Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed

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Trump's new hurdles

President Trump's global dealmaking blitz is facing new obstacles, with early optimism eclipsed by broken ceasefires, pissed-off allies and thinning patience at home and abroad, Axios' Zachary Basu and Dave Lawler write.

• Why it matters: Ten weeks isn't a long time in foreign policy. But it was Trump who promised instant results.

Zoom in: Nothing has redefined America's relationship with the world like Trump's plans for sweeping tariffs, which will be announced tomorrow with Rose Garden fanfare on what he calls "Liberation Day."

• Leaders all over the world are seeking last-minute deals to avoid tariffs, while lamenting that Trump hasn't actually made clear what they could do to placate him.
• So instead, they're vowing retaliation — setting the stage for a massive global trade war that could plunge the U.S. and other countries into a recession.

?️ The big picture: Today is just Day 72 of Trump's term. He's scored early victories in getting Latin American countries to cooperate on deportation flights, including a high-profile prison deal with El Salvador.

• And he may still clinch peace pacts for Ukraine and Gaza, or win major concessions on trade from China or the EU.

But on five fronts, Trump's ambitions for big international deals are hitting early hurdles:

?? 1. On Ukraine, Trump campaigned on securing a deal to end the fighting within 24 hours — though now he claims that promise was "a little bit sarcastic."

• Trump did get Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table, and to agree to stop bombing each other's energy infrastructure. But Russian President Vladimir Putin has cast doubt on the possibility of a peace deal any time soon.

?? 2. On Gaza, Trump helped deliver a breakthrough before even taking office when his team worked with the outgoing Biden administration to secure a ceasefire.

• That truce is now over. Israel announced yesterday it'll massively expand its renewed ground operation in Gaza.

?? 3. On Iran, Trump issued an ultimatum demanding Tehran agree to a new nuclear deal within two months or face potential military strikes. That's led to further threats from both sides.

• Iranian leaders have rejected the idea of direct negotiations with the Trump administration, but left open the possibility of indirect talks.
• "If they don't make a deal, there will be bombing," Trump told NBC on Sunday.

?? 4. On Greenland, Trump continues to insist that the U.S. "needs" to obtain the autonomous Danish territory, perhaps by military force.

• Vice President Vance laid out one path to a deal last week: Greenland votes for independence from Denmark, then signs a security pact with the U.S.
• The island's new prime minister announced a new coalition last week in part to unite against U.S. pressure.

? 5. On tariffs, it's unclear if Trump is actually using them as leverage to cut deals, as Wall Street once assumed, or if he wants the levies in place long-term.

? White House assistant press secretary Liz Huston said: "President Trump is the master dealmaker, and in just two months, he has made more progress than Joe Biden did in years. Since President Trump's return to office, foreign leaders have flocked to the White House, announcing historic investments and restoring America's dominance on the world stage."

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? MAGA media targets global "deep state"

Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios

Trump's online chorus is railing against an international "deep state" following a series of setbacks for overseas allies of President Trump, Axios MAGA media expert Tal Axelrod writes. Why it matters: Trump's loyal movement has sought to steadily expand its influence abroad, allying itself with right-wing parties and leaders in Europe, Latin America and Asia. Now, they're denouncing legal challenges faced by some of those allies and are egged on by a leader in the White House eager to intervene in other countries' affairs to enforce his worldview. ? Zoom in: Marine Le Pen, the leader of a far-right French party, was convicted of embezzling European Parliament funds yesterday and deemed ineligible to stand in French elections for the next five years. Trump called the verdict a "very big deal." "She was banned for running for five years, and she's the leading candidate. That sounds like this country," he added. Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is being prosecuted for allegedly staging a failed coup after losing reelection in 2022. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fending off corruption allegations. Between the lines: The MAGAverse draws parallels between those cases and the criminal prosecutions of Trump before his return to office. At the same time, prominent Trump allies in the media are using the foreign case to attack U.S. judges for blocking Trump's executive orders. ?️ What they're saying: "They'll do anything to stop a nationalist-populist movement of Europe," well-connected podcaster Charlie Kirk said yesterday, while raising the prospect that Trump could tariff France over the ruling. Steve Bannon, a top adviser in Trump's first term, said on his "War Room" podcast: "This is exactly what Trump is facing here in the United States with these judges, with these radical judges."

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Yemen group chat

The White House has closed its investigation into top national security officials who discussed a US military attack on Houthis in Yemen in a group chat on Signal — a conversation that inadvertently included a journalist. On Monday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to say what steps had been taken, but it appears none of the officials — including national security adviser Mike Waltz and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — will be removed from their positions. Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, who was the journalist on the chat, described the situation as a massive breach of national security. “If this happened six months ago, and it was Tony Blinken, the former secretary of state, and [former national security adviser] Jake Sullivan, and [former Vice President] Kamala Harris talking about an imminent strike on some location in the Middle East, I don’t think that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump would be dismissing it out of hand."

