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The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | April 23rd, 2025: Trump Signals De-Escalation In Tariff War With China & Zelensky Rejects White House Plan To Cede Crimea To Russia
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- [00:00]
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Mike Baker
Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, President Trump is reportedly considering cutting tariffs on China substantially in the first real sign that the crippling trade war with the communist regime could soon de escalate. Later in the show, Ukrainian President Zelensky has poured cold water on a peace proposal from the Trump administration that would recognize Russia's hold over Crimea, calling it unconstitutional and a non starter. The comments come in the wake of an ultimatum from Vice President J.D. vance that the U.S. may walk away from negotiations if Kyiv does not capitulate. But first, the afternoon spotlight. We'll begin with a potential breakthrough in the trade war with China as leaders in Washington and Beijing signal a willingness to de escalate and possibly strike a deal. Speaking at a White House news event on Tuesday, President Trump said he'll consider substantially slashing his crippling tariffs on China to cool diplomatic temperatures pending new trade talks with the communist regime. The abrupt u turn from Trump, who has previously maintained a hardline stance regarding his tariffs on China, came just hours after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen told attendees of a closed door investor conference hosted by JP Morgan that the trade war with China is unsustainable. That's according to an exclusive report from the Wall Street Journal. As a reminder, earlier this month, the White House hit China with a 145% tariff on most of their exports, though certain Chinese products are now subject to tariffs as high as 245%. China, of course, retaliated by placing a 125% tax on US goods and has vowed to stand their ground. The tariffs have caused trade between the US And China to grind to a virtual standstill and triggered widespread sell offs in global stock markets. Trump's comments on Tuesday, however, immediately stirred optimism among Wall street investors, with US Stocks climbing substantially higher Wednesday on the hopes that the economic standoff could possibly come to an end in the near future. But White House officials stressed Wednesday that while there are several options on the table, discussions remain fluid and the president has not yet made a final determination on how he wants to proceed. They added that Trump would need to see some movement from China to lower tariffs on US Goods before Trump's tariffs are reduced. When asked Wednesday about his remarks from the previous day, Trump didn't tip his hand, but signaled that he would not continue to play hardball with the Chinese Communist Party, saying, quote, we are going to have a fair deal with China. Senior administration officials told the Wall Street Journal that they are discussing plans to cut the tariffs on China by more than half, with levies potentially dropping to somewhere between 50 and 65%. They are also reportedly considering a tiered approach to trade with China, where 35% tariffs would be imposed on items the US does not deem threats to national security, while a levy as high as 100% would be placed on items deemed as strategic to America's interests. But a White House spokesperson later cautioned, quote, president Trump has been clear China needs to make a deal with the US when decisions on tariffs are made, they will come directly from the president. Anything else is just pure speculation, end quote. Still, leaders in Beijing reacted somewhat positively to the reports, cautiously saying that they're open to trade talks with the US as long as the White House refrains from making any more economic threats. A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, quote, china's attitude toward the tariff war launched by the US Is quite clear. We don't want to fight, but we are not afraid of it. If we fight, we will fight to the end. If we talk, the door is wide open, end quote. While the developments are encouraging, analysts say that even if the US And China meet at the negotiating table, as you might imagine, a quick resolution with America's third largest trading partner is somewhat unlikely. Coming up next, Ukrainian President Zelensky has poured cold water on a peace proposal from the Trump administration that would recognize Russia's hold over Crimea, calling that unconstitutional. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here, former CIA dude, businessman, podcast host, and, and of course, style guru. And here's a pro tip for guys on how to look your best. Get your duds from True Classic now. True Classic's mission is simple. Make guys look good and feel better. 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Well, you've heard about the trade wars, right? All the tariffs bouncing back and forth? Well, it's thrown the global economy into some chaos. Potential widespread inflation tied to massive supply chain disruptions. It's weighing heavily on all of us. But I'm here to tell you there's a silver and a gold lining that I think some people have missed. You see, President Trump specifically exempted gold and silver bullion from the sweeping tariffs. And while the new policies are triggering significant financial chaos, the administration preserved your ability to diversify into precious metals. So if you're concerned about your savings, I encourage you to have a free consultation with a Birch Gold precious metals specialist. It's really simple. Just text PDB to 989-898 and receive your free no obligation information kit on gold. Learn how to hold gold and silver in a tax sheltered account. Birch Gold will help you convert an existing IRA or 401k into a gold IRA for no money out of pocket. 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- [08:58]
