President Donald Trump did not rule out the possibility of seeking a third term in the White House, which is prohibited by the Constitution under the 22nd Amendment, saying in an exclusive interview with NBC News that there were methods for doing so and clarifying that he was “not joking.” He added, “A lot of people want me to do it,” Trump said, referring to his allies. “But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration…I’m focused on the current,” Trump added, in some of his most extensive comments to date about serving a third term. When asked whether he wanted another term, the president responded, “I like working…I’m not joking,” Trump said. “But I’m not — it is far too early to think about it.” When asked whether he has been presented with plans to allow him to seek a third term, Trump said, “There are methods which you could do it.” NBC News asked about a possible scenario in which Vice President JD Vance would run for office and then pass the role to Trump. Trump responded that “that’s one” method. “But there are others, too,” Trump added. Amending the Constitution to abolish the two-term limit would be exceedingly difficult, requiring either a two-thirds vote of Congress or two-thirds of the states agreeing to call a constitutional convention to propose changes. Either route would then require ratification from three-quarters of the states.
Myanmar Earthquake
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
A World Briefing exclusive. Thanks to our contacts, we were connected with Mratt Kyaw Thu - a journalist from Myanmar who fled the bloody military coup and is now based in Spain….
Burmese in exile are searching for their families online, posting their names on Facebook, which is hugely popular in Myanmar. It’s been two days since the earthquake, and soon, the smell of decay will start spreading. The longer it takes, the harder it gets. With rescue teams and heavy machinery unable to reach certain areas, things are getting worse. Some places are only now beginning to receive help.
In Sagaing, reports say the military council bulldozed roads, making it difficult for heavy machinery to get through. Even when people want to help, providing assistance is nearly impossible. Sagaing city remains under military control.
Getting badly-needed funds to survivors is said to be a challenge. Payment systems have always been difficult—now, it’s even worse. Even those who genuinely want to help are facing obstacles - including scamming operations by unscrupulous groups.
The country is falling apart.
As the Myanmar general’s best buddies - India, China and Russia - rush to send aid and elite emergency teams to the junta-controlled areas of the earthquake ravaged nation, aid leaders are lamenting the absence of the United States in the international relief effort. The U.S. is normally the largest, by far, donor of humanitarian relief in major disasters however Donald Trump’s dissolution of USAID means America is largely absent. Instead a State Department statement said that Washington is sending a three-member assessment team that will arrive in the isolated Southeast Asian country almost a week after the quake struck. The final death toll is expected to surge into the thousands. “Being charitable and being seen as charitable serves American foreign policy,” Michael Schiffer, the assistant administrator of the U.S.A.I.D. bureau for Asia from 2022 until earlier this year to The New York Times. “If we don’t show up and China shows up, that sends a pretty strong message.” USAID annual allocations for Myanmar were about $320 million last year; the hollowed out agency typically has access to food and emergency supplies in warehouses in Dubai and Subang Jaya, Malaysia, the newspaper said.
In other earthquake-related news…
The smell of death ‘fills the air’ near the epicentre of the Myanmar earthquake, local residents say. Bodies trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings in Sagaing and Mandalay cities are said to be decomposing in Myanmar’s stifling heat “Now with every gust of wind, the smell of dead bodies fills the air,” says Thar Nge, a resident of Sagaing – the city closest to the epicentre of the devastating magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday. “At this point, more bodies are being recovered than survivors,” Thar Nge told Al Jazeera on Sunday, explaining how rescue workers from nearby Mandalay had just arrived in Sagaing earlier in the day, after the Yadanabon Bridge, spanning the Irrawaddy River, reopened.
In the region of Sagaing, a stronghold of resistance against the junta, Myanmar military jets carried out two rounds of airstrikes on Nwel Khwe village hours after the earthquake destroyed buildings there, adding more terror to residents’ lives.
