February 24, 2025: Donald Trump presidency news | CNN Politics

February 24, 2025: Donald Trump presidency news

Antoinette Radford

Maureen Chowdhury

Elise Hammond

By Antoinette Radford, Maureen Chowdhury, Elise Hammond and Aditi Sangal, CNN

Updated 10:32 PM EST, Mon February 24, 2025

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Macron interrupts Trump, clarifies how Europe gave money to Ukraine

1:40 • Source: CNN

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Macron interrupts Trump, clarifies how Europe gave money to Ukraine

1:40

What we covered here:

• Musk’s new message: Elon Musk said tonight that federal workers who do not respond to a weekend email asking them to justify their jobs will be given another opportunity “subject to the discretion of the President” and warned that they would still be fired if they didn’t reply a second time. Hours earlier, the Office of Personnel Management notified government agencies that responding to Musk’s email, which President Donald Trump praised as “pretty ingenious,” was voluntary.

• Trump-Macron meeting: French President Emmanuel Macron said he and Trump made “substantive steps forward” during talks on ending the Ukraine war. Trump said they agreed on important issues, although he also repeated a false claim about US and European spending on the war, which Macron corrected him on in the Oval Office.

• Setback for AP: A federal judge declined today to temporarily restore the Associated Press’ access to some of Trump’s events, the Oval Office and Air Force One.

50 Posts

Our live coverage of Donald Trump’s presidency has ended for the day. Follow the latest updates or read through the posts below.

OPM employees receive guidance on how to respond to “what did you do last week” email

From CNN's Rene Marsh

Employees at the Office of Personnel Management were left in the dark about how to handle the initial “what did you do last week” email until about 6 p.m. today, when they received guidance saying a response was voluntary but strongly encouraged, according to an email obtained by CNN.

OPM told its own employees the exercise of listing weekly accomplishments is currently voluntary, but the agency may consider making it a mandatory requirement for its employees. The guidance also instructs OPM employees to not send any confidential, sensitive, privileged or investigative information.

The original email sent to federal workers said the deadline for submission is Monday at 11:59 p.m. ET.

GOP senator criticizes US vote against UN resolution and warns North Korea and Russia "are not our friends"

From CNN's Morgan Rimmer

Sen. John Curtis arrives for a Senate hearing in Washington, DC, on January 15.

Sen. John Curtis arrives for a Senate hearing in Washington, DC, on January 15.

Samuel Corum/Getty Images

GOP Sen. John Curtis of Utah posted on X that he was “deeply troubled” by the US vote against a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The vote against the Ukrainian and European-backed resolution saw the US at odds with its longtime European allies and instead aligned with the aggressor in the war on the three-year anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

GOP congressman, who faced tough questions at town hall, says federal job cuts should be done with compassion

From CNN's Ali Main, Manu Raju, Annie Grayer, and Sarah Davis

Rep. Rich McCormick speaks during a town hall meeting in Roswell, Georgia, last Thursday.

Rep. Rich McCormick speaks during a town hall meeting in Roswell, Georgia, last Thursday.

Elijah Nouvelage for The Washington Post/Getty Images

Rep. Rich McCormick, who faced tough questions at a town hall in his Georgia district last week about the Trump administration’s early actions to slash the federal government, said tonight he would like to see the cuts approached with compassion.

He told reporters he believes government was designed to be “inefficient on purpose, so it would never become more powerful than the people themselves and that requires patience.”

The Georgia Republican pointed to the months of severance the administration had promised to some federal workers if they stepped aside from their jobs.

Rep. Andrew Garbarino of New York, who signed a letter with other New York Republicans urging the Trump administration to protect a 9/11 health program that had experienced workforce cuts, said the White House had told him that the cuts weren’t intentional.

“That’s why they reversed them, and I applaud the White House for doing that and fixing that,” he said.

Musk says federal workers will be given another chance to reply to email asking "What did you do last week?"

From CNN's Piper Hudspeth Blackburn

Elon Musk said tonight that federal workers who do not respond to an email they received over the weekend telling them to state their weekly accomplishments will be given another opportunity “subject to the discretion of the President” and warned that they would still be fired if they didn’t reply a second time.

The tech billionaire and ally of President Donald Trump said this in a post on X hours after the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) formally notified government agencies that responding to the email was voluntary and that failing to reply wouldn’t amount to a resignation. Several national security agencies, including the FBI, and multiple other federal departments advised staffers not to respond to the email immediately.

