Trump admin updates: Trump at Charlie Kirk memorial service

The president and several of his Cabinet officials will speak at the service.

Last Updated: September 21, 2025, 4:09 PM EDT

President Donald Trump is among those who will speak Sunday at the memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Cook, who was assassinated last week.

On his way out of the White House Sunday morning, Trump defended Attorney General Pam Bondi for doing a "great job" after appearing to criticize her the day before over the lack of prosecutions against his political opponents.

On Friday, Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi about a variety of topics, including trade and the TikTok deal.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Sep 19, 2025, 5:54 PM EDT

Trump signs EOs on gold card, H1-B visa fees

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday creating a path for his "gold card" visa program, where applicants would have a faster path to citizenship if they pay $1 million to the treasury.

He also signed an EO that raised the fee for the H1-B visa, which is given to immigrants with backgrounds in specific fields such as medicine, tech and science, to $100,000.

President Donald Trump delivers remarks alongside a poster of the "Trump Gold Card" before signing an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House, September 19, 2025 in Washington.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Sep 19, 2025, 5:06 PM EDT

Trump says TikTok deal 'well on its way'

After his call on Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the TikTok deal is "well on its way" and "the investors are getting ready."

"I think China wanted to see it stay open too, they wanted to see it, and I can tell you the young people in our country wanted to see it stay open very badly," Trump said.

President Donald Trump speaks before signing executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, September 19, 2025.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
Sep 19, 2025, 5:03 PM EDT

Trump warns that could end up with a 'closed' country if funding bill isn't signed

During an Oval Office executive signing, President Donald Trump spoke about the ongoing funding bill that has stalled in the Senate.

Trump admonished the Democrats for not signing on and warned of a shutdown.

President Donald Trump speaks before signing executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, September 19, 2025.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

"I think you could very well end up with a closed, closed country for a period of time, and we'll take care of the military. We'll take care of Social Security. We'll take care of the things," Trump said.

Sep 19, 2025, 3:21 PM EDT

Mike Walz, Trump adviser at center of 'Signalgate', confirmed as US ambassador

The Senate on Friday confirmed Mike Waltz to be the Ambassador to the United Nations by a vote of 47-43 – just days before the UN General Assembly is scheduled to start in New York.

Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire were the only Democrats to support the confirmation. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was the only Republican to vote no.

Walz previously served as national security adviser for the president, however, he came under fire in the spring for inadvertently adding a reporter to a Signal chat with top Trump officials discussing a U.S. military strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Trump announced in May that Walz was leaving his adviser position and nominated to be the U.N. ambassador role that was originally offered to U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik. Her nomination was withdrawn over concerns about the House's slim majority.

-ABC News' Lauren Peller

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