Trump Administration Updates
- Thread starter TigerGrowls
- Start date
"The tariffs not only have forced administration officials into contradictory positions, but also have brought into the open the rift between old MAGA and billionaire Elon Musk.
Trump’s tariff policy reflects the ideas of his senior counselor on manufacturing and trade, Peter Navarro, a China hawk who invented an “expert” to support his statements in his own books. Musk, who opposes the tariffs, has taken shots at Navarro on his social media platform X. On Saturday, Musk directly contradicted Trump and MAGA when he told a gathering of right-wing Italians that he wants the U.S. and Europe to create a tariff-free zone as well as "more freedom of people to move between Europe and North America." On the Fox News Channel this morning, Navarro retorted that Musk “sells cars” and is just trying to protect his own interests.
Republicans also have to quell fires as the demands of the very different constituencies Trump brought into his coalition to win in 2024 are creating growing anger. A second child has now died of measles in West Texas, and as of this morning, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has a history of opposing vaccines, had continued to call vaccines a personal decision. Although he is not a doctor, he pushed the idea that ingesting Vitamin A helps patients recover from measles. Since his suggestion, a hospital in Texas says it is now treating children whose bodies have toxic levels of Vitamin A.
During the confirmation process for his post, Kennedy seems to have promised Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), chair of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and a medical doctor, that he would not alter vaccine systems, but since taking office he has made dramatic cuts. Today, Cassidy posted on X, “Everyone should be vaccinated!” and added: “Top health officials should say so unequivocally b/4 another child dies.”
Evidently feeling the pressure as the measles outbreak spreads, Kennedy this afternoon conceded on X that “[t]he most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine.”
Today, Dan Diamond and Hannah Natanson of the Washington Post reported that cuts to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have even Republican lawmakers and former Trump officials from his first term worried that the country is at risk of food-related disease outbreaks like the 2022 contamination of infant formula. On April 4, Heather Vogell of ProPublica reported that the Abbott Laboratories factory at the heart of the 2022 crisis continues to use the same unsanitary practices. Employees told her that workers still take shortcuts when cleaning and checking equipment for bacteria as supervisors try to increase production and retaliate against those who complain about problems.
The White House told Diamond and Natanson that cuts to the FDA and other health agencies will make them more “nimble and strategic.” Abbott Laboratories told Vogell that the workers’ assertions were “untrue or misleading” and said it “stands behind the quality and safety of all our products.”
Diamond and Natanson note that experts who worked under both Republican and Democratic presidents, as well as former Trump officials and Republican lawmakers are also concerned about cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which monitors atmospheric and ocean systems and predicts weather, and to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that responds to disasters. Storms across the South have been wreaking havoc in the past days. Today alone saw deadly weather in Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, and Oklahoma; the governors of Tennessee and Kentucky have declared states of emergency.
Reporter James Fallows notes that the U.S. senators from the states hardest hit—Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas—are all Republicans and are all backing Trump and Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” which is behind the cuts to NOAA and FEMA.
Today, Michael Sainato of The Guardian reported that workers at the Social Security Administration say that cuts to staffing and services along with policy changes have created “complete, utter chaos” at the agency that is threatening to cause a “death spiral.” Acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration Leland Dudek told Sainato that “we are updating our policy to provide better customer service to the country’s most vulnerable populations.”
Late Thursday, Trump fired General Timothy D. Haugh, the director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and of the U.S. Cyber Command, as well as Haugh’s deputy at the NSA, Wendy Noble, and several staff members from the White House National Security Council. He apparently did so at the recommendation of right-wing conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer. The NSA collects information from overseas computer networks, while Cyber Command engages in both offensive and defensive operations on them.
While Democrats are out front, lawmakers across the political spectrum are concerned about the firings. Senator Angus King (I-ME), who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told Julian E. Barnes of the New York Times: “Our country is under attack right now in cyberspace, and the president has just removed our top general from the field for no reason at the recommendation of someone who knows nothing about national security or even the job this general does.”
