Scuffles broke out after protesters waving an “Immigrants Built America” banner disrupted Donald Trump’s latest rally, where he continued his racist attacks on congressman Eljiah Cummings, the City of Baltimore, and "the squad".
The demonstrators held up the US president’s speech for nearly four minutes before they were kicked out of the event in Cincinnati, Ohio. But, the moment was only blip in the president's campaign rally where he offered up a flawed understanding of American immigration policy, trashed the idea of an independent judiciary, and slammed California for having homeless people and poverty.
Mr Trump, who appeared to make an obscene gesture as they left, also promised to cure childhood cancer, mocked FBI investigator Robert Mueller and boasted about the trade war with China – despite warnings from one of his former advisors, Gary Cohn, that it is damaging the US economy.
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Good morning and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of US politics and the activities of the Donald Trump administration.
On Thursday night the president held a rally for his supporters in Cincinnati, Ohio. It contained many of his usual set-pieces plus further attacks on the Democrats and inner cities across the country.
Here's our live coverage of the rally as it happened.
While there was no repeat of the "send her back" chants, Mr Trump continued his attack on the four female Democrat congresswomen known as "The Squad" - or as he put it "four left-wing extremists who reject everything we hold dear".
Trump launches scathing attack on 'The Squad'
President also mocked special counsel Robert MuellerThe president also repeated his attacks on Democrat leaders, blaming them for murders in Chicago and Baltimore and homelessness in California.
"No one has paid a higher price for the far-left destructive agenda than Americans living in our nation's inner cities," he claimed.
It followed his comments earlier this week when he lashed out at Baltimore congressman Elijah Cummings and called the city a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess."
It followed his comments earlier this week when he lashed out at Baltimore congressman Elijah Cummings and called the city a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess."
As many have noted, Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner rents out properties in the same area.
Nancy Pelosi calls Jared Kushner a 'slumlord' after Trump's racist attacks
Mr Trump has attacked Baltimore as 'rat infested'. His son-in-law is a landlord thereMr Trump returned to many of his old themes during the rally, including his promise to cure childhood cancer and AIDS "shortly".
The rally in Cincinnati was disrupted for nearly four minutes by at least three protesters who managed to smuggle themselves in among the crowd of Trump supporters.
One held up a banner reading "Immigrants Built America" while another wielded the slogan "Chinga La Migra" - which translates to "F*** ICE" (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement), a reference to the border patrol.
There were some scuffles with the red MAGA-hat wearing supporters around them before they were led out of the building to boos.
The president, who had been referring to "illegal aliens", reacted initially by blaming the delay on removing the protesters on Cincinnati's "Democrat mayor" but mostly stood in silence on the stage.
Mr Trump also appeared to make the "You're Fired" finger point before making a strange motion towards and away from his waist.
Some interpreted this as an obscene gesture to urge police to "toss out" the protesters.
Here's a clip of that possible 'obscene gesture' made by Donald Trump towards protesters at his rally in Cincinnati.
Some have drawn comparisons to a gesture used by comedian Ken Jeong while others see it as a more innocent 'throw them out' hand movement.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, former governor of California, has responded to the president's racist attack on the group of four Democrat congresswomen he urged to "go back" to their countries.
Speaking at the annual banquet for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the actor said: “I have a special connection to the HFPA because I am actually foreign.
"And I have chosen not to ‘go back to my country’ but stay here, live here and make a difference here. And to me, that is what makes America great.”
Asked why didn't want to talk about Donald Trump directly, Mr Schwarzenegger said: "I have nothing nice to say about the guy, and that will be the headline — and you would not write about my movie Dark Fate: Terminator 6.”
Mr Trump also spent part of last night's rally boasting about the trade war with China, following the announcement of a further tariff of ten per cent on Chinese goods.
"For the last 20 years, China has taken hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars out of our country and now we're stopping the theft of American jobs, we're stopping the theft of so many other things happening, including intellectual property," he claimed.
"They would like to see a new President in a year and a half, so they could continue to rip off the United States."
He claims the Chinese president Xi Jinping is a "good friend" but adds: "Until such time as there is a deal, we will be taxing the hell out of China."
China has responded by warning of retaliation for the new tariff, which it described as "blackmail".
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said: "If America does pass these tariffs then China will have to take the necessary countermeasures to protect the country's core and fundamental interests.
"We won't accept any maximum pressure, intimidation or blackmail. On the major issues of principle we won't give an inch."
She said that China hoped the US would "give up its illusions" about its strategy, adding: "We don't want to fight, but we aren't afraid to."
Mr Trump made the announcement on the new tariff despite warnings from his former top economic adviser that the trade war was damaging the US economy and actually helping China.
