The President's Daily Brief - December 3rd, 2024: Putin Strikes Back in Syria & Trump’s 100% Tariff Threat

Episode Date: December 3, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: Updates from Syria, where government forces, bolstered by Russian airpower, are ramping up efforts to push back advancing rebel forces in the south. A looming trade war as President-elect Trump threatens BRICS nations with a 100% tariff for attempting to abandon the U.S. dollar. Disparate accounts from Trump and Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum about a phone call discussing efforts to halt migration through Mexico. And in today's Back of the Brief: heartbreaking news from Israel as an American, once thought to be a Hamas prisoner, is now presumed dead. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Patriot Gold: Call 1-888-870-5457 for a free investor guide.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Now, they've been the top-rated gold IRA dealer for seven years in a row. Go to Patriot Gold Group.com or call 1-88-621-3856 for a free investor guide. It's Tuesday, 3 December. Oh, look at that. Three weeks to get your holiday shopping done. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed.

Today, we begin with an update from Syria, where government forces, supported by Russian air power, are intensifying efforts to counter-advancing rebel forces. forces moving south. Well, look at Putin. He may be busy still with his invasion of Ukraine, but not so busy that he can't help out a fellow despotic dictator in need. Later in the show, another potential trade war on the horizon as President-elect Trump threatens Bricks nations with a 100% tariff if they attempt to replace the dollar. Plus, Trump and Mexico's President Claudia Scheinbaum are giving different accounts of a phone call in which she reportedly agreed. to halt migration through Mexico. And in today's back of the brief, sad news from Israel,

as an American once believed to be a Hamas prisoner is now presumed dead. But first, today's PDB spotlight. We'll begin with an update on the violence engulfing Syria where the Assad regime, with assistance from Russia, is stepping up strikes on opposition forces who managed to capture the country's second largest city, Aleppo, in a surprise offensive last week. week. Now, as we've been tracking here on the PDB, the rebel coalition has wasted little time since they captured Aleppo, consolidating their gains over the weekend by seizing key military sites in the east of Aleppo City and pushing further south into several towns in the countryside near Hamas, Syria's fourth largest city. Over the past 24 hours, however, their advance has

been blunted somewhat as the government of President Assad ramps up airstrikes against the Islamic rebels with the help of Russian forces stationed in the region. That's according to our report from CNN. Russian and Syrian government warplanes began their aerial counterattack in earnest Sunday evening into Monday, hitting opposition positions in Aleppo, Idlib, and Hamas, claiming to have killed at least 400 insurgents. At least 20 civilians were also reported killed during these strikes, though the figures cannot yet be independently verified. Russian President Putin reportedly spoke with Iranian President Massoud Peshzhakian on Monday to discuss the escalating situation. A spokesman for the Kremlin said, quote, unconditional support was expressed for the actions

of the legitimate authorities of Syria to restore constitutional order and to restore the political, economic, and social stability of the Syrian state. Peshchian has been taking the lead on shoring up the Assad regime's delicate hold on power, sending Iranian militias as reinforcements, at least 300 members of Iranian back-to-iraki militias crossed the border into Syria on Monday to bolster Assad's forces on the front lines in the north. Assad himself traveled to Russia in recent days to plead with the Putin regime for greater assistance. That's according to sources who spoke with the Wall Street Journal. We also learned that on Sunday, Moscow dismissed the general in charge of its forces in Syria. Now for Russia, the stakes in Syria

are high. The civil war, which began in 2011, has largely been stalled since 2020, and Russia has been obviously increasingly distracted since 2022 with their invasion of Ukraine. The rebels are hoping this will play to their advantage and limit Russia's ability to fully commit to the defense of the Assad regime. For some background, Russia entered the fray several years into the Civil War back in 2015 on the side of Assad. Some 5,000 Russian troops were dispatched, along with extensive supplies of weapons and military equipment, which played a pivotal role in a year's long military offensive to retake control of the country,

culminating in the retreat of the rebels from Aleppo back in 2016. Russia framed their entrance into the conflict as an extension of their fight against Islamic terror groups like ISIS and Heiath Tarir Asham, which are also designated terror groups in Russia. More broadly, however,