 

Trump deportations

The Trump administration has admitted that it mistakenly deported a Maryland man and flew him to El Salvador, where he is currently housed in a notorious mega-prison. An immigration judge granted Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia protected status in 2019 after he fled gang violence in El Salvador. In a court filing that was first reported Monday in The Atlantic, the administration said Abrego Garcia was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in mid-March due to his prominent role in MS-13. His attorneys say he has never been a member nor has any ties to the gang. The court filing also noted that ICE “was aware of his protection from removal to El Salvador” and that his deportation was due to “an administrative error.” Now that Abrego Garcia is in Salvadoran custody, the administration says it can’t get him back.

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Secret Svengali Behind Trump’s Most Bizarre Pardon Yet Revealed

Trump’s clemency for fallen Ozy Media CEO Carlos Watson was baffling. Now the full story can be told—involving Kim Kardashian and a prison reformer.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/secret-svengali-behind-trumps-most-bizarre-pardon-of-ozy-medias-carlos-watson-yet-revealed/?

CNN Host Cuts Off Election Denier: ‘We Are Not Doing That’

MAGA panelist claims victory in 2028 would be Donald Trump’s fourth, because 2020 election was “stolen.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/cnn-host-cuts-off-election-denier-we-are-not-doing-that/?

ps:These people are unreal!!!!!

Europe warns Trump: We have ‘a strong plan’ for retaliation against tariffs

Europe has “a strong plan” for striking back at the United States in response to Donald Trump’s tariff hikes “if necessary,” a top official said Tuesday on the eve of a long-anticipated announcement of massive import levies by the US president.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/01/business/europe-retaliation-plan-us-tariffs-intl?

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Trump task force to review Harvard’s funding after Columbia bows to federal demands Harvard University has become the latest target in the Trump administration’s approach to fighting campus antisemitism, with the announcement of a “comprehensive review” that could jeopardize billions of dollars for the Ivy League college. Read more.

Why this matters: A federal antisemitism task force is reviewing more than $255 million in contracts between Harvard and the federal government to make sure the school is following civil rights laws, the administration announced Monday. The government also will examine $8.7 billion in grant commitments to Harvard and its affiliates.   Dozens of other universities have been put on notice by the Trump administration that they could face similar treatment over allegations of antisemitism. The federal government is a major provider of revenue for American universities through grants for scientific research.   Instead of going through a lengthy process that allows the Education Department to cut funding from schools that violate civil rights laws, the Trump administration has found quick leverage by pulling contracts and grants. The tactic is being challenged in a federal lawsuit brought by the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ ICE says a University of Minnesota student’s visa was revoked for drunk driving, not protests   Trump administration says it deported 17 more ‘violent criminals’ to El Salvador   Judge pauses Trump administration plans to end temporary legal protections for Venezuelans   Alabama can’t prosecute groups who help women travel to get an abortion, federal judge says   Trump pardons Navy veteran convicted in Capitol riot   Trump welcomes Kid Rock to White House for executive order targeting ticket scalpers   Trump’s nominee to be the next Joint Chiefs chairman will face senators’ questions   Nonprofit groups sue Trump administration over election executive order, calling it unconstitutional   Hegseth orders fitness standards to be gender neutral for combat jobs. Many already are   EPA chief Zeldin says he is closing the agency’s one-room museum, saving taxpayers $600,000 a year   US sanctions 6 officials over erosion of Hong Kong autonomy. China threatens to counter   Trump has dubbed April 2 ‘Liberation Day’ for tariffs. Here’s what to expect   A Senate vote to reverse Trump’s tariffs on Canada is testing Republican support   Louisiana voters reject constitutional amendments championed by Republican governor   The key places to watch in Tuesday’s elections in Wisconsin and Florida

 

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White House abruptly fires career Justice Department prosecutors in latest norm-shattering move The firings of career Justice Department lawyers by the White House is a sign of President Donald Trump’s tightening grip over the law enforcement agency known for its long tradition of political independence. Read more.

Why this matters: The terminations marked an escalation of norm-shattering moves that have caused turmoil at the Justice Department and raised alarm over a disregard for civil service protections for career lawyers and the erosion of the agency’s independence from the White House. There are questions about how outside influences may be helping to shape government personnel decisions.   A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment Monday. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that the White House “in coordination with” the Justice Department has dismissed more than 50 U.S. attorneys and deputies in recent weeks.   Adam Schleifer, who was part of the corporate and securities fraud strike force at the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles, received an email Friday saying he was being terminated “on behalf of President Donald J. Trump,” according to the person familiar with the matter. The email came an hour after right-wing activist Laura Loomer called for him to be fired in a social media post that highlighted Schleifer’s past critical comments about Trump.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Defense Department to offer new round of voluntary resignations, retirements. There are few details   Layoffs begin at the nation's health agencies   All Institute of Museum and Library Services employees have been placed on administrative leave

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Inside ICE Air: Flight Attendants on Deportation Planes Say Disaster Is “Only a Matter of Time”

The deportation flight was in the air over Mexico when chaos erupted in the back of the plane, the flight attendant recalled. A little girl had collapsed. She had a high fever and was taking ragged, frantic breaths.

https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-ice-air-deportation-flights?

