July 30, 2025 • 14 mins
In this Briefing, Jon Decker reports on President Trump’s responses to the UK and France’s controversial move to recognize a Palestinian state, new sanctions being considered against Russia, fallout from the Epstein investigation, and upcoming decisions on trade tariffs and campaign events. The White House Briefing Room with Jon Decker can be heard daily - subscribe now on the iHeartRadio App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the White House Briefing Room for Wednesday, July
the thirtieth. I'm John Decker. One of the great advantages
and perks of traveling with the President on Air Force
One is that the President when he travels, will often
come back to the press cabin and speak to the
press corps, usually on the record, and on Tuesday that
(00:29):
was the case. As the President was traveling back from
Scotland across the Atlantic, he took questions from the very
small group of reporters traveling aboard Air Force One for
almost thirty minutes, and as the President typically does, he
made news on a variety of subjects and we'll be
talking about that over the course of the next few
(00:52):
minutes on today's edition. As the President was traveling back,
there was some news that was being made back in London.
That's because British Prime Minister Keir Starmer he delivered a
statement inside Number ten, Downing Street in which he said
that the UK will now recognize a Palestinian state by
(01:16):
September unless Israel meets certain conditions. Keir Starmer said that
unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end what
he called the appalling situation in Gaza unless it agrees
to a cease fire and commits to a long term
sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two state solution.
(01:39):
The UK will recognize the state of Palestine by the
UN General Assembly in September, and this follows just days
after a similar announcement was made by French President Emmanuel Macron.
He said that France plans to recognize a Palestinian state
in September at the UN General Assembly in New York.
(02:04):
The President obviously knew this news as he was traveling back.
He was briefed on it, and he was asked about
his reaction to that by the press corps traveling a
board Air Force one and the small gaggle in the
press cabin in the back of Air Force one. Let's
listen to the president's answer.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
We never did discuss it, and we have no view
on that. We're going to get a.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Lot of money to the area so they get some food.
He's going to also, I think the European Union is
going to put up money for food, and hopefully it's
going to be properly distributed, and it will be I
think it will be. We have some pretty good response
on people for the distribution of the food.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Now, Prime Minister Starmar's announcement did not please the Israeli government.
They opposed the creation of a Palestinian state. They criticized
this move by the UK, and in fact, Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin net Yaho said in a statement on social
media Starmer rewards a Moss's monstrous terrorism and punishes its victims.
(03:12):
He said, a Jihada state on Israel's border today will
threaten Britain tomorrow. That position that was made clear by
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin netan Yahoo was essentially echoed by
President Trump. He too, is certainly not ready to recognize
(03:33):
a Palestinian state, and he explained his reasoning for that
in this answer that you're about to hear, or at
least could.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
Make the case that you're rewarding people that you know
you're rewarding.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Hamas if you do that, and I don't think they
should be rewarded. So I'm not in that camp, to
be honest.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
We'll let you know where we are in, but I
am not in that camp us. If you do that,
you really are Amas, and I'm not.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
About to do that. Now.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
The President's not on board recognizing a Palestinian state right now,
and I don't think any time in the future, but
certainly the announcements by the UK by France may lead
other countries around the world leading up to the UN
General Assembly, which takes place the third week in September,
(04:24):
to announce that they too will agree to the approval
of a Palestinian state. In fact, more than one hundred
and forty countries right now, including several in Europe, already
recognize Palestinian statehood. But with the UK and France making
this announcement or saying at least that they may make
(04:47):
this announcement if Israel doesn't take certain steps by September,
those two countries, in particular, they would be the biggest
Western powers and the first members of the G seven
to act recognized a Palestinian state. So it is a
big deal in terms of what Prime Minister Starmer announced
(05:08):
in London as the President was flying back from Scotland
to the United States. Other news was made during this
thirty minute gaggle aboard Air Force Won the President being
asked questions regarding Russia and what he said the day
before when he was meeting with the UK Prime Minister,
the President saying that that fifty day deadline that he
(05:32):
had announced two weeks earlier at the White House with
the NATO Secretary General by his side, that has now
been reduced, he said on Monday, to ten to twelve days.
And when the President was flying back, he was asked
to clarify how many days Russia has to comply with
(05:56):
the President's ultimatum, the ultimatum being that Russia must agree
to a ceasefire or risk sanctions. The President saying it's
ten days. That's the new deadline for Russia, which means
that Russia must agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine by
August the eighth or risk these sanctions. The President acknowledged
(06:21):
that Russia is unlikely to comply with the president's demand.
Let's hear what the President had to say a board
Air Force One as it relates to Russia potentially complying
with this ultimatum that the President has given. President Putin,
we're going to put.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
On tariffson something.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
I don't know if it's going to affect Russia because
he wants to obviously probably keep the war going, but
we're going to put on tariffson.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
The various things that you put on. It may or
may not affect them, but it could.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Now in recent weeks, the President has expressed his he's
disappointed with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He's not happy with
Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also said on Tuesday he
hasn't heard back from Putin about this new timeline, so
that's got to be frustrating for the president as well.
