April 12, 2025: Donald Trump presidency news

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

President Donald Trump waves to the crowd as he attends UFC 314 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on Saturday.

President Donald Trump arrived to raucous applause at the Kaseya Center in Miami tonight, participating in the “walkout” traditionally reserved for athletes as he became the first sitting president to attend a UFC event.

He was joined by close ally Elon Musk, along with top administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and FBI Director Kash Patel. Trump’s granddaughter Kai Trump and grandsons Donald Trump III and Spencer Trump also accompanied the president.

The president was spotted embracing UFC CEO Dana White, as well as podcast host Joe Rogan and basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal on the arena floor.

Some context: Trump’s attendance at the late-night fight underscores his reemergence in the American pop cultural mainstream as he deploys the trappings of office to attend some of the nation’s premier sporting events. It also highlights his loyal ties to the UFC organization and the alignment between the mixed martial arts brand and the young men who propelled Trump back to the White House.

Sen. John Cornyn, left, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

President Donald Trump on Saturday stopped short of endorsing a candidate in the Republican Senate primary in Texas, as state Attorney General Ken Paxton is set to challenge incumbent Sen. John Cornyn next year.

CNN previously reported that Senate Republicans, who think a Trump endorsement can help clear the field, have personally asked the president to back Cornyn.

Paxton, a hardline conservative and close Trump ally, announced his run Tuesday.

Cornyn, who has announced he’s running for a fifth term, told CNN last week that he is “prepared” for a primary fight.

The GOP field could get larger as Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt has privately signaled that he is considering joining the race.

CNN’s Kaanita Iyer contributed to this post.

President Donald Trump declined to weigh in substantively on high-stakes talks in Oman to reach a new nuclear deal with Iran, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that discussions are “going OK.”

US special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff “conducted talks today in Muscat with Iranian Foreign Minister Dr. Abbas Araghchi, which were hosted by Omani Foreign Minister Said Badr,” the White House said in a statement earlier Saturday, describing the discussions as “direct communication” and “very positive and constructive.”

Trump has warned that failure to reach a deal could lead to potential military strikes on Iran. Tehran, in turn, has warned that any attack on it would drag the US into a broader Middle Eastern conflict.

Sources involved in the talks have told CNN that the Trump administration wants to move fast — and the two parties are expected to meet again for further discussion next Saturday, according to the White House.

Trump also weighed in on ongoing talks with Russia and Ukraine, one day after Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for more than four hours.

President Donald Trump said he is “looking forward” to his Monday meeting with El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele at the White House and praised the leader for housing “the most violent alien enemies of the world” in his nation’s mega-prison.

The president’s post comes after the Supreme Court ruled this week that the Trump administration must “facilitate” the return of the Maryland man and El Salvadoran national who was mistakenly deported to CECOT, the country’s mega-prison. However, the high court stopped short of requiring his return to the United States.

Earlier today, the Department of Justice said in a filing that Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia “is alive and secure” at the mega-prison after days of saying it doesn’t have information about his exact location.

Trump did not mention Abrego Garcia in his post.

El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center is pictured during a media tour April 4 in Tecoluca, El Salvador.

The Trump administration said in a filing today that Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the Maryland father who was mistakenly deported, is alive and remains in an El Salvador mega-prison.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration must “facilitate” the return of Abrego Garcia to the United States but stopped short of requiring it.

On Friday, US District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the Justice Department to provide daily updates on what the administration is doing to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return, after a DOJ attorney could not provide details on exactly where he is.

Saturday’s filing did not include details on the administration’s efforts to bring Abrego Garcia back to the United States.

Correction: This post has been updated to reflect that a State Department official wrote the filing.

President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday.

President Donald Trump is set to attend UFC 314 in Miami, where Australian Alexander Volkanovski is set to take on Diego Lopes of Brazil in tonight’s featherweight title bout.

His attendance at the late-night fight underscores his reemergence in the American pop cultural mainstream as he deploys the trappings of office to attend some of the nation’s premier sporting events.

It also highlights his long and loyal ties to the UFC organization and its CEO, Dana White, and the alignment between the mixed martial arts brand and the young men who propelled Trump back to the White House.

With the exception of nearly weekly trips to his Mar-a-Lago property in South Florida, the president’s domestic travel has been rare during his second term. But since taking office, he has flown aboard Air Force One to attend the Super Bowl in New Orleans, the Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, and the NCAA men’s wrestling championships in Philadelphia.

