WASHINGTON - This weekend will find Donald Trump beaming into cameras as he stands next to French President Emmanuel Macron to celebrate the reopening of the historical Notre-Dame Cathedral five years after it was ravaged by a fire.
One month after being elected president and six weeks from taking the oath of office, it feels like America's 47th president is already in charge.
Mr Macron is the latest in a line of leaders wanting the attention of the man who has put nations on notice that he wants to redo how the US engages with the world.
On Nov 29, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dropped in for dinner at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. He flew in four days after Trump threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico if they do not stop the flow of illegal migrants and fentanyl across the border.
Data says less than 1 per cent of migrants and just 0.2 per cent of fentanyl enter the US via Canada, but Ottawa lost no time in pledging it would deploy additional drones, helicopters and border agents to soothe Trump's worries.
Economists say tariffs imposed by Canada's largest trading partner could cause a recession.
Over a banquet of crab cocktail and oysters, Mr Trudeau remonstrated that the tariffs would "kill" the Canadian economy.
According to Fox News, Trump responded by asking: "So your country can't survive unless it is ripping off the US to the tune of $100 billion (S$135 billion)?"
He then suggested that Canada could become the 51st US state, which caused the Prime Minister and others to laugh nervously, the conservative TV channel reported.
A senior member of Mr Trudeau's Cabinet clarified to the media on Dec 3 that Trump was only joking.
Esta historia es de la edición December 05, 2024 de The Straits Times.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición December 05, 2024 de The Straits Times.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
AGE-OLD CRAFT OF WEAVING CARPETS AT RISK
In southern Morocco, women are the guardians of the age-old craft of carpet weaving, an intricate art form that often leaves them with meagre earnings.
Zendaya and Tom Holland engaged, says US media
Spider-Man co-stars Zendaya and Tom Holland are engaged, American media reported on Jan 6, the day after she was spotted wearing a huge diamond ring.
Johnny Depp alerts fans to online scammers posing as him
Hollywood actor Johnny Depp has alerted his fans to online scammers impersonating him.
Singapore composer George Leong calls Dick Lee 'self-centred' amid emotional rant about music scene
Singaporean composer and musician George Leong has worked on some of the biggest hits of Mandopop and Cantopop, but in an impassioned Facebook post, the 54-year-old seemed to have thrown it all away.
Squid Game 2 Met With Backlash Over Vietnam War Reference
Squid Game 2, a dystopian drama in which hopeless people compete for survival by playing Korean children's games, is facing backlash from Vietnamese audiences over a remark on the Vietnam War (1955 to 1975).
68 S'pore writers sign statement on NLB's 'uncritical endorsement' of generative AI
Members of Singapore's literary community are calling on the National Library Board (NLB) to exercise greater prudence in adopting generative artificial intelligence (AI) or risk \"permanently damaging Singapore's literary landscape\".
Mediacorp disqualifies stolen designs from competition
Three illustrations submitted to a Mediacorp design competition have been removed from the media company's website and disqualified after they were found to have been stolen.
From bad boy to Better Man
Pop star Robbie Williams reflects on hedonism and healing for biopic
That very hot drink could be doing you harm
Drinking very hot beverages is a proven risk factor for oesophageal cancer
STRENGTH BAND-AID
Research suggests that resistance bands are as effective as weights at building strength
