May 2, 2025 – Donald Trump presidency news

Our live coverage of Donald Trump’s presidency has moved here.

President Donald Trump takes part in an interview with NBC News on Friday.

President Donald Trump said today that the economy would be OK in the long-term if there were to be a short-term recession.

The president, in an interview with NBC News, initially dismissed concerns about entering a recession.

Pressed on whether he would be OK with a recession in the short-term to achieve his long-term goals, the president said, “Yes,” and that the country will do “fantastically.”

“Look yes, everything’s OK. What we are — I said, this is a transition period. I think we’re going to do fantastically,” Trump said.

The president’s comments come as there is some mixed economic data coming this week. The US economy added a surprisingly strong 177,000 jobs in April, a slight slowdown from March’s downwardly revised 185,000 gains, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today. Meanwhile, the Commerce Department announced earlier this week that the US economy just had its worst quarter since 2022 as Trump’s significant policy changes unnerved consumers and businesses.

With previous reporting from CNN’s Bryan Mena.

The office of the law firm Perkins Coie is seen on April 10 in Washington, DC.

A federal judge ruled today that an executive order signed by President Donald Trump targeting a law firm that represented his 2016 presidential opponent was unconstitutional.

US District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the executive order targeting Perkins Coie violated the First, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments.

The firm, which represented Hillary Clinton in 2016 and was involved in voting rights litigation that Trump opposed, was one of several law firms to sue over Trump’s executive orders that took aim at the firms’ security clearances, their access to federal officials and the contractor relationships their clients have with the government.

It and other firms previously secured emergency rulings pausing parts of the Trump directives, but Howell’s ruling tonight was the first to strike down an executive order targeting a law firm in its entirety and to do so on a permanent basis.

Republican senators had various reactions to the budget proposal the White House unveiled today, with some criticism President Donald Trump’s requests around defense spending.

The proposal would increase defense spending by 13% to $1 trillion. Several GOP senators, however, took issue with the fact that the budget would only increase defense spending when the reconciliation bill is included; otherwise it holds defense spending flat.

Here’s what some of them are saying via statements:

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee: “This request has come to Congress late, and key details still remain outstanding. Based on my initial review, however, I have serious objections to the proposed freeze in our defense funding given the security challenges we face and to the proposed funding cuts to – and in some cases elimination of – programs like LIHEAP, TRIO, and those that support biomedical research. Ultimately, it is Congress that holds the power of the purse.”

Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said: “It is peculiar how much time the president’s advisers spend talking about restoring peace through strength, given how apparently unwilling they’ve been to invest accordingly in the national defense or in other critical instruments of national power.”

“In March, the Trump Administration missed a tremendous opportunity to answer their predecessors’ chronic underinvestment in the U.S. military with robust, full-year funding for FY25. Now, it appears the Trump Administration’s FY26 defense budget request will double down on the Biden Administration’s material neglect for the glaring national security threats challenges about which they speak with great alarm,” he continued.

Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi said: “President Trump successfully campaigned on a Peace Through Strength agenda, but his advisers at the Office of Management and Budget were apparently not listening. For the defense budget, OMB has requested a fifth year straight of Biden administration funding, leaving military spending flat, which is a cut in real terms.”

“The Big, Beautiful Reconciliation Bill was always meant to change fundamentally the direction of the Pentagon on programs like Golden Dome, border support, and unmanned capabilities – not to paper over OMB’s intent to shred to the bone our military capabilities and our support to service members,” he added.

Demonstrators gather outside of the Edward A. Garmatz United States District Courthouse in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 14, before a hearing regarding the Department of Government Efficiency's access to Social Security data.

President Donald Trump’s administration is urging the Supreme Court to allow Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to access Social Security Administration data on hundreds of millions of Americans.

Today’s emergency appeal reached the court after the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday to continue to block DOGE from accessing the information.

What the lower court ruled: US Circuit Judge Robert King wrote that the data DOGE was seeking exceeded what “all but the few most experienced and trusted” at the administration itself are permitted to review.” Nine judges voted to leave the lower court’s order in place and six dissented.

The lawsuit, filed by federal employee unions and a retiree association, is one of several that challenge DOGE access to closely guarded data systems across various federal agencies. DOGE has argued that it needs the data to implement “reform efforts” aimed at combatting fraud.