‘It’s a bloodbath’: Massive wave of job cuts underway at US health agencies

A massive wave of job cuts got underway at US health agencies Tuesday, with some employees receiving early-morning emails saying their jobs were eliminated and some unable to access the building when they arrived at work.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/01/health/staff-cuts-at-federal-health-agencies-have-begun?

ps:How much more damage can this administration do??

Trump budget cuts canceled 20 truckloads of food for Cleveland food bank

The Greater Cleveland Food Bank said it was expecting 500,000 pounds of food between April and July 2025.

Claim:

Budget cuts by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration caused cancellations of 20 truckloads of food while en route to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.

Rating: Mostly True

Context

The Greater Cleveland Food Bank confirmed 20 truckloads of future food deliveries were canceled. The trucks were not en route with the supplies and the food will remain with the producers.

23 states, DC sue Trump administration over billions in lost public health funding

Democratic attorneys general and governors in 23 states and Washington, DC, have filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Health and Human Services and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., alleging that the department’s sudden rollback of $12 billion in public health funding was unlawful and harmful.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/01/health/public-health-funding-states-sue-hhs-rfk/index.html?

Trump administration sued over decision to rescind billions in health funding

Attorneys general from 23 states sued the Trump administration on Tuesday over its decision to cut $11 billion in federal funds that go toward COVID-19 initiatives and various public health projects across the country. Read More.   ICE admits 'administrative error' in deporting Maryland man to El Salvador President Donald Trump‘s administration has acknowledged mistakenly deporting a Maryland man with protected legal status to a notorious El Salvador prison but is arguing against returning him to federal custody in the United States because of alleged gang ties. Read More.   FDA's top tobacco official is removed from post in latest blow to health agency's leadership The Food and Drug Administration’s chief tobacco regulator has been removed from his post as part of sweeping cuts to the federal health workforce on Tuesday, the latest in a series of actions that have cleared out many of the nation’s top experts overseeing food, drugs, vaccines and tobacco products. Read More.

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Waltz used Gmail for official work

National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and other senior officials used personal Gmail accounts for some government business, The Washington Post reports (gift link).

• National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said: "Waltz didn't and wouldn't send classified information on an open account."

Why it matters: The administration's handling of sensitive information is already under scrutiny. Gmail is even less secure than Signal.

? Waltz used Gmail for things like his calendar and unclassified work documents, The Post reports.

• Those materials aren't as sensitive as the attack plans at issue in Waltz's now-infamous Signal thread. But experts told the Post they still should be somewhere more secure than personal email.
• Another senior national security aide used Gmail for "highly technical conversations with colleagues at other government agencies involving sensitive military positions and powerful weapons systems relating to an ongoing conflict," The Post said.

? The NSC spokesperson told The Post that Waltz copies his official email when pre-existing contacts send work-related items to his Gmail, to ensure compliance with federal records laws.

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? Rogan warns of "horrific" deportations

Suspected gang members deported by the U.S. are inspected at El Salvador's megaprison. Photo: El Salvador Presidential Press Office via Getty Images Joe Rogan, the podcaster MAGAworld can't ignore, warned his listeners about "people who are not criminals ... getting lassoed up and deported and sent to El Salvador prisons." Why it matters: As the Trump administration "has rushed to carry out deportations as quickly as possible, making mistakes and raising concerns about due process along the way, the [right's] unified front in favor of President Trump's immigration purge is beginning to crack," the N.Y. Times notes (gift link). Case in point: A Salvadorian national living in Maryland legally was wrongly deported to El Salvador, the Department of Justice has admitted in court papers, Axios' Russell Contreras reports. The erroneous deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia was first reported by The Atlantic. He hasn't been convicted of gang-related crimes. Vice President Vance tweeted that a court document shows Abrego Garcia is "a convicted MS-13 gang member with no legal right to be here." Keep reading. Lead story of today's Washington Post ... Illustration: Anuj Shrestha for The New Yorker Rogan calls this case "horrific": Jonathan Blitzer, a staff writer for The New Yorker who has reported extensively on immigration, dives into the ordeal of Andry José Hernández Romero, "The Makeup Artist Donald Trump Deported [to El Salvador] Under the Alien Enemies Act." Blitzer draws on interviews with Andry's American attorneys, his mother, and members of his home community in Venezuela, where he had been a cherished part of the local theatre scene and, as one resident notes, a "great talent of our town." "There was something painfully desperate in their insistence," Blitzer writes, "as if seeing images of Andry for myself would help correct an otherwise stunning cultural misunderstanding." "One key misunderstanding seems to center on tattoos — the kinds that Andry, and many of the other deportees, have." Full story ... Newsletter précis.

