Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States - Performance Watch

[BouncerGuy]

Judge blocks Trump plan to put thousands of USAID staff on leave

A judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from placing 2,200 workers at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on paid leave, hours before it was due to happen.

Judge Carl Nichols issued a "limited" temporary restraining order, in response to a last-minute lawsuit filed by two unions trying to save the agency.

The order will remain in place for a week, until 14 February at midnight.

Trump has argued that USAID, the overseas aid agency, is not a valuable use of taxpayer money and wants to dismantle it - he plans to put nearly all of the agency's 10,000 employees on leave, except 611 workers.

Some 500 staff had already been put on administrative leave and another 2,200 were due to join them from midnight on Friday (05:00 GMT).

But the last-minute lawsuit on Friday argued the government was violating the US Constitution, and also that the workers were suffering harm.

Judge Nichols sided with the unions, saying they would suffer "irreparable harm" if the court did not intervene, while there would be "zero harm to the government".

"All USAID employees currently on administrative leave shall be reinstated until that date, and shall be given complete access to email, payment, and security notification systems until that date, and no additional employees shall be placed on administrative leave before that date," Nichols wrote.

The judge will also consider a request for a longer-term pause at a hearing on Wednesday.

It is unclear from the court order what will happen to the remaining staff's jobs.

As the ruling came, officials had been removing and covering USAID signs at the organisation's headquarters in Washington DC.

USAID is the world's biggest aid donor - with much of its budget spent on health programmes around the world. Two-thirds of its 10,000 staff work overseas.

It is one of many federal agencies his administration is targeting as it works to slash federal spending in the US.

The Republican campaigned on overhauling the government and formed an advisory body named the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) - led by tech billionaire Elon Musk - to slash the budget.

Friday's ruling by Judge Nichols came in response to an emergency petition by the American Foreign Service Association and American Federation of Government Employees - two unions representing employees of the agency.

During the hearing, Judge Nichols - who was nominated by Trump during his first term - did not seem likely to grant other requests as part of the lawsuit, including to restore grants and contracts or reopen USAID buildings.

The legal action argued that the president was violating the US Constitution and federal law by attempting to dismantle the agency.

"Not a single one of defendants' actions to dismantle USAID were taken pursuant to congressional authorization," it said.

"And pursuant to federal statute, Congress is the only entity that may lawfully dismantle the agency."

Representing the Trump administration, justice department official Brett Shumate told the judge that the president "has decided there is corruption and fraud at USAID".

That led to a stop work order at USAID, which runs health and emergency programmes in around 120 countries, including in the world's poorest regions.

"USAID IS DRIVING THE RADICAL LEFT CRAZY," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

"THE CORRUPTION IS AT LEVELS RARELY SEEN BEFORE. CLOSE IT DOWN!"

But Samantha Power, who was USAID chief under former President Joe Biden, wrote in a scathing New York Times opinion piece: "We are witnessing one of the worst and most costly foreign policy blunders in US history."

The US is by far the biggest single provider of humanitarian aid around the world. USAID's budget amounts to around $40bn - about 0.6% of total US annual government spending of $6.75tn.

The head of the United Nations' programme for tackling HIV/AIDS told the BBC the cuts would have dire impacts across the globe.

"AIDS related deaths in the next five years will increase by 6.3 million" if funding is not restored, UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima said.

BBC

 

[sweep_shot]

Looks like China is outplaying Trump.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Donald Trump says he will impose 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports into US​

Donald Trump says he will impose 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports into the US, including from Canada and Mexico.

The president said he would make the announcement on Monday, signalling yet another major escalation in his trade policy overhaul.

Speaking on Air Force One as he flew from Florida to New Orleans for the Super Bowl, he said the new levies would be on top of existing metals duties.

"Any steel coming into the United States is going to have a 25% tariff," Mr Trump told reporters on Sunday.

When asked about aluminium, he responded, "aluminium, too" will be subject to the trade penalties.

Share prices in steelmakers in Asia were mostly down on Monday, apart from those with operations in the US.

Mr Trump also said he will announce reciprocal tariffs on Tuesday or Wednesday, to take effect almost immediately, applying them to all countries and matching the tariff rates levied by each nation.

"And very simply, it's, if they charge us, we charge them," Mr Trump said of the reciprocal tariff plan.

Australia seeks tariff exemption

Meanwhile, Canberra is pressing Washington for an exemption to the planned tariffs, with Australia's trade minister Don Farrell saying its steel and aluminium to the US create "thousands of good-paying American jobs" and are key to shared defence interests.