What would the stiffer sanctions look like, Well, the President
(07:19):
says it would mean one hundred percent tariffs on Russian goods.
It would be secondary tariffs on any country that continues
trading with Russia, and that likely is all of that
oil that countries around the world purchase from Russia. Countries
like China and India and South Africa and Brazil, each
(07:42):
of those countries with secondary tariffs would be hit with
one hundred percent trade tariffs. That's I think the real
tough part of the sanctions that the President is announcing,
the sanctions or the tariffs on Russian goods. That's not
going to force Russia to the negotiating table. The amount
of US Russia trade on an annual basis is only
(08:05):
three billion dollars by contrast, the US and the EU,
they trade five billion dollars every day, so three billions
a drop in the bucket. It's not going to push
Russia to all of a sudden say we give up.
We're going to come and negotiate an end to the
war in Ukraine. I think the President recognizes that. But
(08:28):
if you squeeze Russia's economy, that the thinking is perhaps
that will move them to the negotiating table. So that's
something that the President also made some news and gave
some clarification in terms of what the next deadline is
as it relates to that ultimatum that he's given to
Russia to come to a piece deal. And the President
(08:53):
four months ago put a thirty day ceasefire proposal on
the table. It was accepted immediately by Ukraine, has not
yet been accepted by Russia. And Russia, of course, continues
to attack Ukraine civilian areas of Ukraine on a daily
basis with missile strikes and a record number of drone
strikes that has frustrated the President. The President on the
(09:16):
flight back home also being asked about his falling out
with Jeffrey Epstein, which the President said took place in
the early two thousands, the President giving a little bit
more detail to reporters about what led to their falling out,
and the President, in this SoundBite you're about to hear,
(09:37):
explains why their friendship fell apart and why he, after
this fallout, was no longer welcome back at mar A Lago.
Let's listen to this clip right here.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
And people would take it out of the spot hired
by him.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Lud's God and other people would come and complain, this
guy is taking people from the spot.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
I didn't know that. And then when I heard about it, I.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Told him, I said, listen, we don't want you taking
our people, whether it was SPA or not SPA, I
don't want him taking people.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
And he was fine.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
And then not too long after that, he did it again,
and I said, out of here now.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
The President and his administration in recent weeks have faced
growing pressure, including from his own magabase, his own Republicans,
to release those files related to the Epstein investigation. They
are at the Department of Justice. Attorney General Pam Bondi
(10:40):
has said that she's not going to release those documents,
but we do know that before Congress went away on
its August recess, House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena those files,
and that will create more pressure and keep this issue
certainly in the news. On that vote that took place
(11:03):
in the House Oversight Committee, for House Republicans on that committee,
including some big allies of President Trump, actually voted with
Democrats on that subpoena. And we'll see what the response
ultimately is coming from the Department of Justice. The President
has tried to tamp down this particular story. He's called
(11:27):
the story boring. He's even denounced his own supporters for
focusing on this issue. But clearly this issue does not
appear to be going away anytime soon. It's one of
those rare stories that I've seen in the President's second
term that has not yet been overtaken by other events
(11:48):
taking place in the news cycle. Yes, there are other stories.
There are natural disasters, there's mass shootings. Those stories do
crop up, but they haven't eclipsed totally the Epstein story,
which seems to have a new wrinkle to it almost
every day. As far as Wednesday is concerned. The President
(12:09):
is not taking any rest after that four day trip
that he had in Scotland. He's got two events on
his schedule. He's signing a congressional bill in the Roosevelt
Room at one thirty in the afternoon. Right now, that
event is closed press, and I don't know what bill
it is. At the President signing giving given that he
just signed that recisions bill on Thursday of last week
(12:31):
that calls for nine billion dollars in recisions concerning foreign
aid and public broadcasting. And then at four in the afternoon,
the President will deliver remarks on making health technology great again.
So those two events on the President's schedule. In addition
to that, we have that August the first deadline concerning tariffs,
(12:55):
the deadline for countries are trading partners to come to
an agreement with the US. If they do not do so,
the President has spoken about imposing trade tariffs of fifteen
to twenty percent on pretty much every one of America's
trading partners. One thing I'm looking at in particular is
whether a deal can get done with India. The President
(13:19):
on Tuesday threatened to raise tariffs on Indian imports as
high as twenty five percent, and the US trade representative
told CNBC just two days ago that an Indian trade
agreement would require even more discussion between the two countries.