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
Trump’s tariff policy reflects the ideas of his senior counselor on manufacturing and trade, Peter Navarro, a China hawk who invented an “expert” to support his statements in his own books. Musk, who opposes the tariffs, has taken shots at Navarro on his social media platform X. On Saturday, Musk directly contradicted Trump and MAGA when he told a gathering of right-wing Italians that he wants the U.S. and Europe to create a tariff-free zone as well as "more freedom of people to move between Europe and North America." On the Fox News Channel this morning, Navarro retorted that Musk “sells cars” and is just trying to protect his own interests.
Republicans also have to quell fires as the demands of the very different constituencies Trump brought into his coalition to win in 2024 are creating growing anger. A second child has now died of measles in West Texas, and as of this morning, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has a history of opposing vaccines, had continued to call vaccines a personal decision. Although he is not a doctor, he pushed the idea that ingesting Vitamin A helps patients recover from measles. Since his suggestion, a hospital in Texas says it is now treating children whose bodies have toxic levels of Vitamin A.
During the confirmation process for his post, Kennedy seems to have promised Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), chair of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and a medical doctor, that he would not alter vaccine systems, but since taking office he has made dramatic cuts. Today, Cassidy posted on X, “Everyone should be vaccinated!” and added: “Top health officials should say so unequivocally b/4 another child dies.”
Evidently feeling the pressure as the measles outbreak spreads, Kennedy this afternoon conceded on X that “[t]he most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine.”
Today, Dan Diamond and Hannah Natanson of the Washington Post reported that cuts to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have even Republican lawmakers and former Trump officials from his first term worried that the country is at risk of food-related disease outbreaks like the 2022 contamination of infant formula. On April 4, Heather Vogell of ProPublica reported that the Abbott Laboratories factory at the heart of the 2022 crisis continues to use the same unsanitary practices. Employees told her that workers still take shortcuts when cleaning and checking equipment for bacteria as supervisors try to increase production and retaliate against those who complain about problems.
The White House told Diamond and Natanson that cuts to the FDA and other health agencies will make them more “nimble and strategic.” Abbott Laboratories told Vogell that the workers’ assertions were “untrue or misleading” and said it “stands behind the quality and safety of all our products.”
Diamond and Natanson note that experts who worked under both Republican and Democratic presidents, as well as former Trump officials and Republican lawmakers are also concerned about cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which monitors atmospheric and ocean systems and predicts weather, and to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that responds to disasters. Storms across the South have been wreaking havoc in the past days. Today alone saw deadly weather in Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, and Oklahoma; the governors of Tennessee and Kentucky have declared states of emergency.
Reporter James Fallows notes that the U.S. senators from the states hardest hit—Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas—are all Republicans and are all backing Trump and Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” which is behind the cuts to NOAA and FEMA.
Today, Michael Sainato of The Guardian reported that workers at the Social Security Administration say that cuts to staffing and services along with policy changes have created “complete, utter chaos” at the agency that is threatening to cause a “death spiral.” Acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration Leland Dudek told Sainato that “we are updating our policy to provide better customer service to the country’s most vulnerable populations.”
Late Thursday, Trump fired General Timothy D. Haugh, the director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and of the U.S. Cyber Command, as well as Haugh’s deputy at the NSA, Wendy Noble, and several staff members from the White House National Security Council. He apparently did so at the recommendation of right-wing conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer. The NSA collects information from overseas computer networks, while Cyber Command engages in both offensive and defensive operations on them.
While Democrats are out front, lawmakers across the political spectrum are concerned about the firings. Senator Angus King (I-ME), who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told Julian E. Barnes of the New York Times: “Our country is under attack right now in cyberspace, and the president has just removed our top general from the field for no reason at the recommendation of someone who knows nothing about national security or even the job this general does.”
April 6, 2025 (Sunday)
After President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements on April 2 wiped $5 trillion dollars from the stock market, the Republican Party is scrambling.
