Trump defends ICE tactics and complains about NATO and Norway before leaving for Davos
20, Jul 2026180d ago / 12:11 AM EST
Trump boards new plane
Trump was seen boarding a new plane tonight at Joint Base Andrews, which will take the designation of Air Force One.
The switch included the work of ground crews and support staff members who grabbed food and beverages from the plane with the electrical issue and moved it to the second aircraft, as witnessed by reporters traveling with Trump.
Baggage from the affected plane was also transferred to the new one. Among those making the move was White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
With that, Trump is expected to be en route to Davos.
Reporters traveling with Trump were told to get off the plane with the electrical issue, and they stood on the tarmac for about five minutes before they were ordered to get back on that aircraft so they'd be out of harm's way aircraft landed and took off.
The reporters were allowed to get on the new plane after Trump boarded.
180d ago / 10:53 PM EST
Air Force One turns around after 'minor electrical issue' is identified
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said this evening that Air Force One is returning to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, after the crew identified "a minor electrical issue" after takeoff.
Trump will board a new aircraft after landing, said Leavitt, who is on Air Force One.
Trump was on his way to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, when the plane turned around. The plane change is expected to delay his arrival in Switzerland.
Read the full story here.
180d ago / 10:40 PM EST
Mexico sends 37 cartel members to U.S. in latest offer to Trump administration
Mexico’s security minister said it had sent 37 more members of Mexican drug cartels to the United States as the Trump administration ratchets up pressure on governments to crack down on criminal networks it says are smuggling drugs across the border.
Mexican Security Minister Omar García Harfuch wrote on X that the people who were transferred were “high impact criminals” who “represented a real threat to the country’s security.”
It is the third time in less than a year that Mexico has sent detained cartel members to the U.S. as it tries to offset mounting threats by Trump. García Harfuch said the government has sent 92 people in total.
Read the full story here.
180d ago / 10:13 PM EST
Trump says Insurrection Act isn't needed for Minneapolis ‘at this point’
Trump said in a new interview that invoking the Insurrection Act is not necessary now for anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis but that it could be down the line.
"I don’t think we need it at this point," Trump told NewsNation in an interview recorded earlier today. "I would not have any problem invoking it if we needed it."
Trump has previously threatened to use the Insurrection Act but has not followed through on those threats.
180d ago / 9:53 PM EST
Trump loyalist Lindsey Halligan leaves her post as a top federal prosecutor
Attorney General Pam Bondi said tonight that Trump loyalist Lindsey Halligan is leaving her post as a top federal prosecutor in Virginia.
“Her departure is a significant loss for the Department of Justice and the communities she served,” Bondi said in a statement. “While we will feel her absence keenly, we are confident that she will continue to serve her country in other ways.”
The announcement comes the same day a federal judge barred Halligan from “masquerading” as the top federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia. At the same time, U.S. District Judge David Novak said he would allow Halligan to avoid attorney disciplinary proceedings for now “in light of her inexperience.”
Novak issued an order that bars “Ms. Halligan from representing herself as the United States Attorney in any pleading or otherwise before this Court until such time as she may lawfully hold the office either by Senate confirmation or appointment by this Court ... should either occur.”
Read the full story here.
180d ago / 9:48 PM EST
Trump departs for Davos
Trump is en route to Switzerland for the annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland.
The White House shared a list of administration officials joining Trump on Air Force One. They include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
180d ago / 8:40 PM EST
María Corina Machado meets with House lawmakers, including Foreign Affairs Committee
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado held more meetings on Capitol Hill today after meetings with lawmakers last week the day she gave Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal.
Several House Republicans reiterated their support for Machado, with Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida calling her "the undisputed leader of Venezuela."
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said that “a lot of areas were tackled” in today’s discussion and that Machado “has strong support here in Congress to lead the Venezuelan people forward.”
Machado, asked whether she knew what capacity Trump wants her to serve in in Venezuela, replied “no.”
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., said Machado “was sketchy on specifics” when it came to a timeline for democratic elections in her country.
Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, said Machado “did believe that her timeline is different than the president’s.”
Machado told reporters that her "main objective is to return to Venezuela as soon as possible," a goal she has been stating publicly for weeks.
180d ago / 8:18 PM EST
Republican Michele Tafoya, a former NFL sideline reporter, to launch Minnesota Senate run
Former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya plans to launch a run for the Senate in Minnesota, giving Republicans a high-profile recruit as they look to put the state in play next year.
Tafoya filed paperwork today establishing a Senate campaign committee with the Federal Election Commission. Three sources familiar with her decision confirmed that she is running for the Senate, and two sources said an official announcement is expected tomorrow.