(13:40):
Perhaps they get an extension beyond that August first deadline,
given what Jamison Greer told CNBC on Monday of this week.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
So I'll be.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Following that very closely. That's it for the White House
Briefing Room for Wednesday, July the thirtieth. I'm John Decker.
Thanks for listening. Have a good one.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Just
Welcome to the White House Briefing Room for Wednesday, July
the thirtieth. I'm John Decker. One of the great advantages
and perks of traveling with the President on Air Force
One is that the President when he travels, will often
come back to the press cabin and speak to the
press corps, usually on the record, and on Tuesday that
(00:29):
was the case. As the President was traveling back from
Scotland across the Atlantic, he took questions from the very
small group of reporters traveling aboard Air Force One for
almost thirty minutes, and as the President typically does, he
made news on a variety of subjects and we'll be
talking about that over the course of the next few
(00:52):
minutes on today's edition. As the President was traveling back,
there was some news that was being made back in London.
That's because British Prime Minister Keir Starmer he delivered a
statement inside Number ten, Downing Street in which he said
that the UK will now recognize a Palestinian state by
(01:16):
September unless Israel meets certain conditions. Keir Starmer said that
unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end what
he called the appalling situation in Gaza unless it agrees
to a cease fire and commits to a long term
sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two state solution.
(01:39):
The UK will recognize the state of Palestine by the
UN General Assembly in September, and this follows just days
after a similar announcement was made by French President Emmanuel Macron.
He said that France plans to recognize a Palestinian state
in September at the UN General Assembly in New York.
(02:04):
The President obviously knew this news as he was traveling back.
He was briefed on it, and he was asked about
his reaction to that by the press corps traveling a
board Air Force one and the small gaggle in the
press cabin in the back of Air Force one. Let's
listen to the president's answer.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
We never did discuss it, and we have no view
on that. We're going to get a.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Lot of money to the area so they get some food.
He's going to also, I think the European Union is
going to put up money for food, and hopefully it's
going to be properly distributed, and it will be I
think it will be. We have some pretty good response
on people for the distribution of the food.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Now, Prime Minister Starmar's announcement did not please the Israeli government.
They opposed the creation of a Palestinian state. They criticized
this move by the UK, and in fact, Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin net Yaho said in a statement on social
media Starmer rewards a Moss's monstrous terrorism and punishes its victims.
(03:12):
He said, a Jihada state on Israel's border today will
threaten Britain tomorrow. That position that was made clear by
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin netan Yahoo was essentially echoed by
President Trump. He too, is certainly not ready to recognize
(03:33):
a Palestinian state, and he explained his reasoning for that
in this answer that you're about to hear, or at
least could.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
Make the case that you're rewarding people that you know
you're rewarding.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Hamas if you do that, and I don't think they
should be rewarded. So I'm not in that camp, to
be honest.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
We'll let you know where we are in, but I
am not in that camp us. If you do that,
you really are Amas, and I'm not.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
About to do that. Now.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
The President's not on board recognizing a Palestinian state right now,
and I don't think any time in the future, but
certainly the announcements by the UK by France may lead
other countries around the world leading up to the UN
General Assembly, which takes place the third week in September,
(04:24):
to announce that they too will agree to the approval
of a Palestinian state. In fact, more than one hundred
and forty countries right now, including several in Europe, already
recognize Palestinian statehood. But with the UK and France making
this announcement or saying at least that they may make
(04:47):
this announcement if Israel doesn't take certain steps by September,
those two countries, in particular, they would be the biggest
Western powers and the first members of the G seven
to act recognized a Palestinian state. So it is a
big deal in terms of what Prime Minister Starmer announced
(05:08):
in London as the President was flying back from Scotland
to the United States. Other news was made during this
thirty minute gaggle aboard Air Force Won the President being
asked questions regarding Russia and what he said the day
before when he was meeting with the UK Prime Minister,
the President saying that that fifty day deadline that he
(05:32):
had announced two weeks earlier at the White House with
the NATO Secretary General by his side, that has now
been reduced, he said on Monday, to ten to twelve days.
And when the President was flying back, he was asked
to clarify how many days Russia has to comply with
(05:56):
the President's ultimatum, the ultimatum being that Russia must agree
to a ceasefire or risk sanctions. The President saying it's
ten days. That's the new deadline for Russia, which means
that Russia must agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine by
August the eighth or risk these sanctions. The President acknowledged
(06:21):
that Russia is unlikely to comply with the president's demand.
Let's hear what the President had to say a board
Air Force One as it relates to Russia potentially complying
with this ultimatum that the President has given. President Putin,
we're going to put.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
On tariffson something.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
I don't know if it's going to affect Russia because
he wants to obviously probably keep the war going, but
we're going to put on tariffson.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
The various things that you put on. It may or
may not affect them, but it could.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Now in recent weeks, the President has expressed his he's
disappointed with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He's not happy with
Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also said on Tuesday he
hasn't heard back from Putin about this new timeline, so
that's got to be frustrating for the president as well.