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⚡ White House's RFK frustration

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

The White House is so frustrated by the lack of clear and fast communications by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s agency that it has set up a parallel press shop, Axios' Marc Caputo and Brittany Gibson report. Why it matters: The dysfunction at HHS has crucial political and policy ramifications. The department oversees disease response, so public communication is at a premium. The problem surfaced in February, after it took two days for HHS to acknowledge — by tweet — that a West Texas child had become the first person to die in the measles outbreak. "The White House was like: 'Where the f**k is the statement?'" said a White House official who was involved in the measles response. "CNN was blaring this chyron about how Kennedy was silent, and there was just nothing from the department because of Stefanie." White House officials blamed Stefanie Spear, a Kennedy adviser for more than a decade who RFK Jr. has empowered as his deputy chief of staff and gatekeeper. ? Zoom in: Since the measles debacle, the White House communications team has handled more press relations on behalf of HHS than any other department, and often has acted as a contact between reporters and the agency. "This shouldn't be the White House's job, but here we are," a White House adviser said. Spear was unreachable by reporters last Friday after top vaccine regulator Peter Marks resigned and blasted Kennedy in a scathing resignation letter. The White House was left to approve the department's response, the adviser said. Pharmaceutical stocks plummeted as the industry grappled with Marks' departure. Keep reading.

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?? Trump considering indirect Iran talks

The White House is seriously considering an Iranian proposal for indirect nuclear talks, while at the same time significantly boosting U.S. forces in the Middle East in case President Trump opts for military strikes, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.

• Why it matters: Trump has repeatedly said he'd prefer a deal, but warned that without one, "there will be bombing."

His timeline is tight: Trump gave Iran a two-month deadline to reach a deal, but it's not clear if and when that clock started ticking.

• The White House is still engaged in an internal debate between those who think a deal is achievable and those who see talks as a waste of time and instead back strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.
• In the meantime, the Pentagon is engaged in a massive buildup of forces in the Middle East. If Trump decides the time is up, he will have a loaded gun at the ready.

? Behind the scenes: Over the weekend, Trump received Iran's formal response to the letter he sent Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei three weeks ago, a U.S. official said.

 

?? Canadian snowbirds sell U.S. homes

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Some Canadians are ditching their winter homes in the U.S. as tensions between the two countries simmer, Axios' Sami Sparber writes. Why it matters: President Trump's tariffs and taunts may be the last straw for snowbirds who are already finding it more expensive to live south of the border, real estate agents say. The big picture: America's northern neighbors make up 11% of foreign homebuyers on average over the past decade, according to National Association of Realtors data shared with Axios. Florida attracts the most Canadian buyers, followed by Arizona and California. Keep reading. Tariffs President Trump’s much-hyped “Liberation Day” has arrived, and with it, the expected revelation of his latest tariff plans. Under his “America First” doctrine, Trump has announced 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports and a 25% tariff on foreign cars, which is set to go into effect on Thursday. A 25% tariff on foreign auto parts is scheduled to begin in early May. He’s also levied an additional 20% tariff on Chinese goods and threatened to issue 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico. In a possible escalation of the trade war, these countries, along with the EU, Japan and South Korea, have begun preparing retaliatory plans. The current and proposed tariffs have already diminished much of the goodwill the US had with its neighbors. Canadian citizens have responded to Trump’s tariff threats — and his suggestion that Canada should become America’s 51st state — by canceling travel to the US, ditching American-made products and booing the national anthem at basketball and hockey games.

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Federal layoffs

The Trump administration initiated another wave of drastic workforce reductions on Tuesday, this time focusing on employees at US health agencies. Although the exact number of layoffs was not released, one FDA employee called it a “bloodbath.” Broad cuts were enacted at CDC divisions working on chronic illness, workplace health and safety, HIV, injury prevention, reproductive health, smoking and violence prevention. At the FDA, the entire staff of the press office as well as employees working in the Office of New Drugs, the Office of Policy & International Engagement and the Office of Regulatory Programs were put on leave. Everyone at the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides millions of poor and working-class Americans with assistance for their heating and cooling bills, was terminated. Layoffs also hit the entire staff at the HHS Administration for Children and Families, a division that provides support for child care, family violence prevention, refugee resettlement and Head Start programs.

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Trump’s Joint Chiefs Pick Throws President Under Bus in Confirmation Hearing

Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine says he was not wearing a MAGA hat when the president met him in Iraq, as Trump had claimed.

President Donald Trump’s pick to be chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff refused to lie for the president and instead threw his prospective boss under the bus at a confirmation hearing.

Retired Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine told a Senate committee on Tuesday morning he was not wearing a red MAGA hat when he first met Trump in Iraq in 2018—despite the president claiming he was.

“For 34 years, I’ve upheld my oath of office and my commitment to my commission,” Caine told Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican, according to Politico. “And I have never worn any political merchandise.”

That explanation, if true, would mean the president’s assertion—that Caine told him he loves him and that he would “kill for you, sir”—before slapping on a MAGA cap, is a bunch of bull.

Instead, the president’s Joint Chiefs pick told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he suspects Trump did have that interaction that day, but it was with someone else at Al Asad air base.

“I went back and listened to those tapes, and I think the president was actually talking about somebody else,” Caine said. “And I’ve never worn any political merchandise or said anything to that effect.”

That is not how Trump remembers the meeting.

The president told the Conservative Political Action Conference last year that it was Caine who donned a MAGA hat when they met—as did hordes of other U.S. troops he met shortly after in an aircraft hanger.

