BONUS POD: Tariff Tango-China & Japan arrive in DC plus Guantanamo Bay Expansion
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I work for the greatest president in my lifetime, Donald Trump. He secured that border in five weeks. As we're talking right now, Lawrence, we have the most secure border in my lifetime right now because of President Trump's actions. We're coming to sanctuary cities. We're going to put all hands on deck. Sanctuary cities are not going to get away with the illegality that's killing Americans at record.

You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Good Thursday morning. Welcome. It is the 47 Morning Update. Ben Ferguson with you. And here are the three big stories that you need to know about. First up, Donald Trump touting major progress after trade talks with Japanese officials. The moral of the story, if you show up and you're willing to work with America, we're willing to work with you. I'll give you all those details in a moment. And last,

Comparing that story to our second one, China is now signaling a readiness for talks, quote, if the U.S. shows respect amid the numbers game, as some tariffs have gone to 240 percent. And finally, in a big story, a memo now is revealing U.S. plans to send migrants who are linked to

organized crime to Guantanamo Bay. It's the 47 Morning Update and it starts right now. Story number one. There is a major theme coming out of the White House with consistency and that is if you work with the Trump administration on tariffs as a foreign nation, you're going to get a very good deal. Well, the Trump administration, we're now being told, is working with dozens of countries in direct negotiations on new trade deals. There's one big

big success story that's coming out of the White House. President Trump, we are now being told, met with Japanese officials at the White House yesterday to discuss trade negotiations and his quick reaction on social media afterwards suggested a very positive result.

Quote, a great honor to have met with the Japanese delegation on trade. Big progress. He was also joined by the Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and the Commerce Secretary Howard Letnick. The talks were scheduled after Trump announced he would impose tariffs on the island nation. Now, Trump previously confirmed that he would attend the meetings and that discussion topics would include the cost of military support and also, quote, trade agreements.

fairness. The United States and Japan have had a decades-long military alliance formed in the aftermath of World War II. Thousands of American troops are also stationed on Japanese soil, a majority of them on a military base in Okinawa. Trump also said last night, quote, hopefully something can be worked out which is great for Japan and

the U.S. Now this month, Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff on nearly every country in the world, but added higher reciprocal tariffs on a number of significant trading partners. This included Japan, Vietnam, the European Union, China, and others. Later, he announced a 90-day pause on the higher tariffs for

every country except China, which was hit with a total rate of 145 percent and some categories higher than that overall. Now, the higher tariffs on imports from China were needed, Trump said in his announcement, suspending the other duties because the Chinese regime has taken advantage of the United States for decades on trade. The Chinese regime has responded.

by imposing higher tariffs on U.S. products, which we'll get to more on that in just a moment in story two. But the big news here is this. Even Besant had said that there is, quote, a first mover advantage, given that Washington has stated that more than 75 countries now have requested direct talks. Japanese Prime Minister said on April the 14th that his country, quote, won't rush to reach a deal and does not plan to make, quote,

big concessions, although he said he would not impose countermeasures on U.S. tariffs. Well, some of this may be posturing because what we're seeing coming out of the White House is significant that this country, America and Japan, are clearly looking to get a deal done soon. We also are being told that about 15 countries so far have submitted proposals on trade and

That is coming from the press secretary, Caroline Leavitt. She also noted that dozens more countries have reached out to the White House and are looking to sit down as soon as possible.

Her exact timeline, she said, is as quickly as we can put people at the table. And the proposals that we're getting are actively being considered. As we've said consistently, there are more than 75 countries that have reached out. And those that reached out first with the best deals are those that are sitting down with us quickly. Now, story number two. You may have seen the headline.

And the headline is one that was shocking to the world. And it was done on purpose by the Trump administration when it comes to China. China is now facing up to a 245% Trump tariff. Now, there's a lot that has happened in the last 24 hours. Not only did the White House say China's facing this 245% tariff on imports to the U.S., but they said it was because of a result of its retaliatory actions from China against us.

Now, this is going back and forth at a rapid pace. Why does this matter? Because the trade war is obviously rattling global markets. Cutting off Chinese imports is complicating American supply chain. And it is also hurting Chinese exporters.

All but losing. The U.S. market is, quote, a severe blow. And now they are putting pressure on their own government to get a deal done. So here's what we know now. There has been movement from China quietly. China has now appointed a new trade negotiator.