The weekend email came from the Office of Personnel Management’s new HR email address but had no signature. The subject line reads: “What did you do last week?”

It asked federal workers to explain what work they did last week, and Musk had separately announced that “failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

CNN has reached out to the White House and OPM for comment.

Johnson won’t commit to vote timing with GOP short on votes for budget blueprint to advance Trump agenda

From CNN's Sarah Ferris, Haley Talbot and Lauren Fox

House Speaker Mike Johnson talks with reporters as he walks to the House Chamber from his office at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on Monday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson talks with reporters as he walks to the House Chamber from his office at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on Monday.

Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

Speaker Mike Johnson wouldn’t commit to holding a vote tomorrow on a budget blueprint that Republicans must pass to unlock President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Johnson is facing resistance from key corners of his conference. He can only afford to lose one Republican vote on the floor — and it’s unclear whether he will be able to lock down the votes he needs.

Asked about the schedule, Johnson said, “We’ll see about the timing.” He added that more conversations would continue tonight. “All I do are meetings,” Johnson quipped on his way out the Capitol door.

“We are prepared to go if we are ready to go and if the members are ready to go. It’s a member-driven process,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said.

Where things stand: Two Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Tim Burchett of Tennessee — have said they oppose the measure, which must be passed by both chambers to unlock procedural powers to pass Trump priorities on a party-line vote in the Senate without the threat of the filibuster.

In addition, GOP Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey told CNN he spoke with Trump today and said he had deep reservations about voting to advance the budget blueprint due to potential cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.

Van Drew said Trump was understanding of his concerns, and following the call, Van Drew was still undecided, leaning against the budget.

Macron says Ukraine-Russia truce could happen in "the weeks to come"

From CNN’s Michael Rios

A Ukrainian soldier prepares to fire a howitzer towards Russian positions on the front line near Chasiv Yar, in Ukraine's Donetsk region, on February 7.

A Ukrainian soldier prepares to fire a howitzer towards Russian positions on the front line near Chasiv Yar, in Ukraine's Donetsk region, on February 7.

Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade/AP

French President Emmanuel Macron said a truce between Ukraine and Russia could be reached in “the weeks to come,” but cautioned that Western allies must ensure Russia honors its agreements.

During the ceasefire period, Russia and the West could negotiate security guarantees for Ukraine. After that, they could have a peace treaty, which he said the West must ensure Russia doesn’t violate.

To guarantee Ukraine’s security, the French president proposed boosting its military capabilities, and — if requested — to deploy British and French troops to keep the peace.

Some background: Macron discussed Ukraine today with President Donald Trump at the White House. He stressed repeatedly the necessity of security guarantees to ensure Moscow keeps its promises this time around, and said any agreement must be “checked and verified.”

Defense Secretary Hegseth will travel tomorrow to Guantanamo Bay

From CNN's Haley Britzky

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will travel to Guantanamo Bay on Tuesday to receive briefings “on all mission operations,” which will include the ongoing operation to transfer migrants to the base, the Pentagon said in a news release today.

This will be Hegseth’s first trip to Guantanamo Bay as secretary. While on the visit, he will also meet the US service members at the base and aboard the USS Thomas Hudner.

Last week, more than 170 migrants at the naval base were flown to Venezuela, nearly emptying Guantanamo. Since then, 17 migrants have been brought to the detention facility portion of the base, CNN reported. No migrants are in the Migrant Operation Center, or MOC.

2 GOP senators criticize handling of email asking federal employees to explain their work

From CNN’s Ted Barrett

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and Sen. James Lankford.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and Sen. James Lankford.

Reuters/Getty Images

Two Republican senators on Monday criticized the handling and coordination of the email sent to federal workers asking them to explain and justify their work.

Employees began receiving emails Saturday afternoon from the Office of Personnel Management asking them to explain what work they did last week, as Elon Musk announced that “failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, who sits on the Governmental Affairs Committee, agreed.

Earlier, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told CNN that that the employees deserve to be treated in a “respectful and dignified manner,” but he also defended Musk’s effort as necessary to cut the costs of the federal bureaucracy.

HHS tells employees to assume their response to OPM email "will be read by malign foreign actors"

From CNN’s Meg Tirrell

The US Department of Health and Human Services told its employees this evening that if they respond to an Office of Personnel Management email asking what they did last week, they should “assume that what you write will be read by malign foreign actors and tailor your response accordingly.”