“Then he puts on a Make America Great Again hat,” Trump recalled of Caine during their 2018 meeting. “You’re not allowed to do that, but they did. I remember, I went into the hangar and there were a lot—there were hundreds of troops. And they’re not supposed to do this, but they all put on the Make America Great Again hat.”

Service members are bound by the U.S. Constitution to remain nonpolitical, which includes a strict ban on them wearing apparel that supports one party or the other.

Sen. Wicker, whose question elicited Caine’s contradiction to the president, said he still feels Caine can advise the president “without bias” in his new role.

Caine was picked by Trump to replace Charles “CQ” Brown Jr., who the president canned on Feb. 22 as part of a larger military purge Politico described as “unprecedented.” Also axed then was Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti, Air Force Vice Chief Gen. James Slife, and the top lawyers in the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously called for Brown’s firing over his promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in the military.

Brown, 63, was promoted to be a four-star general in 2018, during Trump’s first term. He is the son of a 30-year Army veteran who retired a colonel, and is the grandson of a World War II veteran who served in the Pacific Theater.

Trump did not badmouth Brown after his firing, as he did for other perceived foes he had axed after returning to office.

“I want to thank General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-joint-chiefs-pick-dan-caine-calls-him-a-liar-at-confirmation-hearing/?

ps:He better watch his step, he get into the same boat as Comey did!!!!!

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Not today, Elon. The world’s richest man’s plan to buy a judgeship fell flat on its face after Susan Crawford won yesterday’s state Supreme Court elections in Wisconsin. Crawford defeated MAGA-favorite Brad Schimel even though he received a $20 million check from Elon Musk.

Musk could be headed for a Washington exit after turbulent times at Trump's DOGE

Elon Musk and President Donald Trump have recently suggested that the billionaire entrepreneur's time in the administration might be running out. DOGE, the government cost-cutting organization run by Musk, was never supposed to become a permanent fixture in Washington, but it could be reaching a conclusion faster than anticipated. Read More.

Live updates: Trump set to announce new tariffs

President Donald Trump is set to announce a barrage of self-described “reciprocal” tariffs on friend and foe alike. The new tariffs are a bid to boost U.S. manufacturing and punish other countries for what Trump has said are years of unfair trade practices. But by most economists’ assessments, the risky move threatens to plunge the economy into a downturn. Read More.   Mass layoffs rattle Head Start leaders already on edge over funding problems President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday laid off scores of Health and Human Services employees, including many who ran the Head Start early education program. Preschool operators say they have received no communication from the Office of Head Start. Read More. ps:I thank God for Headstart! It really was a lifesaver for us!! This administration has no glue of what they're doing!!!

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Trump just massively escalated his trade war. Here’s what he announced

President Donald Trump is stepping up his massive global trade war, a move that’s certain to weigh on Americans’ wallets and could push the US economy into a painful recession.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/02/business/liberation-day-trump-tariffs/index.html?

Trump unveils sweeping tariffs

President Trump this afternoon announced a baseline 10% tariff on U.S. imports, with even higher levies on goods from many of America's biggest trading partners.

• It's the end of the free-trade era that has defined global commerce for decades — a move that risks higher consumer prices and economic damage, Axios Macro co-author Courtenay Brown writes.

? By the numbers: The reciprocal tariffs hit dozens of nations, including some of the country's largest trading partners.

• Imports from the EU, Japan and South Korea will be subject to tariffs of 20% or higher.
• Imports from Vietnam are subject to a tariff rate of 46%. Taiwanese imports will face 32% tariffs.

? Trump called his announcement "our declaration of economic independence":

• "April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America's destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to make America wealthy again — gonna make it wealthy, good and wealthy."

? "For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike," Trump continued. "American steelworkers, autoworkers, farmers and skilled craftsmen — we have a lot of 'em here with us today — they really suffered gravely."

• "They watched in anguish as foreign leaders have stolen our jobs, foreign cheaters have ransacked our factories, and foreign scavengers have torn apart our once-beautiful American dream."

Trump defined "reciprocal" as: "They do it to us, and we do it to them. Very simple — can't get any simpler than that."

• See the tariff table.

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Auto tariffs

President Trump’s new auto tariffs went into effect at 12:01 a.m., which means a 25% tariff on all cars shipped to the US. The Trump administration also plans to roll out a 25% tariff on imports of auto parts no later than May 3. Mexico, Canada, South Korea, Japan and Germany will be the countries most affected by these tariffs. However, since domestic vehicles contain imported parts, it will also cost more to build cars in the US. What does that mean for car buyers? Fewer cars to choose from and higher prices. Used vehicle prices will also climb. While some US automakers may offer temporary discounts to woo consumers to buy American, industry analysts say the tariffs on imported car parts could increase the price of cars made in the US by anywhere from $4,000 to $12,000. 

How are the tariffs changing your spending decisions and saving habits? Tell us about it.

ps:You think cars prices are out of sight now? Well wait a couple of weeks or maybe just days!!!!!

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Trump announces sweeping new tariffs to promote US manufacturing, risking inflation and trade wars President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced far-reaching new tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners that threaten to dismantle much of the architecture of the global economy and trigger broader trade wars. Read more.

