President Donald Trump meets with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House.
During remarks President Trump notes a phone call with Mexico’s winning presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador; and ongoing interviews/discussions with possible Supreme Court nominees.  [Four SCOTUS nominees were interviewed today and three or four more will come in the next few days.]
On the trade front President Trump notes the ongoing issues with the WTO (World Trading Organization), and a possible confrontation looming over structural changes needed to reset global trade disparities and establish open markets.

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Sarah Huckabee Sanders conducts the White House Press Briefing for Monday July 2nd, 2018.  Anticipated Start time 4:00pm EDT.
UPDATE: Video Added

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Mexico’s president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador “AMLO” easily won yesterday’s election with 54% of the vote; the highest vote total in three decades.  In addition his MORENA party won an absolute majority in both the Mexican Senate (38% +/-) and the Chamber of Deputies (38% +/-).

The multinational financial community is in the process of evaluating how the nationalist win will impact all prior investing.  One of the key issues is NAFTA.  Multinational corporations have poured billions into Mexico as a structural method to utilize the trade deal to gain access to the U.S. market.
Despite his campaign position, AMLO is now affirming a positive intention to renegotiate NAFTA; however, he is speaking from both sides of the current issue.  Example:

[Today] Lopez Obrador said he supports reaching a deal on renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement with the United States and Canada.
[…]  Lopez Obrador said he will propose that his own team of experts be included in the talks. The winning candidate said he will make that proposal in a meeting Tuesday with current President Enrique Pena Nieto.

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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Sarah H Sanders Twitter @SHSanders45

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

The official announcement is coming momentarily.  All other candidates have conceded.  Looks like Andrés Manuel López Obrador, an avowed soft-Marxist, will EASILY end up with 53 to 59% of the vote and is the next President of Mexico:
Primary platform points:  ♦Amnesty to all drug cartels.  ♦No longer will work with U.S. immigration enforcement.  ♦Nationalize oil industry.  ♦Farm subsidies. ♦Elimination of multinational corporate influence on farming.  ♦Support and assistance for economic growth plan: using •mass migration of Mexican nationals into Southern U.S., •create AmeriMex border region, and •remittance of earnings back to Mexico as initiative for rapid domestic economic growth.
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Earlier today in response to questioning about the current Democrat platform to abolish ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), President Trump said he hoped his political opposition would run on that issue because they are out of touch with the American voter.
A Harvard Harris poll (full pdf below) shows President Trump’s instincts are spot-on.  1,448 polled voters. [Poll ideology: Democrat 37%, Republican 32%, Independent 29%]

An overwhelming majority of American registered voters, 70 percent, support tougher immigration enforcement to include a border wall (60% support), deportation (64% support), and repatriation of all illegal border crossers including families with Children (61% support). Additionally 69% of voters do not support the position of disbanding I.C.E.
♦ Page #67 – Do you think current border security is adequate or inadequate? 61% Inadequate / 39% Adequate
♦ Page #69 – Do you support or oppose building a combination of physical and electronic barriers across the U.S.-Mexico border?  60% Support / 40% Oppose
♦ Page #72 – Do you think that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, known as ICE, should be disbanded or not?   31% Disbanded / 69% Not Disbanded
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On Tuesday June 12th, 2018, South Carolina MAGA congressional candidate Katie Arrington defeated incumbent Mark Sanford.  On Friday night June 22nd, Mrs Arrington survived a deadly head-on collision in her vehicle; sustaining serious injuries and requiring multiple surgeries.  Today, Katie Arrington sends thanks and prayers from her hospital recovery room.

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White House national security adviser John Bolton appears on Face The Nation with Margaret Brennan to discuss North Korea and Russia.  Within the interview Bolton says the U.S. could dismantle North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs within a year if the North Koreans committed to scrapping their arsenal in accordance with the agreement reached in Singapore last month.

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Maria Bartiromo continues to distance herself from all Sunday talk-show competition with some of the best and most insightful interviews and topics available.  Today Mrs. Bartiromo interviews President Donald Trump.  The substantive content is excellent.
From a position of understanding Trump policy, and expanding/predicting how each policy will carry forward, this really is one of the best interviews to date.  Bartiromo hits on most topics of interest and expands on the topics of greatest consequence.  Anyone who seeks to understand where the administration is going with economics and trade only needs to keep revisiting this one interview – it’s all there.
Domestic discussion includes the Supreme Court, trade and tariffs, immigration, border security, ICE, mid-term election, taxes, jobs and the ongoing battle between congress and the DOJ/FBI.  Foreign discussion includes trade and geopolitics with Canada, China, the EU, North Korea, Iran and the upcoming summit with Russia.  The intersection of economics and geopolitics via the Trump Doctrine is clear as day.

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[There was a time, not too long ago, when Bartiromo didn’t *get* the Trump doctrine and how economic leverage is used to achieve strategic geopolitical benefits; ultimately ending with massive wins for America.  You can tell she understands the strategy now.]
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