January 22, 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 littered a Wednesday interview on Fox News with many of the same false claims he made earlier in his first three days back in the White House.

Speaking with Fox News host and ardent supporter Sean Hannity in the Oval Office, Trump delivered familiar inaccurate assertions related to the 2020 and 2024 elections, immigration and the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021 — plus a highly dubious new declaration that the assaults of police officers that day, some of them vicious, were “very minor incidents.”

We fact checked 11 of his remarks. Read the full list here.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke Wednesday with Venezuelan opposition leaders Edmundo González Urrutia and María Corina Machado, during which he reiterated the US’ recognition of González Urrutia as the “rightful president” of Venezuela, the State Department said in a readout.

Rubio praised the Venezuelan people for their “courage in the face of repression perpetrated” under Nicolás Maduro, who was sworn into his third term in power on January 10, despite many countries around the world disputing his claims to have won the presidential election in July.

During the call, Rubio also reaffirmed the US’ support for “the restoration of democracy in Venezuela as well as the unconditional and immediate release of all political prisoners in line with the peaceful democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people.”

Both González Urrutia and Corina Machado posted messages on X thanking Rubio for the conversation.

On Monday, hours after President Donald Trump took office, Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said that his government hopes for a “respectful” and “transparent” relationship with the United States.

More context: Maduro and González both claimed victory in the presidential election on July 28. Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, a body stacked with Maduro allies, formally declared Maduro the winner without providing voting tallies. However, the opposition disputed the claim and released tens of thousands of tallies saying they proved González won by a landslide.

Independent observers and CNN’s own analysis concluded that the tallies published by the opposition are likely to be valid, and several countries — including the United States — recognized Gonzalez as president-elect.

The White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention implemented under the Biden administration has apparently ceased operations and its website is no longer working.

The office, first unveiled by former President Joe Biden’s administration in September 2023, created the first-ever federal Gun Violence Emergency Response Team, which included the FBI, FEMA and other federal agencies, and coordinated the federal response to mass shootings and community violence.

The group developed and implemented over 40 executive actions on gun violence, which included the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was the first significant gun safety legislation in a quarter-century when it was passed, according to the Biden administration.

The office also partnered with state and local governments to distribute nearly $200 million in funding for community violence intervention programs and implemented enhanced background check systems that stopped over 500 illegal gun purchases, the Biden administration said last year, according to Brady, an organization that advocates for more gun control in the US.

Everytown for Gun Safety, a group founded in the aftermath of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, released a statement on Instagram along with a photo of the error message displayed on what was previously the office’s website page.

The president of Brady, an organization that advocates for more gun control in the US, said in a statement that the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, “wasn’t about politics.”

“It was about strengthening the government’s ability to protect Americans (more than 300 of whom are shot every single day) from guns,” said Brady President Kris Brown. “By shuttering it, Trump is putting the interests of the gun lobby above our kids, our communities, and our country.”

In November, the National Shooting Sports Foundation urged Trump “to take decisive action to disband” the office and “put an end to government-funded efforts to infringe upon the Constitutionally-guaranteed Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.”

CNN has obtained audio of one of the voicemails left by the Justice Department notifying police officers who testified at the trials of some of the January 6 rioters that the defendants they helped convict are being released from prison.

These notifications came in the form of emails and automated phone calls, in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision Monday to grant mass clemency to all of the nearly 1,600 January 6 defendants.

The voicemail obtained by CNN was left for former US Capitol Police Staff Sgt. Aquilino Gonell. He was repeatedly assaulted during the Capitol siege and is now a staunch Trump critic.

This voicemail was about the release of convicted January 6 rioter Federico Klein, who was a political appointee at the State Department during Trump’s first administration. Klein spent nearly 90 minutes on the frontlines of the mob, clashing with Gonell and other police officers, including during the pitched battle at the Lower West Terrace tunnel.

A judge found Klein guilty at a bench trial of eight felonies, including six counts of assaulting or resisting police. He was sentenced in 2023 to nearly six years in prison, but he was released this week after receiving a pardon from Trump.

It is routine for prosecutors to notify trial witnesses, or victims who speak at a defendant’s sentencing hearing, when the defendants are released from prison.

Marco Rubio speaks during a ceremony in Washington, DC., on Tuesday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on the phone with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday and “discussed the strength of the U.S.-Saudi partnership,” according to a State Department readout of the call.

Rubio “conveyed that he looked forward to advancing shared interests in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, and beyond,” State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

Earlier Wednesday, CNN reported President Donald Trump also spoke with MBS, according to people familiar with the call, making it Trump’s first known conversation with a foreign leader since taking office.

Rubio also spoke with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to State Department readouts.

CNN reported earlier that Rubio also held calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly.

President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter at the White House on January 21, 2025.