While Republicans are looking to expand their four-seat Senate majority next year by targeting states Trump won in 2024, including Michigan and Georgia, some in the party have been optimistic that Democratic Sen. Tina Smith’s retirement could put Minnesota in play. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Rep. Angie Craig are both competing for the Democratic nod.
Tafoya, a longtime reporter who worked for NBC Sports and currently hosts a podcast, had been seriously weighing a Senate run for months and met with the National Republican Senatorial Committee in December, according to a source familiar with the meeting. Last year’s GOP nominee for the Senate, former professional basketball player Royce White, is also in the race, along with former state GOP chairman David Hann and former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze.
Read the full story here.
180d ago / 8:14 PM EST
Vance to visit Minneapolis as tensions escalate over immigration operations
Vice President JD Vance will visit Minnesota on Thursday, a person familiar with the plans told NBC News, underscoring the White House’s increased focus on the state.
The trip, which will include remarks in Minneapolis and a roundtable discussion with local leaders and members of the community, comes amid escalating political tensions over the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence there.
An ICE officer fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, 37, during a confrontation with officers two weeks ago. Trump, along with Vance and other top U.S. officials, have said the shooting was justified.
Democrats, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, have disputed their assertions. They also have found themselves pulled into in a federal investigation into whether state officials conspired to impede law enforcement in the administration’s immigration operations. The Justice Department has sent subpoenas to Walz, Frey and other state leaders, according to a document reviewed by NBC News and a person familiar with the investigation.
The trip was first reported by MS NOW.
Read the full story here.
180d ago / 7:54 PM EST
Mike Johnson says he thinks his U.K. visit 'had the desired outcome'
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told NBC News this evening that he saw it as his “mission” to “calm the waters” on his trip to the U.K., a NATO member.
Johnson, who addressed Parliament today, said, “I think we had the desired outcome.”
“We have some great allies there, and they — I think everybody wants to work towards a solution together, and that was my message. I think that’s the right way to accomplish it.”
180d ago / 7:49 PM EST
'No Kings' illuminated on mountainside near Davos
Hours before Trump arrived in Davos, the words "NO KINGS" were illuminated on a nearby mountain in an apparent reference to his arrival.
180d ago / 7:12 PM EST
Trump administration says DOGE may have misused Social Security data
The Justice Department alerted a federal judge in Maryland that members of the Department of Government Efficiency working with the Social Security Administration may have misused data it obtained from that agency.
In a court filing Friday, Justice Department officials said SSA representatives told them a recent review found that in March, after a temporary restraining order by the Maryland judge blocking DOGE’s access to SSA went into effect, an unnamed political advocacy group contacted two members of the agency’s DOGE team “with a request to analyze state voter rolls that the advocacy group had acquired.”
The advocacy group’s stated aim, the Justice Department writes, “was to find evidence of voter fraud and to overturn election results in certain States.”
Politico first reported on the Justice Department court filing.
Read the full story here.
180d ago / 6:06 PM EST
Maryland commission proposes redrawn congressional map, despite Democratic divisions
A redistricting committee formed by Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore voted to recommend a new congressional map that would draw the state’s lone Republican, Rep. Andy Harris, into a more Democratic-friendly district.
The map now heads to the Democratic-controlled Legislature, where its future is uncertain because of continued opposition in the state Senate.
Maryland Democrats have been split over whether to join the national mid-decade redistricting fight. Moore and national Democrats have urged state lawmakers to retaliate against GOP-controlled states that drew new maps last year, and the state’s new House speaker, Joseline Peña-Melnyk, is on board, too.
But Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson has repeatedly said the Democratic caucus won’t back a redrawn map, arguing that it would be legally risky and that it could backfire politically.
Read the full story here.
180d ago / 5:24 PM EST
Trump expresses frustration and says his team has made ‘some mistakes’ after one year in office
Trump said today that federal agents “make mistakes sometimes” in enforcing his immigration crackdown, an acknowledgment that comes after weeks of violent confrontations — including the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good — in the streets of Minneapolis.
“ICE is going to be too rough with somebody, or, you know, they’re dealing with rough people,” Trump said of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during a lengthy White House press room briefing focused mostly on highlighting the milestones of the first year of his second presidency.
“They’re going to make some mistakes sometimes,” he said. “It can happen. We feel terribly.”
Trump’s rare appearance at the briefing marked one year since his inauguration. He expressed exasperation that Americans have been more focused on clashes between immigration agents and the public than on allegations that members of Minnesota’s Somali-American community have participated in schemes to defraud the government.
Read the full story here.
180d ago / 4:34 PM EST
Comer rejects offer from Bill Clinton to meet in New York as contempt threat looms
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said in a statement that he rejected an offer from former President Bill Clinton’s attorney to have Comer and ranking member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., travel to New York to speak with Clinton.