What would the stiffer sanctions look like, Well, the President
(07:19):
says it would mean one hundred percent tariffs on Russian goods.
It would be secondary tariffs on any country that continues
trading with Russia, and that likely is all of that
oil that countries around the world purchase from Russia. Countries
like China and India and South Africa and Brazil, each
(07:42):
of those countries with secondary tariffs would be hit with
one hundred percent trade tariffs. That's I think the real
tough part of the sanctions that the President is announcing,
the sanctions or the tariffs on Russian goods. That's not
going to force Russia to the negotiating table. The amount
of US Russia trade on an annual basis is only
(08:05):
three billion dollars by contrast, the US and the EU,
they trade five billion dollars every day, so three billions
a drop in the bucket. It's not going to push
Russia to all of a sudden say we give up.
We're going to come and negotiate an end to the
war in Ukraine. I think the President recognizes that. But
(08:28):
if you squeeze Russia's economy, that the thinking is perhaps
that will move them to the negotiating table. So that's
something that the President also made some news and gave
some clarification in terms of what the next deadline is
as it relates to that ultimatum that he's given to
Russia to come to a piece deal. And the President
(08:53):
four months ago put a thirty day ceasefire proposal on
the table. It was accepted immediately by Ukraine, has not
yet been accepted by Russia. And Russia, of course, continues
to attack Ukraine civilian areas of Ukraine on a daily
basis with missile strikes and a record number of drone
strikes that has frustrated the President. The President on the
(09:16):
flight back home also being asked about his falling out
with Jeffrey Epstein, which the President said took place in
the early two thousands, the President giving a little bit
more detail to reporters about what led to their falling out,
and the President, in this SoundBite you're about to hear,
(09:37):
explains why their friendship fell apart and why he, after
this fallout, was no longer welcome back at mar A Lago.
Let's listen to this clip right here.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
And people would take it out of the spot hired
by him.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Lud's God and other people would come and complain, this
guy is taking people from the spot.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
I didn't know that. And then when I heard about it, I.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Told him, I said, listen, we don't want you taking
our people, whether it was SPA or not SPA, I
don't want him taking people.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
And he was fine.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
And then not too long after that, he did it again,
and I said, out of here now.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
The President and his administration in recent weeks have faced
growing pressure, including from his own magabase, his own Republicans,
to release those files related to the Epstein investigation. They
are at the Department of Justice. Attorney General Pam Bondi
(10:40):
has said that she's not going to release those documents,
but we do know that before Congress went away on
its August recess, House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena those files,
and that will create more pressure and keep this issue
certainly in the news. On that vote that took place
(11:03):
in the House Oversight Committee, for House Republicans on that committee,
including some big allies of President Trump, actually voted with
Democrats on that subpoena. And we'll see what the response
ultimately is coming from the Department of Justice. The President
has tried to tamp down this particular story. He's called
(11:27):
the story boring. He's even denounced his own supporters for
focusing on this issue. But clearly this issue does not
appear to be going away anytime soon. It's one of
those rare stories that I've seen in the President's second
term that has not yet been overtaken by other events
(11:48):
taking place in the news cycle. Yes, there are other stories.
There are natural disasters, there's mass shootings. Those stories do
crop up, but they haven't eclipsed totally the Epstein story,
which seems to have a new wrinkle to it almost
every day. As far as Wednesday is concerned. The President
(12:09):
is not taking any rest after that four day trip
that he had in Scotland. He's got two events on
his schedule. He's signing a congressional bill in the Roosevelt
Room at one thirty in the afternoon. Right now, that
event is closed press, and I don't know what bill
it is. At the President signing giving given that he
just signed that recisions bill on Thursday of last week
(12:31):
that calls for nine billion dollars in recisions concerning foreign
aid and public broadcasting. And then at four in the afternoon,
the President will deliver remarks on making health technology great again.
So those two events on the President's schedule. In addition
to that, we have that August the first deadline concerning tariffs,
(12:55):
the deadline for countries are trading partners to come to
an agreement with the US. If they do not do so,
the President has spoken about imposing trade tariffs of fifteen
to twenty percent on pretty much every one of America's
trading partners. One thing I'm looking at in particular is
whether a deal can get done with India. The President
(13:19):
on Tuesday threatened to raise tariffs on Indian imports as
high as twenty five percent, and the US trade representative
told CNBC just two days ago that an Indian trade
agreement would require even more discussion between the two countries.
(13:40):
Perhaps they get an extension beyond that August first deadline,
given what Jamison Greer told CNBC on Monday of this week.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
So I'll be.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Following that very closely. That's it for the White House
Briefing Room for Wednesday, July the thirtieth. I'm John Decker.
Thanks for listening. Have a good one.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Just
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