May 30, 2025 – Donald Trump presidency news

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

President Donald Trump speaks to the press after landing on Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, on Friday evening.

Asked for his message to Chinese college students in the US, President Donald Trump said tonight that they are “gonna be OK.”

Trumps comments come after his administration announced it will “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students” earlier this week.

Trump also blamed Harvard for not complying with repeated administration requests to produce a list of its international students.

“[Harvard] ought to give us the list and get themselves out of trouble, but they don’t want to give the list because they have names on there that supposedly are quite bad,” the president claimed. “We want people who can love our country.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday that visas for Chinese students will be “aggressively” revoked and halted, adding that the revocations will target Chinese students including “those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.”

It’s unclear how quickly or widely the new revocations will be carried out, but CNN previously reported the announcement sent shock waves through China, triggering widespread confusion, anxiety and fear among current and prospective students and their families, as well as strong opposition from Beijing.

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday.

President Donald Trump told reporters tonight that he was not aware of Elon Musk’s alleged drug use, after returning from a rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Earlier today, Musk dodged a question in the Oval Office about the report.

Musk interrupted the reporter and questioned the credibility of the Times before saying “let’s move on.”

The Times today reported Musk was “using drugs far more intensely than previously known,” as he rose to prominence in Trump’s inner circle in 2024, citing people familiar with his activities.

The Times noted that it wasn’t clear whether that drug use extended to his time at Trump’s side at the White House this year.

CNN has reached out to Musk’s representative. Neither Musk nor his lawyer responded to the Times’ request for comment about his drug use.

President Donald Trump responded tonight to reports that his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, may have been the target of impersonation attempts.

“I’ve heard that, yeah,” Trump told reporters when asked if he was aware of the reports that an investigation is underway into efforts to impersonate Wiles.

A law enforcement investigation is currently underway into the alleged impersonation efforts, according to two sources familiar with the matter, CNN reported.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the investigation, noting that “senators, governors, top US business executives and other well-known figures have received text messages and phone calls from a person who claimed to be the chief of staff.”

Wiles, a key adviser to Trump, plays a crucial role in maintaining contact between the president and Republican lawmakers. She is known for her deep network of influential GOP figures.

US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at a US Steel plant in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania on Friday.

President Donald Trump said a deal between US Steel and the Japan-based Nippon Steel has not been finalized, after celebrating the partnership earlier today at an event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The president announced the deal during his remarks in Pennsylvania, referring to it as a “blockbuster agreement.”

“This is a big deal, you know. I’ve got to tell you about Nippon — they kept asking me over and over, and I kept saying no, no, no,” Trump told attendees at the event. “But after about four times, they said, ‘You know, these people really want to do something great. They really want it. And they’re putting up billions of dollars. They’re going to invest in this plant and others, and it’s going to be fantastic. And you’re going to have control.”

President Donald Trump announced today that steel and aluminum tariffs will be increasing to 50%, doubling the current rate, effective on Wednesday, in a social media post after his remarks at a US Steel plant outside of Pittsburgh.

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a US Steel plant in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania on Friday.

President Donald Trump announced that steel tariffs will be increasing to 50%, doubling the current rate, during remarks at a US Steel plant outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The president initially imposed sweeping 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imported into the United States in March.

Trump said he was considering a 40% tariff, but industry executives told him they wanted a 50% tariff.

“At 25% they can sorta get over that fence,” Trump said. “At 50% nobody’s getting over that fence.”

The president has spent the bulk of his remarks touting a new partnership between US Steel and the Japan-based Nippon Steel.

President Donald Trump, speaking today at an event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, celebrated a new partnership between US Steel and the Japan-based Nippon Steel, referring to it as a “blockbuster agreement.”

The president further emphasized the significance of the deal.

“This is a big deal, you know. I’ve got to tell you about Nippon — they kept asking me over and over, and I kept saying no, no, no,” Trump said. “But after about four times, they said, ‘You know, these people really want to do something great. They really want it. And they’re putting up billions of dollars. They’re going to invest in this plant and others, and it’s going to be fantastic. And you’re going to have control.’”

“Every time they came in, the deal got better and better for the workers because, frankly, I didn’t care about anyone else,” Trump added.

Trump also assured his audience that he would keep a close eye on the deal.