Mr Farrell said his country was making the case for "free and fair trade, including access into the US market for Australian steel and aluminium" during meetings with the Trump administration.

Mr Trump previously threatened 25% import taxes on all goods from Canada and Mexico, though he paused them for 30 days last week. At the same time, he proceeded to add 10% duties on imports from China.

Also last week, Mr Trump said tariffs on the European Union would be implemented "pretty soon". When questioned about the UK, the president said Britain was "out of line" when it came to trade but he thought the situation could be "worked out" without the use of tariffs.

His latest comments on the presidential plane came just after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the EU was ready to respond "within an hour" if the US levied tariffs on European goods, highlighting the risks of an escalating trade war.

China's retaliatory tariffs on some US exports are due to take effect on Monday, with no sign yet of progress between Beijing and Washington.

'Gulf of America Day'

Also on board Air Force One, Mr Trump signed a proclamation declaring 9 February 2025 as the first-ever "Gulf of America Day".

One of the first executive orders the president signed was renaming the Gulf of Mexico.

While signing the latest proclamation, he posed in front of a map with the newly changed name.

Trump reiterates desire to make Canada 51st state

In a separate interview earlier on Fox News, Mr Trump repeated calls to make Canada "the 51st state" as he reiterated his support for tech billionaire Elon Musk.

When asked if he was serious about Canada being a 51st state, Mr Trump said: "I think Canada would be much better off.

"We lose $200bn a year with Canada. And I'm not going to let that happen. It's too much.

"Why are we paying $200bn a year essentially in subsidy to Canada? Now, if they are a 51st state, I don't mind doing it."

He also continued to voice support for Mr Musk. The X owner is spearheading the US president's efforts to cut costs and bureaucracy in government, which has already seen the US Aid Agency for International Development targeted.

Named the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), its aim is to find ways to sack federal workers, cut programmes and cut federal regulations.

Donald Trump says he will impose 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports into US

The US president also said he will announce reciprocal tariffs on Tuesday or Wednesday, to take effect almost immediately, applying them to all countries and matching the tariff rates levied by each nation.

news.sky.com

 

[BouncerGuy]

Trump announces 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports

President Donald Trump has ordered a 25% import tax on all steel and aluminium entering the US in a major expansion of existing trade barriers.

The tariffs, which will increase the costs of importing the metals into the US, come despite warnings of retaliation from some political leaders in Canada - America's biggest supplier of the metals - as well as other countries.

US businesses dependent on the imports have also raised concerns, but Trump has said his plans will boost domestic production.

He warned there would be no exceptions, saying he was "simplifying" the rules, which are set to come into effect on 4 March.

"This is a big deal, the beginning of making America rich again," Trump said.

"Our nation requires steel and aluminium to be made in America, not in foreign lands," he added.

When asked if tariffs could increase prices for consumers, the US president responded: "Ultimately it will be cheaper."

"It's time for our great industries to come back to America...this is the first of many," he added, suggesting other tariffs could focus on pharmaceuticals and computer chips.

The US is the world's largest importer of steel, counting Canada, Brazil and Mexico as its top three suppliers.

Canada alone accounted for more than 50% of aluminium imported into the US last year. If the tariffs come into force, they are expected to have the most significant impact on Canada.

Late on Monday, Canada's Minister of Innovation, Francois-Phillippe Champagne, said the tariffs were "totally unjustified".

"Canadian steel and aluminium support key industries in the US from defence, shipbuilding, energy to automotive," Champagne said. "This is making North America more competitive and secure."

Ahead of the announcement, Ontario premier Doug Ford, whose province is home to much of Canada's steel production, accused Trump of "shifting goalposts and constant chaos, putting our economy at risk".

The lobby group for Canadian steel makers called on the Canadian government to retaliate against the US "immediately", while Kody Blois, a leading MP from Canada's governing Liberal Party, said his country was looking for ways to reduce its trade relationship with the US.

"This is completely upending what has been a very strong partnership," he told BBC Newshour ahead of the official order.

Meanwhile, share prices of the major US steel-makers rose on Monday in anticipation of the order, with the price of Cleveland-Cliffs jumping nearly 20%. Prices for steel and aluminium also jumped.

The response in much of the rest of the market was muted, reflecting questions about how serious Trump is about his plans, given his track record of postponing tariffs, or negotiating exemptions to the rules.

In 2018, during his first term, Trump announced tariffs of 25% on steel and 15% on aluminium, but eventually negotiated carve-outs for many countries including Australia, Canada and Mexico.

