If there’s one thing that’s clear about E.P.A. administrator Scott Pruitt, it’s that the man literally has no shame. Any other government official, facing such a deluge of stories about his abuse of taxpayer money and government resources, would resign out of sheer embarrassment. But Pruitt, immune to it all and with the support of the president, hangs on. Over the last few weeks, we’ve learned that in addition to his $50-per-night housing deal with an energy lobbyist, his high-priced travel habits, his illegal $43,000 phone booth, his five-star meals with accused sex offenders, his shopping spree for fancy pens, and his predilection for reassigning or demoting people who questioned his spending habits, Pruitt tasked one staffer with finding his wife a job and another with sourcing him a discounted Trump Hotel mattress. And today’s news is, somehow, more mortifying.
According to a new report from The New York Times, senior staffers at the Environmental Protection Agency “frequently felt pressured” by Pruitt to “help in personal matters and obtain special favors for his family,” with one noting that the former Oklahoma attorney general “had a clear sense of entitlement” about the perks he should be afforded as a Cabinet member. Those perks included getting his daughter an internship in the White House:
Tickets to sporting events and face time with players beforehand:
. . . and, in general, the lifestyle of a person whose net worth is many multiples of his. According to aides who spoke to the Times, Pruitt “told them that he expected a certain standard of living akin to wealthier Trump Cabinet members” and gave the impression he “saw them as foot soldiers in achieving that lifestyle.” The problem, one added, is that “he is not a billionaire. But he sincerely thinks he is.”
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Trump goes ahead and hits China with fresh tariffs
Because he apparently still believes trade wars are “good” and “easy to win,” on Friday, Donald Trump announced tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports, with the first $34 billion going into effect July 6. And we’ll give you two guesses for how Beijing responded but you’ll probably get it in one.
“We will immediately introduce taxation measures of the same scale and with the same intensity,” the country’s Commerce Ministry said in a statement. “All of the economic and trade achievements previously negotiated by the two parties will also be invalid.” While China didn’t specify which goods it would target, the list is expected to include manufactured goods and agricultural products, hitting Trump where it hurts (i.e. states that voted for him). “It’s foolish on the part of the Trump team,” Wang Huiyao, director of the Beijing-based Center for China and Globalization and an adviser to China’s cabinet, told Bloomberg. “He needs China’s collaboration on North Korea and he gives the impression that he’s burning the bridge after crossing the river.”
Strangely, the administration still seems to believe that it not only has nothing to lose but that other countries won’t hit back in response. After announcing that in addition to the tariffs, the U.S. will impose investment restrictions on China within the next two weeks, U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer told Fox Business, “Our hope is that it doesn’t lead to a rash reaction from China. We hope that this leads to further negotiations and we hope it leads to China changing its policies, at least with respect to us, and opening up their market.”
Meanwhile, the fact that the punitive measures will hurt Americans doesn’t appear to have sunk into Trump’s head. “Imposing tariffs places the cost of China’s unfair trade practices squarely on the shoulders of American consumers, manufacturers, farmers, and ranchers. This is not the right approach,” said Thomas Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in a statement.
But wait, there’s more!
Amazingly, Trump is apparently serious about the idea of hitting foreign cars with 25 percent tariffs, which he now wants to get done before the midterm elections, believing it will play well with his base. “Trump sees the auto tariffs as part of his midterm strategy, a way to position Republicans and the White House as pro-worker,” a senior administration official told Politico. “He views it as part of the broader story about to helping to revitalize the American-based economy.”
One problem with the plan, among many, is the fact that like his steel and aluminum tariffs, the tax on foreign cars will ultimately be paid by consumers, who are unlikely to be thrilled about the price hike. Another is that, earth to Trump, foreign car manufacturers actually employ thousands of Americans in their U.S. operations. There’s also the matter of convincing the Commerce Department that foreign vehicles constitute a threat to national security, though Wilbur Ross is presumably happy to sign off on the request, if he can find the time between naps.
If Trump is able to announce the tariffs before the midterms, it’s not clear that they will help the Republicans. “Long term,” said __Kristin Dziczek, vice president of industry, labor, and economics at the Center for Automotive Research, the action will likely prove “detrimental,” and “incredibly unpopular once it’s in place and it plays out for a while.”
Jared Kushner’s Saudi handlers throw him a bone
Doing their bidding like a good little boy—supporting the blockade of Qatar, a brutal war in Yemen, withdrawing from the Iran deal—has paid off!
“We had given our word to the Americans,” Turki Al Alshikh, head of the Saudi Sports Authority, told Bloomberg TV earlier this month. “We balance issues, and in the end, we go with the interests of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” It’s the least they could do!
Elsewhere!
Trump Insiders Seek Pardon for “Junk Bond King” Michael Milken (Bloomberg)
U.S. Rule to Protect Retirement Savers Dies Quietly (Bloomberg)
Why China “holds all the aces” in a full-blown US-China trade war (CNBC)
“I Want No Part in It”: The Hysterical Debate Over Silicon Valley’s Next Big Thing The Hive)
Here’s how much the FIFA World Cup trophy is worth (CNBC)
Wells Fargo’s $142 million customer settlement approved (Reuters)
An Entire Ghost Town Is for Sale for $925,000 (Esquire)
Argentine Peso Resumes Plunge After Central Bank Shake-up (Bloomberg)
Trump: My People Should “Sit Up in Attention” Like Kim Jong Un’s Staff (Daily Intel)
Strong wind sends portable toilets flying through the air (UPI)
After publication, The New York Times removed references to McKenna Pruitt’s law school application, citing an erroneous timeline. This article has been correspondingly edited.