What we covered here
• Department of War: President Donald Trump signed an executive order beginning a rebrand of the Pentagon as the “Department of War,” calling it a more “appropriate” name given the state of the world.
• Venezuela tension: The president warned that Venezuelan military aircraft would be shot down if they put Americans in a “dangerous position,” as tensions rise over his use of the military to combat cartels in the region. Sources tell CNN that Trump is weighing potential strikes against cartels, including inside Venezuela.
• SEAL mission report: Speaking to the media in the Oval Office, Trump claimed he knows nothing about an unsuccessful 2019 Navy SEAL mission that left unarmed North Koreans dead, which The New York Times reported about today.
Our live coverage of Trump’s presidency has ended for the day. Follow the latest updates or read through the posts below.
Trump hosts members of Congress for first event in newly renovated Rose Garden
President Donald Trump hosted approximately 100 members of Congress tonight for the first event in the newly renovated Rose Garden.
He told the group they were “special” and that it was “an honor” to have them there.
The president added that while the renovations took place, which included stripping the famed garden of its grass and paving it with stone, that the construction team “never touched a rose.”
After the president’s remarks, he sat down for dinner with GOP Sen. Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania and Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas. The White House said House Speaker Mike Johnson was going to join that table as well.
On the menu for the Rose Garden’s inaugural dinner, per pool reporters, was a “Rose Garden salad,” roasted potatoes, steak or chicken, and seven-layer cake.
Maryland to use state law enforcement to support Baltimore amid Trump National Guard threats
Maryland is using state law enforcement resources to support Baltimore crime-fighting efforts as President Donald Trump threatens to deploy the National Guard in the city.
Maryland State Police and Maryland Transportation Authority Police are among the agencies who will help “target crime and better protect communities” in the initiative announced by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, the governor’s office said in a news release.
The partnership comes after “the previous administration’s termination of similar coordination efforts,” the news release said.
Moore said the collaboration was done in the spirit of continuing a 50-year trend in decreased crime, not because of the president: “Nothing we are doing is inspired by the president. The president does not inspire us.”
White House has still not notified Illinois about federal law enforcement action, governor tells MSNBC
Illinois has not received any notification from the White House about impending federal law enforcement action that may happen this weekend, Gov. JB Pritzker told MSNBC.
Officials believe Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be in place by the end of the week, based on communication with state police, but the federal government hasn’t shared details on where exactly this will take place, Pritzker said. The little information they have gotten is from sources within the government or from reporting, he added.
“We think there are about 300 agents that may be at Great Lakes and preparing to invade the communities around Chicago like Little Village, like Pilsen, perhaps beginning early morning tomorrow,” he said.
Pilsen, home to a significant immigrant community, will be holding a Mexican Independence Parade tomorrow.
Remember: Illinois — and in particular Chicago — has emerged as a prime target in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and wider push to ramp up federal law enforcement across the country, including through potential National Guard deployments.
Get caught up: Local officials clash as the Trump administration intensifies crime initiative in DC
A key member of the Trump administration today said Trump’s crackdown on crime in Washington, DC, is intensifying as the district’s attorney general sues over the deployment of National Guard troops.
It comes as more states send National Guard personnel to the nation’s capital to support President Donald Trump’s initiative.
Here’s what to know to get caught up:
- Ramp up: Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, said the Trump administration is “just getting started” in Washington, DC. “DEA, ATF, FBI have only just begun to identify, disrupt and dismantle the criminal organizations that have been wreaking havoc on the city for so long,” Miller said.
- Lawsuit: The lawsuit, filed yesterday by DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb, argues that the deployment of National Guard troops undermines the city’s autonomy, erodes trust between residents and law enforcement and damages the local economy by discouraging tourism and hurting businesses.
- Clash behind the scenes: Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser privately pressed the city’s attorney general to delay the lawsuit until after September 10, according to two sources familiar with the conversation. That’s when Trump’s 30-day federal emergency declaration for the district is set to expire unless Congress intervenes.
- What could happen after that deadline: If the declaration expires, the Trump administration would lose its sweeping authority to commandeer resources from the city’s Metropolitan Police Department, but it wouldn’t automatically trigger the withdrawal of the National Guard or federal law enforcement.
- What the mayor has done: Last week, Bowser signed an executive order requiring ongoing coordination between the city and federal law enforcement, which she argued was a strategic offramp to push the Trump administration toward winding down its federal surge.
- State deployment: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also announced the deployment of 300 National Guard soldiers to Washington, DC, “to aid in restoring public safety following the president’s executive order declaring a crime emergency.” Six other GOP-led states already announced they would send troops to the capital.
