January 23, 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.

Candidates seeking to lead the Democratic National Committee met for the third party-led forum Thursday, where they were asked about how the party should respond to a second Trump term, their plans for the 2028 presidential primary calendar and how they would approach fundraising.

Seven candidates appeared in the forum:

The forum, focused on issues facing the West, was held virtually. Asked what they personally think the 2028 presidential primary calendar should look like, O’Malley said he wants Democrats to consider the diversity of states and to choose smaller states where candidates can afford to compete.

He also expressed openness to having South Carolina go first, citing the importance of having a presence in the South.

Martin said the process must be “open and transparent” and that the DNC must not put its thumb on the scale. Once the calendar is set, he said, “the guiding principle has to be that it’s both rigorous, efficient and fair” and battle tests the candidates.

Wikler said he agrees “very strongly” with Martin that the DNC’s thumb can’t be on the scale.

“We should have a fair hearing where states get to make their case, and DNC members get to have their say, because this is a significant decision that will shape the path to the presidency,” he said.

Candidates will meet for one final party-run forum in person at the DNC Winter Meeting on January 30. The 448 voting members of the DNC will select their next set of leaders on February 1.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s defunct 2022 congressional campaign reported Thursday that it owes more than $326,000 in outstanding debts, revealing hundreds of thousands of dollars of previously undisclosed debts in a series of reports to federal regulators.

The campaign amended more than a dozen reports from over the last two years, according to filings made Thursday with the Federal Election Commission, showing that the former New Hampshire Republican candidate owed thousands in refunds to donors who gave more the legal limit during her unsuccessful 2022 bid.

NOTUS was first to report on the amendments.

The total that the campaign currently reports that it owes, around $326,000, is significantly higher than it showed in its last report, at the end of October of last year, when its third quarter report disclosed just over $105,000 in outstanding debts.

Reached for comment, Eric Brown, an attorney for Ax Capital, a firm that handled compliance for the Leavitt campaign, attributed the amendments to a clerical error made in 2022 and said his firm was working with the FEC to resolve the issue.

“An FEC inquiry was prompted by one double filing and the employee involved was dismissed. These amendments were made at the FEC’s instructions following careful post-election review of the campaign’s fundraising records and involve no acts, errors, or omissions of the candidate,” Brown said in a statement. “Ax Capital is working with the FEC to address outstanding issues, none of which directly involved the candidate, and the candidate is never personally responsible for the committee’s reimbursements.”

Federal law requires candidates that receive excessive contributions to return them within 60 days.

Complicating the picture for Leavitt, the campaign also reported just over $8,000 in cash on hand. To settle any unresolved debts related to excessive contributions, Leavitt — currently serving as the White House press secretary — could personally cut a check or would need to solicit contributions, which could raise ethical concerns.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents “raided” a Newark, New Jersey, business, and detained “undocumented residents, as well as citizens, without producing a warrant,” according to Mayor Ras J. Baraka.

A military veteran was also detained, and “suffered the indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned,” he added.

CNN has not been able to independently verify details of the mayor’s statements, and ICE said it will not comment on ongoing investigations.

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may encounter U.S. citizens while conducting field work and may request identification to establish an individual’s identity as was the case during a targeted enforcement operation at a worksite today in Newark, New Jersey. This is an active investigation and, per ICE policy, we cannot discuss ongoing investigations,” a spokesperson for ICE said in a statement.

A law enforcement source briefed on the investigation told CNN the enforcement action on Thursday was in response to a tip reporting unauthorized workers at a place of business.

The action was carried out by Homeland Security Investigations and was not a targeted enforcement initiated by ICE, the source said, adding it is not clear when the tip was reported into HSI.

During worksite enforcement actions, HSI officials typically request to see people’s identification to confirm they are authorized to work.

ICE announced they made 538 arrests and lodged 373 detainers — requests for local law enforcement to detain individuals — according to a post on X.

Like under the Biden administration, ICE teams are continuing to carry out routine enforcement operations — arresting and detaining public safety and national security threats nationwide. Agents will identify and target an individual or individuals for arrest, sometimes taking a team for safety. A key difference now is that if ICE targets a criminal and that person is with another undocumented immigrant, they, too, could be arrested.

Barakas announced plans to hold a news conference Friday.

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's pick to be the director of the FBI, speaks at an Inauguration parade in Washington, DC, on Monday.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, on January 30.

Even among Trump loyalists, Patel is widely viewed as a controversial figure and relentless self-promoter whose value to the president largely derives from a shared disdain for established power in Washington.

What Patel has said: Patel has heavily criticized the FBI and, in a podcast interview in September, called for the agency’s headquarters in Washington, DC, to be dismantled and turned into a “museum of the deep state.”

In his 2023 book, “Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy,” Patel lambasted “crazed partisans” for hijacking “the law enforcement apparatus” against Trump.