Trump, who has long styled himself a “fighter,” successfully tapped into the male-oriented podcast sphere during his 2024 campaign, boosting his turnout among low-propensity voters as he and top surrogates leaned into interviews with host Joe Rogan, Barstool Sports’ “Bussin’ With The Boys,” and Andrew Schulz’s “Flagrant,” among others, offering listeners long-form, unfiltered and un-fact-checked conversations.

Many male-oriented podcasters discuss physical fitness, promote traditional traits of masculinity and share an appreciation for mixed martial arts, specifically UFC.

White emerged as a key surrogate for Trump in 2024 as his campaign sought to bolster its appeal to young men.

Today’s talks between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi took place in the home of Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi, known as Bait Al Hail, according to a source familiar with the meeting.

The residence is located less than 10 minutes from the Muscat airport and has been viewed as an attractive gathering place for senior level government officials from the West and the Middle East.

The grandiose entryway at the home has reception rooms on each side. To the right is the Western-style reception room where Witkoff and his team were based during the indirect talks; to the left is the Oriental-style reception room where Araghchi and the Iranian team were located, the source explained.

In total 13 people took part in the talks: 5 Americans, 5 Iranians and 3 Omanis, the source said. The Omanis shuttled messages in English between the two sides.

After the talks ended, the two delegations spoke for just a few minutes in the marble hallway on the way out, the source said.

Based on the readout from the White House sources involved in the talks, there is a belief the Trump administration wants to move fast and that Witkoff wants to make a political decision to green-light a deal without diving into highly technical details which could slow things down, the source said.

The US-Iran meeting set for next week is likely to take place in Europe, the source said.

The Trump administration is the target of a new federal lawsuit seeking to stop the revocation of visas issued to international students.

The lawsuit, filed by Kuck Baxter, an Atlanta-based legal firm specializing in immigration, is seeking to stop federal officials from deporting the students.

Attorney Dustin Baxter told CNN his firm filed the lawsuit on behalf of about 20 international students, but the case may grow to include around 200. The students currently included are mainly studying at Georgia colleges and universities.

The lawsuit specifically names three Trump administration officials as defendants: US Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons.

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

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said that some behavior, including participating in protests, will not be tolerated by students on visas. “They’re here to go to class. They’re not here to lead activist movements that are disruptive and undermine our universities. I think it’s lunacy to continue to allow that,” Rubio said.

But Baxter said the Trump administration is going well beyond targeting activists — who, he adds, also shouldn’t be targeted unless they commit a crime, given the right for citizens and noncitizens to peacefully protest.

The lawyer claims the Trump administration is going through logs of student visas and finding anyone with “any kind of encounter with a police officer.”

“Even if there was no conviction, if there was just an arrest — and sometimes there wasn’t even an arrest, there was just an encounter and maybe a ticket — they would revoke the student visa,” Baxter told CNN.

The Trump administration this week imposed a minimum tariff rate of 145% on Chinese goods imported to the United States.

Dan Mitchell, the founder of a Tennessee home building company who voted for Trump and said he supports the administration’s ultimate goal, joined CNN’s Jake Tapper to discuss how the tariffs might affect his business and the housing industry nationwide.

Watch Mitchell’s comments below:

Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff attends an interview in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 18.

The White House is characterizing today’s nuclear talks between a top Trump adviser and Iran’s foreign minister as a step in the right direction and has confirmed plans for follow-up talks next week.

The “direct communication” between President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was “very positive and constructive,” the White House said in a statement.

Witkoff “underscored to Dr. Araghchi that he had instructions from President Trump to resolve our two nations’ differences through dialogue and diplomacy, if that is possible,” the statement said, calling the talks a “step forward in achieving a mutually beneficial outcome.”

The US statement thanked Oman for its mediating role in the talks, and noted that the US ambassador to Oman, Ana Escrogima, was also present.

The White House said the two sides plan meet again next Saturday.

In comments reported by Iranian media earlier today, Tehran similarly described the talks as “constructive” and shared the plans for more discussions next week.

Remember: The high-stakes talks come after Trump threatened military strikes against Iran if it did not agree to a new deal, which prompted a warning from Tehran that any attack would drag the US into a broader Middle Eastern conflict.

Trump has given Tehran a two-month deadline to accept a deal that would lead to Iran shrinking its nuclear footprint or eliminating its program altogether.