'Replay of 2018'

"This is sort of a replay of 2018," said Douglas Irwin, a professor of economics at Dartmouth College.

"The biggest question is the uncertainty over whether this is a bargaining tactic or whether he just doesn't want to talk with other countries and really wants to help out the steel industry in that way."

Last week, the Trump ordered import duties of 25% on all Canadian and Mexican products, only to delay that plan for 30 days. He also brought in new US levies of 10% on all Chinese goods coming into the US, prompting retaliation from China.

A tariff is a domestic tax levied on goods as they enter a country, proportional to the value of the import.

The prospect of higher tariffs being introduced on imports to the US has been concerning many world leaders because it will make it more expensive for companies to sell goods in the world's largest economy.

The taxes are a central part of Trump's economic vision. He sees them as a way of growing the US economy, protecting jobs and raising tax revenue.

But there are also concerns about the effect in the US, where many manufacturers inside the US use steel and aluminium in their products and now face the likelihood of added costs.

Industry groups from construction to can-makers warned about the hit.

In Trump's first term, the tariffs, despite many exemptions, raised the average price of steel and aluminium in the US by 2.4% and 1.6% respectively, according to the US International Trade Commission.

Stephen Moore, who advised Trump's campaign on economic issues in 2016 and is currently a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative thinktank based in Washington, said he did not think tariffs on steel and aluminium were effective way to create jobs, noting the experience of the first term.

He said while Trump was "deadly serious" about trade, he thought the plan was "about getting the rest of the world's attention".

"Just about everything Donald Trump does in Washington is a negotiating tactic," he said.

Trump officials said the latest moves were aimed at stopping countries such as China and Russia from avoiding tariffs by routing low-cost products through other countries.

The US president said he was introducing new standards that require steel to be "melted and poured" and aluminium to be "smelted and cast" in North America.

Nick Iacovella, a spokesman for Coalition for a Prosperous America, which represents steel-makers and supports the tariffs, said his group is most concerned about a surge of steel imports from Mexico, above levels agreed in 2019.

But he noted that Canada sends far more goods to the US than it imports - a trade deficit that has been a key issue for Trump.

"There are still imbalances with the Canadian and United States trading relationship that should be addressed," he said.

He added: "I don't think they're planning to take a one-size-fits-all hammer approach to this, but I think early on, in the beginning at least right now, I do think what the president is saying ... [is] both of those countries [Canada and Mexico] are abusing their relationship with the US and we're going to do something about it."

BBC

 

[BouncerGuy]

Legal showdown looms as Trump tests limits of presidential power

In the first weeks of his second term, President Donald Trump has wasted no time in flexing his political muscle. That much is clear.

Since taking office in January, he has ordered the suspension of all new asylum claims, cancelled refugee resettlement, frozen government hiring and spending, gutted agencies established by Congress, banned gender transition care for teenagers and offered a buyout deal for hundreds of thousands of federal workers.

The whirlwind of unilateral action on his campaign promises has pushed the limits of presidential power – and prompted legal challenges from Democrats, unions and legal groups. So far the federal courts have been the only substantive roadblocks to Trump's agenda, as judges have temporarily suspended some of the most contentious proposals, including an end to automatic citizenship for anyone born on US soil.

But Trump is pressing on - and seems headed for a showdown with the judiciary that could eventually end in the highest court in the land. This week, a Rhode Island judge said the Trump administration was clearly and openly defying his court order to unfreeze billions in federal funds. The White House responded by saying that "every action" the president took was "completely lawful".

If Trump's orders do reach the US Supreme Court, six of the nine justices there - including three appointed by Trump in his first term - are conservative. Just last term, the court issued a decision holding Trump, and all future presidents, largely immune from prosecution for official actions while in office.

At the time, it was a landmark expansion of presidential authority. But some observers have suggested that Trump's latest moves could be part of a strategy to expand his powers even further. If the high courts agree to uphold some of his executive orders, it could strengthen his ability to enact policy changes without the help of Congress.

And even if the courts rule against the president, says Ilya Shapiro, a constitutional expert at the Manhattan Institute, those legal defeats might be politically advantageous.

"There could be political benefits to being challenged in court and then even losing in court because then you can run against judges and make political hay of it."

There is another scenario, however. Trump could simply refuse to comply with any court that tries to stop his exercise of unfettered presidential power.

In Oval Office comments on Tuesday, the president hinted that this might be an option, in his typically oblique way.

"We want to weed out the corruption," Trump said. "And it seems hard to believe that a judge could say we don't want you to do that."

