moving in the right direction. There were meetings going on. New Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed to remove retaliatory tariffs put in place by Justin Trudeau. And then there were the high level negotiations going on again all month with both sides expressing optimism. But then the government of Ontario stepped in with a new ad campaign. They started running a commercial during the World Series and elsewhere, quote, in their words, making the case against American tariffs. That ad actually features extensive quotes from a 1987 radio address from President Ronald Reagan in which he makes his case against tariffs. Have a listen to that ad.
E.J. Antoni
Over the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer. High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars.
Kevin Besson
That commercial drew immediate condemnation from President Trump, who said that, quote, based on their egregious behavior, all trade negotiations with Canada are hereby terminated. So he was very mad. And it's worth noting, while President Reagan was famously opposed to most tariffs, in a rare move, the Reagan foundation actually stepped in, releasing a statement saying that they were viewing legal options here as a result as well. So they're also not happy. Now, for their part, the government of Ontario said they would be removing that ad campaign, but it looks like the damage has already been done. Rather than wrapping up A new trade deal. Trump now says, quote, because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts and hostile act, I am increasing the tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now.
Cabot Phillips
Well, never a dull moment with Trump on the global stage. Kevin, thanks for reporting.
Kevin Besson
Absolutely.
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Georgia Howe
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Cabot Phillips
President Trump ordered the most advanced aircraft carrier group to the Caribbean last week as he floated the possibility of strikes against drug cartels on land. And the Trump administration placed sanctions on the president of Colombia as tensions continue to rise with the erstwhile US Ally.
Georgia Howe
Here to talk about Trump's efforts to stop the flow of drugs from South America to the United States is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce. So, Tim, where do things stand now with regards to the military effort to intercept drugs in the Caribbean and now potentially on land?
Tim Pierce
Yeah, stop me if you've heard this word before, but it's more escalation. Trump moved the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group to the Caribbean to join the other U. S. Forces located there. Now, the Gerald R. Ford carrier group is the largest carrier group in the U. S. Military. So it's a pretty aggressive sign from Trump that he's not not satisfied with just a few drug boats being blown up here and there. Here he was last week on the possibility of land strikes.
President Donald Trump
The land is going to be next and we may go to the Senate, we may go to the, you know, Congress and tell them about it. But I can't imagine they'd have any problem with it. What are they going to do? Say, gee, we don't want to stop drugs pouring in. They're killing 300,000 people a year.
Tim Pierce
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham went on CBS's Face the Nation over the weekend and he said he had spoken to President Trump about that.
E.J. Antoni
President Trump told me yesterday that he.
Tom Papert
Plans to brief members of Congress when.
E.J. Antoni
He gets back from Asia about future.
Tom Papert
Potential military operations against Venezuela and Colombia.
Tim Pierce
Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro said last week that there are 5,000 Russian made anti aircraft missiles stationed around the country to defend the airspace. He also said that millions of men and women with rifles would march across the country if the United States were to attack on Venezuelan soil.
Georgia Howe
Well, as far as we know, the CIA is already there now pivoting to another country nearby that is traditionally an ally of the United States, but lately has had tension with President Trump. Is Colombia, what's the status there?
Tim Pierce
Well, Trump is fed up with, as he sees it, Colombian President Gustavo Petro secretly working with the drug cartels while lying to the US about it. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant announced sanctions on Petro and his family on Friday and he said in a statement that Petro, quote, has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refuse to stop this activity. Colombia says that's not true and has pointed to its continued interdiction of cocaine. But that's in spite of the country's coca fields growing continuously since Petro took office in 2022. On top of that, Petro's political campaign was reportedly funded by cartel cash, some of that even being passed through Petro's own son. Trump's moves against Petro have been applauded by lawmakers such as Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar, who represents a large Colombian American district in Florida.
E.J. Antoni
Colombia is once again the number one.
Tim Pierce
Producer of coke in the world.
E.J. Antoni
Colombians don't deserve that. And President Trump has a responsibility to.
Georgia Howe
Stop drugs coming into this country.
Tim Pierce
So obviously there's some desire for the president to play hardball with some of these leaders in South American countries.
Georgia Howe
Now shifting gears, before you go, I want to follow up on something we've been tracking. Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He now has plans for deportation. What's the status?
