April 11th, 2025: World Rushes To Strike Trade Deals After US Tariff Pause & Trump Teases Israel-Led Strikes If Nuclear Talks With Iran Fail
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It's Friday, the 11th of April. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed.

We'll start things off with the fallout from President Trump's surprise tariff pause as the EU, the European Union, reverses course on economic retaliation. The White House inches closer to signing new trade agreements with more than a dozen countries. And an irate China vows to, quote, fight to the end.

Later in the show, ahead of nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran this weekend, President Trump is warning that he has a deadline in mind for reaching a potential agreement and that Israel will lead strikes against the mullahs if they refuse to bend on the nuclear issue. Plus, amid mounting tensions over the situation in Syria, Israel and Turkey are holding, quote, "...technical talks aimed at preventing conflict between their troops."

And in today's Back of the Brief, in a move that risks antagonizing Israel, French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that France may officially move to recognize a Palestinian state as early as June. But first, today's PDB Spotlight.

We'll begin today with a look at the global reaction to President Trump's whiplash-inducing pause on tariffs as the European Union reverses course on economic retaliation and the White House says they're working on new trade agreements with more than a dozen countries.

As I'm sure you might have heard, President Trump issued a 90-day pause on nearly all of his reciprocal tariffs Wednesday morning, with the notable exception of those imposed on China. He signaled out China as a bad actor that, quote, lacks respect for international trade.

Trump said he wanted to allow time for U.S. officials to negotiate new trade deals with the targeted countries, though his pause did not apply to the 10% baseline tariff on all U.S. imports that was implemented on Saturday or his existing 25% tariffs on foreign-made cars, steel, and aluminum.

Allies across the world welcomed the news, expressing optimism that they'll be able to find a resolution to Trump's global trade grievances. But they remain cautious, given Trump's mercurial nature, particularly when it comes to tariffs. That's according to a report from Time.

Leaders in the European Union were among the first to react Just before Trump announced the tariff pause, the EU had voted Wednesday to approve a 25% retaliatory tariff on nearly $24 billion worth of U.S. goods But EU officials said Thursday they would pause their planned counter-tariffs for 90 days while negotiations get underway

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised Trump's reversal as an important step towards stabilizing the global economy and said Europe was eager to "give negotiations a chance." She left herself some wiggle room, however, saying the EU's counter-tariffs could be reinstated if negotiations "are not satisfactory."

Looking to the east, an unnamed government official in India indicated Thursday that the country wants to move rapidly on securing a new trade deal with the U.S., telling Reuters, quote, India is one of the first nations to start talks over a deal with the U.S. and have jointly agreed to a deadline to conclude it, end quote.

Officials in Vietnam were similarly eager to hammer out new trade terms, saying they had already begun negotiations with the Trump administration, as were officials in South Korea and Malaysia. Taiwan, a major producer, of course, of semiconductors, said the pause would give them the necessary breathing room to, quote, "...discuss Taiwan-U.S. economic and trade cooperation in a more detailed and in-depth manner."

Taiwan's president later wrote in an op-ed for Bloomberg that his goal is reducing all tariffs between Taiwan and the U.S., and that he was willing to lower the average nominal rate of 6% on U.S. imports to zero. In Japan, the reaction was a bit mixed.

Japan's Minister for Economic Revitalization did not tip his hand on whether they're holding active talks with the Trump administration, but expressed their ongoing concerns over 25% tariffs on automobiles and steel, both key exports for the country, reiterating a request that the White House review the policy.

The global reactions come as White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett said Thursday that the Trump administration was considering offers from 15 countries on tariff agreements and close to finalizing deals with some of them. That's according to a report from Reuters. Hassett told reporters, quote, There are maybe 15 countries now that have made explicit offers that we're studying and considering and deciding whether they're good enough to present to the president.

Despite the positive overtures from foreign leaders, China is irate over the events of Wednesday. As I mentioned, China was the only country not granted a temporary reprieve from the tariffs. Instead, President Trump raised his tariff on Chinese imports to 125%, which he said was due to the fact that China had already retaliated with steep tariffs of their own on U.S. goods, which now sit at 84%.

While China has not yet countered in the ongoing tit-for-tat trade war, I don't know if there's a phrase in Chinese language for tit-for-tat, a spokeswoman for China's foreign ministry posted a video clip Thursday of Mao Zedong, remember him? Chairman Mao? The blood-soaked founder of China's communist regime, declaring, quote, we are Chinese, we're not afraid of provocations, we don't back down. Hmm.

