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Trump 2nd term live updates: Dan Bongino named as deputy FBI director

He hosts the popular right-wing and pro-Trump podcast "The Dan Bongino Show."

Last Updated: February 23, 2025, 5:03 PM EST

President Donald Trump's administration is continuing its radical effort to cut much of the federal government and crackdown on immigration -- and is being met with dozens of legal challenges.

On the foreign policy front, Trump's press secretary said the White House believes it can reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine this week even as Trump attacks Ukraine's president and blames it for starting the war, which even some in his own party are calling him out over.

Meanwhile, heads of federal government agencies were telling employees not to reply to an email from Elon Musk, Trump's ally who he picked to cut government waste, which asked for them to list their accomplishments for the week or face termination.

Feb 18, 2025, 4:47 PM EST

Trump takes shots at Zelenskyy

Taking questions at Mar-a-Lago, Trump blasted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his administration held talks earlier Tuesday with Russia to bring an end to Vladimir Putin's invasion.

When asked about Ukraine not being a part of those discussions, Trump criticized Zelenskyy's leadership.

"Well, you been there for three years," he said of Zelenskyy. "You should have ended it three years -- you should have never started it," he said, appearing to falsely blame Ukraine for the war. "You could have made a deal."

President Donald Trump speaks to the media at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, Feb. 18, 2025.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

Trump implied Ukraine should have new elections if it wants a seat at the table.

"Well, we have a situation where we haven't had elections in Ukraine, where we have martial law, essentially martial law in Ukraine, where the leader in Ukraine, I mean, I hate to say it, but he's down at 4% approval rating and where a country has been blown to smithereens," he said.

Feb 18, 2025, 4:44 PM EST

Trump floats incoming tariffs at 25% and higher

When asked during a news conference at his Mar-a-lago home what rate he would implement for auto tariffs, Trump told reporters, “Yeah, I probably will tell you that on April 2nd, but it'll be in the neighborhood of 25%.”

Trump also responded about semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, saying the tariff would be “25% and higher and it'll go very substantially higher over the course of a year.”

“I've been contacted by some of the biggest companies in the world, and because of what we're doing economically and through tariffs and taxes and incentives, they want to come back into the United States,” Trump added.

Feb 18, 2025, 4:33 PM EST

Trump signs executive order related to oversight of independent agencies

At Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump said he signed an executive order related to oversight of independent agencies.

As explained by White House staff secretary Will Scharf, the order will establish "important oversight functions in the Office of Management and Budget and its subsidiary office, OIRA, supervising independent agencies and many of their actions."

Scharf said the order also establishes "that only the president or the attorney general can speak for the United States when stating an opinion as to what the law is."

OMB Director Russell Vought is a staunch proponent of the "unitary executive" theory, which contends the president has sole authority of the executive branch. The order comes as Trump faces legal pushback amid his administration's unprecedented purge of the federal workforce and reshaping of what Congress set up as independent agencies.

President Donald Trump speaks to the media at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, Feb. 18, 2025.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

Feb 18, 2025, 4:31 PM EST

Trump signs order to make fertility treatments ‘more affordable'

President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Domestic Policy Council to "examine ways to make IVF and other fertility treatments more affordable for more Americans," White House staff secretary Will Scharf said during a press conference with the president Tuesday afternoon.

President Donald Trump speaks to the media at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, Feb. 18, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

The president also signed a presidential memorandum to impose "radical transparency requirements on government departments and agencies," Scharf said, touting that this will further uncover "waste, fraud, and abuse" in order to save taxpayer's dollars.

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