“Other Committee Members would be barred from participating, and the Chairman and Ranking Member would only be allowed two staff each, with no official transcript,” Comer said in a statement.
NBC News is reaching out to the Clinton team.
“The House Oversight Committee rejects the Clintons’ unreasonable demands and will move forward with contempt resolutions on Wednesday due to their continued defiance of lawful subpoenas,” Comer said.
180d ago / 4:10 PM EST
Usha Vance expecting fourth child
Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance are expecting their fourth child, they said on X.
“We are particularly grateful for the military doctors who take excellent care of our family and for the staff members who do so much to ensure that we can serve the country while enjoying a wonderful life with our children,” they said.
The couple have three children: Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel. Their fourth baby, a boy, is expected to be born in late July, per their statement.
Read the full story here.
180d ago / 3:30 PM EST
Trump has repeatedly asked reporters where they're from
Trump has asked several reporters at the briefing whether they come from the countries they're asking about.
He asked a reporter who was asking about Brazil whether she was from there. She said she was. Then, he asked a reporter who began asking a question about Norway whether that was her native country.
"You are from Norway?" Trump asked.
The reporter said she's not, and Trump said, "You look like you would be from Norway."
Later, he asked another reporter who was asking about Iran whether she was from there. "I'm Palestinian American," she said.
180d ago / 3:30 PM EST
Trump says he will 'use something else' if Supreme Court rules against his tariffs policy
Trump threatened to use "something else" to increase revenue if the Supreme Court rules that the tariffs he imposed last year under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act are illegal.
"I have to use something else. I mean, you know, take a look at the word 'license.' Take a look at other things," Trump said. "I mean, we have other alternatives, but what we’re doing now is the best, the strongest, the fastest, the easiest, the least complicated."
The Supreme Court is set to issue a ruling on the tariffs sometime this term. If it rules the tariffs are illegal, companies across the country may be eligible for hundreds of billions of dollars in refund payments.
180d ago / 3:30 PM EST
Trump on Greenlanders' not wanting to be a part of the U.S.: 'I’m sure they’ll be thrilled'
Trump claimed that he'll be able to convince Greenlanders that they'll be happy if they were to become part of the United States.
A reporter noted that they have made it clear that they don't want to be part of the U.S.
"When I speak to them, I'm sure they'll be thrilled," Trump said.
180d ago / 3:26 PM EST
Trumps says he's not trying to replace the U.N. with his Board of Peace
Trump said that he believes "we got to let the U.N. continue" but that it isn't doing enough.
Asked at today's briefing whether he hopes his proposed Board of Peace will replace the U.N., Trump first said: "Well, it might. I mean, the U.N. just hasn't been very helpful."
He then added, "I'm a big fan of the U.N. ... but they should have settled every one of the wars that I've settled."
The Board of Peace, which Trump said would be used to oversee the next phase of his plan for the Gaza Strip, has drawn skepticism from world leaders over the lack of details. The board’s charter makes no direct mention of Gaza and instead proposes a broad mandate for a new international organization that “seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict.”
180d ago / 3:21 PM EST
Trump again says 'Norway controls the Nobel Prize,' but an independent panel does
Trump insisted that "Norway controls the Nobel Prize," a contention he has made before, including in an interview with NBC News this weekend.
The Nobel Peace Prize, however, is awarded by a five-member committee appointed by Norway’s parliament. Norway's embassy in Washington reaffirmed to NBC News: "The Norwegian government does not have a say in choosing the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize."
Trump, who has been open about his disappointment that he did not win the prize last year, told reporters: "I lost a lot of respect for Norway. ... I feel that Norway has tremendous control over who gets to know the Nobel Prize, despite what they say."
Lewis Lukens, who was a senior diplomat in the U.S. Embassy in London during Trump’s first term, said in a recent interview that Trump is wrong. "One would hope that he has people around him who are telling him there’s no point in antagonizing or pressuring the Norwegian government, because they have nothing to do with it," he said.
180d ago / 3:18 PM EST
Trump says 'you'll find out' when asked about acquiring Greenland
Asked at today's White House briefing how far he'll go to acquire Greenland, Trump told reporters: "You'll find out."
He did not elaborate.
180d ago / 3:17 PM EST
Trump rants about prosecutors who targeted him
Trump this afternoon went after prosecutors who charged him over the last several years with various crimes, saying he "ended Joe Biden's weaponization of our government."
Trump said he had removed "hand-picked radical left Marxists prosecutors from the Department of Justice like deranged Jack 'sick' Smith. He's a sick son of a bitch," he said, referring to the former special counsel who indicted Trump twice.
