Trump’s EU Trade Win & Ghislaine Maxwell Questioned | 7.28.25

16m
President Trump strikes a trade deal with the European Union, the DOJ questions Ghislaine Maxwell for the first time, and private aid reportedly vanishes before reaching the victims of the LA fires. Get the facts first with Morning Wire.

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Transcript

are questions that take cultures thousands of years to answer.

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My daughter, Michaela, guides the conversations as we hopefully help people navigate their lives.

Everyone has their own destiny.

Everyone.

President Trump touts more foreign policy wins and a massive new trade deal with the EU.

All of the countries will be opened up to trade with the United States at zero tariff.

I'm Daily Wire, Executive Editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe.

It's Monday, July 28th, and this is Morningwire.

Epstein confidant Ghelene Maxwell is questioned for the first time by the DOJ, leaving legal experts baffled as to why it took this long.

The fact that she is untapped is remarkable.

And Trump slams Gavin Newsom after millions of dollars raised for LA fire victims reportedly vanishes.

The money is not going to the victims that you wanted the money to go to.

Thanks for waking up with Morningwire.

Stay tuned.

We have the news you need to know.

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President Trump traveled to Europe this weekend to to finalize a trade deal with the EU while also brokering a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia.

Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips is here with the latest hey Cabot.

So Trump working on a number of high-stakes deals.

Let's start with this conflict in Asia that erupted over the weekend.

What exactly happened there?

Yeah, so start with some context.

For more than a century, Thailand and Cambodia have been in a bitter dispute over two ancient temples, which both countries claim as their own.

After a war of words between leaders from both countries escalated throughout the month, a large firefight broke out Thursday along the border and intensified over the next three days.

Within 72 hours, at least 35 people, mostly civilians, had been killed and more than 200,000 people were forced to flee.

That drove President Trump to intervene.

He called leaders in each country, demanding that they begin peace talks and threatening higher tariffs and no trade deal if they ignore him.

Writing on Truth Social, he said, quote, they are looking to get back to the trading table with the United States, which we think is inappropriate to do until such time as the fighting stops.

So he's basically saying, keep fighting and you won't get a deal.

Remember, without a trade deal in the next four days, each country would be facing enormous 36% tariffs.

And that threat seemed to get their attention.

Within hours of Trump stepping in, the two sides issued statements thanking the president and announcing that they would immediately begin negotiations on a ceasefire.

Those talks will take place later this afternoon in Malaysia.

So a great development.

Let's hope that gets resolved permanently.

Now, Trump also was working on a massive deal with the European Union.

Where does that stand now?

Yeah, after months of negotiating on Sunday, the president hit an economic buzzer beater, if you will, finalizing a trade deal with the EU just before his August 1st deadline.

According to Trump, the U.S.

will set a baseline 15% tariff on most European goods, while the EU will open up their markets to American goods at a 0% tariff.

And additionally, Trump says the EU has also agreed to purchase $750 billion in energy and defense products from the U.S.

Here he is announcing that agreement Sunday afternoon.

So So we have a tariff of 15%.

We have the opening up of all of the European countries, which I think I could say were essentially closed.

I mean you weren't exactly taking our autos.

You weren't exactly taking our agriculture.

And then you would have smaller things, but for the most part it was closed.

And now it's open.

It's open for our companies to go in and do a good job with.

And I think you'll like them.

I think it's great that we made a deal today instead of playing games.

Now remember, remember, the Europeans initially had proposed a deal that would see zero tariffs on both sides.

But when Trump stood firm, they countered by pushing for 10% rates.

So the fact the U.S.

was able to secure 15% without retaliation from the EU is undoubtedly a big win for the White House.

But for her part, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed optimism.

It will bring stability.

It will bring predictability.

It's a huge deal.

It was tough negotiations.

I knew it at the beginning, and it was indeed very tough, but we came to good conclusions on both sides.

So again, congratulations and many thanks.

Now, this is certainly the largest trade deal that President Trump has ever brokered, and it could be the largest trade deal in U.S.

history.

Collectively, the EU is America's largest trading partner, with more than a trillion dollars going back and forth each year.