A worker produces an electronic circuit board at a workshop in Huai'an, China on February 20.

After exempting several high-tech products from steep new tariffs, the White House says President Donald Trump continues to urge firms to move production to the United States.

US Customs and Border Protection posted a notice last night saying smartphones, computer monitors and various electronic parts are among the exempted products. That could be huge news for US tech giants like Apple, which bases an estimated 90% of its iPhone production and assembly in China.

“The President has stated that autos, steel, pharmaceuticals, chips and other specific materials will be included in specific tariffs to ensure tariffs are applied fairly and effectively,” a White House official said.

The official said Trump would soon order up a study on the national security effects on semiconductor imports.

A view inside FEMA headquarters in Washington, DC, in September 2024.

The Department of Homeland Security has administered lie detector tests to about 50 staffers in recent weeks, including FEMA’s acting administrator and roughly a dozen officials at the disaster relief agency, as part of an intensifying effort to root out what the department alleges are leaks of national security information.

At least one FEMA official has been placed on administrative leave and was escorted out of the agency’s office this week after being administered a polygraph test, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

“We are agnostic about your standing, tenure, political appointment, or status as a career civil servant — we will track down leakers and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in an email to CNN.

The investigations at DHS have raised concerns that the lie detector tests may be used on federal workers accused of leaking non-classified information to the media, particularly at FEMA, where sources say classified information is handled in very limited circumstances.

Whistleblower support organizations tell CNN it would be unusual, alarming and potentially illegal for the tests to be used in such cases.

Read more on the use of polygraphs at DHS here.

The second round of nuclear talks between Iranian and American negotiators will be held next Saturday in Oman, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state media, adding that today’s meeting “got very close” to reaching a framework for negotiations.

He added that both sides said they are seeking an agreement in the shortest time possible.

Araghchi was asked about his brief meeting with US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, which was the first direct contact between US and Iranian officials during Trump’s second term.

“When both parties were leaving, we spent a few minutes conversing,” the foreign minister said. “This is an accepted norm. We always adhere to diplomatic norms when dealing with US diplomats and this time we also exchanged the same level of pleasantries.”

CNN has reached out to the US State Department for comment.

President Donald Trump leads a board meeting at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on March 17 in Washington, DC.

Richard Grenell, the controversial interim president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, says President Donald Trump will attend the opening of “Les Misérables” in June and host a fundraiser at the venue.

Grenell is touting Trump’s overhaul of the center, saying in an interview this morning that the president’s purge of the cultural institution’s board and targeting of programming the administration deems unsuitable is saving money.

“We’ve done a hiring freeze, we’ve fired a lot of the bloat, and we’ve saved about $6.2 million in eight weeks already,” Grenell claimed during a “Fox & Friends” appearance. “Donald Trump is coming to the opening of ‘Les Mis’ on June 11. He’s doing a fundraiser for the Kennedy Center. We expect to raise millions for that. So, he personally is turning this around.”

Grennell added that Trump has tasked him with going to Capitol Hill to speak with senators about how to “turn around” the Kennedy Center.

“First of all, we got to get more donors. We got to get — everyone needs to be included. We don’t need to be booing Republicans, like if the vice president shows up,” he said, referring to a recent visit from Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha in which attendees could be heard booing them.

Delegations from Iran and the United States will meet again next week after wrapping up “constructive” nuclear talks that included the first direct contact between Trump administration and Iranian officials, according to Iran’s state news agency.

The two sides shared their views on Iran’s nuclear program and the potential lifting of sanctions against the Islamic Republic through Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi, “in a constructive atmosphere based on mutual respect,” according to the report from state-run IRNA.

“After more than two and a half hours of indirect negotiations, the heads of the Iranian and American delegations spoke for a few minutes in the presence of the Omani foreign minister as they left the talks,” IRNA added.

CNN has reached out to the US State Department for comment.

Oman’s foreign minister said on X that he was proud to facilitate the talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, which were aimed at reaching a “fair and binding” agreement.

Remember: Today’s high-stakes talks are aimed at securing a potential new nuclear deal between the two countries and easing tensions in the region.

The talks came in the wake of President Donald Trump’s threat of military strikes if Iran fails to agree to a pact — and Tehran’s warning that any attack would drag the US into a broader Middle Eastern conflict.

Trump has given Tehran a two-month deadline to accept a deal that would lead to Iran shrinking its nuclear footprint or eliminating its program altogether.

