Trump 2nd term updates: Trump says USAID is run by 'radical lunatics'

The comments came amid turmoil as DOGE took over USAID offices last week.

ByAlexandra Hutzler, Ivan Pereira, Emily Chang, Andrea Pineda-Salgado, Meredith Deliso, and Julia Reinstein
Last Updated: February 2, 2025, 11:11 PM EST

President Donald Trump made good on his threats to impose tariffs on some of the U.S.'s trading partners, announcing Saturday that he will levy 25% tariffs on some goods from Canada and Mexico and 10% on Chinese goods.

Experts have warned that tariffs of this magnitude will likely increase prices paid by U.S. and Trump appeared to acknowledge that “some pain” might be possible in the U.S.

Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee announced it will meet Tuesday, when it is expected to vote on the controversial nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for secretary of Health and Human Services.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing:
Jan 24, 2025, 3:48 PM EST

Vance speaks at March for Live in 1st public appearance as VP

In his first public appearance since becoming vice president, JD Vance addressed the March for Life rally in Washington, D.C., pledging President Donald Trump will be "the most pro-family, most pro-life, American president of our lifetimes."

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance addressed the March for Life event on the National Mall Friday.
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Trump and Vance address March for LifePresident Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance addressed the March for Life event on the National Mall Friday.
ABCNews.com

Vance told the crowd he wants "more babies in the United States of America" and called on the government to do its part to ensure families can afford to care for their children.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

Jan 24, 2025, 3:46 PM EST

Johnson, Thune speak at March for Life rally, tout Trump pardons

At the March for Life rally, the top two congressional Republican leaders addressed the crowd and said they believe every child has the right to life.

"President Trump just freed and pardoned nearly two dozen wrongfully imprisoned pro-life activists," House Speaker Mike Johnson said, adding the House passed the Born Alive Survivors Protection Act on Thursday.

The bill would require health care providers to give the same degree of care for a child born alive during an attempted abortion as they would during normal childbirth.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune also spoke at the rally, saying, "I stand with you in this fight, and so do many of my colleagues in Congress, and like you, we will continue to work toward a day when the lives of all human beings are protected."

-ABC News' Lauren Peller

Jan 24, 2025, 3:09 PM EST

Trump DOJ asks judge to lift restrictions on Oath Keepers

Just hours after a judge barred Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and other Oath Keepers members who were granted clemency by Trump from entering the Capitol, the acting U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. filed a motion to remove those orders

Acting U.S. Attorney Ed Martin — a "Stop the Steal" promoter who was outside of the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot — argued in his motion that district judge Amit Mehta did not have authority to implement probation restrictions on Rhodes or his co-defendants after their sentences were commuted.

-ABC News' Alexander Mallin

Jan 24, 2025, 3:05 PM EST

DOD 'will fully execute' Trump's DEI executive order

When asked about how the president's executive order on DEI will affect the military, a Defense Department official told ABC News that the department "will fully execute and implement all directives outlined in the Executive Orders issued by the President."

The latest National Defense Authorization Act already placed some restrictions on DEI roles within DOD, instituting a hiring freeze and capping pay grades, which put the department ahead of other government agencies when it comes to drawing down these offices.

-ABC News' Matt Seyler

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