He then complained about New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
"They gave me the worst of the worst, and here I am. How did that happen? How did that happen? He's a sick guy, and Letitia James is sick, and Alvin Bragg is sick. They're sick people and others."
Trump was convicted in the New York hush money case, while the two federal cases brought by Smith and the Fulton County case were dismissed. He denied wrongdoing in all cases.
180d ago / 3:12 PM EST
Trump pans prominent GOP activist, donor Leonard Leo as 'bad guy'
An hour into Trump's press appearance at today's White House press briefing he criticized prominent conservative activist and donor Leonard Leo, who played an influential role in helping shape the president's judicial picks during his first term.
Calling on the Supreme Court to uphold his use of tariffs under an emergency declaration, Trump said: "We're doing so well because of tariffs. And the people who are heading up the lawsuit, like there's this guy named Leonard Leo, bad guy, and people who are very China-oriented and foreign car oriented...they're suing to get rid of tariffs."
It's not the first time Trump has criticized Leo, who has ties to a group funding lawyers in a case challenging the tariffs, The New York Times reported last year. Trump has struck out on a different path with his second term judicial picks.
180d ago / 3:11 PM EST
Trump urges Italians to vote for him because he 'reinstated Columbus day'
Trump said that Italians should remember he "reinstated" the Columbus Day holiday when they "go to the voting booth."
"Officially reinstated Columbus Day," Trump said. "I like the name Columbus Day. The Italian people are very happy about it. Remember when you go to the voting booth."
Last October, Trump signed an executive order to “reclaim” the explorer's legacy. The holiday is also sometimes referred to as Indigenous Peoples' Day.
180d ago / 3:03 PM EST
Trump says he should have won Nobel for 'each war' he's ended
Trump told reporters that he should have won the Nobel Peace Prize, instead of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, for "each war" that he's ended. He also claimed that "Norway controls the shots" over who receives the award, despite the fact that a separate commission manages the selection process.
"You know, I should have gotten the Nobel Prize for each war, but I don't say that. I saved millions and millions of people, and don't let anyone tell you, Norway doesn't control the shots," Trump said. "OK, it's in Norway. Norway controls the shots."
Trump also applauded Machado giving him her Nobel medal, calling her a "good woman" while saying that the award has lost "prestige."
"They’ve lost such prestige. That's why I have such respect for Maria doing what she did. She said, 'I don't deserve the Nobel Prize. He does,'" Trump said.
180d ago / 3:03 PM EST
Trump questions if NATO will come to the rescue of the U.S.
Trump argued during his remarks that no one has done more for NATO than he has and questioned whether the alliance would come to the "rescue" of the U.S.
"Nobody's done for NATO, and I think for the most part, they'll tell you that. I think you could ask the secretary general about that, but he said it, I've done more for NATO than anybody," Trump said.
After NATO members voiced strong opposition to Trump's desire to take control of Greenland, Trump said, "NATO has to treat us fairly, too. The big fear I have with NATO is we spend tremendous amount with NATO, and I know we'll come to their rescue, but I really do question whether or not they'll come to ours."
Trump is set to travel to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum later today where he will meet with other NATO leaders.
180d ago / 3:02 PM EST
Trump has been speaking for over an hour
Trump has now been speaking for over an hour, jumping from talking about inflation, to defending ICE and then attacking Somalia.
The president has not yet taken any questions.
180d ago / 3:02 PM EST
Trump says ICE is 'going to make mistakes sometimes'
While speaking about ICE operations in Minnesota, Trump said that people who work for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are "going to make mistakes sometimes."
"They’re going to make mistakes sometimes," Trump said. "ICE is going to be too rough with somebody, or, you know, they’re dealing with rough people, they’re going to make a mistake. Sometimes it can happen. We feel terribly," he said.
Trump said he "felt horribly" when he heard about Renee Good's death. "It’s a tragedy. It’s a horrible thing. Everybody would say ICE would say the same thing."
He said he learned her parents, her father in particular, "was a tremendous Trump fan," adding, "He was all for Trump, loved Trump, and you know, it’s terrible. I was told that by a lot of people. They said, 'Oh, he loves you.' ... I hope he still feels that way."
181d ago / 2:34 PM EST
Trump again denigrates Somalis, says 'the only thing they're good at' is 'pirating ships'
Trump again pivoted back to denigrating Somalia, calling it a "terrible place" and disparaging Somalis.
"That's about the only thing they're good at, is they're good at pirating ships at sea, big ships," he said.
Trump has repeatedly bashed Somalia and Somali immigrants in the U.S.
181d ago / 2:26 PM EST
Trump says he doesn't feel badly about firing federal workers
Trump said during his remarks in the briefing room that he doesn't feel badly about firing federal workers during his second term because, he claimed, they got jobs in the private sector and are likely making more money.
