White House | DD News

June 25, 2026 10:04 AM

Using flattery, Rutte tries to ease NATO tensions with Trump over Iran

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte sought to calm tensions with President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, using a mix of flattery and gentle pushback to argue that instances of allies' reluctance to support the U.S. war with Iran were limited to "isolated cases." The NATO chief is visiting Washington to try to ease strains over the Iran war and U.S. threats to draw down troops in Europe ahead of a pivotal NATO leaders' summit in July in Ankara. Trump, a longtime NATO critic who ha...

June 25, 2026 9:42 AM

Trump, Republican senator engage in shouting match over Iran war

U.S. President Donald Trump faced pointed criticism over the Iran war on Wednesday in a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans, shortly before his administration asked Congress for tens of billions of dollars to pay for the conflict. Several Republicans in the closed-door meeting said Trump engaged in a shouting match with Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who said the administration needed to explain a framework deal Trump signed last week that provides financial incentives for Iran but do...

June 15, 2026 2:42 AM

Trump administration says new Iran deal won’t repeat Obama-era mistakes

Senior Trump administration officials on Sunday mounted a vigorous defence of the emerging US-Iran agreement, saying it bears little resemblance to the nuclear accord negotiated under former President Barack Obama, even as Obama-era officials questioned whether the new arrangement would ultimately be much different. The debate unfolded across multiple television interviews on Sunday as the White House moved closer to a memorandum of understanding with Iran that President Donald Trump said cou...

May 12, 2026 11:59 AM

Xi-Trump summit may yield farm deal, but China has limited soybean appetite

China and the United States may reach a farm deal at their summit this week that expands Beijing's purchases of grains and meat, but market watchers said they did not expect major new soybean purchases beyond what was agreed in a deal last October. Agriculture is among the less-contentious areas of the bilateral relationship, but the final shape of any deliverables from the May 14-15 summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping remains uncertain just days ou...

May 6, 2026 9:20 AM

Rubio expects to discuss religious freedom with Pope Leo after Trump blasts pontiff

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday he expected to discuss Cuba and concerns over religious freedom around the world with Pope Leo during his visit to the Vatican on Thursday, after President Donald Trump took a fresh potshot at the pope for criticising the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. The U.S. ambassador to the Holy See said earlier that Rubio and the pope would "have a frank conversation about U.S. policy, to engage in dialogue." "Nations have disagreements, and I think one...

May 2, 2026 10:39 AM

Trump says he’s dissatisfied with Iranian proposal as rift with allies deepens

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he was not satisfied with the latest Iranian proposal for talks on the Iran war, while Iran's foreign minister said Tehran was ready for diplomacy if the United States changes its approach. Trump's comments indicated the deadlock over the two-month-old war is likely to persist, even as he looks to end a conflict that remains deeply unpopular among Americans. Meanwhile, U.S. relations with its traditional allies were further strained over Iran on Frida...

April 30, 2026 8:45 AM

US military commanders to brief Trump on new options against Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump will receive a briefing on new plans for potential military action against Iran on Thursday from the leader of the U.S. Central Command, Brad Cooper, Axios reported on Wednesday. The briefing will take place on Thursday, according to the report which cited unidentified sources. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. CENTCOM has prepared a plan for a "short and powerful" wave of strikes on Iran, likely including infrastructure targe...

April 29, 2026 10:33 PM

White House drafts guidance to bypass Anthropic’s risk flag for new AI models, Axios reports

The White House is developing guidance that could allow federal agencies to sidestep Anthropic's supply-chain risk designation and onboard new artificial intelligence models, including Mythos, Axios reported on Tuesday. A draft executive action under consideration could provide the Trump administration with a pathway to de‑escalate its dispute with Anthropic, Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Anthropic declined to c...

April 29, 2026 2:59 PM

None more deserving of FIFA Peace Prize than Trump, says White House

The White House has hit back at critics of Donald Trump being awarded the FIFA Peace Prize, saying there is none more deserving than the U.S. president. Global soccer governing body FIFA gave Trump the inaugural award at the World Cup draw in December for "promoting peace and unity around the world", triggering condemnation from human rights groups and activists in the lead-up to the World Cup. Australian soccer player Jackson Irvine said this week that giving the award to Trump made a mockery...

April 29, 2026 9:30 AM

King Charles promotes US-UK unity in speech to Congress amid Iran tensions

Britain's King Charles told the U.S. Congress on Tuesday that despite an age of uncertainty and conflict in Europe and the Middle East, the UK and the U.S. will always be staunch allies united in defending democracy, at a time of deep divisions between the two long-time allies over the war with Iran. "Whatever our differences, whatever disagreements we may have, we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy, to protect all our people from harm, and to salute the courage of those who dai...