In a Fox News interview on Wednesday, President Donald Trump questioned why Joe Biden didn’t pardon himself and accused the former president of benefitting personally from certain pardons.

Trump again took an aim at Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff. “And I heard Schiff went to him and just begged him for a pardon, because Schiff is a crook,” he said and questioned why Schiff did not receive a pardon from Biden.

Trump also commented on investigating Biden and 2016 Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

He noted that while he was often urged to pursue investigations during his first presidency —particularly against Clinton — he chose not to.

“You know, I was always against that with presidents and Hillary Clinton. I could have had Hillary Clinton — a big number done on her. I didn’t want to,” he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity.

In 2020, a Justice Department review of business dealings tied to Clinton — championed by Trump and his allies — wound down with officials not finding enough evidence to recommend the formal opening of a criminal investigation.

The probe, which was launched in November 2017 under then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, was given momentum by Trump and conservatives on Capitol Hill who pushed for greater scrutiny of the former Democratic presidential nominee.

Marco Rubio speaks at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, on Tuesday.

On his second day on the job, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with his Canadian counterpart about “the Trump Administration’s new approaches to key issues around the globe,” according to a State Department readout of the call.

Rubio’s call with Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly comes as President Donald Trump threatens to impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada on February 1.

Rubio and Joly “also discussed shared priorities in the Western Hemisphere and opportunities in the U.S.-Canada relationship,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

CNN reported earlier that Rubio also spoke over the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday.

Researchers preparing to meet and review grant proposals from academic scientists across the US got an email Wednesday telling them their meetings had been canceled.

The email, which was obtained by CNN, said “at the present time, all Federal advisory committee meetings are canceled.”

Federal advisory committees are panels of experts that meet to advise the government on its regulatory decisions. There are at least 1,000 federal advisory committees, according to the General Services Administration, which oversees them.

The full impacts of the decision are not yet known.

Scientists quickly sounded the alarm about the cancellations of meetings called “study sections” which are a key part of the government’s scientific funding mechanism.

In some cases, meetings were cancelled abruptly mid-presentation.

Study sections are meetings where grant proposals are read and rated by independent peer reviewers. Highly rated proposals are then referred to institute councils at the National Institutes of Health. These councils then decide which projects will be funded.

CNN reached out to the US Department of Health and Human services for more information on the cancellation of study section meetings. In a written statement, an HHS spokesperson characterized the move as “a short pause.”

Another communication, also obtained by CNN, noted federal advisory meetings were canceled through February 1 and NIH sponsored meetings were canceled until further notice.

The National Institutes of Health is the single largest funder of biomedical research in the world. It is the lifeblood of academic research in the US.

Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump's choice to be defense secretary, appears during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 14, in Washington, DC.

The Senate has scheduled a key procedural vote to advance the nomination of Pete Hegseth as defense secretary for Thursday afternoon.

A simple majority of senators is needed to break a Democratic-led filibuster. While several Republican senators — such as Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski — have been non-committal, no Republicans have voiced their opposition. GOP leaders are confident he will win confirmation.

The procedural vote is scheduled as the second vote in the Thursday 1:30 p.m. vote series. If the Senate advances the nomination, there would be 30 hours of debate until the final confirmation vote, pushing it to as late as Friday night if an agreement isn’t reached for a quicker vote.

The Senate, tomorrow, will also cast both a procedural vote and confirmation vote on John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA before taking up the Hegseth nomination.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has teed up Kristi Noem’s nomination for Homeland Security and Scott Bessent for Treasury following the Hegseth debate. A partisan dispute over the nominations could keep the Senate in session over the weekend to process the picks.

The Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building that houses the Office of Personnel Management headquarters is shown in Washington, DC, on June 5, 2015.

The Office of Personnel Management has released guidance related to President Donald Trump’s previously issued personnel memorandum ordering government employees to return to work in person.

It also recommends agencies set a target date of approximately 30 days for full compliance, subject to exclusions granted by an agency or collective bargaining agreements.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would seek to “immediately” release the FBI files on John F. Kennedy, once the files are reviewed.

Asked by Fox’s Sean Hannity whether he would release the files on the assassination of Kennedy, Trump mentioned that he already released some of those files as president, but was discouraged by then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from releasing further information.

Trump promised early in his first term to release files on the Kennedy assassination. In October 2017, the US government released over 2,800 records pertaining to the assassination, but avoided releasing more after last-minute requests from national security agencies.

Trump said Pompeo felt “it was just not a good time to release them.” He added he was going to release the files “immediately” upon getting the information.

TikTok is seen in the app store of an iPhone on January 8.

President Donald Trump brushed aside concerns that TikTok’s data collection could leave American’s personal information vulnerable to China, telling Fox News in an interview: “Is it that important for China to be spying on young people? On young kids watching crazy videos?”