"Maybe we have to look at the judges," he continued. "I think it's a very serious violation."

On Sunday, Trump's vice-president, JD Vance, was even more blunt.

"Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power," he posted on the social media site X. That view was similar to one Vance expressed in a 2021 podcast, when he said that if Trump returned to power he should refuse to comply with any court order that prevented him from firing federal workers.

Directly defying a court ruling, however, would cut against centuries of US history and amount to the opening skirmishes in a constitutional crisis that pits the president against the branch of government designed to establish and interpret the law of the land.

"My read is that President Trump is testing the outer boundaries of what he might be able to get away with, doing a lot of things that are blatantly against the law and maybe some things that are closer to the line," said Fred Smith, a professor at the Emory School of Law.

"They are breaking a lot of norms," Smith added of the nascent Trump administration. "Why he is doing that, only he knows fully. But he is doing it."

So far, Trump and his allies have made aggressive comments about unfavourable court decisions in the public and in legal filings, but have yet to be sanctioned for disobeying a court. When Trump was the target of multiple prosecutions over the past four years, he frequently questioned the legitimacy of the presiding judges, but his courtroom lawyers adhered to the law and legal procedures.

The federal judge in Rhode Island, who had placed a temporary hold on another Trump order to freeze some federal spending, did warn in court filings Monday that the administration was violating his temporary restraining order but stopped short of finding them in contempt.

Conservative legal scholar Ed Whelan wrote on X that it would be "extremely grave" for the Trump administration to defy a federal court order.

"I'm open to the argument that truly extraordinary circumstances (the makings of a wild hypothetical) might justify defiance," Mr Whelan wrote. "But in our constitutional system there should be an overwhelming presumption in favour of executive-branch compliance with federal court orders."

Should Trump disobey, and therefore delegitimize, the courts, the decision could come back to bite him when the time comes for the president to see his own lawful agenda enforced, some legal experts say. Democratic states like California, for instance, might be inclined to ignore White House directives and federal laws they don't like - and Trump would be hard pressed to use the courts to bring them to heel.

"If the executive decides it will obey some court orders but not others, it will find it won't get any court orders that it wishes to obey," said Philip Bobbitt, a constitutional scholar at Columbia University Law School. "I just don't think they thought that through."

When Donald Trump redecorated the Oval Office to his liking in January, he reinstalled a portrait of President Andrew Jackson that had hung on the wall across from the Resolute Desk in his first term.

The seventh US president is remembered for a critical moment of defiance against the United States Supreme Court. When the justices decided a dispute between the state of Georgia and Cherokee Indian governments in 1832, Jackson did not seem interested in following its direction.

Jackson allegedly said of the Chief Justice's ruling, "John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it!"

Nearly 200 years later, Trump himself has found himself on his own collision course with America's judiciary.

BBC

 

[HalBass9]

Looks like China is outplaying Trump.

Nearly all allied nations appear to be playing along to boost the "Orange Emperor’s" ego, while Trump continues catering to MAGA supporters now that the Republican Party has essentially faded away.

The deployment of 10,000 troops to the Mexico border and the movement of Mexican soldiers also occurred under the Biden administration. Meanwhile, Canada agreeing to something they had already decided back in December is merely a way to let the new "Emperor" put his stamp on the deal, fueling his narcissistic ego for the MAGA base.

There’s even a bill proposing to rename Greenland to "Red, White, and Blue Land." LOL

All this while inflation has risen to 3% over the past three weeks.

 

[sweep_shot]

Nearly all allied nations appear to be playing along to boost the "Orange Emperor’s" ego, while Trump continues catering to MAGA supporters now that the Republican Party has essentially faded away.

The deployment of 10,000 troops to the Mexico border and the movement of Mexican soldiers also occurred under the Biden administration. Meanwhile, Canada agreeing to something they had already decided back in December is merely a way to let the new "Emperor" put his stamp on the deal, fueling his narcissistic ego for the MAGA base.

There’s even a bill proposing to rename Greenland to "Red, White, and Blue Land." LOL

All this while inflation has risen to 3% over the past three weeks.

Yes. Trump is making many stupid and childish decisions which may hurt USA in the long run.

This is what happens when an inexperienced guy enters politics.

 

[FearlessRoar]

'Today is the big one': Trump says he will unveil 'reciprocal' trade tariffs​

US President Donald Trump says he will unveil "reciprocal" trade tariffs on Thursday, adding: "Today is the big one".

Countries around the world have been waiting for details on potential tariffs amid a series of threats from the White House.