"We cut millions of people off the federal payroll. I don't like doing that, but the good news, I don't feel badly, because they're getting private sector jobs, and they're getting sometimes twice as much money, three times as much money. They're getting factory jobs, they're getting much better jobs and much higher pay," he said without providing evidence.
"They ended up with a job where they get paid three times more money," he added. "They're ending up buying houses. It's like crazy. So they went from not liking me to liking me a lot."
181d ago / 2:05 PM EST
Trump says he wants to get Machado 'involved in some way'
Trump said at the press briefing that he "loves" Venezuela and suggested he wanted to get opposition leader María Corina Machado "involved in some way."
"Now I’m loving Venezuela," Trump said. "They’ve been working with us so well."
"It’s been so nice and an unbelievably nice woman also did a very incredible thing, as you know, a few days ago," he said, in reference to Machado, adding, "and maybe we can get her involved in some way. I’d love to be able to do that."
The president met with Machado at the White House last week. At their meeting, she gave him her Nobel Peace Prize, which Trump has insisted he should have won.
181d ago / 1:58 PM EST
Trump criticizes Somalia, says 'it’s considered just about the worst in the world'
Trump began his remarks to journalists at the White House press briefing by criticizing Somalia and Somali immigrants.
"Somalia is not even a country," he said. "They don't have anything that resembles a country. And if it is a country, it's considered just about the worst in the world."
He continued, criticizing Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who is of Somali descent, and criticized Somali immigrants, calling them "a lot of very low IQ people." Trump has ramped up attacks on Somali immigrants in recent months.
181d ago / 1:49 PM EST
Trump is speaking at the White House briefing
Trump has now joined the White House press briefing, which started later than scheduled, as his administration tout his accomplishments in the first year since his inauguration for his second term.
The president kicked off his remarks by showing photos of what he said were undocumented immigrants who had committed violent offenses and defending his immigration policies.
President Donald Trump speaks at the White House today. Saul Loebn / AFP - Getty Images
181d ago / 1:15 PM EST
Judge posts job opening for top prosecutor spot that DOJ claims Lindsey Halligan occupies
A top federal judge in the Eastern District of Virginia has posted a job opening for a top federal prosecutor position that the Trump administration claims is occupied by Trump loyalist Lindsey Halligan.
Chief Judge M. Hannah Lauck entered an order today ordering the clerk of the court to post a vacancy announcement, soliciting applications from attorneys interested in filling the position of Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
“In the exercise of the authority conferred by 28 U.S.C. § 546(d) to appoint an Interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia until the position is filled by a Senate confirmed person, the Court is soliciting expressions of interest in serving in that position,” the order read.
Under the law, when the position is vacant — as the chief judge declared it was — the court can “appoint a United States Attorney to serve until the vacancy is filled” by a Senate-confirmed candidate. The application deadline is listed as Feb. 10, 2026.
Read the full story here.
181d ago / 1:06 PM EST
Supreme Court skeptical of Hawaii’s ‘vampire rule’ for gun owners
A majority of Supreme Court justices indicated this today that a Hawaii gun law that limits people carrying firearms onto private property infringes on the constitutionally protected right to bear arms.
The measure has been dubbed the “vampire rule” because, as with the fictional creatures in folk tales and the novel “Dracula,” it requires people with concealed carry permits to seek permission before entering private property open to the public.
Members of the court’s 6-3 conservative majority, who regularly back gun rights, suggested during oral argument that the requirement violates the Constitution’s Second Amendment right to bear arms.
“You are just regulating the Second Amendment to second-class status,” conservative Justice Samuel Alito told Hawaii’s lawyer, Neal Katyal.
Read the full story here.
181d ago / 12:58 PM EST
Trump's golf trip and sports event tally
The president made 106 visits to his various golf properties over the course of the past year.
Those include 18 trips to Mar-a-Lago that totaled 77 days. The president spent 23 days across nine trips at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Trump also attended 13 professional or collegiate sporting events, including the Super Bowl, UFC fights and, most recently, the NCAA college football national championship on Monday night.
181d ago / 12:56 PM EST
Trump held more than 100 publicly known meetings with foreign leaders in the past year
As he wraps up the first year of his second term, Trump has participated in more than 100 publicly known meetings with foreign leaders, including 49 meetings at the White House and one on Air Force One.
Seven foreign leaders met Trump at his properties, while other meetings took place during international summits and foreign trips.
181d ago / 12:52 PM EST
Trump's travels included eight trips to 13 countries and 56 domestic trips outside D.C.
Trump took eight trips abroad to visit 13 countries in the first year of his second term, including a trip to Asia, two trips to the Middle East, and two to the United Kingdom, with one of those a state visit.