Patel’s book heavily criticizes what he refers to as “the deep state” — an amorphous term he says includes elected leaders, journalists, Big Tech tycoons and “members of the unelected bureaucracy” — calling it “the most dangerous threat to our democracy.”

Patel in his book also calls for “a comprehensive housecleaning” of the Justice Department, arguing it has protected high-ranking members of the Democratic Party, failed to prosecute individuals who leaked information during the first Trump administration, and unjustly targeted Republicans and their allies.

President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Oval Office on Thursday.

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he was pardoning 23 anti-abortion activists charged under former president Joe Biden’s administration, telling reporters gathered in the Oval Office they “should not have been prosecuted.”

The president did not name who received the pardons.

Trump is scheduled to address the annual March for Life in pre-taped video message Friday, two sources told CNN earlier Thursday.

As a candidate, Trump oscillated between touting his support from anti-abortion advocates while still claiming he would not sign a federal abortion ban.

In this aerial view, Mexican immigration officials and police escort deportees after they were sent back into Mexico on Wednesday, as seen from Nogales, Arizona.

President Donald Trump is moving quickly to implement his immigration agenda during his first week in office.

Within hours of becoming president, Trump signed a spate of executive actions that have already had wide-ranging impacts for people both inside and outside the US. By Wednesday, incoming refugee flights were canceled, troops were moving to the border, federal authorities were given permission to arrest people in or near schools and churches and the pool of undocumented immigrants eligible for quick deportation without a judicial hearing was expanded.

Here are some of the latest developments following Trump’s executive actions:

Increase in US-bound migrants: Approximately 300 migrants have arrived into the northeast Mexican border state of Tamaulipas since Trump was sworn in, with many thinking they would be able to cross into the US legally only to find their appointments canceled, according to a state official.

The region is seeing a steady increase in migrants arriving from southern Mexico, Haiti, Venezuela and Central America, according to Juan José Rodríguez, director of the Institute for Migrants of Tamaulipas, a state agency tasked with receiving and supporting migrants after they’re ordered returned to Mexico.

Rodríguez explains that a majority of the new arrivals came expecting to cross the Rio Grande into Texas for appointments on the now deactivated CBP One app.

Additionally, he told CNN that during the first few days of the second Trump administration, deportations have remained steady and similar to rates under Biden — about 150 people a day.

New directive: Benjamine Huffman, the Department of Homeland Security’s acting secretary, issued a directive Thursday to give the Justice Department’s law enforcement agencies authority to investigate and arrest unlawful immigrants in the US. The agencies include the FBI, US Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; US Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

A call for reimbursement: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent letters to US Congressional Leadership and the entire Texas Congressional Delegation Thursday requesting the federal government reimburse Texas for the more than $11.1 billion in Texas taxpayer money spent to secure the border due to what he says is the Biden Administration’s refusal to do its job for the last four years.

Trump speaks with El Salvadoran president: Donald Trump spoke Thursday with President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador and discussed immigration and transnational gangs, the White House said. On the call, the two leaders focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation to address illegal immigration and combat the growing influence of transnational gangs, specifically the notorious Tren de Aragua, according to a White House readout. Trump also praised President Bukele for his strong leadership in El Salvador and the region, the readout said.

President Donald Trump signs a series of executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday.

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a new round of executive orders on Thursday.

Here’s a look at two of them:

Cryptocurrency: Trump ordered to create a “President‘s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets,” which will identify regulations that apply to the digital asset sector and submit recommendations about which should be changed or eliminated. The group will also weigh “the potential creation and maintenance of a national digital asset stockpile.” Trump, who once called bitcoin a “scam,” has recently emerged as a major crypto booster. He and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, recently released their own meme coins.

JFK, RFK, MLK assassination files: Trump ordered the declassification of files related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King. Many of the files related to the JFK assassination have already been disclosed, including a tranche of 13,000 documents released during the Biden administration. Many of the documents have been redacted, however. The order states the records will not be released immediately. It requires national security advisers to “present a plan to the President for the full and complete release of records relating to” the assassination of JFK within 15 days, and relating to the assassinations of RFK and MLK within 45 days. In 2023 the National Archives concluded its review of the classified documents related to the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy, with 99% of the records having been made publicly available, as CNN previously reported.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte Wednesday “to detail President Trump’s immediate foreign policy priorities,” according to a readout from spokesperson Tammy Bruce released on Thursday.

The call came ahead of remarks from President Donald Trump at Davos Thursday calling for NATO allies to increase their defense spending to 5% of their GDP

In his call with Rutte, Rubio “reinforced the U.S. commitment to NATO and the continued importance of the Alliance to international security” and they “discussed the importance of having capable defense Allies and real burden sharing.”