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
Taking care of business!!!
The accomplishments of the Trump administration this last week, in case you missed it:
BORDER:
- Illegal crossings hit a stunning new record low— down 95% over last year.
- Administration arrested three illegal immigrant MS-13 gang members in Florida, wanted on first-degree murder charges, and another high-ranking MS-13 memberin New York, linked to 11 murders.
- 17 violent illegal terrorists tied to Tren de Aragua were sent to El Salvador.
- 40 people affiliated with Tren de Aragua were arrested in Texas this week.
- Illegal alien TikTok influencer who made videos on how to break the law was deported.
Totals since taking office: 113,000 illegal aliens were arrested; 100,000 were deported and only NINE got into the interior (down 99.99% since Biden).
ECONOMY:
- Since announcing tariffs 50 countries have signaled their desire to come to the negotiating table to restructure our bad trade deals.
- Nissan abandoned plans to eliminate a shift at its Tennessee production facility.
- General Motors announced it will increase truck production at its Indiana assembly plant.
- Guardian Bikes announced it will grow its US investment.
- JCB committed to doubling the size of its new U.S. manufacturing facility.
- Ford Motor Company and Stellantisboth announced they will offer U.S. consumers employee pricing on their vehicles.
- Wholesale egg prices continued to drop, falling to an average price of $3 per dozen — or nearly 60% since January.
- Private companies added 155,000 jobs in March, more than expected.
- The Department of Labor announced it will return $1.4 billion in unused COVID funds back to the U.S. Treasury.
FOREIGN POLICY:
- The Trump Administration signed a $2 billion air defense deal with Poland.
- President Trump secured a pledge from Finland to raise its defense spending to 3% of its GDP.
- President Trump secured the release of two U.S. citizens detained in Mexico. Christy and Paul Akeo had been languishing behind bars in a maximum security Cancun prison, President Trump negotiated their release.
- DOE has rescinded a Biden-era policy statement that required authorized LNG exporters to meet stringent criteria before the agency would consider a request to extend a commencement date for an approved project.
- The Department of the Treasury launched a new public-private partnership to safeguard the financial system against illicit activities by the Iranian regime and announced additional sanctions against Iran.
CULTURE/ JUSTICE:
- The Department of Justice dismissed a Biden-era lawsuit against common-sense, effective Georgia election law reforms.
- The Department of Justice launchedinvestigations into DEI initiatives at Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles, and University of California, Irvine.
- The Department of Agriculture pausedfederal funding to Maine over its unlawful policies forcing women to compete against men in athletics.
The accomplishments of the Trump administration this last week, in case you missed it:
BORDER:
- Illegal crossings hit a stunning new record low— down 95% over last year.
- Administration arrested three illegal immigrant MS-13 gang members in Florida, wanted on first-degree murder charges, and another high-ranking MS-13 memberin New York, linked to 11 murders.
- 17 violent illegal terrorists tied to Tren de Aragua were sent to El Salvador.
- 40 people affiliated with Tren de Aragua were arrested in Texas this week.
- Illegal alien TikTok influencer who made videos on how to break the law was deported.
Totals since taking office: 113,000 illegal aliens were arrested; 100,000 were deported and only NINE got into the interior (down 99.99% since Biden).
ECONOMY:
- Since announcing tariffs 50 countries have signaled their desire to come to the negotiating table to restructure our bad trade deals.
- Nissan abandoned plans to eliminate a shift at its Tennessee production facility.
- General Motors announced it will increase truck production at its Indiana assembly plant.
- Guardian Bikes announced it will grow its US investment.
- JCB committed to doubling the size of its new U.S. manufacturing facility.
- Ford Motor Company and Stellantisboth announced they will offer U.S. consumers employee pricing on their vehicles.
- Wholesale egg prices continued to drop, falling to an average price of $3 per dozen — or nearly 60% since January.
- Private companies added 155,000 jobs in March, more than expected.