The provocative post contained archival footage of Mao giving a speech during the Korean War, promising, quote, China's complete victory over the West. Separately, an official with China's Commerce Ministry said the Chinese Communist Party, quote, will not flinch in the trade war with the U.S. and was ready to, quote, fight to the end. U.S. stocks, after posting a historic rally on Wednesday, said,

plummeted once again on Thursday as investor concerns shifted to the escalating tariff war with China, America's third largest trading partner. All right, coming up next, President Trump is warning that he has a deadline in mind for reaching a potential nuclear agreement with Iran and that Israel will lead strikes against the mullahs if they refuse to bend on the issue.

Plus, Israel and Turkey hold what they're calling technical talks aimed at preventing conflict between their troops in Syria. Those stories when we come back.

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As the clock ticks down to Saturday's high-stakes summit in Oman between the U.S. and Iran, President Trump warned that military action led by Israel is likely if Iran does not abandon its nuclear ambitions, adding that he has a deadline in mind for reaching a potential agreement.

Speaking from the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said, quote, we have a little time, but we don't have much time because we're not going to let them have a nuclear weapon, though he refused to elaborate on the exact deadline. The president was blunt about what's at stake. While expressing hope for diplomacy, he was concrete about the consequences for the mullahs, stating, quote, if the talks aren't successful with Iran, I think Iran is going to be in great danger.

When asked by reporters whether military action was truly an option, Trump did not hesitate, saying, quote, absolutely. If it requires military, we're going to have military, end quote. He added that Israel would likely take the lead in such a campaign. The president's remarks capped off a visit earlier this week with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has long pushed for a total dismantling of Iran's nuclear infrastructure.

During their meeting Monday at the White House, Netanyahu urged a disarmament model similar to Libya's 2003 deal, telling reporters, quote, Whatever happens, we have to make sure that Iran does not have nuclear weapons, mirroring Trump's red line.

Compounding the urgency for a deal is a new report from the Institute for Science and International Security, which warns that Iran is not only expanding its nuclear program, but that internal conversations about building a bomb are frequent.

The report from the Washington-based institution emphasized that "major negative factors include Iran's greater nuclear weapon capabilities, its shorter timeframes to build nuclear weapons, and the growing normalization of Iranian discussions favoring building nuclear weapons."

On Monday, Iranian state media attempted to reinterpret an alleged fatwa from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei long touted by the mullahs as a prohibition against nuclear weapons

This week, the narrative suddenly shifted. The fatwa, they now claim, bans only the use of such weapons, not their development. That now flexible distinction, analysts say, is deliberate and dangerous. It's also worth noting that Iranian experts claim that the fatwa is non-existent.

Meanwhile, Washington is maneuvering. As our regular PDB listeners will recall, the military in March relocated at least six B-2 stealth bombers to Diego Garcia. That's a remote joint U.S.-British base in the Indian Ocean that's used as a launch pad for operations in the Middle East.

Asked whether the deployment was intended to send a message to Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, quote, we'll let them decide, while voicing hope that diplomacy could prevail. That hope, however, is clouded by confusion over the nature of Saturday's talks. Trump has described the summit as, quote, direct negotiations. Iranian officials, by contrast, insist that any communication will be, quote, indirect and solely through Omani intermediaries.

As both sides brace for Saturday, well, the stakes, I guess, couldn't be higher. That's a good way to put it. For Trump and Netanyahu, Iran must be stopped before it crosses the nuclear threshold, diplomatically, if possible. But failing that, they appear prepared to pursue other means.

All right. Shifting now to the deepening power struggle in post-Assad Syria, Israel and Turkey have entered formal talks aimed at heading off a potential military confrontation as both countries rapidly expand their troop presence in the war-torn country.

According to a Turkish Defense Ministry official speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the negotiations, technical talks were held Wednesday in Azerbaijan to establish a de-escalation mechanism and prevent, quote, undesirable incidents as both militaries expand their footprint. The official stated, quote, work will continue to establish the conflict-free mechanism.

Since the fall of Assad late last year, both Ankara and Jerusalem have moved quickly to shape Syria's future. Turkey is backing President Ahmed al-Sharra's new Islamist government, composed largely of former rebels that Turkey supported throughout Syria's 13-year civil war. Turkish forces have since reportedly scouted multiple sites for permanent military installations inside Syria.