Trump’s former economic adviser admits his tariffs are hurting US and helping China
Gary Cohn says trade war has given Beijing ‘a very convenient excuse’ to slow its overheated economyAs the US formally withdraws from a 1987 missile pact with Russia today, an anonymous source in the Trump administration has told Reuters about plans to test new weapons "in coming weeks".
The Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) had blocked both countries from stationing short and intermediate-range, land-based missiles in Europe.
Mr Trump had announced the intention to withdraw from the treaty six months ago.
"As it has for many years, Russia chose to keep its non-compliant missile rather than going back into compliance with its treaty obligations," secretary of state Mike Pompeo said. "The United States will not remain party to a treaty that is deliberately violated by Russia."
Last month Vladimir Putin suspended Russia's participation in the treaty.
Putin signs bill to suspend Russia's participation in nuclear treaty
Move comes after Trump announced US would quit Cold War-era pact banning production of intermediate-range missilesMeanwhile further missile tests have been carried out by North Korea, in what appears to be an attempt to pressure the US ahead of possible peace talks.
US official played down the launches on Friday, the third set in eight days. South Korea's government said the latest projectiles fired by the North appeared to be new short-range ballistic missiles.
They flew 220 km (135 miles) and reached an altitude of 25 km (15 miles), the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in Seoul said.
Mr Trump agreed to revive the talks during a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on 30 June.
North Korea ‘conducts third missile test in eight days’, says South Korea
Analysts believe Pyongyang is dialling up pressure on Seoul with missile launches and testing how much US will tolerateMr Trump's announcement of further tariffs on Chinese goods - due to take effect on 1 September - have prompted stock market falls around the world.
In early trading, London's main index lost 2 per cent and Frankfurt fell 2.5 per cent. Markets in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney and Paris also fell.
In early trading, London's main index lost 2 per cent and Frankfurt fell 2.5 per cent. Markets in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney and Paris also fell.
It comes after the Federal Reserve System cut its key interest rate for the first time in a decade Wednesday, citing uncertainty over the US trade conflicts. Mr Trump has called for even more aggressive rate cuts.
China's top diplomat has accused the US of "fanning the flames" of the Hong Kong protests, following meetings between Hong Kong opposition figures and US vice president Mike Pence, secretary of state Mike Pompeo and House speaker Nancy Pelosi.
"China expresses its strong indignation and firm opposition ... and demands they immediately cease interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any form," councilor Yang Jiechi told state media on Friday.
The US Embassy in Beijing responded: "We categorically reject the charge of foreign forces as being behind the protests.
"It is not credible to think millions of people are being manipulated to stand for a free and open society."
"It is not credible to think millions of people are being manipulated to stand for a free and open society."
On Thursday Mr Trump had appeared to follow China's line on the Hong Kong protests, calling the demonstrators "rioters" and describing it as a matter "between Hong Kong and China."
Donald Trump has again threatened to release "thousands" of Isis fighters held in Syria unless European countries agree to take them back.
Trump threatens to release thousands of Isis fighters ‘to Europe’
It is not first time president has threatened to release the extremist fightersOther lowlights from the Trump rally in Ohio on Thursday night include a Don Quixote-style attack on "windmills".
After describing coal as "clean, beautiful", he launches into a routine about wind turbines, an important source of renewable "green" energy.
The previous administration, they liked windmills. You know windmills if a windmill is within two miles of your house, your house is practically worthless. They make noise they're intermittent, they kill your birds, they break down all the time. You have to replace them every 10 years because they wear out and they cost a fortune and they need subsidy - other than that they're quite good.You don't want one of those windmills within vision. You hear them in noise. A lot of problems, no we're going to stay with the great energy that's powering our businesses, that's creating so many jobs.And solar - you know what we'll live with solar, but solar is peanuts by comparison to what you need, but we're going to stay the way we have it. We've ended the war on American energy and we're putting our coal miners back to work and our steel workers back to work and our auto companies back to work.
That led on to some alternative history about the Soviet Union, which split into 15 states in 1991, and ended into an attack on the 2016 Paris climate agreement.
Remember the Soviet Union when it was all together the Soviet Union, when it was all together before they decided, we got to call ourselves Russia.That was always their dream, to be the biggest in the world. Then it became Russia, and you know what they've done a good job with energy, and so has Saudi Arabia done a good job with energy, but we're now bigger than Russia. We are now bigger than Saudi Arabia by far and I withdrew our country from the job-killing, very expensive Paris climate accord.
Following the formal US withdrawal from the INF treaty with Russia, NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference there would be "no rash moves" by the alliance.
"We don't want a new arms race," Mr Stoltenberg said.
NATO says "Russia bears sole responsibility" for the end of the treaty. "There are no new U.S. missiles, no new NATO missiles in Europe, but there are more and more new Russian missiles," said Mr Stoltenberg.