Trump signed several executive orders and took questions on a bunch of topics. Here's some of what he said
President Donald Trump signed several executive orders in the Oval Office today and took questions on a variety of topics from reporters.
Here’s some of what he said:
- War Department: Touting the strength of the military, Trump signed an executive order to restore the “Department of War” as a secondary title for the Defense Department. He said the name change sends a “message of victory” and questioned the need for Congress to approve his decision to rebrand. Signage outside of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office was updated, and so was the department’s website.
- Venezuela: Amid rising tensions with Venezuela, Trump said the US is “not talking about” a regime change there. The US president warned that Venezuelan military aircraft would be shot down if they put Americans in a “dangerous position,” after two Venezuelan military aircraft flew near a US Navy vessel in international waters yesterday.
- The Fed: Trump said he has narrowed the field of potential Federal Reserve chair nominees to three or four, but he has a favorite in mind. One of the leading candidates is National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, he said.
- Drug crackdown: The administration is “going to take” out more drug vessels, following the deadly US military strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean earlier this week, Trump said.
- North Korea mission: Trump claimed he knows “nothing” about an unsuccessful 2019 Navy SEAL mission that left unarmed North Koreans dead, which the New York Times reported about today.
- War in Gaza: The president said his administration is “in very deep negotiations with Hamas” to secure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza. He said failure to secure a hostage deal could lead to a “tough situation.”
- Wrongfully detained Americans: In another executive order, Trump created a “state sponsor of wrongful detention” designation meant to penalize countries that wrongfully imprison Americans. It could also be used to restrict US citizens from traveling to countries known for detaining Americans.
- G20 announcement: The 2026 G20 summit will be held at Trump’s Doral golf club in the Miami area. Trump said he would “love” for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend. As for this year’s summit in South Africa, Trump said he will not be attending and that Vice President JD Vance will go instead.
- Peace vigil: He ordered a peace vigil in Lafayette Park, which is near the White House, to be taken down immediately after a reporter informed him about it. Earlier this year, The Washington Post reported that GOP Rep. Jeff Van Drew wrote a letter to Interior Department Secretary Doug Burgum calling the vigil a “24/7 eyesore.”
CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo, Elise Hammond, Samantha Waldenberg, Kit Maher, Aditi Sangal, Jennifer Hansler, Alayna Treene, Donald Judd, Haley Britzky and David Goldman contributed reporting to this post.
Trump says administration will "wipe" out "paid terrorists" in Portland
President Donald Trump said Portland, Oregon wasn’t necessarily on his radar as a city where federal intervention was necessary, but he claimed, without evidence, that “paid terrorists” are wreaking havoc on the city, which he said his administration would “wipe out.”
“These are paid agitators, and they’re very dangerous for our country. And when we go there, if we go to Portland, we’re going to wipe them out. They’re going to be gone, and they’re going to be gone. They won’t even stand the fight. They will not stay there,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Friday.
“They’ve ruined that city,” Trump added, claiming that living there is “like living in hell.”
During Trump’s first term, Department of Homeland Security law enforcement officials were deployed to downtown Portland in 2020 due to protests.
“I’m going to look at it now, because I didn’t know that was still going on. This has been going on for years,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “We’ll be able to stop that very easily. We’ll be able to stop, but you know, that was not on my list, Portland, but when I watched television last night, this has been going on.”
“These are paid terrorists. Okay, these are paid agitators. These are professional– I watched that last night. I’m very good at this stuff. These are paid agitators. They get paid money by radical left groups,” Trump added.
Trump says he'd "love" for Putin and Xi to attend 2026 G20 summit in Miami
President Donald Trump says he’d welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to the 2026 G20 summit in Miami if either leader wants to go.
Russia and China are both members of the G20 — however, since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin has skipped the 2023 summit in New Delhi and 2024’s meeting in Rio de Janeiro, instead dispatching Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Xi attended last year’s summit in Brazil.
Remember: Trump announced earlier today that he plans to host the 2026 forum of the world’s largest economies at his Doral golf club in the Miami area.
McConnell skeptical of Department of War name change, as he pushes for investment in military
Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who currently chairs the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, expressed skepticism over the administration’s decision to rename the Department of Defense the “Department of War,” arguing the Pentagon needs “investment, not just rebranding.”
McConnell has long pushed for greater funding for the department and an investment in defense.
Some context: President Donald Trump’s executive order today authorizes the Secretary of Defense, the Department of Defense and subordinate officials to use secondary titles such as “Secretary of War,” “Department of War,” and “Deputy Secretary of War” in official correspondence, public communications, ceremonial contexts, and non-statutory documents within the executive branch.