The White House says this 15% rate will bring in billions in new tax revenue and again, open up new markets for American businesses.

But there are still a number of countries who have not yet reached a trade agreement.

Remember, any nation without one by August 1st will face 25 to 50 percent tariffs.

Here's Commerce Secretary Howard Luttnick reiterating that that deadline will not be moved.

No extensions, no more grace periods.

August 1st, the tariffs are set.

They'll go into place.

Customs will start collecting the money and off we go.

Obviously, after August 1st, people can still talk to President Trump.

I mean, he's always willing to listen.

And between now and then, I think the president's going to talk to a lot of people.

Whether they can make him happy is another question, but the president's definitely willing to negotiate and talk to the big economies for sure.

And while the White House is holding firm on that deadline, they've made clear that negotiating can still take place after August 1st.

So there's a good chance we see a flurry of trade deals over the next few days and again into next week.

And things certainly seem to be picking up as that deadline comes quickly.

Kevin, thanks for reporting.

Absolutely.

The Department of Justice met with Epstein's accomplice, accomplice, Ghelane Maxwell, last week.

Meanwhile, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino says he's alarmed at what he's learned about government weaponization.

Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to talk about the latest in the Epstein case and the issue of transparency in the DOJ and FBI.

So, Tim, amazing that Ghelane Maxwell is just now being questioned.

What have we learned?

Some intriguing, but so far pretty vague developments.

Maxwell's attorney, David Oscar Marcus, spoke a little on Thursday about the interviews with his client.

He said prosecutors asked about every possible thing you could imagine, and that included questions on about 100 different people.

He didn't give any specifics, though he did say that this is the first time prosecutors have ever tried to find out what Maxwell knows about Epstein's affairs.

Here's Marcus.

We don't know.

We don't know how it's going to play out.

We just know that this was the first opportunity she's ever been given to answer questions about what happened.

And so

the truth will come out about what happened with Mr.

Epstein, and she's the person who's answering those questions.

The fact that this may be the first time Maxwell has been interviewed like this is pretty shocking.

George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said as much on Fox News.

I was floored when the legal team said that she had not been interviewed by federal and state investigators.

There were so many investigations over such a long period of time, but she appears to be untapped as to her account.

Now, keep in mind, she's the one who knows the most.

In every one of these pictures, she's in the background.

Now, there are still some serious questions to be asked about her credibility, especially if it looks like she wants to trade information for clemency or a pardon.

To that point, President Trump didn't rule out a pardon for Maxwell last week.

But according to Marcus, there haven't been any discussions on that point.

Although a report from ABC News says that for last week's interviews, Maxwell was offered limited immunity.

Basically, what she said in those interviews can't be held against her in a future prosecution.

Got it.

Now, Democrats have been suggesting that President Trump could be implicated in some of these documents.

How big of a political concern is this for the president?

It's a good question.

There's a couple pieces of data here that are worth looking at.

First, an Emerson College poll released on Friday says 51% of Americans disapprove of how the Epstein files have been handled.

Just 16% say they approve.

But before Democrats get too giddy, it's worth asking how much that actually matters.

According to a CNN poll earlier this month, just one Republican surveyed of over 300 said Epstein was their top top issue.

In addition, Democrats had all the info on Epstein for four years under Biden, and they never released any of it.

So a lot of people are skeptical that there's much in there on Trump anyway.

That said, the Trump administration does appear to want to clean this up.

Trump's team has taken a lot of heat from his base over the lack of transparency, and this DOJ meeting with Maxwell, in addition to attempts to unseal grand jury documents, appears aimed at tamping down some of that criticism.

Right.

And speaking of lack of transparency, Dan Bongino over at the FBI had a pretty pretty alarming message for Americans over the weekend.

What did he say?

Yeah, Bongino put out a statement on X on Saturday, emphasizing a commitment to transparency from within the administration, which people are speculating has to do with RussiaGate.

Bongino didn't give any details, but he said that some of the information he's seen relating to political corruption and government weaponization shocked him to his core.

He added that we cannot run a republic like this, and he'll never be the same after learning what he's learned.

