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Trump 2nd term live updates: Trump defends tariffs, declines to comment on Ukraine aid
Trump said tariffs will be the "greatest thing we've ever done as a country."
President Donald Trump is defending his decision to pause some tariffs to Canada and Mexico for another month -- a notable reversal after imposing historic levies on the key U.S. trading partners earlier this week, causing markets to tumble.
On Friday, Trump signed more executive orders at the White House before he convened a first-ever cryptocurrency summit with industry leaders.
Latest headlines:
Trump to meet with hard-liners as shutdown deadline approaches
President Donald Trump will meet with a group of House Republican hard-liners Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the White House to discuss a path forward on government funding as the March 14 shutdown deadline approaches, two congressional sources and one White House official told ABC News.
Trump and top GOP leaders have endorsed a "clean" short-term bill to fund the government until the end of September 2025. However, hard-liners typically despise continuing resolutions, and 34 opposed the short-term measure that's currently funding the government.
-ABC News' Lauren Peller, Hannah Demissie and Katherine Faulders
US, Ukraine could agree to mineral deal as soon as Tuesday
The United States and Ukraine could sign the minerals deal as soon as Tuesday, according to two sources briefed on the discussions.
The deal was originally expected to be signed Friday at the White House, but talks quickly went downhill, and Trump kicked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy out of the White House without completing the agreement.
Sources caution that nothing is final. However, Trump has indicated to top advisers he would like to get the deal done before his joint address to Congress.
-ABC News' Katherine Faulders and Molly Nagle
Senate Democrats blast Trump's 1st month in office ahead of joint address
Senate Democrats blasted President Donald Trump's first month in office ahead of his address to a joint session of Congress, gathering for a news conference on Tuesday while holding up photos of the guests they're bringing to the speech, including fired bureaucrats and others who have been negatively affected by the White House's moves to slash the federal workforce.
"We think one of the best ways to let the American people know how horrible Donald Trump's first 30 days have been is to bring those who have been affected, the victims of his malevolence, of his desire, the tax breaks for the billionaires and make Americans pay for it," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate steps.
"Americans who voted for the president didn't sign up for this. They wanted lower costs. ... What is the State of the Union, we ask? Chaos is up, corruption is up, and costs are up for regular people," Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., added.
-ABC News' Isabella Murray
Senate Republican says aid to Ukraine should be restored
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., is wearing his Ukraine pin and a navy blue suit with yellow tie ahead of President Donald Trump's address to the joint session of Congress.
Tillis is a staunch ally of Ukraine who has become increasingly outspoken about his support for the country as the riff between Ukraine and the Trump administration has widened.
"I'm trying to figure out what it would feel like to have been the head of state for a country that has experienced systematic murder rape, kidnapping and torture of tens of thousands of people, and I actually think somebody under that pressure should be given a little bit of leeway when it comes to addressing frustration," Tillis said.
-ABC News' Allison Pecorin