CNN’s Alex Marquardt and Kylie Atwood contributed to this report.

People look at iPhones at the Apple Store in Palo Alto, California in 2024.

Electronics including phones and computers imported to the United States will be exempt from President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs, according to a US Customs and Border Protection notice posted yesterday.

Smartphones, computer monitors and various electronic parts are among the exempted products. The exemption applies to products entering the US or removed from warehouses as early as April 5, according to the notice.

The move comes after the Trump administration imposed a minimum tariff rate of 145% on Chinese goods. The tariffs would have a major impact on tech giants like Apple, which make iPhones and other products in China.

Roughly 90% of Apple’s iPhone production and assembly is based in China, according to Wedbush Securities’ estimates.

Trump had told reporters yesterday on Air Force One that there could be possible exclusions to his sweeping tariffs.

The White House has not responded to a CNN request for comment.

This post has been updated with additional details on the exemptions.

Students walk through the University of Florida campus in Gainesville in 2022.

Several universities in Florida have signed agreements to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of an ongoing push by state leaders to aid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

The University of Florida confirmed yesterday it has signed an agreement that allows local law enforcement to act as immigration officers.

The arrangements, known as 287(g) agreements, allow local officers to question those they suspect of being in the country illegally and to execute arrest warrants for immigration violations, according to a statement from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in February.

The University of Central Florida and the University of South Florida have also signed the pacts with ICE, according to CNN affiliate WFTV.

CNN reached out to Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University about news reports that their campus police have done the same.

The prospect of increased immigration enforcement could cause additional friction on the University of Florida campus. On Wednesday, crowds gathered there to protest the deportation of a Colombian student, according to CNN affiliate WCJB.

The big picture: By CNN’s count, more than 500 students, faculty and researchers across the US have had their visas revoked this year, including at least four University of Florida students.

An increasing number of student deportation threats involve the revocation of visas based on relatively minor offenses like years-old misdemeanors.

China warned yesterday that the United States’ tariffs could spark a “humanitarian crisis,” as the world’s two largest economies continue their tit-for-tat in US President Donald Trump’s trade war.

In a statement by the ministry today, Wang said Trump’s tariffs have “brought great uncertainty and instability to the world.”

The statement said Wang stressed to WTO members that they should stand firm against “unilateralism, protectionism and bullying.”

Another US rival weighs in on trade: Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said today that the WTO has been “paralyzed” by successive American administrations and that tariff deals must now be struck fairly.

“The tariff war which we witness now is going to change many things. We hear that many countries would like to sit down with the United States and negotiate,” Lavrov said during an address at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey.

“We would only be happy if people reach some deals peacefully and to their mutual satisfaction,” he said.

Welcome to today’s live coverage of President Donald Trump’s administration.

We’ll be tracking developments on the president’s trade war and the high-stakes US-Iran talks taking place in Oman.

Click on the links below for more of CNN’s latest reporting on other key topics:

• Daughter challenges ICE arrest of her mom: To Karen Cruz Berrios, her mother is a hard-working, devoted single parent. But the Department of Homeland Security has alleged, without providing evidence, she is “an associate of the vicious MS-13 gang.”

• Anti-DEI push at Pentagon-run schools: Recent Pentagon policies are having direct impacts on students at Defense Department-run schools around the globe, with kids and their parents telling CNN they fear they’re now at a disadvantage.

• Tariffs clobber the toy industry: Toys made in China are no longer exempt from US tariffs. For American families, this means relatively inexpensive toys could become luxuries.

• Shrinking consumer protection agency: A federal appeals court will allow the Trump administration to further shrink the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — but not dismantle it entirely.

• RFK Jr. and the measles vaccine: Trump’s health and human services secretary made his strongest endorsement yet of the measles vaccine this week amid an ongoing outbreak. But that stands in stark contrast to years of his work against the vaccine.

• US military at the southern border: Trump instructed the heads of four federal agencies last night to let the military “take a more direct role” in efforts to secure the border.

• Gaming console caught up in the trade war: Nintendo just announced its highly anticipated Switch 2 — but US preorders are on hold due to Trump’s tariff plans, and gaming experts fear prices could spike depending on how the next few months go. Watch our report below:

Video Ad Feedback

How Trump’s tariffs could impact Nintendo’s Switch 2

01:10 • Source: CNN

How Trump’s tariffs could impact Nintendo’s Switch 2

01:10