The guidance came late in the day, according to three sources at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — agencies under the HHS umbrella.

Here’s more details from the emailed guidance for employees:

HHS has no expectation that HHS employees respond
There will be no impact to their employment if they choose not to respond
If responding, meet the deadline: 11:59 p.m. Monday
If responding, keep responses “at a high level of generality”
Do not disclose names of coworkers
If employees work in research or reviews, do not disclose anything that could reveal “the precise nature of your work”

Also this afternoon, OPM formally notified agencies that response to the email is voluntary and that failure to respond wouldn’t equate to a resignation, as suggested previously by Elon Musk.

Trump administration restores USDA scholarship program at historically Black colleges

From CNN's Eva McKend

After public outcry, the United States Department of Agriculture has reopened a scholarship program aimed at putting young people at historically Black colleges and universities on the path to careers in agriculture, food safety and environmental science.

“The USDA 1890s National Scholars Program application period has been reopened, and applications will be accepted through March 15th. Please check this page again for information about upcoming webinars,” the site reads.

Last week the Congressional Black Caucus called out the Trump administration for freezing the decades-old 1890 Scholars Program that, if selected, provided students with full tuition covered fees, books, room and board at 1890 land-grant universities.

Democratic members of Congress slammed the suspension of the program, arguing it is evidence of further hostility toward marginalized groups following executive orders aimed at dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across the government.

Trump and Macron discussed Ukraine at the White House. Here's the latest on the war's third anniversary

From CNN's Aditi Sangal, Lauren Kent, Michael Williams, Victoria Butenko, Catherine Nicholls, Alejandra Jaramillo and Sam Waldenberg

President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron look at each other during a press conference, at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 24.

President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron look at each other during a press conference, at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 24.

Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

US President Donald Trump met today with French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House. They also had two interactions with the media – in the Oval Office and during a more formal news conference – at which they spoke at length about Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has been raging for three years.

In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hosted several international leaders to mark the invasion’s third anniversary. He said he hopes 2025 brings a “real, lasting” end to the war.

Here are the top lines from the Trump-Macron meeting at the White House:

Moving forward: Macron said he and Trump made “substantive steps forward” on Ukraine, emphasizing their shared desire to build peace — although the French leader emphasized the importance for Ukraine’s sovereignty while warning that peace won’t happen if Kyiv is forced to surrender. Macron added he and Trump “share the same beliefs” on forging a lasting peace. Trump said that he believes Macron agrees with him on “many of the most important issues,” including that this is the right time to end the war.
Recovering lost land: Trump said that Ukraine could “perhaps” recover some of its Russia-occupied land, but that it is not an “easy thing to do.” Ukraine has lost control of about 11% of its land since 2022, according to CNN analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based conflict monitor. Trump also said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin would accept European troops as peacekeepers in Ukraine.
Rare earth deal: The French president commended Trump for his “decision to work with President Zelensky, and to conclude this agreement that’s so important for the US and Ukraine on rare earths, critical minerals.” The US president didn’t get specific on the security agreements that Ukrainians want in order to move forward with negotiations over its rare earth minerals although Trump said Zelensky “may come” to Washington this week or next as the deal is very close.
Labeling “dictator”: Trump said he doesn’t use the word dictator lightly when asked by a reporter if he would use that label for Putin, as he did for Zelensky last week.
Spending on Ukraine: Trump repeated a false claim that the US is spending much more money on the war than European countries. Macron interrupted Trump to correct his US counterpart on the nature of European support for Ukraine. The European Union and individual European countries had collectively committed far more total wartime military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine through December (about $258 billion) than the US had committed (about $124 billion), according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think tank that closely tracks wartime aid to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, in other news about Ukraine:

Putin’s praise: Russia is ready to work with American companies to explore rare earth mineral deposits in the country, Putin said as he praised Trump’s Ukraine policy as “rational.”
UN resolution: A US-led resolution that did not call Russia the aggressor in the war passed in the UN Security Council with support from Moscow and without the backing of the US’ European allies.
Rare protests: In a rare show of dissent, small-scale anti-war protests took place in Russia today to mark the third anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Economic ties: Putin’s special envoy said that Moscow is open for “economic cooperation” with the United States, following Trump’s social media post in which he said he is discussing “major” economic deals with Russia.