What the Trump administration is saying in its appeal: The administration claims the lower court’s ruling is:

A federal judge did not block Trump anti-diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility and anti-environmental justice measures challenged by several groups, according to a ruling this morning.

The legal challenge was brought by the National Urban League, AIDS Foundation of Chicago and National Fair Housing Alliance. Washington, DC, Judge Timothy Kelly denied the request for injunctive relief largely for two reasons: lack of merits and doubt that they will suffer irreparable harm.

The plaintiffs sought relief for claims of First and Fifth Amendment violations while challenging President Donald Trump’s anti-DEIA and environmental justice executive orders from his first few days in office. The executive orders instructed agencies to cancel grants with groups that engaged in DEIA work, which the order described as “illegal and immoral discrimination programs,” and remove DEIA programs from the federal government.

The three plaintiffs have been awarded grants from executive branch agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control, the Environmental Protection Agency, Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Health and Human Services, which they worried may be terminated because of work outside of these grants that may be perceived as DEIA or environmental justice-related.

A woman shops in the shoe aisle at a department store in New York City on April 10.

The American footwear industry is pleading with the White House for relief from massive tariffs that it argues could wipe out hundreds of businesses, kill tens of thousands of jobs and leave some store shelves bare.

In a letter made public today, a trade group representing Nike, Steve Madden, Under Armour, Crocs and dozens of other brands urged the Trump administration to provide exemptions from so-called reciprocal tariffs.

The Trump administration paused “reciprocal” tariffs — which do not actually match the tariffs other countries charge the US — for 90 days on April 9, though President Donald Trump has suggested they could kick in earlier.

“This is an emergency that requires immediate action and attention,” the letter said.

The letter argued that tariffs hit the industry particularly hard because the federal government already has high levies in place on children’s shoes. Many companies will now have to pay a tariff of between 150% and almost 200%, the industry group said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio harshly criticized Germany after its domestic intelligence agency labeled the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) an extremist entity that threatens democracy and called on the country to reverse course on its own domestic matter.

The top US diplomat described the move as “tyranny in disguise” and took aim at the US ally’s immigration policies.

“Germany should reverse course,” Rubio added.

More context: The tweet comes in response to Germany’s domestic intelligence agency’s finding, based on a 1,100 page expert report, that AfD is racist and anti-Muslim. The classification of the party as an extremist entity allows authorities to increase their surveillance, including by recruiting confidential informants and intercepting communications.

It is not the first time a high-level Trump administration official has aligned themselves with the far-right party. Both Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk have voiced support for AfD.

President Donald Trump will be hosting a military parade celebrating the Army’s 250th birthday on June 14, which is also his birthday, the White House said today.

Detailed Army plans for the parade call for more than 6,600 soldiers, at least 150 vehicles, 50 helicopters, seven bands and possibly a couple thousand civilians, The Associated Press reported yesterday.

High costs halted Trump’s push for a parade in his first term, and the tanks and other heavy vehicles that are part of the Army’s latest plans have raised concerns from city officials about damage to roads.

The White House is seen from the North Lawn on March 9, in Washington, DC.

The White House released a budget blueprint today that would pump more money into defense and homeland security, while taking an ax to programs that the Trump administration has already targeted — including education, foreign aid, environment, health and public assistance programs.

The proposal outlines President Donald Trump’s vision and provides recommendations to Congress for fiscal year 2026 spending, but lawmakers are not required to follow it. The blueprint is an outline, otherwise known as a “skinny budget,” with a more comprehensive plan expected to be released in coming weeks.

Overall, the discretionary budget would be $1.7 trillion, a 7.6% cut from the current fiscal year.

Here’s what’s in the proposal:

A Kenyan Police armored vehicle patrols the Solino district, which fell under the control of the Viv Ansanm gang alliance, in Port-au-Prince on November 16, 2024.

The United States designated both a Haitian gang and a coalition of gangs in the country as terrorist organizations today, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued they are “a direct threat to US national security interests in the region.”

Rubio designated Viv Ansanm, an alliance of gangs on the island nation, and Gran Grif as both foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists.

The top US diplomat warned that both Haitians and US citizens could face counterterrorism sanctions for “engaging in transactions with members of these groups.”

“Individuals and entities providing material support or resources to Viv Ansanm or Gran Grif could face criminal charges and inadmissibility or removal from the United States,” he said.

Some context: Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif are the latest Latin American crime groups to receive this designation from the Trump administration, which did the same with drug cartels earlier this year.