“They’re not going to be in Washington. I’m going to be watching over it, and it’s going to be great,” he said.

This is a notable shift for Trump, who had previously opposed the idea of Nippon Steel purchasing US Steel.

The deal to have a Japanese company purchase US Steel has drawn bipartisan opposition. President Joe Biden blocked the deal on national security grounds shortly before he left office. But a week ago, Trump announced he would approve the deal, although he described it as a “partnership” between the two companies, not a purchase. When asked Sunday about the deal, he told reporters “It’s an investment, and it’ll be a partial ownership (by Nippon.)”

President Donald Trump is now speaking at an event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to tout a new partnership between US Steel and Japan-based Nippon Steel.

What to know about the deal: It’s a deal that Trump once vowed to oppose — Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel’s long-announced plans to buy iconic American steelmaker US Steel.

The deal has drawn bipartisan opposition. Former President Joe Biden blocked the deal on national security grounds shortly before he left office. But a week ago, Trump announced he would approve the deal, although he described it as a “partnership” between the two companies — not a purchase. “It’s an investment, and it’ll be a partial ownership (by Nippon),” he told reporters a few days ago. “It will be controlled by the United States, otherwise I wouldn’t make the deal.”

It is unclear how much of US Steel will be owned by Nippon once the deal closes.

Judge Timothy Reif is seen in this screengrab from November 2018.

Leonard Leo, a conservative legal activist, issued a statement after President Donald Trump called the former Federalist Society chair a “sleazebag” who “probably hates America” in a lengthy post on Truth Social.

In a statement provided to CNN, Leo said “I’m very grateful for President Trump transforming the Federal Courts, and it was a privilege being involved.”

Leo did not respond directly to Trump’s attacks, including calling him “a bad person” who brags about controlling judges Instead, Leo highlighted how he and the Federalist Society shaped much of Trump’s judicial legacy in his first term.

Trump’s attacks and Leo’s response came after a three-judge panel of the US Court of International Trade ruled against Trump’s tariffs. One of those judges, Timothy Reif, was appointed by Trump. The ruling was later paused by an appeals court.

But a person familiar with the matter disputed Trump’s assertion that the Trump appointee in question in the tariff case was a Federalist Society recommendation.

Instead, this person, who worked during Trump’s first term, said he was not and that members of Trump’s trade team back then actually advocated for Reif.

Reif was previously a political appointee in the Trump administration, who served as a senior adviser under then-US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer before his nomination to the federal trade court, CNN has reported.

This post has been updated with comment from the White House.

CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said today he was “surprised” and “disappointed” by recent Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, but stopped short of labeling President Vladimir Putin a “bad guy” when pressed by a reporter in the Oval Office.

“We were going to solve a problem, and then all of a sudden, rockets got shot into a couple of cities and people died,” Trump said.

“I saw things that I was surprised at, and I don’t like being surprised, so I’m very disappointed,” he added, sidestepping a direct answer when asked whether he now views Putin “as the good guy or the bad guy.”

Trump went on to express concern over the human toll of the conflict.

When asked how his administration is managing “a very stubborn Vladimir Putin,” Trump was quick to interject and include Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in the characterization.

“And Zelensky, too,” he said.

Trump spoke with Putin on the phone last week, and the Russian leader reportedly committed to drafting and sending a “memorandum of peace” detailing Russia’s conditions for a ceasefire in Ukraine, according to a U.S. official and a White House source familiar with the matter. However, more than a week after the call, the U.S. has yet to receive the promised document, the sources said.

In response to the continued violence, Trump is now weighing additional sanctions on Moscow, according to individuals familiar with the situation, as he vents his frustration over the stalled peace process.

President Donald Trump said today he wants to get rid of the debt limit and emphasized the dangers of default — a turnaround from his stance on the topic when President Joe Biden was still in office.

“If we don’t extend debt, we’re in default. Now, the Democrats might like our country to be in default, but in 250 years, we’ve never been in default,” Trump said in the Oval Office.

In a May 2023 town hall with CNN, then-candidate Trump said he believed the US should default if the Biden White House didn’t agree to spending cuts.

“It’s psychological,” Trump said of a default at the time. “It’s really psychological more than anything else. And it could be really bad, it could be maybe nothing. Maybe it’s a … you have a bad week or a bad day.”