They also spoke about “the importance of ending Russia’s war against Ukraine and the need for a peaceful solution” and “agreed that the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific are inextricably linked and on the need for greater cooperation and understanding between regions,” according to the readout.

In a post on X, Rutte described the discussion as a “good call,” writing “great to have you on board!”

“Look forward to welcoming you to #NATO and working together on Ukraine, Russia, China,” Rutte wrote. “Ramping up defense spending in Europe and boosting transatlantic defence production makes us all stronger.”

Rubio also spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday, according to a separate readout. He stressed Turkey’s importance as a NATO ally and the US-Turkey relationship.

The two also spoke of the “the need for an inclusive transition in Syria, ensuring that the new government prevents Syria from becoming a source for international terrorism, and denying foreign malign actors the opportunity to exploit Syria’s transition for their own objectives,” the readout said.

Rubio “also expressed his deepest condolences for the lives lost and those injured in the tragic hotel fire in Bolu,” it said.

Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump's choice to be defense secretary, appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, on January 14.

Pete Hegseth, the nominee to lead the Pentagon, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he paid $50,000 to a woman who alleged he sexually assaulted her as part of a non-disclosure agreement, according to documents obtained by CNN.

In a written correspondence with the committee, Hegseth responded to a question from Sen. Elizabeth Warren about the sexual assault allegation, which he has publicly denied and contended was a “nuisance claim.” Hegseth, who was never charged in the 2017 incident in Monterey, California, has said that he reached a non-disclosure agreement with his accuser in order to prevent her from trying to tarnish his career as a Fox News host with allegations he says are false.

But the dollar amount was not known publicly until he revealed it to the committee. Tim Parlatore, Hegseth’s attorney, called the accusers claims false.

Hegseth is on his way to winning Senate confirmation after clearing a key procedural hurdle on a 51-49 vote. Two Republicans — Sens. Lisa Murkowksi and Susan Collins — voted against the nomination, citing his character and qualifications for the job.

The Associated Press first reported the payment.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday.

President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday that Russia “should want to make a deal” with Ukraine and emphasized he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately.

When asked whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is open to negotiating, Trump responded: “He’s lost a lot of soldiers, and so has Russia,” before adding, “but Russia has lost more.”

Earlier this week, Trump posted on Truth Social that he will impose high tariffs and further sanctions on Russia if Putin fails to end the war in Ukraine.

Vice President JD Vance swears in John Ratcliffe as CIA Director as his wife Michele holds the Bible in the Vice Presidential ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Thursday.

John Ratcliffe has been sworn in as CIA director.

“John is a great patriot, a guy that has the trust of the president,” Vice President JD Vance said.

He administered the oath at 4:35 p.m. ET and the two shook hands, according to reporters in the room.

John Ratcliffe or “the new guy” as the vice president called him, did not give any remarks because “every piece of knowledge and his brain is actually classified,” Vance joked, according to a pool note.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks on stage on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024 in Milwaukee.

President Donald Trump has revoked the security detail for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has received ongoing protection due to threats from Iran after taking a hardline policy toward the country during Trump’s first administration, three sources familiar with the move told CNN.

The decision to strip Pompeo of his State Department security detail, first reported by The New York Times, comes shortly after Trump terminated the Secret Service detail that was assigned to his former national security adviser, John Bolton.

CNN has reached out to Pompeo. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

When Trump was asked by reporters Thursday about stripping security for former officials, he said, “When you have protection, you can’t have it for the rest of your life,” adding, “You don’t want a large detail of people guarding people the rest of their lives. I mean there are risks to everything.”

Some background: Pompeo was deeply involved in shaping policy toward Iran and played a role in carrying out Trump’s order to assassinate top Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani in early 2020.

The Justice Department said the Iranian government sought revenge against senior Trump officials who were involved in the killing, including Pompeo and Bolton, who are both Iran hawks. Bolton and Pompeo were targets of a foiled Iranian assassination plot, according to the Justice Department.

A former intelligence official was alarmed by the moves, telling CNN, “Somebody is going to get killed. There is a credible and serious Iranian threat against Pompeo and Bolton.”

Another former national security official said Trump’s decision to do this, “is pure spite and pettiness, and Trump better hope the Iranians don’t hurt one of these people.”

Trump himself has remained a target of Iran due to the plot to kill Soleimani. His team requested increased security last summer after getting briefings where the Biden administration said Iran is still actively plotting to kill him.

President Donald Trump said Thursday he has not met or spoken to any of the January 6 rioters who received clemency at the beginning of the week, but he is still open to hosting them at the White House.

Trump pardoned more than 1,000 people who were charged in the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. He also commuted the sentences of 14 people in the Proud Boys or Oath Keepers who were charged with seditious conspiracy.

Since Monday’s clemency action, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, whose 18-year sentence was commuted, was spotted on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

Here are some of the key things to know about the pardons today:

The House on Thursday passed the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act” 217-204, with one member voting present.

