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Donald Trump held his first cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday, turning the occasion into an extended question-and-answer session that lasted over an hour. Speaking alongside his cabinet, and billionaire Elon Musk, who wore a “tech support” T-shirt, Trump covered a wide range of topics, including Doge’s efforts to cut government spending, immigration, the economy, and the war in Ukraine. Here are six takeaways from the meeting.
1. Trump praises Rubio and Musk.
Trump was asked by reporters which government department, and by extension, which cabinet members, were most resistant to his policy changes. “So far, I’m happy with all of those choices,” he said. He added, however, that “some groups are much easier than others”, specifically praising the work of Elon Musk, who is not a cabinet member, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
2. …and addresses potential cabinet tensions.
Trump publicly – and repeatedly – backed the work of Elon Musk and Doge, the Department of Government Efficiency, which has been tasked with slashing government spending and the federal workforce. The president sought to dampen any speculation of tension between Musk and the rest of his team. “They have a lot of respect for Elon and that he’s doing this, and some disagree a little bit,” Trump said. “But I will tell you for the most part I think everyone’s not only happy, they’re thrilled.”
3. A warning to federal workers.
The president also addressed Musk’s e-mail to federal employees asking them to list five things they had done in the last week or risk losing their jobs, saying the cabinet is “very much behind” the initiative. Trump speculated without evidence that some of the approximately one million federal workers who haven’t responded to the e-mail maybe “don’t exist”. “Maybe they’re going to be gone,” he added.
4. Memo instructs further staff reductions.
Later in the day, a memo was sent to federal agencies asking them to submit plans for “a significant reduction” in their staff by 13 March. The memo asks agencies to provide a list of employees who are deemed not essential. The memo also requests that future hiring be limited to one position for every four people who are let go. These layoffs would be in addition to those already undertaken by Doge of mainly probationary workers.
5. Trump confirms Zelensky visit.
Trump confirmed that Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky will visit the White House on Friday, something that had previously been suggested. Trump said the visit would see the US and Ukraine sign an expansive minerals deal, although the contours of that agreement remain unclear.
6. And says EU tariffs coming ‘very soon’.
Trump said he is planning to hit goods made in the European Union with tariffs of 25%. “We’ll be announcing it very soon,” he told gathered reporters. “It’ll be 25% generally speaking and that will be on cars and all other things. They’ve really taken advantage of us.”
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