Trump at CPAC live: Latest updates as ex-president to give speech

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is expected to ask President Joe Biden to consider sharing some of the US coronavirus vaccine supply with its southern neighbor when the two leaders meet at a virtual summit on Monday, Reuters has reported.

Citing US and Mexican officials, the press agency said Mr Lopez Obrador would ask for a loan of the US vaccine supplies, which would be paid back when vaccines Mexico has ordered are delivered later in the year.

Mr Biden is said to be open to discussing the possibility as part of a broader effort to address the global spread of Covid-19, Reuters reported, citing a White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

In addition to discussing the pandemic, leaders are also expected to talk about immigration, along with law enforcement cooperation and economic development during the virtual summit.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki will be speaking on CNN and Fox News shortly.

“Nothing like joining @FoxNewsSunday and @CNNSotu to wake you up on a busy and newsy Sunday morning. See you soon,” the press secretary said in a tweet.

Her appearances will come as former President Donald Trump prepares to take the stage at CPAC later today, with the ex-leader expected to take aim at President Joe Biden’s efforts to undo his hardline immigration policies.

It is unclear if Ms Psaki will say anything about Mr Trump’s planned appearance, particularly given that the press secretary has already made clear that the White House will not be focused on whatever the former president has to say.

“Our focus is certainly not on what President Trump is saying” Ms Psaki told reporters ahead of the weekend’s events.

Bob Shrum, a former Democratic strategist and director of the Center for Political Future at University of Southern California, told Reuters he approved of the approach.

“Biden is obeying an old political rule, which is ‘Never get in the way of a train wreck’,” Mr Shrum said.

With Mr Biden’s approval ratings remaining above 55% in Gallup polls since he took office in January, Mr Shrum said: “Why should somebody with a 60 percent approval rating be fighting with someone with a 33 percent approval rating?”

“It just doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

Vegas is betting on whether former President Donald Trump will announce a 2024 election bid during his speech at CPAC today, according to Fortune.

Mr Trump is expected to use his time on stage to talk about the future of the Republican Party, in addition to weighing in on President Joe Biden’s efforts to undo his hardline immigration policies.

However, it is unclear whether the former president will offer any news on his own future plans, including whether he hopes to make a second run for the Oval Office in 2024.

As of Friday morning, betting odds in Vegas were in favour of Trump being more likely than not to declare himself as the Republican nomination for President in the 2024 race.

“The betting markets seem confident that Trump will declare his candidacy during his speech, but not so much that he’ll be doing so as a member of a party that isn’t the GOP,” a US-Bookies spokesperson told Fortune at the time.

“The odds of Trump running in 2024 and not representing the Republican party are 4 to 1, which equates to just a 20% chance,” they added.

President Joe Biden and lawmakers are reportedly working on a broader economic package that will look beyond the $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill in an effort to provide a boost to the country’s roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

According to the Associated Press, Biden and his team have already started discussing what the infrastructure package could look like with members of Congress, with Texas’ recent difficulties with power outages and water shortages following a brutal storm sparking further discussion around the need for infrastructure spending. Gina McCarthy, Biden’s national climate…