Tim Pierce
Yes, for that I went to our friend over at the Tennessee Star, reporter Tom Papert. Here's what he had to say about it.
Tom Papert
Friday morning, the federal attorneys representing the Department of Homeland Security notified the Obama appointed judge overseeing Abrego Garcia's case that the United States now intends to deport him to Liberia. And they added that Liberia says they'll take him. That means this is further along the road toward deportation than any of the government's previous efforts.
Tim Pierce
And paper said that he fully expects the judge in that case to try to protect Kilmar Abrego Garcia from deportation, at least for the time being.
Tom Papert
In my view, this judge, Paula Zinnis, has really been acting as the fifth legal team representing Kilmar Abrego Garcia. I would fully expect in some way, shape or form she is going to try to make a final decision in this lawsuit that somehow benefits Abrego Garcia.
Tim Pierce
But as of right now, it seems to be a question of when, not if, Abrigo Garcia is deported.
Georgia Howe
Well, it's been a long time coming. Tim, thanks for reporting.
Tim Pierce
Thanks for having me.
Georgia Howe
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Cabot Phillips
Joining us now to discuss the numbers and the state of the economy amid President Trump's barrage of trade Deals is economist E.J. antoni of the Heritage Foundation. E.J. thanks for coming on.
E.J. Antoni
My pleasure. Thank you for having me.
Cabot Phillips
So first big picture, we're nine months into Trump's second term. How is the economy doing?
E.J. Antoni
Well, I'd say the best way to describe it is that it's in the midst of a transition. Right. For basically the last two years of the Biden administration, you had a labor market that was being propped up in a lot of ways by government hiring. That's gone away. In fact, it's been replaced with government firings. And the result of that is a drag on the overall jobs numbers. Right. In the same way, when you look at something like the way we measure the economy through gross domestic product or gdp, you had government purchases which were accounting for a very large percentage of that. That's all gone away. In fact, it's been replaced by a reduction in those government purchases, which is a drag on the headline number. So as the government re privatizes as the treasury secretary says you will see what looks like sluggish growth, which I think we're in right now, but in reality is actually a returning to health. It's almost like the chemotherapy that makes you feel really lousy but gets rid of your cancer.
Cabot Phillips
We mentioned at the top that the inflation numbers were a little bit cooler than projected. How do you feel about the state of inflation right now?
E.J. Antoni
Oh, pretty good, especially since the number one driver of inflation in that CPI report for the month of September was gasoline prices going up much, except that increase has completely reversed in the first three weeks of October and now prices are actually slightly lower than they were in most markets. So we should expect the next CPI report if we can even get it. It's unclear because the government shutdown, but if we could get it, we would expect even cooler CPI numbers.
Cabot Phillips
Now, treasury data shows that tariff collection has really surged in recent months. What is the net effect of Trump's tariff plan thus far on the economy? Are they working as advertised?
E.J. Antoni
Well, I guess it depends on how we want to say as advertised. Right. But here are the facts. They're bringing in way more revenue than anticipated to the Treasury. We can certainly have a debate over who is paying for those tariffs, but the fact is they're bringing in billions of dollars in revenue, in fact, hundreds of billions of dollars when you annualize it. And that's one of the reasons why September had the biggest surplus ever for the month of September in terms of the treasury monthly statement. It was because not only have we seen a reduction in overall government spending, increase in revenues, overall revenues, of course, because the economy is growing, but also specifically from customs duties, which are from the increase in tariffs.
Cabot Phillips
Is the reshoring effect like Stellantis moving some production to the US Is that a real trend or just a few isolated incidents?
E.J. Antoni
Oh, it's. It's certainly a real trend, but it is being blunted to a certain extent right now. You are seeing help to the manufacturing sector and that some of it is being reassured, but you're also seeing, at least in the short term, some pain inflicted on manufacturing because again, some of the things tariff are actually input. So you're making it more expensive, let's say, for a car manufacturer to buy steel from abroad for the time being. Now, once that steel gets reshored back to the United States and you can buy it domestically, then it's a moot point. Right? But at least for the time being, you're having competing effects there where one is helping, the other is hurting.
Cabot Phillips
So final question, we're about to wrap up the year. A couple months left here. What do you project to happen big picture with the economy over the next few months?