Why this matters: Trump said he was placing elevated tariff rates on dozens of nations that run trade surpluses with the United States, while imposing a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries in response to what he called an economic emergency. The 10% rate will be collected starting Saturday, and the higher rates will be collected beginning April 9.   Trump was fulfilling a key campaign promise as he imposed what he called “reciprocal” tariffs on trade partners, acting without Congress under the 1977 International Emergency Powers Act. But his action Wednesday could jeopardize Trump’s voter mandate in last year’s election to combat inflation. Several Republican senators, particularly from farm and border states, have questioned the wisdom of the tariffs. U.S. stock market futures sold off sharply overnight in anticipation of the economy weakening, after having already dropped since the start of this year.   Longtime trading partners are preparing their own countermeasures.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Senate rebukes Trump’s tariffs as some Republicans vote to halt taxes on Canadian imports   Trump’s changes to the federal government aren’t yet a clear political winner or loser: AP-NORC poll   Social Security’s acting leader faces calls to resign over decision to cut Maine contracts   Judge who ordered fired federal workers to be reinstated now says ruling applies to 19 states and DC   Supreme Court appears divided over whether states can cut off Planned Parenthood funding   Truck driver can seek triple damages in lawsuit over THC content in CBD product, Supreme Court says   Man who had gun and knife will plead guilty to trying to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh   Amazon’s last-minute bid for TikTok comes as a US ban on the platform is set to take effect Saturday   Tesla sales tumble 13% as Musk backlash, competition and aging lineup turn off buyers   Scientists sue NIH, saying politics cut their research funding   Health department layoffs mean that data on drug use and mental health could sit unused   Law firms fear Trump orders could affect security clearances of lawyers who are military reservists   Michigan’s top court says police can’t search cars solely because of marijuana odor   North Dakota voters banned lawmakers from seeking term limit changes. They did it anyway   Georgia lawmakers pass religious freedom bill despite discrimination concerns   Maryland lawmakers approve measure to study reparations for slavery   NYC Mayor Eric Adams will skip Democratic primary and run for reelection as an independent

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A look at the people ensnared in Trump’s campaign against pro-Palestinian activism at US colleges Since President Donald Trump took office, the U.S. government has used its immigration enforcement powers to crack down on international students and scholars at several American universities who had participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations or criticized Israel over its military action in Gaza. Many protesters have said they were speaking out against Israel’s actions in the war. Read more.

What to know: Trump’s administration has cited a seldom-invoked statute authorizing the secretary of state to expel noncitizens from the country if their presence was a threat to U.S. foreign policy interests. Some people been taken into custody or deported. Others fled the U.S. after learning their visas had been revoked.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Ex-Costa Rica president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias says US revoked his visa   US revokes visas of Mexican band members after cartel leader’s face was projected at a concert   Immigration officials raid Washington state roofing company and arrest over 3 dozen people

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Trump Just Pardoned … a Corporation?

In what may be an American first, President Donald Trump pardoned a company sentenced to $100 million in fines for breaking money laundering laws.

https://theintercept.com/2025/04/02/trump-pardons-corporation-bitmex-crypto/?

This Is Not About Antisemitism, Palestine, or Columbia. It’s Trump Dismantling the American Dream.

I accompanied one of the students who fled Trump’s crackdown. It gave me clarity on what’s at stake.

https://theintercept.com/2025/04/01/trump-ice-deport-students-immigrants-american-dream/?

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Car Plant Workers Are Liberated From Their Jobs by Trump’s Tariffs

Hundreds of Americans will lose their jobs after the levy on imported vehicles took effect Thursday.

Stellantis NV announced Thursday that it will lay off 900 workers in the United States following President Donald Trump’s tariffs announcement Wednesday. The automaker—formerly Fiat Chrysler Automobiles—will also temporarily pause production at two assembly plants in Canada and Mexico.

The announcement comes after Trump’s massive “Liberation Day” tariffs, which include 25 percent tariffs on imported vehicles. 46 percent of vehicles sold in the U.S. last year were imported, S&P Global Mobility reported.

Trump admitted Sunday that Americans might experience “short-term” pain from these tariffs. But some Wall Street investors and analysts say that these tariffs could plunge the auto industry into a full-on recession.

Bernstein analyst Daniel Roeska said that the tariffs could have a “chilling effect” on automakers.

“[Stellantis] has decided to take some immediate actions, including temporarily pausing production at some of our Canadian and Mexican assembly plants,” Antonio Filosa, Stellantis’ chief operating officer for the Americas, said in a letter to employees Thursday morning.

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union joined Trump’s Rose Garden “Liberation Day” ceremony on Wednesday.

“They really suffered gravely,” Trump said with UAW members present. “They watched in anguish as foreign leaders have stolen our jobs, foreign cheaters have ransacked our factories and foreign scavengers have torn apart our once beautiful American dream.”

UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement Thursday that “Stellantis continues to play games with workers’ lives.”

“As we’ve shown time and again, they’ve got the money, the capacity, the product, and the workforce to employ thousands more UAW members in Michigan, Indiana, and beyond,” he said. “These layoffs are a completely unnecessary choice that the company is making.”