- The Department of Labor announced it will return $1.4 billion in unused COVID funds back to the U.S. Treasury.
FOREIGN POLICY:
- The Trump Administration signed a $2 billion air defense deal with Poland.
- President Trump secured a pledge from Finland to raise its defense spending to 3% of its GDP.
- President Trump secured the release of two U.S. citizens detained in Mexico. Christy and Paul Akeo had been languishing behind bars in a maximum security Cancun prison, President Trump negotiated their release.
- DOE has rescinded a Biden-era policy statement that required authorized LNG exporters to meet stringent criteria before the agency would consider a request to extend a commencement date for an approved project.
- The Department of the Treasury launched a new public-private partnership to safeguard the financial system against illicit activities by the Iranian regime and announced additional sanctions against Iran.
CULTURE/ JUSTICE:
- The Department of Justice dismissed a Biden-era lawsuit against common-sense, effective Georgia election law reforms.
- The Department of Justice launchedinvestigations into DEI initiatives at Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles, and University of California, Irvine.
- The Department of Agriculture pausedfederal funding to Maine over its unlawful policies forcing women to compete against men in athletics.
I had a very good meeting today with the Speaker of the House and some of our more Conservative Members, all great people. I let them know that, I AM FOR MAJOR SPENDING CUTS! WE ARE GOING TO DO REDUCTIONS, hopefully in excess of $1 Trillion Dollars, all of which will go into “The One, Big, Beautiful Bill.” I, along with House Members and Senators, will be pushing very hard to get these large scale Spending Cuts done, but we must get the Bill approved NOW. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
Donald Trump Truth Social 04/08/25 06:11 PM
I don't know how it can be done, but any country that is not an ally of the USA (and even those in my mind are suspect), should be allowed to buy up land in this country. Is the US gov't able to buy up land in Xina? I don't think so, and I welcome anyone to point out that I am wrong.
This country has been sold out by politicians to many countries, but most especially Xina. We sho!uld never rely on them for ANYTHING.
AMERICA FIRST!
I'll apologize in advance, but this dude looks like he should be the "HEAD MASTER" at the Epstein Island School For Boys.
Just saying.
Seriously, If we are trying to cut spending and the deficit, explain pushing for a tax cut? Seems ridiculous
I can't recall an intelligent comment ever from him/her or whatever pronoun it associates with.
Oh, I know it's stupid and makes no sense. I was waiting for one of you guys to admit it.
What's funny is you think proving you're a homophobic moron is an insult to me.
Keep doing you I guess.
well, it’s currently unprofitable for domestic producers to pump oil, but I don’t expect them to really slow down. It all depends on how long the trade war with China is going to last, and I personally don’t think it lasts the month.
I could see OPEC+ siding with China and continuing to overproduce oil as a means to weaken the USD’s influence. Furthermore, it’s a perfect opportunity for the BRICS-OPEC+ alliance, that’s been hinted at recently, to finally make an appearance. It’s going to ultimately come down to who can weather the storm in the short term, and who has the political capital to deal with a suffering populace. I think the US is in the best position to outlast the others, but don’t underestimate china’s ability to disregard their citizen’s well beings especially if they see an opportunity to further weaken an already damaged US.
I’ve had a bunch of wine tonight so I’m a bit scatterbrained, but that’s kind of my take on all this.
Edit: also, seeing crude at $60/bbl is not a good thing, and thinking it is a positive shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the O&G world.
What Billy Bob say in Landman, that they just need oil to stay between $62 and $82 a barrel or something?
Have you ever made a meaningful contribution to this board other than your pathetic little jabs from the sidelines? Not that those are meaningful but since that's all you have to offer, I'd keep quiet about anybody else's intelligence if I were you.
Serious question, as I am far from an expert, what do you think is behind the 3% drop?
Geez man.....enjoy good news and quit trying to find a chink in Trump’s armor.
lol you be celebrating, and I’m just trying to understand. I’m not one that thinks every single move he or his administration makes is wrong.