Putin sought to roll back U.S. influence in the Middle East by propping up the Assad regime, ensuring that Syria remained a strategic regional ally alongside Iran, as well as a viable economic partner for arms sales. Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov said Monday, quote, we certainly continue to support Bashar al-Assad and continue our contacts at relevant levels, end quote. The sweeping success of the Islamist rebels poses the biggest challenge to Assad's rule in the

eight years since his government retook Aleppo. Now, while the U.S. has long sought to undermine Russia's hold on Syria, analysts have said this particular conflict post. is a dilemma for Western governments. Well, yes, it does. While the insurgents have put Russia and Iran on the back foot, their victory would mean that Syria would then fall under the hands of hardline radicals. An analyst for the Brookings Institution told CNN, quote, should they be cheering the opposition taking over Syria's second largest city Aleppo, or should they actually worry about the city falling under Islamist rule? On Monday, officials with the U.S. State Department urged de-escalation

and called for a political settlement to the year's long civil war. Okay, well, not to sound cynical, but that's not going to happen. All right, coming up next, President-elect Trump threatens Bricks nations with steep tariffs over their potential challenge to the U.S. dollar. And Mexico's President Shinebaum disputes President-elect Trump's account of a migration deal. I'll have those stories when we come back. Ryan Reynolds here from MintMobil. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying.

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A rooftop bar, have a ball. Bring a date, your squad or even your mom. Book direct at choiceotails.com. Welcome back to the PDB. Turning to the latest news from the Trump transition, the president-elect has issued a new trade threat, vowing to slap 100% tariffs on any Bricks nation that attempts to replace the U.S. dollar with a rival currency. As he often does, Trump took to

Truth Social on Saturday to make the declaration, saying, quote, the idea that the BRICS countries are trying to move away from the dollar while we stand by and watch is over. Trump then put every member of the Alliance on notice, saying, quote, we require a commitment from these countries

that they will neither create a new BRICs currency nor back any other currency to replace the mighty US dollar, or they will face 100% tariffs and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. economy, end quote. As a reminder, the BRICS alliance has been made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa since 2011, but has recently expanded to include Iran, the United Arab Emirates,

Ethiopia, and Egypt. Russian President Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have been working to accelerate efforts to expand the block of emerging economies, seeing it as a counterbalance to Western influence. Currently, 34 other nations have expressed interest in joining, that's according to a report from the BBC. Just last year, Brazilian President Lula de Silva proposed that the alliance create a common currency to reduce their reliance on the U.S. dollar.

While using an alternative currency and banking networks outside the U.S. dollar system would allow BRICS. nations to circumvent Western sanctions, broad economic and geopolitical disagreements within the alliance have limited their ability, to make progress on that issue. Ahead of a landmark Brick's summit in Russia back in late October, Putin said discussions about an alternative to the U.S. dollar

would not yet be under consideration. Putin said, quote, its time has not come yet. We need to be very careful and act gradually without any rush, end quote. Instead, Putin said that Brick's alliance was studying, quote, the possibilities to make wider use of national currencies, potentially reducing the use of the dollar in trade between member, countries. He also said that they were discussing enhanced coordination between member central banks

to support trade. But if his statement is anything to go off, Trump will make disrupting the effort of Bricks to move away from the dollar a top priority. He punctuated his message to the Bricks alliance by saying the group, quote, can go find another sucker, end quote. But Russia and China, well, they quickly issued a rebuke. There's a shock. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said Trump's threat of, quote, economic force would likely backfire and actually accelerate the trend of countries switching from the dollar to national currencies for international trade. He said the dollar has long been losing its appeal as a reserve currency and uncertainty over how the U.S. may wield it as a financial weapon in the future would only deepen international mistrust. Representatives for

the Chinese embassy in the U.S. echoed these sentiments, telling Newsweek, quote, the U.S. has long used its dollar hegemony to shift crises, spread U.S. inflation to other parts of the world, and made it become a geopolitical tool which damages international economic and financial stability and disrupts international order. Well, you know what else disrupts international order? That would be conducting massive military drills around Taiwan, deliberately ramming other nations' naval vessels, decades-long theft of intellectual property and economic intelligence, and, well, there was that pandemic, which may or may not have originated from the Wuhan lab. I mean, we'll likely never know, since Xi's regime can't be bothered to provide transparency into its origins. But I guess I digress. Trump has already been using the threat of tariffs as a key negotiating tool ahead of his return to office in January. Last week, Trump threatened Mexico, Canada, and China with steep tariffs. If they don't act expeditiously, to rein in illegal immigration and illicit fentanyl trafficking.

Okay, staying with President-elect Trump. He claimed a victory in curbing illegal immigration following a conversation with Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum, though the leaders offered conflicting narratives. Taking to Truth Social last week, Trump asserted that Scheinbaum had agreed to, quote, stop migration through Mexico and into the United States, effectively closing our southern border, end quote.