Stellantis laid off many of its workers in a series of widely criticized job cuts last year, but the UAW said that these layoffs “could be undone” and the jobs brought back with “well-designed auto tariffs.”

On Sunday, Fain praised Trump, telling CBS that “tariffs are a tool in the toolbox to get these companies to do the right thing, and the intent behind it is to bring jobs back here, and, you know, invest in the American workers.”

He clarified that these tariffs were “not the end-all solution” but that “we have to fix the broken trade system.”

The UAW protects its 400,000 active members by standing up to large corporations and business interests. Yet it has recently found itself siding with the president’s populist platform on tariffs.

“Trump has succeeded at putting the union in an awkward position where they have to support his policies but still probably detest him in other ways,” said Marick Masters, a professor at the Mike Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State University.

Other automakers reacted quickly to Trump’s tariff war. Ford Motor Company announced that it would offer customers employee-level discount rates starting Thursday.

Automakers abroad, including Mercedes Benz, are considering assembling more of their vehicles in the U.S., said production chief Jörg Burzer Thursday. The company is also debating pulling cheaper cars from the market, Bloomberg reported.

Auto sales in the U.S. increased significantly in March as Americans rushed to buy cars before the tariffs hit.

The Trump administration has also announced its plans to implement tariffs on imported auto parts in the upcoming weeks.

According to the Associated Press, Trump’s tariffs could raise the average price of an imported car by up to $12,500.

But Trump told NBC News Saturday that he “couldn’t care less if they raise prices because people are going to start buying American-made cars.”

“I hope they raise their prices because if they do, people are gonna buy American-made cars,” he added. “We have plenty.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/auto-makers-are-first-victims-of-trumps-tariffs-war/?

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JD Vance Tells Paycheck-to-Paycheck Americans to Suck Up Tariffs Pain

The vice president also claimed families will soon have more money to “deal with the cost of inflation.”

JD Vance is telling Americans living paycheck to paycheck that the pain from President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs will all be worth it—at some point.

Trump’s rollout of the highest U.S. tariffs in a century has already inflicted damage on the U.S. economy—sending stocks plummeting and piling pressure on the dollar Thursday, and fueling fears of a looming global recession. Amid the chaos, his vice president used a Fox News appearance to deliver a message to anxious voters: In short, suck it up.

In a Fox & Friends interview Thursday morning, co-host Lawrence Jones claimed there are “a lot of MAGA folks” cheering Trump on, “especially when he takes it to other countries.”

“But I also know people that come from our background—they’re living paycheck to paycheck,” Jones said. “And they want to do the patriotic duty of taking it to these other countries. But it’s going to hit them a little bit, they feel.”

He asked Vance what he could tell Americans who “just can’t afford an extra three dollars here and there” and how the government will help those people. “Will cost go up at some point?” Jones asked. “Will this just be temporary? Are we talking three months or six months?”

Vance, who is now worth an estimated $10 million thanks in part to his memoir about his Rust Belt upbringing, answered by indicating that he could relate to those who are fearful.

“I grew up in a family that often did live paycheck to paycheck, and we know a lot of Americans are worried,” Vance said. “So we are fighting very hard to bring prices down. We’re going to have the biggest deregulation in the history of this country.”

“What I’d ask folks to appreciate here is that we are not going to fix things overnight,” Vance added. “Joe Biden left us—this is not an exaggeration, Lawrence—with the largest peacetime debt and deficit in the history of the United States of America, with sky-high interest rates. You don’t fix that stuff overnight.”

Vance did not explain how he thinks igniting a global trade war would “fix” those issues, saying only that the Trump administration believes “that if we pursue the right deregulation, we pursue those energy cost reducing policies, yes, people are going to see it in their pocketbook.”

“They’re also gonna benefit from the fact that foreign countries can’t take advantage of us anymore,” Vance added. “That means their jobs are going to be more secure.”

Trump announced a 10 percent tariff on all imported goods to the U.S. on Wednesday, which he touted as America’s “Liberation Day,” even extending the levy to uninhabited islands with no economic activity. He also unveiled higher rates for some 60 countries, and many nations are now exploring how to retaliate.

The new American tariffs will be paid by companies importing the targeted goods into the U.S., costs that are likely to be passed on in many cases to consumers and manufacturers. Economists have consequently increased their expectations of higher inflation in 2025.

In his interview, Vance acknowledged that the Trump administration is implementing “a total shift in the way that we’ve done economic policy in the United States of America.”

“But it was necessary,” he said. “So yeah, we’re going to cut your taxes. You’re going to have more money in your pocket, and that’s of course going to help you deal with the cost of inflation.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/jd-vance-tells-paycheck-to-paycheck-americans-to-suck-up-tariffs-pain/?

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Trump moves to fire several national security officials over concerns they're not loyal, AP sources say

President Donald Trump has moved to fire several White House National Security Council officials, taking action soon after he was urged by a far-right activist to purge staffers she deemed insufficiently committed to his Make America Great Again agenda, several people familiar with the matter said Thursday. Read More.   Trump's changes to the federal government aren't yet a clear political winner or loser: AP-NORC poll President Donald Trump’s dramatic changes to the federal government haven’t emerged as an obvious political winner or loser, according to a new poll that indicates some Americans may be giving him the benefit of the doubt for now on his Department of Government Efficiency. Read More.