The president made 56 domestic trips outside the D.C. area in the last year. Nine trips were taken to sites of disasters, nine trips were taken to swing states and two trips were taken to give commencement speeches at universities.
181d ago / 12:47 PM EST
Trump signed more executive orders this past year than any predecessor except Franklin Roosevelt
Trump signed 229 executive orders in the first year of his second term — far more than his recent predecessors or even the first year of his own first term, when he signed 55 orders.
President Joe Biden signed 77 executive orders during his first year in office, while President Barack Obama signed 40 executive orders in the first year of his first term, and 20 executive orders in the first year of his second term.
The only modern president to have signed more executive orders in the first year of a term was President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who signed 381 orders during the first year of his third term in order to rapidly mobilize the country for World War II.
181d ago / 12:44 PM EST
Trump to join White House briefing today
Trump will join today's White House press briefing, which marks the one year anniversary of his inauguration.
The briefing is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
181d ago / 12:36 PM EST
Congress releases massive funding bill ahead of shutdown deadline as ICE clash looms
Congressional negotiators in both parties released a massive bill Tuesday aimed at fully funding the government ahead of a shutdown deadline on Jan. 30.
The 1,059-page bipartisan bill includes money for the Pentagon and the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Homeland Security, and reduces the chances of another funding lapse after the longest shutdown in U.S. history last fall.
But the DHS measure is sure to be a point of contention for Democrats in the House and Senate, many of whom insisted they would reject any funding bill without policies to restrain ICE after an agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis this month.
“There should absolutely be reforms to ICE. And if there aren’t reforms, I’m going to be a hard no on that bill, the DHS bill,” Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., the No. 4 House Democrat, told NBC News last week ahead of the release of the bill.
Read the full story here.
181d ago / 12:31 PM EST
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani says he supports abolishing ICE
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in an interview today that he supports doing away with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"I am in support of abolishing ICE," Mamdani told ABC's "The View," saying the agency is "an entity that has no interest in fulfilling its stated reason to exist."
"We’re seeing a government agency that is supposed to be enforcing some kind of immigration law," Mamdani added. "Instead, what it’s doing is terrorizing people, no matter their immigration status, no matter the facts of the law, no matter the facts of the case."
Mamdani made the comments when asked if he supports abolishing the agency as the show hosts discussed the clashes between federal agents and protesters in Minneapolis.
"I’m tired of waking up every day and seeing a new image of someone being dragged out of a car, dragged out of their home, dragged out of their life," he said. "There is a way to care about immigration in this city and in this country with a sense of humanity. What we’re seeing from ICE is not it, and we have not seen that from them in a long, long time.”
181d ago / 11:39 AM EST
White House vows consequences for protest in Minnesota church
The White House is now vowing consequences for Sunday’s high-profile protest inside a St. Paul church where, demonstrators claim, a pastor is running local ICE operations. With protests raging in Minnesota, Trump is threatening to send active-duty troops to quell unrest. NBC’s Maggie Vespa reports for the "TODAY" show.
181d ago / 10:58 AM EST
Rep. Julia Letlow launches Louisiana Senate primary against Bill Cassidy
Rep. Julia Letlow announced this morning that she is running for Senate, after earning Trump’s endorsement over the weekend for a Republican primary challenge against Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.
Letlow made the announcement at a closed-door business breakfast in Baton Rouge, according to two sources familiar with the event. Cassidy was in the room when Letlow announced her run, the sources said.
Letlow’s run marks the most serious political threat yet to Cassidy, who is facing multiple primary challengers this year. It’s the first time Cassidy is facing voters since voting in 2021 to convict Trump on impeachment charges following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Read the full story here.
181d ago / 10:22 AM EST
Hogan says no to comeback bid for Maryland governor
Former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan won't seek a return to office in Maryland this year, he wrote in a new op-ed today.
Hogan served two terms as governor of the blue state after winning the 2014 race, and became the only Republican governor to win re-election in Maryland for decades.
He ran last cycle in an unsuccessful bid for Senate against Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, and wrote in The Baltimore Sun that "I have no intention of running for office again" as Republicans are readying an uphill battle against Gov. Wes Moore.
"To my fellow Republicans: It is time to invest in a new generation of candidates who are ready to step up, and as elected politics is a binary proposition, who are willing to win with a positive message that appeals to more people," he wrote.
181d ago / 9:41 AM EST
Trump threatens tariff on French wine imports to spur Macron to join Gaza 'Board of Peace'
Trump suggested in remarks to reporters late yesterday that he could impose a 200% tariff on French wines and champagnes in an apparent effort to get French President Emmanuel Macron to join his Gaza “Board of Peace.”