However, Shinebaum described the decision. discussion differently, underscoring that Mexico's position remains focused on managing migration without closing its borders. In a post on X, Shinebaum characterized the conversation with Trump as, quote, excellent, but clarified that she had reiterated Mexico's outline to address migrant caravans. Scheinbaum stated, quote, I explained to President-elect Trump the comprehensive strategy that Mexico has followed to address the migration phenomena, respecting human rights, end quote. For background, this exchange followed days of heightened tensions after Trump threatened a 25% tariff on Mexico and Canada, citing illegal immigration and drug trafficking as justifications. Scheinbaum initially responded with defiance to the tariff threat, vowing reciprocal measures if tariffs were imposed and declaring, quote, there is no subordination here.

Speaking to reporters, Scheinbaum clarified that tariffs were not a focus of her call with Trump. Instead, they discussed immigration and fentanyl trafficking, which Trump had cited as key justifications, of course, for his terror of threats. Scheinbaum reassured Trump that a migrant caravan that he had expressed concerns about would not reach the U.S. border, but reiterated Mexico's stance against closing its borders. Facing significant diplomatic pressure from the U.S., Mexico has undertaken its most extensive migrant crackdown, transporting non-Mexican migrants to its southern regions, well away from the U.S. border. Notably, Scheinbaum struck a more conciliatory tone during her remarks to reporters, downplaying the likelihood of a trade war, and describing her conversation with Trump as, quote, very amiable. She affirmed that there was, quote, no possibility of tariffs, escalating tensions,

and expressed a shared commitment to, quote, continue with our talks as Trump prepares to take office in January. Now, even if no tariffs are imposed, Trump may frame this episode as evidence of his ability to secure concessions through tariff rhetoric. This tactic could then set the tone, of course, for his administration's future dealings with Mexico and other trade partners. With just weeks until Trump's inauguration, the evolving dynamic between the two leaders emphasizes the challenges ahead for U.S.-Mexico relations. Shinebaum's remarks reflect a balancing act between managing domestic Mexican pressures

and fostering a productive relationship with the incoming U.S. administration. All right. Coming up next in the back of the brief, sad news from Israel, where an Israeli-American soldier initially believed captured alive by Hamas during the October 7th attack is now believed to have been killed that day with his body taken into Gaza. All other details when we come back. I sold my car in Carvana last night. Well, that's cool. No, you don't understand. It went perfectly. Real offer, down to the penny. They're picking it up tomorrow. Nothing went wrong. So what's the problem? That is the problem. Nothing in my life goes a smoothie.

I'm waiting for the catch. Maybe there's no catch. That's exactly what a catch would want me to think. Wow, you need to relax. I need a knock on wood. Do we have wood? Is this table wood? I think it's laminated.

Okay, yeah, that's good. That's close enough. Car selling without a catch. So your car today on... Carvana. Pick up these may apply. In today's back of the brief, the Israeli Defense Forces, the IDF,

confirmed the death of Captain Omer Nutra on Monday, a 21-year-old from New York who was killed during Hamas's 7 October terror attack, and they said that his body is being held hostage in Gaza. Neutra referred to as a lone soldier because his parents were not in Israel, served as a tank platoon commander in the IDF's 7th armored brigade and had previously been believed to be alive and held hostage. He was stationed to the Gaza border when his tank came under attack from Hamas terrorists with rocket-propelled grenades and explosives.

infamous footage from the attack captured the tank covered in smoke and flames, with Palestinians and civilian clothing standing on and around it as the tank crew was dragged out by Hamas terrorists into Gaza. The confirmation of Neutra's death on Monday, based on findings from the military rabbinate and new intelligence, comes 14 months after the attack. 14 months. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu extended condolences to Neutru's family,

vowing to bring his body back to Israel for burial. In a statement, Netanyahu described Nutra as a, quote, man of values, blessed with talents and a Zionist in every sense of the word, emphasizing Israel's commitment to recovering the bodies of all hostages and victims. In an official statement from the White House, President Biden stated, quote, our hearts are heavy today. Jill and I are devastated and outraged to learn of the death of Omer Nutra, an American citizen. He dreamed of dedicating himself to building peace, end quote. Biden recalled meeting neutra's parents to White House less than a month ago in prayer for the safe return of their son. Biden condemned Hamas' actions in the statement and reaffirmed his dedication to bringing all remaining hostages and victims home. Currently, 97 of the 251 individuals abducted by Hamas on 7 October remain in Gaza, including a minimum of 35 confirmed dead.

Netanyahu has vowed relentless action until every hostage is returned home. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Tuesday, 3 December. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. Of course, as your mother probably told you all those years ago, to listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting pdb premium.com. One should always, of course, listen to their mom. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin.

Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.