China appointed a man by the name of Li Chenggang as its new trade negotiator on Wednesday in the midst of its tariff fight with the U.S. Now, this is a significant move that signals a change in the style of their negotiations or lack thereof from Beijing.

Now, let me tell you more about Li that you will hear nowhere else. Prior to this new appointment, Li spent about four and a half years as China's ambassador to the World Trade Organization. That is the body that governs global commerce and to which Beijing has appealed in its tariff dispute with the U.S.,

Li has also had permanent representative status to the Chinese delegation to the UN office in Geneva, as well as other international organizations in Switzerland.

We also know that Li participated in negotiating China's ascension to the WTO, known as the World Trade Organization, more than 20 years ago. This means there is real movement now. And movement as it was described by one as saying this, quote, there might be another style of

of negotiations from China. Li is an open-minded person and supports free trade. That is what the dean of the China Institute for WTO Studies at the University of International Business and Economics said in a statement to the press. So what are people saying about this in China?

Well, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said there is no winner in tariff wars and trade wars. The first time signaling that they may be willing to do a deal. And China, he went on to say, does not want to fight. Let me say that again. China does not want to fight, but it is by no means afraid to fight. Again, a major change in the rhetoric coming out of Beijing.

President Trump also wrote on True Social, nobody is getting off the hook for the unfair trade balances and non-monetary tariff barriers that other countries have used against us, especially not China, which by far treats us the worst. That's what Trump said on True Social on the 13th. He said, we are taking a look at semiconductors and the whole electronic supply chain in the upcoming national security tariff investigations.

What has been exposed is that we need to make products in the U.S. and that we will not be held hostage by other countries, especially hostile trading nations like China, which will do everything within its power to disrespect the American people. Which brings us now to the newest headline. As I said a moment ago, things are moving rapidly and this is good news for Americans as well. The newest headline reads like this.

China is now signaling a, quote, readiness to talk if U.S. shows respect amid the numbers game. Again, this is very different than what they were saying just 24 hours ago. China is now expressing openness into trade talks with the U.S. under certain conditions, even outside.

after the White House clarified that China now faces up to a 245% tariff on imports to the U.S. This goes back to what Donald Trump said all along. I'm not flinching on countries that are taking advantage of the American workers, the American people. He also said it was going to be a national security issue, which you just heard them mention yet again. And the president said, I'm more than willing to sit down to get a fair deal for the American people. And what

China appointing Li as its new trade negotiator. It signals a major potential shift in the approach to trade discussions. And that is not only good for Americans, but also for the entire world. And here is story number three. It is a major story that no one seems to be covering. And our good friends over at the National Pulse are the first to expose this big news. A new memo shows the Trump administration's

wide-reaching authority to detain migrants at Guantanamo Bay is going to be expanding beyond only the worst offenders quote-unquote. This development is part of Trump's broader policy to crack down on illegal immigration. Now what I'm about to tell you I hope you'll share with everyone you know and I hope you will share this podcast on social media. Also make sure you hit that subscribe or

auto download button because these are the stories you're not going to get anywhere else now this agreement was signed in early march by top officials from the department of homeland security and the department of defense it sets criteria for detaining migrants based not on criminal history but rather a nexus to transnational criminal organizations or criminal drug activity a

Officials have defined this connection broadly, which could include paying a criminal group for smuggling services into the United States of America. That would be a game changer. Now, the guidelines also allow for detaining migrants from

with final deportation orders who have interacted in any way with organized crime, including direct or indirect interactions. The Department of Defense confirmed the memo. The DOD has highlighted its role in clarifying operational roles at Guantanamo Bay, but

between the Department of Homeland Security and the DOD. Teresa Cardinal Brown, a former U.S. immigration official, stated that many illegals could have some form of interaction with a crime syndicate. This is due to the territorial control established by the cartels in Mexico. Now, the Trump administration officials

are defending the strategy as vital to, quote, national security. The White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said operations at Guantanamo for detaining migrants will proceed without changes. Currently, 42 individuals are detained at Guantanamo.

the base. This story, we expect to change, and I promise you we will cover it here for you every step of the way. Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now, and for more in-depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast, and we will see you back here tomorrow.