The terrorism designations factor in to President Donald Trump’s broader effort to socialize the idea that the US is at war with transnational gangs, which he has used to justify elements of his sweeping immigration crackdown.

Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a news conference in Ottawa, Canada, on May 2.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters today that he will meet with President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, May 6. The prime minister said the meeting will focus on tariffs and the US-Canada relationship.

Asked how he might avoid the same kind of public argument that occurred between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office earlier this year, Carney said he’s going into the meeting expecting a “difficult, but constructive” conversation.

“You go to these meetings well prepared,” the prime minister continued, “Understanding the objectives of your counterpart and always acting in the best interest of Canada, and we’ll go from there.”

On Tuesday, Carney said his country would “never” yield to the United States as he declared victory in federal elections, following a campaign overshadowed by relentless provocations and steep trade tariffs imposed by Trump.

Democrats are launching a new effort to pressure Republican lawmakers to oppose President Donald Trump’s tax and spending cuts package, specifically targeting four Republican lawmakers in some of the most competitive House districts in the country.

The four Republican lawmakers include Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Tom Barrett of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mike Lawler of New York. Bacon, Fitzpatrick and Lawler won districts carried by former Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s election.

The effort, involving the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, will include hosting “People’s Town Halls” in some of these Republican districts later in the month and encouraging supporters to apply pressure on the GOP representatives online and through email and phone calls to their offices.

It comes as the DNC launched a new organizing program timed to a “Fight to Save Medicaid” push for the month of May as Republicans continue to weigh potential cuts to the program as part of the president’s agenda push on Capitol Hill. Democrats have zeroed in on Medicaid as a key messaging issue against Republicans, arguing any cuts to the program would be detrimental to millions of low-income people across the country.

President Donald Trump’s budget request will include a record $1 trillion for national security, a major increase in a budget that otherwise seeks to slash spending, an administration official said.

That is an increase from current levels of approximately $893 billion.

Trump has long signaled his intent to boost defense spending to the symbolic trillion-dollar figure. He has proposed costly defense projects, including a “Golden Dome” missile defense system, that will be included in the budget.

President Donald Trump once again called on the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates after a better-than-expected April jobs report was released this morning.

The jobs report showed employers added 177,000 jobs last month versus the 135,000 gain economists were anticipating.

Fact check: However, there’s no truth to Trump’s claim that there’s “no inflation.” Data released by the Commerce Department this week showed that the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index — the Fed’s favored inflation gauge — rose 2.3% in March from the year before. That’s a slower pace of price hikes than February’s 2.7% increase.

The Fed is facing a unique dilemma over whether to lower interest rates as inflation remains above its 2% target or to raise rates to brace for the inflationary impact from Trump’s tariffs.

The White House plans to unveil its budget proposal today, targeting education, foreign aid, environmental, health care and other non-defense discretionary spending with $163 billion in cuts, two administration officials told CNN.

The proposal — referred to internally as a “skinny budget” because it is an outline, rather than a comprehensive plan — calls for $557 billion in non-defense discretionary spending, one of the officials said.

The official said agencies that would face steep cuts include:

According to the official, the budget boosts funding for:

The budget proposal is essentially a statement of President Donald Trump’s priorities to Congress, which must hammer out the details and pass them into law. In his first months in office, Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk have sought to dramatically slash the federal government, laying off federal workers and eliminating functions that don’t align with the administration’s political views.

The proposed cuts were first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

This April 9 photo shows President Donald Trump signs a executive order at the White House.

A busy news week continued heading into this morning as President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending cuts package picks up steam in Congress and his administration continues to target migrants.

Here’s more of the latest news as you get your day started:

Rubio’s rise: Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ascended as one of Trump’s most trusted hands after moving in as interim national security adviser following widespread reports that Trump planned on ousting Mike Waltz from the position.

Trump’s tax and spending cuts package: House Republicans are starting to put some meat on the bones of their sweeping tax and spending cuts package, or what Trump calls his “big, beautiful bill.” It aims to extend the GOP’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as well as fulfill several of Trump’s campaign promises, such as ending taxes on tips.

Relabeling cartel and gang members: The Trump administration is considering labeling some suspected cartel and gang members inside the US as “enemy combatants” as a possible way to detain them more easily and limit their ability to challenge their imprisonment.

