CNN paused for devastating breaking news in horrific blow to Donald Trump

In a stunning development that has sent shockwaves through Washington and the Trump political orbit,CNN interrupted its regular programming to air a scathing montage highlighting unfulfilled trade promises made by Donald Trump's Commerce Secretary.

The montage, released late Monday evening, compiled repeated assurances by Howard Lutnick, a close Trump ally and a key architect of the Trump administration's economic agenda, claiming that significant trade deals were imminent. Trump once hailed him as a "brilliant negotiator" but has now been exposed for making bold claims that, according to critics, were rooted in smoke and mirrors.

Lutnick can be seen in a series of interviews and public appearances spanning several years, confidently declaring that new trade agreements would be finalised "very soon."

The visuals were striking: side-by-side clips showed Lutnick promising that trade deals were in their final stages, while official documents and expert analyses indicated that negotiations had either stalled or had never truly begun. CNN host Abby Phillip laughed at the montage and remarked: "Only four trade agreements have been announced."

This comes after President Donald Trump threatened on July 12 to impose a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union starting on August 1. This threat followed weeks of failed negotiations with major U.S. trading partners to reach a comprehensive trade deal. Lutnick referred to this as a hard deadline, stating, "Nothing stops countries from talking to us after August 1, but they will start paying the tariffs on that date."

Lutnick said that was a hard deadline."Nothing stops countries from talking to us after August 1, but they're going to start paying the tariffs on August 1," he said on CBS.

Trump announced the tariffs in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He sent letters to other trading partners, including Mexico, Canada, Japan and Brazil, setting blanket tariff rates ranging from 20% to 50%, as well as a 50% tariff on copper.

Lutnick also said he expected Trump to renegotiate the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), signed during Trump's first term in the White House, from 2017 to 2021.

Barring any significant changes, USMCA-compliant goods from Mexico and Canada are exempt from tariffs.

"I think the president is going to renegotiate USMCA, but that's a year from today," Lutnick said.