What has Trump been busy with in the past 24 hours?
1. Trump announced on Saturday that he would withdraw the nomination of technology billionaire Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, saying that the space domain must also prioritize "America first." Trump said, "After a thorough review of the previous nomination, I am withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to be the head of NASA. I will soon announce a new nominee who will align with NASA's mission and uphold the 'America first' principle in the space domain." Following the news, Musk seemed to express regret over Trump's decision, posting, "It's hard to find someone as capable and kind-hearted."
2. Trump warned Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky on Saturday that if he votes against Trump's "beautiful big bill," he will be "playing right into the hands of the Democrats." Paul criticized the tax cuts and spending cuts in the bill as "weak" on a TV show last weekend, saying, "the problem is, these numbers just don't add up. The House says they will increase the debt by $4 trillion. The Senate is actually talking about increasing the debt by $5 trillion."
3. Raising steel tariffs has drawn criticism from multiple parties. Following Trump's announcement of a 50% increase in steel import tariffs, Australian Trade Minister Farrell stated that Trump's trade tariffs are "illogical and not friendly," and are "self-inflicted economic harm." Australian Shadow Trade Minister Kevin Hogan expressed concern about Trump's statement's impact on Australian employment. Mark Cain, CEO of the Australian Steel Association, expressed disappointment at the tariff increase. Bev Briscoe, President of the Canadian Labor Congress, also said that this is "another direct attack on Canada."
4. Cabinet members will be sent to Alaska. According to the Associated Press, the Trump administration will send three cabinet members - Interior Secretary Bergum, Energy Secretary Reich, and EPA Administrator Zeldin - to Alaska next week to promote oil drilling and restart a long-stalled natural gas project. It is expected that government and industry representatives from several Asian countries, including Japan, will take part in this trip.
5. In response to Trump's increase in steel import tariffs, the EU has issued a counterattack. A spokesperson for the European Commission expressed strong regret over the US's announcement of increased steel import tariffs, stating that the EU is prepared to take retaliatory measures against the US's tariff increase.
Latest
4 m ago