President Donald Trump has ordered the repositioning of two nuclear submarines amid heightened tensions with Russia, following his announcement of new tariffs on Canada and several other countries. The move comes after a heated exchange with Russian officials and is part of a broader series of trade measures and domestic policy actions.
On Monday, Trump set a new deadline for Russia to end its conflict with Ukraine, prompting former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, to label the announcement as a ‘step towards war.’ In response, Trump declared on Friday that he would reposition two submarines to better address the escalating tensions. While the exact details of the submarine repositioning remain undisclosed, the decision underscores the administration’s emphasis on military readiness in light of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Meanwhile, Trump has also imposed new tariffs on multiple countries, including Canada, where he cited increased fentanyl imports as the reason for raising tariffs from 25% to 35%. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney contested this assessment, noting that Canada accounts for only 1% of U.S. fentanyl imports and has been actively reducing these volumes. The president also raised tariffs on Brazil to 50% and negotiated trade deals with South Korea and Mexico, driving down tariffs to 15% and agreeing to continue talks for another 90 days.
In addition, Trump signed the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act, which will make permanent a partial claims program to help veterans avoid foreclosure. The new policy allows veterans to delay mortgage payments and access interest-free loans, potentially assisting up to 3.7 million veterans. ‘This legislation provides desperately needed relief to veterans and their families who have fallen behind in their mortgages,’ Trump stated. ‘It’s a really sort of an amazing situation, and it helps keep our promise to end veterans homelessness. And, we’re going to do that for America. We’re going to do that for our great veterans.’