"Three great weeks, perhaps the best ever. Today is the big one: reciprocal tariffs," Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Thursday morning US time, giving no other details.

It is not clear what the president means by "reciprocal".

They will be announced at a press conference in the Oval Office at 1pm US time (6pm UK time), Mr Trump said in a follow-up post.

Mr Trump has already announced a series of tariffs on various countries - part of an aggressive push by his administration to reset global trade.

The US leader claims that price hikes on the people and companies buying foreign-made products will ultimately strengthen domestic manufacturing.

However, economists have questioned if they will instead lead to higher prices for consumers.

Mr Trump has already announced tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports beginning on 12 March and imposed 10% tariffs on goods from China.

He has put a 30-day hold on tariffs on goods from his neighbours, Canada and Mexico.

Mr Trump has warned that the UK "is out of line" on trade with the US and told reporters "we'll see what happens". But he said he was confident the situation "can be worked out" without tariffs.

The economic developments comes as the US also makes waves in security circles, with Mr Trump holding a call with Vladimir Putin and US defence secretary Pete Hegseth signalling a dramatic shift in American foreign and defence policy away from Europe.

'Today is the big one': Trump says he will unveil 'reciprocal' trade tariffs

The US leader said he would unveil tariffs on Thursday, though it is not clear what he means by "reciprocal". He has already announced tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.

news.sky.com

 

[The Bald Eagle]

'Tone it down, sign that deal,' Waltz tells Ukraine, but insists differences with US can be reconciled

We have also heard from the current US administration in the last hour as White House national security adviser Mike Waltz spoke to Fox News.

Reuters reported that he said Ukraine should “tone it down, take a hard look and sign that deal” on mineral with the US.

Pushback from Ukraine on the deal and how Trump is carrying out peace talks is simply unacceptable, Waltz said, given everything the United States has done for Ukraine.

But he insisted that these difference of views could be reconciled as “the president also said how much he loves the Ukrainian people.”

Waltz denied that U.S. allies and Ukraine were not being consulted.

“There’s a term for this in diplomacy. It’s called shuttle diplomacy, because bringing everybody to the table at once just hasn’t worked in the past,” he said in comments reported by Reuters.

Source: The Guardian

 

[BouncerGuy]

Trump fires top US general CQ Brown in shake-up at Pentagon

President Donald Trump has fired US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff CQ Brown, the highest-ranking officer in the country, as part of a major shake-up of the top military leadership.

"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 posted on social media. He said five other top officers were being replaced.

Gen Brown was the second black officer in US history to hold the post, which advises both the president and the secretary of defence on national security.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously said that Gen Brown should be fired because of his "woke" focus on diversity, equity and inclusion programmes in the military.

Later on Friday, Hegseth announced the firings of two additional senior officers: Chief of Naval Operations Adm Lisa Franchetti and Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen Jim Slife.

Adm Franchetti was the first woman to lead the Navy.

All three top officers removed on Friday were appointed by former President Joe Biden.

Hegseth said in a statement: "Under President Trump, we are putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars."

Trump said he would nominate Air Force Lt Gen Dan Caine - a career F-16 pilot who most recently served as CIA associate director for military affairs - as the new chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.

Gen Brown was visiting troops at the US southern border on Friday roughly two hours before Trump's post announcing his departure.

Rumours had been swirling this week that the president would remove the commander, whose term was set to expire in 2027.

Gen Brown made headlines in 2020 when he spoke out about race following the death of George Floyd.

He posted a video message to the Air Force describing the pressures he had felt as one of the few black men in his unit and being questioned about his credentials.

In 2022, while chief of staff of the Air Force, Gen Brown co-signed a memo setting out diversity goals to boost the proportion of minority officer applicants while adjusting lower the rate of white candidates, according to the Air Force Times.

Colin Powell was the first black chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, serving from 1989-93.

One of Trump's first acts after being sworn in last month was to fire the first female commandant of the Coast Guard, citing "excessive focus" on diversity.

In November, before he was confirmed, Hegseth said on a podcast that there were many problems in the military, including diversity initiatives, which the Trump administration should "course correct".

"First of all, you got to fire the chairman of Joint Chiefs," Hegseth said in describing the steps he believed Trump should take.

The Pentagon also announced on Friday that it would cut its budget and let go of 5,400 probationary employees next week.

Meanwhile, a federal court in Maryland temporarily blocked Trump from implementing bans on diversity, equity and inclusion programmes.

District Judge Adam Abelson ruled that the directives by Trump may violate free-speech rights in the US Constitution.

BBC