Asked by a reporter about Macron seemingly not intending to join the board, Trump said as he returned to the White House from Florida, “Did he say that? Well, nobody wants him because he’s going to be out of office very soon.”
Trump then leveled his tariff threat and later posted text messages from Macron about Greenland.
A source close to Macron told NBC News that the Élysée had taken note of Trump’s statements, adding that tariff threats to influence French policy were unacceptable and ineffective.
The source also said that at this time, Macron did not intend to give a favorable response to the “Board of Peace” invite, citing respect for the United Nations.
181d ago / 9:16 AM EST
House lawmakers unveil spending package that includes ICE funding
The House Appropriations Committee this morning released a final package of four full-year appropriations bills that, if passed, would complete the chamber’s work on government funding for the year.
This package covers Fiscal Year 2026 (through September 30) for the Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development departments.
Notably, the spending package includes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Many Democrats, especially progressives, have been calling for withholding funding to ICE until reforms are made to the agency. The committee's top Democrat, Rosa DeLauro, addressed those concerns in a statement.
"I understand that many of my Democratic colleagues may be dissatisfied with any bill that funds ICE," she said. "I share their frustration with the out-of-control agency. I encourage my colleagues to review the bill and determine what is best for their constituents and communities."
She added that “bill takes several steps in the right direction, such as cutting ICE enforcement and removal operations and reducing the number of detention beds, but it does not include broader reforms Democrats proposed.”
The legislation includes “$20,000,000, for the procurement, deployment, and operations of body worn cameras” for ICE agents. There is also a policy that “encourages DHS to develop and implement a standardized uniform policy for domestic law enforcement operations to ensure that law enforcement officers are clearly identifiable as Federal law enforcement.”
DeLauro said that Republican leaders promised to hold a separate vote on the Homeland Security portion of the package. We will track reaction today from Democrats, including if Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries gives his caucus any direction on how to vote.
The House is expected to take up this package on the floor later this week. So far, the House has passed eight of the 12 required full year funding bills. Finishing this package would complete the appropriations work for the chamber. The Senate has passed six of 12.
181d ago / 8:46 AM EST
Newsom says Europeans have 'been played' by Trump
California Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters in Davos, Switzerland, that Europeans have "been played" by Trump.
"Europeans should decide for themselves what to do, but one thing they can't do is what they've been doing, and they've been played," he said, according to a video posted by a reporter. "This guy's playing folks for fools, and it's embarrassing."
Newsom, who is considered a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender and is in continual conflict with Trump over immigration, climate-related regulations and other policy issues, said that the globe was still playing with an "old set of rules," saying that Trump was "unmoored" and "unhinged."
Trump will begin his travel to Davos tonight for the World Economic Forum.
181d ago / 8:38 AM EST
Trump's first year of his second term, by the numbers
Today marks the first anniversary of Trump being sworn into office. The year was marked by hundreds of executive orders, dozens of trips and more than 100 meetings with foreign leaders.
Trump signed 229 executive orders — far more than his recent predecessors and the first year of his first term, when he signed 55 orders. President Joe Biden signed 77 executive orders during his first year in office, and President Barack Obama signed 40 executive orders in the first year of his first term and 20 executive orders in the first year of his second term.
The only modern president to have signed more executive orders in the first year of a term was President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who signed 381 orders during the first year of his third term in order to rapidly mobilize the country for World War II.
Trump took eight trips abroad to visit 13 countries in his first year of his second term, including a trip to Asia, two trips to the Middle East, and two to the United Kingdom, with one of those a state visit.
The president participated in more than 100 publicly known meetings with foreign leaders, including 49 meetings at the White House. He made dozens of trips in the U.S., including 18 trips to Mar-a-Lago, nine trips to Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey, nine trips to disaster sites, nine trips to swing states and two trips to deliver university commencement speeches.
The president paid 106 visits to his various golf properties over the course of the past year. He also attended 13 professional or collegiate sporting events, including the Super Bowl, UFC fights and, most recently, the NCAA college football national championship last night.
181d ago / 8:36 AM EST
Dutch foreign minister says Trump possibly posting private messages from leaders is 'part of the new diplomacy'
Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel said in an interview with NBC News that world leaders must "take into account" that Trump may post their private messages to the public.
"I think that’s part of the new diplomacy that we’re dealing with here, that we also do part of the diplomacy out in the open," he said. "That’s OK, as long as the outcome becomes what we want it to be."
Van Weel also noted that diplomacy takes place through a variety of channels, including phone calls and meetings.
The foreign minister's comment comes after Trump posted private messages from French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Greenland to Truth Social.
181d ago / 8:30 AM EST
After Russia and Belarus were invited, Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says he too was asked to join Trump's 'Board of Peace' for Gaza
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today that he was one of the world leaders who has received invitations to join Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace.”