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Scoop: Multiple firings on Trump's National Security Council after Loomer visit

Several members of President Trump's embattled National Security Council have been fired, a U.S. official and a second source familiar told Axios on Thursday.

https://www.axios.com/2025/04/03/trump-laura-loomer-fire-national-security-council?

ps:Firing people on the word of Laura Loomer!!!! How rich is that?????

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Tariff fallout

“I think it’s going very well,” President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday in the wake of his decision to enact 10% tariffs on imports from any country into the US and even higher tariffs for 60 other trading partners this week. The tariffs have already earned the ire of world leaders as well as vows of retaliation, rattled global markets and prompted at least five US auto plants to lay off hundreds of workers. The administration’s attempt to spin the escalating trade war it started didn't help. While Trump said the tariffs “give us great power to negotiate,” his top trade adviser, Peter Navarro, told Fox News: “This is not a negotiation.” And Vice President JD Vance said he thought “it could be worse in the markets because this is a big transition.” But that comment fell flat in the face of the worst day on Wall Street in five years and the disappearance of $2.5 trillion from the S&P 500 index. The Dow fell 1,679 points, or about 4%, and the Nasdaq plunged nearly 6%.

 

NSA firings

In a major shakeup of the US intelligence community, the Trump administration has fired the director and the deputy director of the National Security Agency. It’s not yet known why Gen. Timothy Haugh, who also leads US Cyber Command, and Wendy Noble, Haugh’s deputy at NSA, were terminated. “NSA mission is vast and extremely complicated,” Renée Burton, a cybersecurity expert who spent more than two decades at the NSA, told CNN. “General Haugh and Ms. Noble have built the expertise and credibility it takes to oversee such a vital part of our national security. Replacing them will not be easy and the disruption will expose the country to new risk.” Lt. Gen. William Hartman, the current Cyber Command deputy director, is expected to serve as acting head of the command and NSA, two former officials said.

ps:All this just lets us know that he has no clue as to what he's doing!!!!!

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You gotta believe

President Trump is betting his presidency on the biggest instant, unilateral, by-choice-not-necessity economic mandate in U.S. history, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in a "Behind the Curtain" column.

Why it matters: He's gambling that generations of politicians, economists, CEOs, small-business owners, academics and even some of his own staffers are wrong — and that he's right.

• And he's doing it with an issue that hits every American.

For Trump to be right, you gotta believe...

1. That Trump's instincts are better than the past half-century of his party's judgment, as well as the judgment of the economists who've studied the topic extensively, both historically and contemporaneously.
2. That Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) — the former majority leader, reflecting what the vast majority of Senate Republicans say privately — was wrong when he tweeted: "As I have always warned, tariffs are bad policy, and trade wars with our partners hurt working people most. Tariffs drive up the cost of goods and services. They are a tax on everyday working Americans."
3. That a minimum 10% increase in taxes on all imports — and much higher taxes on goods that come from China, Vietnam and other leading trade partners — won't meaningfully increase prices for most Americans.
4. That U.S. companies will be able to make the same products just as cheaply — and right away.
5. That allies and adversaries hit with big tariffs will just suck it up rather than retaliate, or that they'll move en masse to negotiate new trade deals favorable to the U.S.
6. That American influence and power overseas won't diminish when those same allies start doing more business with each other — or China.
7. That Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was wrong when he said: "Our old relationship of steadily deepening integration with the United States is over. The 80-year period when the United States embraced the mantle of global economic leadership ... is over. While this is a tragedy, it is also the new reality."
8. That the U.S. stock market and economic growth will rise again amid a global trade war of choice.
9. That recession forecasts by major financial institutions are wrong. And that the Dow, S&P and NASDAQ (U.S. stocks off $3 trillion yesterday — the biggest one-day drop since March 2020) are all wrong — or wildly overreacting.

Front pages of today's New York Times, Financial Times.

The big picture: Trump feels wholly confident he'll be vindicated — if not instantly, then soon. Officials tell us he's never felt more confident and happy than in pushing maximal tariffs, a lifelong aspiration.

• Hell, he was so sanguine after the announcement that he took an Oval Office meeting with Laura Loomer, a notorious conspiracy theorist, to hear her pleas to fire national security officials she deemed disloyal.

The president feels like a real estate mogul with a full inventory of mansions under his sole control, insiders tell us.

• Despite public comments, Trump sees this as maximal leverage to work the phones for weeks or months — cutting deals to force better terms for the U.S.

But what if he's wrong? This is the first issue he has tackled that literally hits every American, especially his working-class base. It comes right after this week's three special elections showed the first tangible signs of unease with his governing.

• Trump's done listening to critics.
• Everyone around him — from top staff to top Republicans in Congress — fear disagreeing with him. Even if they had the stones to confront him, they seem convinced it'd be futile. They're as all-in on Trump as Trump is on tariffs.

So for this to work, you gotta believe he's right.