He urged patience and said that the answers would come after investigations are done by the book and in accordance with the law.

Well, definitely a chilling message to hear from a high-up official at the FBI.

Hopefully he can deliver on that promise.

Yeah, a lot of people are hoping that.

Tim, thanks for reporting.

Good to be on.

President Trump is going after California Governor Gavin Newsom over reports that nearly $100 million in aid that was supposed to go to victims of the Pacific Palisades wildfires has effectively disappeared.

The aid in question was raised through a concert named Fire Aid and was supposed to go directly to residents who'd been impacted by the fires.

But according to a number of sources, that hasn't happened.

Daily Wire's senior editor Virginia Kruda joins us now with more.

Hey, Virginia.

So what's happening here?

So first, for those who haven't been following this, Fire Aid was supposed to be a one-night concert event featuring artists like Katy Perry, Olivia Rodrigo, and Lady Gaga.

And it was supposed to raise money for residents who lost their homes during the devastating wildfires earlier this year.

In fact, A-List actors promised people that that was the purpose.

Miles Teller from Top Gun Maverick told everyone that fire aid would go directly to the victims, as did Samuel L.

Jackson.

All of the money raised will go directly to people who need it now and towards long-term efforts to build the communities back.

Go to the website and give what you can.

All the money that's raised will go directly to people who need help in the short term and for the long-term effort to get this city back on its feet.

So A-List promises that victims of the fire would receive this money directly, but that's not how it's played out, correct?

Right.

And that's what Trump highlighted on Friday.

He took to social media to say that fire aid is a total disaster that looks like another Democrat-inspired scam.

He said the fires would never have happened with proper management.

He went on to slam Governor Newsom for refusing to release billions of gallons of water from Northern California and the Pacific Northwest.

Trump also hit officials for slow-walking approvals and said all federal housing permits have been approved.

So several swipes at Newsom there.

Now, victims are effectively backing up what Trump is saying about the money, correct?

Right.

Here's what Resident David Howard, who lost two homes in the Pacific Palisades, told the local Fox affiliate.

I have not seen any benefit from the fire aid money.

nor have an unbearing call powered by friends and neighbors.

Altadena fire victim Mark Jones told a similar story, saying that he had believed the money was going directly to the people as well.

FireAid has issued a statement attempting to clarify their role in all of this, saying, and I quote, FireAid does not have the capability to make direct payments to individuals, and that was never the plan.

We partnered directly with trusted local nonprofits to reach communities in need.

And so they're shifting the focus to these nonprofits.

Do we know which organizations actually got this money?

Well, that's what everyone is scrambling to figure out now.

Sue Pascoe, editor-in-chief of Circling the News and a fire victim herself, has been investigating this.

Here's what she told Fox L.A.

I looked at these nonprofits and one of them said, we help mobile home parks.

And there were two mobile home parks in the Palisades, all low income.

And so I contacted the people there.

They had never received any money.

They had never heard of that.

If you go on there, they don't say how much each individual nonprofit gets.

So there are two nonprofits that are for the homeless people in the Palace, or not the Palisades, Los Angeles in general, that they're getting money from from Lhasa.

So why are these nonprofits also getting money from FireAid?

Fox spoke with a few of the nonprofits, including one that works to promote self-determination in the Latino community, and promised to use the funding to build not houses, but a more humane and democratic society by responding to the needs and problems of disenfranchised people.

Another organization promised to use the money to cultivate egalitarian relationships based on trust and respect.

So it sounds like they're using the money to push their own political causes.

Is FireAid actually defending the use of this money?

Yes, they are.

Lisa Clary Real, a member of FireAid's grant advisory committee, said, We want people to understand that there's been a thoughtful process behind this, and our top priority was trying to do what people needed and do what's best for fire survivors.

And apparently, what's best for them isn't having their actual homes replaced.

Apparently not.

And that's why Representative Kevin Kiley has been pushing for an investigation into this group and into the funding and where it all went.

Let's see where that takes us.

Virginia, thank you so much for reporting.

Sure.

Thanks for waking up with us.

And if you're watching on YouTube, please like and subscribe.

We'll be back later this evening with more news you need to know.

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