Trump questions Florida's plan to end school vaccination mandates, says "people should take" some shots
President Donald Trump appeared to distance himself from Florida’s decision to eliminate school vaccine requirements, saying Friday that all people should get certain vaccines.
“I think you have to be very careful when you say that some people don’t have to be vaccinated,” he said. “You have vaccines that work, they just pure and simple work. They’re not controversial at all, and I think those vaccines should be used, otherwise some people are going to catch it, and they endanger other people.”
Trump’s remarks represented his strongest defense yet of standard childhood immunizations in the wake of Florida’s announcement it would become the first state to end school vaccine mandates.
They also came as his own US Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., faces criticism for limiting eligibility for the upcoming Covid vaccine and taking steps that critics warn could restrict access to other widely accepted vaccines.
In the Oval Office on Friday, Trump voiced support for the Covid vaccine, which was developed during his first term. And he expressed skepticism about any blanket measures aimed at discouraging vaccination.
“You have some vaccines that are so amazing,” he said, calling Florida’s stance a “very tough” position. “And when you don’t have controversy at all, I think people should take it.”
Trump orders peace vigil in park near White House campus to be taken down immediately
President Donald Trump ordered a peace vigil in Lafayette Park, which is right near the White House, to be taken down immediately after a reporter informed him about it in the Oval Office.
“Take it down,” the president said. “Take it down today, right now, nobody told me that.”
Earlier this year, The Washington Post reported that GOP Rep. Jeff Van Drew wrote a letter to Interior Department Secretary Doug Burgum calling the peace vigil a “24/7 eyesore.”
“Even if I strongly disagree with many of the wrong and distasteful messages advocated for by this protest, Americans have every right to protest their government. But they do not have the right to hijack a national park and turn it into a 24/7 eyesore,” Van Drew wrote in the letter.
CNN observed that the tent was still in the park moments after the president’s comments.
Trump says he "sort of" knows who he will pick for Fed chair
President Donald Trump in the Oval Office Friday said he has narrowed the field of potential Federal Reserve chair nominees to three or four, but he has a favorite in mind.
One of the leading candidates, Trump said, is National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, who was in the Oval Office when Trump was speaking to reporters.
“I sort of know who I’m going to pick,” Trump said. “Kevin is certainly one of the three. They say four, but probably three.”
Trump called Hassett highly respected and noted he has championed lower interest rates — a monetary policy Trump has fought for throughout both terms. Trump has sharply criticized Fed Chair Jerome Powell for keeping interest rates high this year, and Trump said that he will replace Powell when his term is up next year.
In addition to Hassett, Trump has previously said he is considering former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh. Trump is also considering current Fed Governor Christopher Waller, sources have told CNN’s Phil Mattingly.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier this week that he would begin interviewing candidates for the next Fed chair today.
Of Hassett, Trump said Friday, “He’s a highly respected person. He’s great. He’s great. He believes in low interest rates, and we all do.”
Trump earlier said Hassett is “certainly being thought of” for Fed chair “And we’ll find out about that pretty soon.”
“I don’t know, would you like to be that? I won’t ask you,” Trump asked Hassett.
Department of Defense website changes to "Department of War"
The Defense Department’s website got a revamp today after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to restore the “Department of War” as its secondary title.
The old site, defense.gov, is now rerouted to war.gov which displays “U.S. Department of War” at the top.
DOD — the acronym for Department of Defense — is also replaced with DOW for Department of War in various headlines on the website.
Officials change signage outside Pete Hegseth's Pentagon office to Secretary of War
Pentagon officials changed signage outside of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office this afternoon, moments after President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing the Pentagon’s secondary title of Department of War.
Officials switched out three signs for Hegseth outside his office that said Secretary of Defense, to signs that said Secretary of War. Personnel also scraped off large letters on the wall that said Secretary of Defense, leaving some residue in their place.
Trump blames manufacturing jobs loss on interest rates
President Donald Trump on Friday blamed a loss of 78,000 manufacturing jobs so far in 2005 on a combination of high interest rates and “different elements” not being included in jobs data.
A monthly jobs report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics earlier in the day showed US job growth has stalled, with only 22,000 jobs added in August and the highest unemployment level since 2021.
“One thing we have is, you know, we have the interest rates are too high,” Trump said at an event in the Oval Office after a reporter asked about the lost manufacturing jobs. “That was, you know, a matter of the Fed (Federal Reserve). But the other thing is so many different, so many different elements aren’t included yet. And one of the things we’ve learned, and we learned that the hard way watching over the last few months, are the corrections that people have been making. They’ll say, you’re losing jobs. And then they say, by the way, we have a correction a month later.”