The U.S.-led initiative was initially set up to end the conflict in Gaza, but could be expanded to help end conflicts elsewhere.
Asked about whether Ukraine was invited to join in, Zelenskyy said, “We have received the invitation. Our diplomats are working on this invitation.”
Trump confirmed yesterday that Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago, was also invited. The president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, also received an invite, his Foreign Ministry said yesterday, and was “ready to participate.” Lukashenko is one of Putin's closest allies, having allowed the Russian president to use Belarusian territory to invade Ukraine in 2022.
“Honestly, for now it is very difficult for me to imagine how we could be together with Russia in one board or another,” Zelenskyy said. “This is not about this particular "Board of Peace." It’s just that Russia is about a board of war, and Belarus is together with them — specifically the Lukashenko regime.”
181d ago / 8:01 AM EST
Trump shares texts from leaders and vows ‘no going back’ on Greenland
“I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland.”
That’s what French President Emmanuel Macron told Trump, in a private message shared online by the American leader.
The message, posted overnight on Truth Social, was part of a flurry of activity as Trump insisted there was “no going back” in his campaign to seize the semi-autonomous Arctic territory from Denmark. He also posted a text from the head of NATO, accused Britain of “stupidity,” and shared what appeared to be AI-generated images depicting the American flag over Greenland and Canada.
But Trump did add a glimmer of diplomacy, announcing he would meet with “various parties” about Greenland on the sidelines of this week’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Read the full story here.
181d ago / 7:42 AM EST
Trump’s pardons forgive financial crimes that came with hundreds of millions in punishments
Just one year into his second term, Trump has pardoned an unusually high number of wealthy people accused of financial crimes, according to an NBC News analysis of the last four administrations.
Over half of Trump’s 88 individual pardons are for white-collar offenses, with money laundering, bank fraud and wire fraud among the most frequent crimes the president has wiped clean.
Additionally, about half of the pardon recipients are either business executives or politicians. Included in the latest round of pardons, issued Thursday and Friday, were a former health care CEO, the former governor of Puerto Rico and a pair of siblings who were convicted on fraud charges — one of whom Trump previously freed for a different crime.
Read the full story here.
181d ago / 7:10 AM EST
Trump cites U.K.'s 'stupidity' over Chagos Islands deal as a reason to seize Greenland
Trump criticized a British deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands as an “act of total weakness,” citing it as a reason for the U.S. to take control of the Danish territory of Greenland.
Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Indian Ocean’s Chagos Archipelago, is home to a strategically important U.S.-British military base whose future was in doubt amid legal challenges. In a deal signed last year with Mauritius, an island nation off Africa’s southeastern coast, Britain agreed to cede control of the Chagos Islands — its last overseas territory in Africa — while leasing Diego Garcia for 99 years.
The deal, which Britain said would secure the future of the base and allow people to return home after being displaced decades ago, was publicly welcomed by the U.S. and other allies, including by Trump during a meeting last May with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Reversing his position in a social media post, Trump said in all caps that Britain was ceding Diego Garcia “for no reason whatsoever,” adding that there was “no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness.”
“The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired,” he added.
A spokesperson for the British government said it would “never compromise on our national security.”
“We acted because the base on Diego Garcia was under threat after court decisions undermined our position and would have prevented it operating as intended in future,” the spokesperson said.
“This deal secures the operations of the joint U.S.-U.K. base on Diego Garcia for generations, with robust provisions for keeping its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out.”
181d ago / 7:10 AM EST
Supreme Court tackles Hawaii’s ‘vampire rule’ for gun owners
The Supreme Court this morning weighs a challenge to a Hawaii gun restriction dubbed the “vampire rule” because, as with the fictional creatures in folk tales and the novel “Dracula,” people carrying firearms are required to seek permission before entering private property.
The justices will weigh whether the requirement, enacted in 2023 as part of a broader gun law, violates the Constitution’s Second Amendment, which protects the right to bear arms.
Read the full story here.
181d ago / 7:10 AM EST
Speaker Johnson vows to calm Trump tensions in U.K. address
LONDON — House Speaker Mike Johnson made history in the British capital today, marking 250 years since American independence from the United Kingdom by becoming the first in that role to address the nation’s Parliament.
The historic milestone comes during deeply troubled times between the transatlantic allies, however, with Trump ratcheting up his hostile campaign to take control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory.
The president has shocked and alarmed his NATO allies, refusing to rule out military action and vowing to impose tariffs in his attempts to seize the Arctic island.
Johnson, R-La., began his address by saying that he spoke with Trump yesterday, and told him “that I felt that my mission here today was to encourage our friends, and help to calm the waters.”
Read the full story here.