In a 2016 interview on CNBC, the then-presumptive Republican nominee seemed to suggest that rather than pay its outstanding national debt in full, the country could renegotiate.

Trump’s changing demands on the debt ceiling also caused chaos last December, when he demanded Republicans try to use a government spending bill to increase the debt limit at the last minute. Trump made it clear he wanted the debt ceiling raised under Biden, rather than having to deal with it once he was president.

Ultimately, the spending legislation passed Congress without a debt ceiling provision. Now, the GOP is trying to raise the limit under Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill,” which is currently moving through Congress.

Today, Trump brought up Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s calls to get rid of the debt ceiling and said, “I always agreed with her.” Most Republicans adamantly oppose that idea, believing it would lead to more spending.

“She happened to be right on that. It should be gotten rid of or it should simply be extended,” Trump said. “But that’s one of the things it gets taken care of in this bill — that automatically gets extended for a four-year period.”

Elon Musk speaks alongside President Donald Trump to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30 in Washington, DC.

Elon Musk dodged a question in the Oval Office today about a New York Times report that said the tech billionaire used drugs more extensively than previously known.

Musk interrupted the reporter and questioned the credibility of The Times before saying “let’s move on.”

“The New York Times? Is that the same publication that got a Pulitzer Prize for false reporting on Russiagate? Is it the same organization? I think it is,” Musk said. “So I think they, I think the judge just ruled against New York Times for the their lies about the Russiagate hoax, and that they might have to give back their Pulitzer Prize. That New York Times? Let’s move on.”

What you need to know about the report: The New York Times on Friday reported Musk — who’s been a ubiquitous presence at the White House as part of a broad mandate to slash federal funding under the Department of Government Efficiency — was “using drugs far more intensely than previously known,” as he rose to prominence in Trump’s inner circle in 2024, citing people familiar with his activities.

The Times noted that it wasn’t clear whether that drug use extended to his time at Trump’s side at the White House this year.

In a 2024 interview with Don Lemon, Musk acknowledged he took “a small amount” of ketamine to treat negative moods, under a prescription, but that a heavy workload prevented him from using too much. But the Times reports Musk was “using ketamine often, sometimes daily, and mixing it with other drugs,” according to people familiar.

CNN has reached out to Musk’s representative. Neither Musk nor his lawyer responded to the Times’ request for comment about his drug use.

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 30.

President Donald Trump said Elon Musk is “really not leaving” and that he believes the tech billionaire will still be “back and forth” during remarks from the Oval Office on Musk’s final day as a special government employee.

“Elon is really not leaving. He’s going to be back and forth. I think, I have a feeling — it’s his baby, and I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things,” Trump said as he praised the Tesla CEO’s work in the Department of Government Efficiency.

The president emphasized that the department’s work will continue and praised Musk for delivering what he called a “colossal change in the old ways of doing business in Washington.”

“But Elon’s service to America has been without comparison in modern history. He’s already running one of the most innovative car companies in the world,” the president added. “Many of the DOGE people, Elon, are staying behind, too, so they’re not leaving,” Trump continued.

During their joint appearance in the Oval Office, Trump presented Musk with a gift as part of his official send-off from federal service. “As a presentation from our country. Thank you, Elon. Take care of yourself,” Trump said as he handed Musk a ceremonial key.

Some background: Trump’s praise for Musk comes amid recent tension following an interview in which the tech billionaire said he has some “differences of opinion” with the Trump administration but feels “a little stuck in a bind” when disagreements arise, not wanting to publicly speak out against them.

Musk oversaw a massive transformation in the size and scope of the federal government through DOGE, with at least 121,000 federal workers laid off or targeted for layoffs in Trump’s first 100 days and thousands more taking buyout offers.

Still, the efforts fell short of his stated goal of saving $1 trillion in government spending.

Elon Musk speaks alongside President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30 in Washington, DC.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in the Oval Office today that he still expects “over time” to achieve his promise that the Department of Government Efficiency will deliver a trillion dollars in cuts to the federal government.

During his time as a “special government employee,” Musk oversaw DOGE’s sweeping cuts to the federal workforce as part of efforts to vastly reduce federal spending. While he initially boasted that he could cut $2 trillion from the nation’s roughly $6.8 trillion federal budget, he eventually walked that back to $1 trillion — and reportedly seemed to lower the total to $150 billion for the coming fiscal year at a Cabinet meeting last month.

