President Trump meets Tuesday with the leader of America’s oldest ally in the Pacific, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., at the White House.
Marcos, the first leader of South Asian nations to visit the Trump White House, is looking to talk trade, after Trump put a 20 percent levy on the nation starting Aug. 1. “My top priority for this visit is to push for greater economic engagement, particularly through trade and investment, between the Philippines and the United States,” he said upon his departure on Sunday.
He met with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday to discuss the U.S.-Filipino military alliance in the shadow of China.
In Congress, the Jeffrey Epstein saga has ground the House to a halt. Republicans are opting to not set up any votes, rather than deal with Democrats, who are looking to force GOP members into a number of politically difficult votes on the Epstein matter (as they did last week).
The Senate is considering whether to forgo some of its August recess to vote on more Trump nominees, as the president has pressured the Senate GOP to do.
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