E.J. Antoni
Well, I think we're going to continue to see some of these very positive trends with economic growth where although the public sector, the government is shrinking, we're going to continue to see growth in the productive private sector. Their money is going further because earnings growth is outpacing inflation. That's a very positive development.
Cabot Phillips
Yeah. Certainly good news. Well, thank you so much for talking with us.
E.J. Antoni
My pleasure. Thank you for having me.
Georgia Howe
Thanks for waking up with us. And if you're listening to the show, you can also watch us now on Daily Wire plus plus we'll be back this evening with more news you need to know.
Kevin Besson
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Date: October 27, 2025
Hosts: John Bickley (Executive Editor, Daily Wire), Georgia Howe
Correspondents/Sources: Cabot Phillips, Kevin Besson, Tim Pierce, Tom Papert, E.J. Antoni
This episode centers on President Donald Trump’s high-stakes Asia diplomatic tour, significant trade and peace deals secured in Southeast Asia, looming negotiations with China, unprecedented U.S. military presence and anti-drug operations in the Caribbean, escalated tensions with Colombia, and fresh insights on the U.S. economy amidst tariffs and reindustrialization. The hosts and guests unpack the global and domestic ramifications of these fast-moving stories.
“And I love doing it. I love… I shouldn’t say it’s a hobby because it’s so much more serious than a hobby, but it’s something that I’m good at.”
— President Trump on brokering peace deals [04:12]
“High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars.” [06:45]
“The land is going to be next… What are they going to do? Say, gee, we don’t want to stop drugs pouring in. They’re killing 300,000 people a year.” [09:42]
“In my view, this judge… has really been acting as the fifth legal team representing Kilmar Abrego Garcia.”
— Tom Papert [12:38]
“…it’s almost like the chemotherapy that makes you feel really lousy but gets rid of your cancer.”
— E.J. Antoni [14:10]
On Trump’s diplomatic mindset:
“And I love doing it. I love … It’s something that I’m good at.”
— President Trump [04:12]
On the Canadian trade dispute:
“High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars.”
— Ronald Reagan (1987), quoted in Ontario ad [06:45]
On escalation in anti-drug strategy:
“The land is going to be next and we may go to the Senate… but I can't imagine they'd have any problem with it… They're killing 300,000 people a year.”
— President Trump [09:42]
On the judge in the Garcia deportation:
“This judge... has really been acting as the fifth legal team representing Kilmar Abrego Garcia.”
— Tom Papert [12:38]
On the nature of current economic pain:
“…it’s almost like the chemotherapy that makes you feel really lousy but gets rid of your cancer.”
— E.J. Antoni [14:10]
| Timestamp | Segment | Speaker(s) | Key Theme | |--------------|----------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------| | 02:42–04:20 | Asia Trip Overview, Trade & Peace Deals | Kevin Besson, President Trump | Diplomacy, new trade/peace deals | | 05:41–07:40 | Canada Trade Spat, Reagan Ad Controversy | Kevin Besson, E.J. Antoni | Tariff war escalates | | 08:48–11:46 | Caribbean Military Escalation & Colombia | Tim Pierce, President Trump, Sen. Graham | Drug war escalation, sanctions | | 11:51–12:58 | Kilmar Abrego Garcia Deportation | Tim Pierce, Tom Papert | Legal battle, deportation update | | 13:13–17:44 | Economic Update, Inflation & Tariffs | Cabot Phillips, E.J. Antoni | Economy, tariffs, future outlook |
| Topic | Key Points & Outcomes | |-------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Asia Trip | Trade deals (tariff removal), rare earth access, peace treaty (Thailand-Cambodia), looming China talks | | U.S.-Canada Tensions | Reagan-ad controversy, talks collapse, new tariffs imposed by U.S. | | Caribbean Ops | Aircraft carrier deployed, hints at land strikes on cartels, Venezuelan threats, sanctions against Colombia | | Kilmar Garcia Case | Deportation likely but delayed, judicial maneuvering ongoing | | Economic Health | Inflation cooling, tariffs raising revenue, some reshoring, short-term pain/long-term gain dynamic |
This episode delivers fact-packed updates on rapidly evolving global affairs and domestic policies, providing clarity on the stakes and ongoing negotiations behind the headlines. Trump’s signature blend of confrontation and deal-making sets the tone throughout, whether abroad or at home.