Agencies told replying to OPM email is voluntary hours before deadline. Here's the latest

From CNN’s Elise Hammond, Ali Main, Manu Raju, Sarah Ferris, Ted Barrett, Devon M. Sayers and Hadas Gold

Lawmakers and other officials are defending the Trump administration’s move to query federal employees about what they accomplished last week. It’s the latest in President Donald Trump and the new Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to remake the federal government.

Employees began receiving emails Saturday afternoon from the Office of Personnel Management asking them to explain what work they did last week, as Elon Musk announced that “failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

But, Monday afternoon, OPM said responses to the email are voluntary, according to an email CNN obtained. The initial email said employees had until midnight Monday to respond.

Here’s the latest developments:

New voluntary guidance: OPM formally notified agencies Monday that the “What did you do last week” email sent over the weekend is voluntary and failure to respond will not equate to a resignation, according to an email CNN obtained. According to the email sent to Department of Justice’s human resources officials Monday afternoon, a meeting was held that afternoon among the Chief Human Capital Officers Council, which usually consists of the top Human Resources officer from every department.
A “reasonable step”: House Speaker Mike Johnson that in the public sector it is “not unusual” to have to fill out “routine reports” on work performance. He defended the move, saying that the administration is trying to apply some of these private sector principles into government “to make it work more efficiently and effectively for taxpayers in a time when we don’t have that many resources.” The speaker also defended the Trump administration’s ability to purge top officials at the Pentagon.
Cost-cutting tactics: Senate Majority Leader John Thune told CNN that federal employees deserve to be treated in a “respectful and dignified manner,” and that DOGE is using “different tactics” to carry out rapid cost cutting across the government. But Thune also defended the effort led by Musk as necessary to make sure Washington “works better and cost less.”
State efficiency: Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is creating state model based on DOGE to identify areas to possibly save money. A team to examine government efficiency will be established within the governor’s office according to an executive order. That team will “identify and report unnecessary spending within county and municipal governments,” the order read.

Hegseth says 3 senior JAG officers being replaced were not well-suited to roles

From CNN's Haley Britzky

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a meeting with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on Monday.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a meeting with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on Monday.

Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the decision to remove three senior lawyers for the Army, Navy, and Air Force, saying the move is meant to remove “roadblocks to orders that are given by a commander in chief.”

Hegseth did not provide any specifics on how the three officers in those positions now have been “roadblocks” to orders by a president or how they were not “well-suited” to their roles.

He announced Friday in a highly unusual move that he was “requesting nominations” to place the three senior judge advocates general for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. He then said Sunday that they were being removed because the administration wants lawyers “who give sound constitutional advice and don’t exist to attempt to be roadblocks to anything.”

Senate Republicans and Democrats will vote on competing energy resolutions this week

From CNN’s Morgan Rimmer

A flare burns off methane and other hydrocarbons as oil pumpjacks operate in in Midland, Texas, on October 12, 2021.

A flare burns off methane and other hydrocarbons as oil pumpjacks operate in in Midland, Texas, on October 12, 2021.

David Goldman/AP

Republicans and Democrats in the Senate are preparing to face off over energy this week, with Democrats planning to force a vote in an attempt to terminate President Trump’s national energy emergency declaration and Republicans preparing votes on repealing certain Biden administration energy rules.

Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine and Martin Heinrich introduced their resolution to terminate Trump’s national energy emergency declaration in early February. Since the resolution is considered privileged, they expect to force a vote on it this week.

To counter this Democratic resolution, Republicans are working to schedule votes repealing two energy rules from the Biden era. One resolution, introduced by GOP Sen. John Hoeven, would end a methane fee requirement for some oil and natural gas companies.

This rule was passed as part of former President Joe Biden’s signature climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, and directed the Environmental Protection Agency to collect fees from some oil and natural gas companies based on the amount of methane they release into the atmosphere.

The other GOP-led vote would be on ending a Biden-era rule that requires drilling companies and leasees to submit a marine archaeological report before they begin drilling anywhere on the Outer Continental Shelf, to ensure they do not interrupt shipwrecks or other archeological sites. This act was introduced by Sen. John Kennedy.

US-led Security Council motion that doesn’t call Russia the aggressor in Ukraine passes with Moscow's support

From CNN's Jennifer Hansler

A US-led resolution that did not call Russia the aggressor in the war in Ukraine passed in the United Nations Security Council with support from Moscow and without the backing of the US’ European allies.