But those plans were upended by a series of Israeli airstrikes. According to a Reuters report, Turkish military teams inspected at least three Syrian air bases for potential deployments before Israeli warplanes targeted those facilities. Israeli officials view the Turkish advance, particularly near the historic city of Palmyra, as a strategic provocation.

An Israeli official warned, quote, any change in the deployment of foreign forces in Syria, in particular the establishment of Turkish bases in the Palmyra area, is a red line, end quote. In response, Israel has begun carving out buffer zones along its border inside Syria. Prime Minister Netanyahu labeled the Turkish presence a, quote, danger to Israel, accusing Ankara of trying to convert Syria into a de facto protectorate.

Turkey, in turn, has condemned the Israeli military actions and doubled down on its support for Syria's new leadership. Turkish officials argue their presence, including joint training missions with Syrian forces, is legal under international law and aimed primarily at suppressing remnants of the Islamic State.

Despite escalating rhetoric, both governments confirmed the talks and announced a mutual agreement to "continue on the path of dialogue in hopes of preserving regional stability" Turkey's foreign minister reinforced that stance, stating Ankara has "no intention of conflict in Syria, not only with Israel but with any country in the region" Still, he issued a pointed warning that Turkey "will not watch Syria be subjected to internal turmoil, which endangers Ankara's national security"

Now, as we've discussed here on the PDB, Prime Minister Netanyahu traveled to Washington earlier this week for high-level consultations with his ally, President Trump, who also maintains close ties with Turkish President Erdogan. Netanyahu, who sought exclusive support from Trump, instead saw the president praise Erdogan.

describing him as "very smart." Trump said his "great relations with both leaders" uniquely positions him to mediate if needed. The commander-in-chief again praised Erdogan for "taking over Syria" and urged Netanyahu to be "reasonable in discussions."

Though Turkey and Israel were once close military and diplomatic allies, ties have frayed in recent years, further strained by Erdogan's fierce criticism of Israel during the ongoing war in Gaza. That backdrop of mistrust now shadows every move in post-Assad Syria.

And in today's back of the brief, the French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that France may officially move to recognize a Palestinian state as early as June. We'll have those details next. Hey, Mike Baker here.

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In today's back of the brief, the French President Emmanuel Macron is wading into the highly contentious debate over Palestinian statehood and what he says is a bid to ease tensions in the Middle East. In an interview on Wednesday, the French leader said that he's considering formally recognizing a Palestinian state at an upcoming U.N. conference in June.

The conference will be co-hosted in New York City by France and Saudi Arabia with a focus on finding solutions to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, according to a report from France 24. Macron said, quote, We need to move towards recognition, and so, over the next few months, we will. He added, quote, I'm not doing it to please anyone. I'll do it because at some point it will be right, end quote.

For some background, France has long championed a two-state solution as a way to solve the conflict, reiterating their support for a Palestinian state following Hamas's brutal 7 October attacks, much to the dismay of Israel.

But officials in Paris have always stopped short of formal recognition, as such a highly controversial move risks antagonizing leaders in Jerusalem. Furthermore, France would risk alienating themselves on issues of Middle East diplomacy, as most major Western powers, including the U.S., Britain, Germany, and Japan, do not acknowledge Palestine as a sovereign state. But it appears France's calculus may change in just a few short months.

Macron said his strategy is to pursue a "movement of mutual recognition." In short, he thinks if he recognizes a Palestinian state, it could help convince Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Syria, to formally grant recognition of the State of Israel. Macron elaborated, "I want to take part in a collective dynamic, one that allows everyone who defends Palestine to also recognize Israel, something that many of them are not doing."

While he argues the move would help stabilize security in the region, leaders in Israel were not impressed. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned Macron's remarks, saying his plan would be tantamount to rewarding Hamas for their terrorism against Israel.

The foreign minister stated, quote, a unilateral recognition of a fictional Palestinian state by any country in the reality that we all know will be a prize for terror and a boost to Hamas. He added, quote, these kind of actions will not bring peace, security, stability in our region closer, but the opposite. They only push them further away, end quote.

Despite Macron's apparent optimism, his statements seem a bit naive. Major Arab powers like Saudi Arabia have historically conditioned any normalization of ties with Israel on their acceptance of a Palestinian state, something that's not likely to happen anytime soon, given Jerusalem's longstanding security concerns regarding Hamas.

And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Friday, the 11th of April. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com. Finally, according to Celebrity Gossip, you can listen to the PDB ad-free, simply by becoming a Premium member of the President's Daily Brief. And you can do that by visiting pdbpremium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin.

Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.