It’s common for the BLS to revise jobs data in the months after initial releases as more information comes in from businesses across the country.
Last month, the jobs report for July sharply revised down the employment growth that had been previously reported in May and June – by a combined 258,000 jobs. Trump fired the then-BLS commissioner, Erika McEntarfer, over the report, citing the revisions as one reason for her termination.
He has since nominated E.J. Antoni, a Heritage Foundation economist and staunch Trump loyalist.
Trump says Adams "free to do what he wants," denies he offered him ambassadorship in exchange for dropping out
President Donald Trump said that New York Mayor Eric Adams is “free to do what he wants,” after Adams denied Friday that he is dropping out of the mayoral race.
Trump also denied that he offered Adams an ambassadorship.
“I didn’t do that. No, I wouldn’t do that. It’s nothing wrong with doing it, but I didn’t do that,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
CNN reported that Adams met with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff earlier this week to discuss potential opportunities in the administration, ultimately to consolidate the vote against Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani. Additionally, Trump aides were discussing the possibility of an ambassadorship.
Trump argued that if Adams stays in the race, it will be tougher to beat Mamdani, saying that former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo would have a better chance against him.
“If you have more than one candidate running against him, I would say, you know, it can’t be won,” Trump said. “I would say that Cuomo might have a chance of winning if it was a one-on-one. If it’s not one-on-one, it’s going to be a hard race.”
Trump added: “We’ll get used to a communist, and he’s going to have to go through the White House and get approvals for everything, and we’re going to make sure that New York is not hurt.”
Trump says he will not attend G20 summit in South Africa and that Vance will go instead
President Donald Trump said today that he will not be attending this year’s G20 summit in South Africa and that Vice President JD Vance will be going instead.
This will be the first time ever that a US president will be absent from a G20 summit since they started meeting at the head of state level in 2008.
The president signaled earlier this year that he was likely to skip this year’s G20 summit because he’s had “a lot of problems with” the host country.
In February, the president suspended aid to South Africa, alleging discrimination against White farmers. In that same executive order, the president said the US would “promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation.”
Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also announced he was skipping the meeting of the G20 foreign ministers in Johannesburg, saying at the time “South Africa is doing very bad things.”
CNN’s Donald Judd and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.
Trump says administration is in "very deep negotiations" to secure release of hostages held by Hamas
President Donald Trump said Friday that the administration is “in very deep negotiations with Hamas” to secure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza, but warned failure to secure a hostage deal could lead to a “tough situation.”
“It’s going to be nasty—that’s my opinion, Israel’s choice, but that’s my opinion,” Trump said. “They gotta let them out.”
Pressed on what demands Hamas still has, Trump told reporters the organization is “asking for some things that are fine,” but added, “You have to remember October 7th.”
“You know, people forget October 7th– it’s not an easy thing to forget, right?” he said. “But people forget, or they maybe purposely forget October 7th. So, you know, you have to put that into the equation very strongly.”
And he said he’d spoken to families of the hostages still being held in Gaza.
“They just want them back very badly, and everything that goes with it– so it’s very sad,” he said.
Trump announces 2026 G20 will be at his Doral golf club in Florida
President Donald Trump announced Friday that he plans to host the 2026 G20 summit, a forum of the world’s largest economies, at his Doral golf club in the Miami area.
CNN had previously reported that officials were discussing whether to host the summit at the club, and an aide had been spotted carrying a “G20 Miami 2026” sign into the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in June. Trump announced Friday the summit would be in Miami, then later clarified it would be at Doral.
“We will not make any money on it,” he said.
Trump had previously planned to host a G7 summit at his Miami-area resort in 2020 during his first term, but ultimately reversed course after facing widespread outrage over the decision to host the major gathering of world leaders at his own property.
Trump says mail-in voting a "big factor" in moving Space Command out of Colorado
President Donald Trump said he moved the US Space Command headquarters out of Colorado in part over its use of mail-in voting.
“That’s a big reason why they just lost the whole Space Command situation that is going to Alabama,” he said from the Oval Office. “When you have mail-in voting, you have nothing but cheating.”
Trump earlier this week announced he planned to move the military’s Space Command to Huntsville, Alabama, reversing a decision by the Biden administration to keep the headquarters in Colorado.
The president also spoke in defense of Tina Peters, a former Mesa County clerk and election denier who was convicted for tampering with Colorado voting machines after the 2020 election. Peters was sentenced to nine years in prison after being found guilty of participating in a data-breach scheme meant to prove Trump’s false claims that there was mass voter fraud.
“This woman is a real patriot, and they put her in jail for a long time,” Trump said, adding that he believed she’d done nothing wrong. “They shout let her go, let her out.”