The extraordinary shift in US policy toward Ukraine has put the Trump administration at odds with its key allies in Europe and resulted in the US voting the same way as Russia twice at the United Nations Monday.

The Security Council resolution, which is three paragraphs long and does not affirm Ukraine’s sovereignty, passed with 10 votes in favor and five abstentions. Russia voted in favor, while longtime US allies France, the United Kingdom, Greece, Denmark and Slovenia abstained.

Prior to the vote, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya commended the US resolution “as a common sense initiative, as a step in the right direction.”

Following the vote, the US charge d’affaires Dorothy Shea called its passage the Security Council’s first action “to firmly call for an end to the conflict.”

There was however strong reaction from European nations:

“There will be no peace and security anywhere if aggressions are rewarded, and if the law of the jungle wins,” said French Ambassador to the UN Nicolas de Rivière.
“No one wants peace more than Ukraine, but the terms of that peace matter,” said UK Ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward. “Only a just peace, one that honors the terms of our charter, will endure.”

Federal judge declines to temporarily restore AP’s full access to White House

From CNN's Devan Cole and Hadas Gold

A federal judge declined today to temporarily restore the Associated Press’ access to some of President Donald Trump’s events, the Oval Office and Air Force One.

US District Judge Trevor McFadden turned down a request from AP to temporarily lift a ban Trump imposed earlier this month to punish the news organization over its decision to continue using the phrase “Gulf of Mexico” even though Trump renamed the body of water “Gulf of America.”

Read more details here about the judge’s order.

OPM tells federal agencies that responses to Musk email are voluntary

From CNN's Hadas Gold

The Office of Personnel Management formally notified agencies this afternoon that the “What did you do last week” email sent over the weekend is voluntary and failure to respond will not equate to a resignation, according to an email obtained by CNN.

According to the email sent to Department of Justice’s human resources officials, a meeting was held this afternoon among the Chief Human Capital Officers Council, which usually consists of the top human resources officer from every department.

That guidance runs counter to what Elon Musk said, which was that “failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

Macron warns that peace for Ukraine "must not mean a ceasefire without guarantees"

From CNN’s Lauren Kent

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers remarks during a joint press conference with President Donald Trump in the East Room at the White House on February 24, in Washington, DC.

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers remarks during a joint press conference with President Donald Trump in the East Room at the White House on February 24, in Washington, DC.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

French President Emmanuel Macron said he and President Donald Trump made “substantive steps forward” during their meeting today, emphasizing their shared desire to build peace — but warning that it won’t happen if Ukraine is forced to surrender.

The French president commended the US leader for his “decision to work with President (Volodymyr) Zelensky, and to conclude this agreement that’s so important for the US and Ukraine on rare earths, critical minerals, but also having substantive conversations with President Zelensky, doing this key phase of achieving this deal, which is a major commitment to Ukraine sovereignty.”

Macron added that “after speaking with President Trump, I fully believe that there is a path forward,” saying that they “share the same beliefs” on forging a lasting peace. He also said he agrees with the US president that a peace deal must be reached “swiftly,” but added “we don’t want an agreement that is weak.”

“The fact that there are Europeans that are ready to engage, to provide for these security guarantees, and now there’s a clear American message that the US as an ally is ready to provide that solidarity for that approach — that’s a turning point, in my view,” Macron said, speaking from Washington. “And that is one of the great areas of progress that we’ve made during this trip and during this discussion.”

Trump said that he believes Macron agrees with him on “many of the most important issues,” including that this is the right time to end the war.

This post has been updated with additional remarks from Macron.

“We're on time with the tariffs” on Canada and Mexico, Trump says

From CNN's Aditi Sangal and David Goldman

President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in the East Room at the White House on February 24, in Washington, DC.

President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in the East Room at the White House on February 24, in Washington, DC.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

President Donald Trump said today that the imposition of tariffs on Canada and Mexico will go forward on schedule.

It comes after the initial deadline for the tariffs on Canada and Mexico — February 1, 2025 — was paused by the president.

Some context: Trump said that all America wants is trade fairness and to meet tariffs with dollar-for-dollar reciprocity. But the tariffs Trump levied and then delayed on Canada and Mexico were not reciprocal tariffs – they are part of a free trade agreement with the United States.

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