Trump gives verdict on Musk buying TikTok as president attacks ‘nasty’ bishop for defending migrants: Live

The president issued a fresh threat against the rival superpower on Tuesday, hinting he could hit Beijing with 10 per cent tariffs on all imports, which can come into force as soon as 1 February, a move coming despite his “very good” call with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping last Friday.

“We’re talking about a tariff of 10 per cent on China, based on the fact that they’re sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada,” Trump said.

“Probably February 1 is the date we’re looking at.”

Here’s more from Shweta Sharma.

Here’s Bishop Budde explaining her decision to stand up to the new president during yesterday’s prayer service.

Graig Graziosi offers this profile of the Episcopalian who says Trump’s proposed actions are “antithetical” to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

The new president has meanwhile hit out at the Bishop of Washington, Mariann Budde, who conducted a Tuesday morning prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral he attended, calling her “a Radical Left hard line Trump hater” and saying she had been “ungracious” by calling upon him to show mercy towards LGBT+ children and migrants.

“Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one,” Trump fumed, demanding an apology.

On Fox News last night, Trump cheerleaders Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham likewise attacked the bishop for issuing a “woke tirade” and forcing the president and his entourage to listen to the “rantings of a lunatic”.

Here’s Katie Hawkinson’s report.

Donald Trump has said that he would be open to his billionaire ally Elon Musk or Oracle boss Larry Ellison buying the US arm of Chinese social video app TikTok from parent company ByteDance after granting it a 75-day reprieve on being banned in the US.

Asked by reporters at the White House on Tuesday whether he would be happy for Musk to make the acquisition, he answered: “I would be, if he wanted to buy it. I’d like Larry to buy it, too.”

Vishwam Sankaran reports.

Executive orders are mandatory declarations from the president to federal agencies or the military about how they should use resources given to them by Congress or operate within the limits of the U.S. Constitution. It is typical for presidents to sign executive orders upon taking office to display an eagerness to begin working.

However, some of his executive orders face legal challenges with lawmakers disputing Trump’s scope of authority. Now, many are left wondering if there is any way to stop or challenge an executive order.

Fox News was the top destination for those who wanted to see President Donald Trump sworn into office for the second time, according to Nielsen’s early data ratings, which were released Tuesday afternoon. On the flip side, though, the early ratings show that Trump’s ceremony pulled in nearly 14 million fewer viewers than Joe Biden’s ceremony back in 2021.

Between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET, which encompassed Trump’s swearing-in ceremony and first address as president, Fox News drew 10.3 million total viewers, and 2 million in the coveted advertising demographic of adults aged 25-54. The total, if it stands, would be the second-highest-rated inauguration in the channel’s history.

CNN pulled in just 1.7 million viewers overall, and a demo audience of 534,000, which is the second-lowest inauguration in the network’s history if the numbers hold up. MSNBC, meanwhile, delivered its lowest-rated inauguration day, averaging just 848,000 total viewers and 104,000 in the key demographic group.

Among the broadcast networks, ABC led in total viewers with 4.7 million, while NBC pulled ahead in the demographic with 1.2 million. On Monday, 26.3 million viewers watched Trump take the oath of office across seven different networks, including Fox Business Network. Roughly 5.9 million tuned in from the key demographic group.

Justin Baragona has the story.

Alex Woodward reports on the awkward moment.

After taking the oath of office at noon on Monday, the new president sprinted through his first day. Issuing more than 200 executive orders and other actions, Trump began his administration’s assault on birthright citizenship, environmental protections, and parts of Joe Biden’s legacy with directives targeting a staggering scope of issues.

This was all carefully calculated: a “Day One” agenda that captured Americans’ attention in a way that Biden and his former running mate/replacement Kamala Harris never could.

She is the lead plaintiff in a federal lawsuit against the newly inaugurated president and members of his administration, accused of mounting a “flagrantly illegal” attempt to “strip citizenship from millions of Americans with a stroke of a pen.”