Reflecting on his time heading DOGE, the billionaire said identifying cuts takes “a lot of hard work.”

“It’s just a lot of work going through the vast expenses of the federal government and just really asking questions,” he said.

Continuing role: During his appearance alongside President Donald Trump today, Musk said he still intends to give the president advice even as he closes out his time in the administration.

“I expect to continue to provide advice, whenever the president would like advice,” Musk said in response to a question from a reporter.

“I hope so,” Trump chimed in.

“I expect to remain a friend and an adviser and certainly, if there’s anything the president wants me to do, I’m at the president’s service,” Musk added.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30.

President Donald Trump weighed in Friday on a video that appeared to capture French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife, Brigitte, pushing his face as he was about to disembark a plane in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Asked for marital advice for his French counterpart, Trump paused before saying, “Make sure the door remains closed.”

Trump appeared to indicate that he spoke to Macron after the incident, which he described as “not good.”

“That was not good. No. I spoke to him and he’s fine, they’re fine, they’re two really good people,” Trump said of the Macrons, with whom he and first lady Melania Trump have spent significant time.

He added, “I don’t know what that was all about, but I know them well, they’re fine.”

Macron dismissed the situation, telling reporters, “There’s a video showing me joking and teasing my wife and somehow that becomes a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe, with people even coming up with theories to explain it.”

President Donald Trump said Friday he would “look at the facts” of the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial before considering a pardon if the music mogul is convicted.

Asked about a potential pardon, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he hasn’t been watching the trial closely.

“I haven’t seen him, I haven’t spoken to him in years,” Trump said about Combs, whom he had called a good friend on his show “The Apprentice.”

“He used to really like me a lot, but I think when I ran for politics, he sort of, that relationship busted up,” Trump said.

But he later added: “If I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me, it wouldn’t have any impact on me.”

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are appearing together at an event in the Oval Office.

Trump wrote on Truth Social yesterday that today is Musk’s “last day.”

The tech billionaire announced Wednesday his time in the Trump administration has come “to an end.” Musk oversaw the Department of Government Efficiency, which made major cuts to the federal workforce as part of efforts to vastly reduce federal spending.

Musk told “CBS Sunday Morning” in a clip of an interview that’s set to air on Sunday that he has “differences of opinion” with the Trump administration and doesn’t “entirely agree” with some of its actions.

He also has criticized the GOP’s “big, beautiful bill” advancing Trump’s domestic policy agenda for increasing the deficit.

In this 2023 photo, Kim Sajet speaks on stage during the unveiling of Oprah Winfrey's portrait at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.

President Donald Trump announced today that he is removing Kim Sajet as director of the National Portrait Gallery, citing his concerns over her political leanings and support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

“Upon the request and recommendation of many people, I am herby terminating the employment of Kim Sajet as Director of the National Portrait Gallery. She is a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position. Her replacement will be named shortly. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Sajet, who has led the Smithsonian-affiliated institution since 2013, is the first woman to serve in that role. Trump’s statement did not cite specific incidents or provide evidence of partisanship.

Trump did not offer any names or a timeline for a replacement.

CNN has reached out to Portrait Gallery for comment.

The new US ceasefire proposal for an end to hostiles between Israel and Hamas calls for negotiations on a permanent end to the war beginning on day one — and promises President Donald Trump’s support in the process.

The proposal, viewed by CNN, includes Hamas releasing 10 Israeli hostages and 18 deceased hostages in exchange for 125 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,111 Gazans detained since the war began.

Negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire would begin immediately on the first day of the ceasefire under US envoy Steve Witkoff, according to the proposal. If Israel and Hamas fail to reach an agreement for a permanent ceasefire by the end of the 60-day period, the pause in fighting “may be extended under conditions and for a duration to be agreed upon by the parties so long as the parties are negotiating in good faith,” the proposal says.

But the agreement contains no intrinsic guarantee of a permanent end to the war, a key Hamas demand, nor assurances that the ceasefire will be extended as long as negotiations continue. Instead, the proposal says that Trump is “committed to working to ensure that good faith negotiations continue until a final agreement is reached.”

The US, Egypt and Qatar would guarantee the ceasefire agreement, according to the proposal.