Monday on the RealClearPolitics radio show — weeknights at 6:00 p.m. on SiriusXM’s POTUS Channel 124 and then on Apple, Spotify, and here on our website — Tom Bevan, Carl Cannon, and Andrew Walworth discuss the latest events in the world of politics and what people are talking about as the Trump administration plows forward on all fronts. In the first segment, President Trump is leaving tonight on a four-day tour of the Middle East, with stops in Riyadh, Doha, and Abu Dhabi — but not Israel, even as the U.S. secured the release of Eden Alexander, an American citizen and IDF volunteer, from Gaza. “You know the war in Gaza and Iran are going to be topics of discussion behind closed doors with all of the countries he is visiting — Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE,” Tom Bevan explained. “The Israelis are a little worried they’re not going to be involved in these discussions; they don’t know what Trump is willing to do or not do.” Adjacent to Trump’s Mideast trip, around ten minutes into the first segment, Qatar wants to “donate” a fancy new plane for the Trump administration to use as a replacement for the 30+ year-old Air Force One. The gang debates: Is this how the American government works? Bevan asked: “Would you feel the same way if the government of France were giving us an Airbus? Is it the Qataris, or that it’s free?” “It’s both,” Carl Cannon stated. “First, Qatar supports terrorism and propped up Hamas. But also, why would we take a free plane from France? My idea is that the U.S. pays its own way and we don’t take favors like that from foreign governments.” *** In the next segment, starting at timestamp 15:40, the Trump administration has announced major advances in trade negotiations with China and the United Kingdom. The markets appear happy, could the tariff crisis work out before it gets ugly? Is Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent the biggest mover in these negotiations? Was this planned, or is Trump flying by the seat of his pants? “He wants to do more than one thing with the tariffs, raise money for the Treasury, and encourage U.S. exports,” Cannon commented. “This latest announcement on China signifies to me they still have their mind on fair trade.” They discuss Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman’s reaction to the latest deal with China: “We are back where we were before. All of this chaos, all of this turmoil — it’s just a reflection that there’s no plan here, there’s no objective.” “This is a win, whether you think it is going back to square one, or it advances the ball toward resetting a new trade relationship where China will be more open,” Tom Bevan commented. *** After that, starting at timestamp 27:50, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and the Federal Aviation Administration are trying to deal with shocking recent safety issues at Newark Liberty Airport. Staffing problems, construction delays, and equipment failures are adding up to canceled flights and nervous passengers. Does the FAA have what it takes to fix these problems nationwide? “Duffy says these are outdated systems and we need to invest in updating them as quickly as possible. And in the meantime, we can’t have this many planes,” Tom Bevan said. “Honestly, I wouldn’t want to be flying into Newark right now.” *** Finally, at minute 35, Andrew Walworth talks to RealClearHealth editor Jerry Rogers about the executive order announced today stating Medicaid will pay only the lowest price charged anywhere in the world for any pharmaceutical drug. “I don’t understand his thinking here. This impacts Medicaid. Not Medicare and not the private market. Most patients will see no change in the price they pay for medicine,” Rogers said. “It forces me to think this is an ‘Art of the Deal’ executive order to get the pharmaceutical industry to negotiate better prices overall. That’s where I think he is heading.” *** Don’t miss a single episode of the RealClearPolitics weeknight radio show – subscribe at Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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