The bill would “prohibit a health care practitioner from failing to exercise the proper degree of care in the case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion.”

On Wednesday, the Senate failed to advance their version of the bill 52-47. It required 60 votes to move forward.

Remember: As CNN previously reported, it is already considered homicide in the US to intentionally kill an infant that is born alive.

President Donald Trump on Thursday doubled down on his criticism of the Federal Reserve, the main government body tasked with making decisions on interest rates.

Earlier Thursday in his speech at the World Economic Forum, Trump falsely claimed that he can singlehandedly force borrowing costs to go down. Interest rates are largely determined by market forces based on trends in the economy and anticipated decisions from central banks.

The Fed and its current leader, Fed Chair Jerome Powell, have often been targets of Trump’s ire, going as far back as 2018. The Fed bases its decisions on what economic figures show, in striving to achieve its congressionally-mandated goals of maximum employment and stable prices. Sometimes those decisions don’t sit well with politicians, who might be more concerned with their polling numbers.

Fed officials meet next week to deliberate their latest policy decision. Wall Street is pricing in with near certainty for the central bank to hold rates steady, after it cut rates three times in a row last year.

Powell has said he plans to serve out the remainder of his term as chair, which is slated to end in mid-2026, even if Trump asks him to resign, he said in a news conference in November.

President Donald Trump said he plans to appeal the decision by a Seattle judge to block his executive order ending birthright citizenship on Thursday.

“Obviously we’ll appeal,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “They put it before a certain judge in Seattle, I guess, right? And there’s no surprises with that judge.”

Earlier, the Justice Department said it will “vigorously defend” the executive action, a DOJ spokesperson said.

“We look forward to presenting a full merits argument to the Court and to the American people, who are desperate to see our Nation’s laws enforced,” the Justice Department spokesperson said.

Remember: The executive order, which Trump signed hours after taking the oath of office, prohibits federal agencies from issuing documents that affirm US citizenship or recognize documents claiming to recognize US citizenship, according to a fact sheet obtained by CNN.

This week, two dozen Democratic-led states and cities challenged Trump’s bid in court, a major constitutional challenge to one of the White House’s signature policies. The lawsuits allege that a Trump executive order signed Monday violates the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which gives a constitutional right of citizenship to all children born in the United States.

And today, federal Judge John Coughenour blocked what he called Trump’s “blatantly unconstitutional” executive action.

This post has been updated with Trump’s comments.

President Donald Trump, in a conversation with global business leaders Thursday, provided the clearest picture yet about how he plans to deliver on the economic promises he campaigned on.

He proposed a carrot-and-stick approach to world economics that he believes will help solve the inflation crisis for good and fund his massive tax cut proposals.

Trump spoke from Washington in live-via-satellite remarks and a question-and-answer session held by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, laying out a vision for American economic prosperity:

Although Trump has articulated various aspects of his plan throughout his campaign for president, he never tied all these themes together into a singular vision to solve all that ails America’s economy, defeating high prices, high taxes, manufacturing stagnation, a slowing job market and high interest rates all at the same time.

The trouble, of course, is that Trump’s plan is not so simple to achieve — and, in fact, may be counterproductive.

Read more about how Trump said his plan will work.

President Donald Trump will address the annual National March for Life on Friday in a pretaped video message, according to two sources familiar with the move.

The president is expected to pardon anti-abortion activists imprisoned under the Freedom of access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, the sources tell CNN, although the details of who may be pardoned and when the move is happening are still unclear. The pardons were strategically timed to coincide with the March for Life, they said.

Vice President JD Vance will address march attendees in person on Friday in Washington, DC, according to a Vance spokesperson.

More context: The FACE Act makes it a federal crime to use, “threats of force, obstruction or inflict property damage intended to interfere with reproductive health care services.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are other high-profile Republicans slated to speak at the event on Friday.

President Trump was the first sitting president to attend the March for Life, when he spoke at the event in 2020.

This post has been updated with Vance’s plans.

Dozens of migrants were deported into Mexico from the United States on Thursday, a CNN team witnessed in Ciudad Juarez.

The migrants, who appeared to be all men, were seen crossing by foot the Paso del Norte bridge, which connects El Paso, Texas with Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. They were escorted by Mexican immigration and security authorities.

CNN was able to speak to some, who said they were Mexican citizens, and said they had recently illegally crossed into the US and were caught soon after.

“I was detained 5 days, but they (US officials) treated us well,” said one, Sebastian Holguin Lopez, to CNN.

“We were entering and got caught,” added Edgar Gomez from the moving line of deportees.

Asked what he would do next, Gomez smiled and said: “Try again.”

The group was taken to a local immigration office.

CNN has reached out to local authorities in Mexico for comment.