Mike Baker
Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. Ukrainian President Zelensky is pushing back against a U.S. peace proposal that leans heavily in Russia's favor, including that would recognize Russia's hold on Crimea just As Vice President J.D. vance issued a blunt ultimatum to either accept the deal or risk the US Walking away from talks. At a press conference, Zelensky declared, quote, ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea, calling the plan unconstitutional and stating flatly, quote, there's nothing to talk about here. As we've been tracking here on the pdb, the plan floated last week by American officials during closed door meetings in Paris, aimed to freeze the front lines, meaning essentially handing Putin the 20% of Ukraine that his military currently occupies, block Ukraine's NATO ambitions, place the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant under U.S. oversight and acknowledge Russia's hold on Crimea as the price for peace. If adopted, the plan would represent a stunning shift in American foreign policy. Since 2014, Washington has refused to recognize Russia's annexation of Crimea. And though the proposal stops short of recognizing Russia's claims to four other occupied regions, Zelensky's rebuke, delivered prior to the high level summit in London today between US Ukrainian and European officials, underscores Keeb's alarm over what it sees as creeping Western acceptance of Moscow's redrawn map, it's worth noting that the proposal says nothing about Russian troop withdrawals from those occupied regions. Adding to the diplomatic fissures, today's London summit was downgraded to a relatively low level meeting. And after Secretary of State Marco Rubio abruptly withdrew, citing logistical complications in his absence, Trump envoy Keith Kellogg will lead the American delegation. The optics are, well, unmistakable. What was once billed as a potential turning point in the pursuit of peace now risks becoming a sideshow. Meanwhile, Vice President J.D. vance, speaking from India, well, he laid it out plainly. He stated, quote, we've issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and Ukrainians and it's time for them to either say yes or for the US to walk away from this process, end quote. It was the sharpest signal yet that patience in Washington is wearing thin. Just last week, Rubio warned that without meaningful progress, the US Would pull the plug on negotiations altogether. Now, back in Kiev, Zelensky is walking a tightrope, holding on to US Support while pressing Washington to avoid overtures from the Kremlin he sees as caving to Russian President Putin's demands. Zelensky dismissed the Kremlin's 30 hour Easter ceasefire over the weekend as, quote, hollow, saying Russian forces never stopped firing. And he waved off the idea of American oversight at Zaporizhzhia, saying bluntly, quote, the plant will not work without Ukraine and Ukraine's technical knowledge, citing the uncertain fate of its workers and a depleted water supply as major obstacles. The stakes for Ukraine are, of course, immense. Its 2019 constitutional amendment committing to NATO membership and its ban on territorial concessions place legal and political constraints on Zelenskyy's ability to entertain such terms. Any move perceived as capitulation could of course spark domestic blowback, which of course is what Putin is hoping for. Moscow has been maneuvering throughout the past three years for the removal of Zelensky to be replaced by a Kremlin friendly alternative. What's clear is that the initial momentum behind the U. S Led push is now waning. Zelensky's firm rejection, coupled with a scaled back summit and growing diplomatic fatigue in Washington, has left core questions unresolved. All right, and here comes my statement of the obvious. Look, Putin is currently expressing a willingness to consider peace talks well, because the US Peace proposal as it currently stands essentially satisfies Putin's key demands. At the same time, he sees the US Backing away from Ukraine. And as a Kremlin advisor noted a few weeks ago, given Russia's slow but incremental progress on the battlefield and an apparent growing rift between Trump and Zelensky, why would Putin agree to end his war now? J.D. vance in the White House are essentially demanding that Zelensky give in to Putin painting Ukraine's leader as the villain in this situation. Administration is essentially saying, we've drawn up a plan that basically gives Putin what he wants. Why isn't Zelensky agreeing to it? And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon bulletin for Wednesday 23rd April. Now if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me@pdbhefirsttv.com and to listen to the show ad free, which you certainly can do. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now I know you know this, but owning a handgun or any weapon for self defense comes with serious responsibility and you need it to be both secure and accessible when it matters most. That's what Stopbox USA set out to solve with the Stopbox Pro. Look, it's a it's a lockbox that gives you instant access to your firearm. There's no electronics, no keys or codes required. The five button locking system responds to your unique input. It's built for muscle memory so you're not thinking, you're reacting. I have a Stopbox Pro at home and it's an excellent piece of kit. It's extremely well made it it's secure and it's easy to use. And that's important. 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