Veterans Day: Trump said he wants to rename Veterans Day, a federal holiday on November 11, to “Victory Day for World War I” in a move to purportedly “start celebrating our victories again.” He also said he wants to celebrate May 8, which is not a federal holiday, as “Victory Day for World War II.”

Federal workers: Many federal workers who are used to relative job security are now beset by low morale and deep uncertainty and have decided to quit their jobs. Many of the more than a dozen workers who spoke to CNN describe a culture of fear that now permeates the workforce.

Vance on Ukraine war: Vice President JD Vance said the war in Ukraine is “not going to end any time soon” in comments aired on Fox News yesterday evening, just hours after Washington and Kyiv signed a key minerals agreement that has peace in Ukraine among its goals.

People visit the City of Sunrise booth at the Mega JobNewsUSA South Florida Job Fair at the Amerant Bank Arena on April 30 in Sunrise, Florida.

The long-resilient jobs market continues to defy expectations, even in the wake of swirling uncertainty.

The US economy added a surprisingly strong 177,000 jobs in April, a slight slowdown from March’s downwardly revised 185,000 gains, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

The unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.2%.

Economists were expecting the economy to have added 135,000 jobs last month and that the unemployment rate held at 4.2%, according to FactSet consensus estimates.

April’s jobs report marks another solid month of job gains and a continuation of a historic expansion of the labor market.

Whether that continues, however, remains to be seen. Recent economic data has indicated that uncertainty and layoffs are on the rise amid monumental policy shifts from the Trump administration.

Radio Free Asia is laying off most of its staff and shutting down many of its news broadcasts and streams, amid a funding battle with the Trump administration.

Friday’s layoff notices are the latest impacts of President Donald Trump’s crusade against the international broadcasters the United States has bankrolled for decades.

Bay Fang, the CEO of Radio Free Asia, said the cuts are necessary because the Trump administration has withheld its congressionally allocated funding, even though a federal judge sided with the broadcaster last week.

Other US-funded international broadcasters are stuck in similar situations. The outlets keep winning favorable court rulings, but the Trump administration is appealing. Meanwhile, the journalists who want to return to their jobs say acute damage is being done.

Trump moved to shut down Voice of America and strip other broadcasters of federal funding in mid-March. Half a dozen lawsuits have been filed to reverse the moves.

Parcels slide down a ramp after being scanned at the US Customs and Border Protection overseas mail inspection facility at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, in February 2024

Vast flows of trade between the world’s two largest economies are at stake after President Donald Trump hiked tariffs on China this month, making it difficult for some Chinese businesses to continue trading with the US. In response, Beijing has also slapped massive tariffs on American imports.

What’s the latest? A major shipping loophole expired at one minute past midnight.

The de minimis exemption allowed shipments of goods worth $800 or less to come into the US duty-free, often more or less skipping time-consuming inspections and paperwork.

The loophole allowed ultra-low-cost Chinese e-commerce sites like Shein, Temu and AliExpress to pour everything from yarn to patio furniture, clothes to photography equipment and more into US homes.

What now? A baseline tariff as high as 145%, depending on the carrier, is set to take effect on Chinese imports, potentially more than doubling the cost of all those cheap products that deal-hungry Americans have scooped up.

Inching toward trade deals: China says it is “currently assessing” proposals by the US to begin trade talks, in a tone shift that could open the door for negotiations.

A spokesperson for China’s Commerce Ministry said “the US has recently sent multiple messages to China through relevant parties, hoping to start talks with China. China is currently evaluating this.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Beijing was eager to talk. “The Chinese are reaching out, they want to meet, they want to talk,” he told Fox News.

The European Union’s trade commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, told the Financial Times that the bloc is making “certain progress” toward a trade deal with the US, which would involve buying 50 billion euros more of US products.

But Financial Times reported that Šefčovič suggested the Trump administration would need to abandon its 10% across-the-board tariffs on European goods as a precursor to any trade arrangement.

Apple hit hard: Tariffs could add $900 million to Apple’s costs in its fiscal third quarter, Apple CEO Tim Cook said yesterday.

Most of Apple’s iPhone supply chain is based in China. The Trump administration said last month that smartphones are exempt from reciprocal tariffs on Chinese imports, which would have brought the total tariff rate on iPhones made in the region to at least 145%. Instead, smartphones face a minimum 20% tariff.

Apple has shifted some iPhone production to India, and Cook said he expects “the majority of iPhones sold in the US will have India as their country of origin.”