“It’s as if Min Aung Hlaing wants to make sure we die, if not from the earthquake, then from his attacks,” said one villager, Ko Aung Kyaw. - NYT
Rescue workers are now racing against time, as the so-called 72-hour “golden window” for finding survivors buried under rubble is closing. The CNA team on the ground has observed that despite a lack of equipment and training, locals have rushed to help, digging through rubble with their bare hands to search for survivors - Channel News Asia
The Thai government has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the collapse of the 30-storey building at the centre of city rescue efforts following Friday’s quake. Critics have questioned the standards of a Chinese contractor involved, and raised concerns over the quality of steel and building materials used. An investigation team from the Ministry of Industry has collected samples of construction materials from the site of the collapsed State Audit Office (SAO) building, an official said. The team is focusing on the quality of steel bars used in fortifying concrete polls, beams and foundation structures in particular, as substandard steel bars could have led to the collapse - Bangkok Post
Several buildings in Bangkok were evacuated late Monday morning amid reports of vibrations and cracks appearing in the buildings. The evacuations occurred about 10am. Affected premises included Building A of the Government Complex on Chaeng Watthana Rd, the Ministry of Labour in Din Daeng district and court buildings on Ratchadaphisek Road. People were also cleared from the headquarters of Government Housing Bank in Huai Khwang district, the Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek and the Social Security Office in Din Daeng.
Donald Trump claimed on Sunday that Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was “trying to back out of the rare earth deal and if he does that he’s got some problems, big, big problems”. The Guardian reported that the White House is demanding the first cut of all Ukraine’s mineral resource revenue for years, plus interest, in return for military aid. Zelenskyy has been open to a deal but cautious about the terms, while the Trump administration has been on-again, off-again about getting it signed. Trump also said he is “pissed off” at his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and has threatened to impose secondary sanctions on Russian oil if Moscow does not agree to a ceasefire to end its war in Ukraine. “If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russian’s fault – which it might not be – but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on all oil coming out of Russia,” Trump said in an interview with NBC on Sunday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday vowed to increase military pressure on Hamas. He said the tactic would pave the way for Israel to take control of Gaza and implement “the Trump plan“ to evict Palestinians from the enclave. Mr Netanyahu’s remarks, along with the move to appoint an official to lead a newly created body aimed at advancing the “voluntary” displacement of Gazans, suggest his government is pursuing Mr Trump’s proposals for the enclave. Mr Trump has previously said that the US take over the coastal enclave and turn it into a Mediterranean resort, while moving Gazans to other countries. Arab states, including key US allies in the region, objected strongly to Mr Trump’s proposal and gave their support to an alternative plan drawn up by Egypt that would rebuild Gaza within five years, without displacing its population of 2.3 million. The US President first mentioned the idea during Mr Netanyahu’s visit to Washington in February, but insisted this month that “nobody is expelling any Palestinians”. Mr Netanyahu’s claims of success in the strategy of forcing Hamas to negotiate a ceasefire while under attack has faced domestic criticism. Opponents say his government is not constructively engaged in talks to end the Gaza war and secure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages. Hamas announced late on Saturday that it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal from mediators in Egypt and Qatar. Israel said it made a counter-offer in co-ordination with the U.S. Sources told The National that Egyptian negotiators were proposing a 50-day humanitarian truce, with Hamas releasing at least five hostages, including a dual US-Israel citizen, before the end of the first seven days - The National
Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to embark on a swing around Southeast Asia next month as Beijing accelerates its efforts to deepen neighbourhood ties amid regional anxiety about US foreign policy during Donald Trump’s second administration. Diplomatic sources said that Xi would be likely to set off in mid-April, with stops in Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia. One source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said plans were being made for the Chinese leader to spend three days in Malaysia. Another source, who also asked not to be named, said the Malaysian visit would build on Xi’s productive November meeting in Beijing with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The trip would “definitely [be] good” for boosting bilateral ties, the source added - SCMP
This Briefing is reprinted with the author’s permission. Please find the original here.