Trump was pressed on concerns that some have said TikTok — which is owned by Chinese-based parent company ByteDance and is thus subject to China’s data collection requirements — is a “spying app for the Communist Chinese,” by Fox’s Sean Hannity during an Oval Office interview.

One of Trump’s first actions after taking office Monday was to sign an executive order delaying enforcement of the TikTok’s federal ban, which was set to take effect Sunday. During Wednesday’s interview, he told Hannity “a lot of people want to buy” the app in the US, which would allow it to continue to operate domestically without running afoul of the law.

Trump’s embrace of the platform is a reversal from his first term in office, when he issued an executive order effectively banning TikTok, saying the app’s data collection “threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information” and could enable Beijing to “build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.”

But he’s since changed his tune on the popular social media app, pointing to his campaign’s use of the platform as instrumental in his victory in November’s election.

“How about with youth? I won youth by 36 points — now maybe that’s because I went on TikTok, I don’t know,” he said.

CNN has reported previously that while young voters, particularly young men, did shift toward Trump compared with the 2020 election, exit poll data published by CNN found that Harris beat Trump 54% to 43% among voters ages 18-24, 53% to 45% among voters ages 25-29, and 51% to 45% among voters ages 30-39.

Even if Harris’ actual margins were smaller — exit poll data is often flawed — there is no sign that Trump dominated Harris with young voters.

President Donald Trump during an Oval Office interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity taped Wednesday.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would consider cutting federal funding to so-called sanctuary cities if they did not comply with his immigration orders.

Asked by Fox’s Sean Hannity whether Trump would consider cutting funding, Trump replied: “I might have to do that.”

Trump said California was a “great example,” slamming Gov. Gavin Newsom’s immigration policy.

Trump during the interview has been repeatedly critical of Newsom, including his handling of the wildfires burning around Los Angeles.

Asked whether he would meet with Newsom during his trip to Los Angeles scheduled for later this week, Trump responded: “I haven’t even thought about it.”

The Justice Department has told legal service providers to stop work intended to help support immigrants, according to a memo obtained by CNN, stripping away critical access for people in detention trying to navigate the tangled US immigration system.

On Wednesday, legal service providers who receive federal funding and work in immigration detention were told by the Justice Department to cease work as it relates to legal orientation, help at immigration courts, and counsel for children, citing one of President Donald Trump’s immigration executive orders.

The move had immediate repercussions.

Staff manning help desks at certain immigration courts had to be pulled off to avoid falling out of compliance, according to a source familiar with the decision. The help desk, available at some immigration courts, assists people navigate some of the most basic details about their cases.

Lawyers who had scheduled to participate in legal orientation programs for immigrants were told those couldn’t proceed, the source said.

Losing access to legal service providers could be the difference between being able to defend against deportation, according to immigration attorneys, amid heightening fears about Trump’s immigration crackdown. Without these programs, many immigrants will be forced to navigate their deportation cases with little to no legal support.

“When they show up to these programs, sometimes they’re learning about where in the United States they are. They often start with this in an orientation,” the source said. The providers share information about the US system and can also point immigrants in the direction of pro brono attorneys.

Immigration advocates and attorneys have repeatedly argued that access to counsel and legal orientation is critical for immigrants who are getting acquainted with the complicated and cumbersome immigration system.

“It’s always been particularly difficult for noncitizens in detention to win cases if they’re detained. If they’re in detention and unrepresented, their options really plummet,” said Andrew Nietor, immigration attorney and member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Legal service providers who are subcontracted may be able to continue their work with immigrants if it’s not done through the federal funds, though many are limited in what they can do without that money.

Pete Hegseth’s ex-wife recently gave a new statement to the FBI about the defense nominee’s alcohol use, according to two sources familiar with the matter, an issue that has become a source of controversy during his confirmation process.

Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker and Ranking Member Jack Reed were briefed on Samantha Hegseth’s statement, which has not been previously reported, last week, two days after the committee held Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing, the sources said.

Wicker and Reed were initially briefed about the FBI’s background check before the confirmation hearing, according to another source familiar with the matter. Since then, the FBI has interviewed Samantha Hegseth and has included her statement in its supplemental review.

Wicker said in a statement late Wednesday night that reports “regarding a confidential briefing on the FBI background investigation of Pete Hegseth that I received last week are starkly and factually inaccurate” and that he stands by Hegseth’s nomination.

“It is disturbing that a sensitive, longstanding process used by committee leadership to vet presidential personnel is being litigated in the press by anonymous sources with ulterior motives,” Wicker said, noting that he has been briefed three times by the FBI about their background check into Hegseth.

Democrats pressed Hegseth during his confirmation hearing about allegations of both sexual misconduct and excessive drinking. Hegseth has repeatedly denied all allegations of misconduct, including having a drinking problem, but has said he would not drink while serving as secretary of defense if he’s confirmed.

The FBI connected with Samantha Hegseth and she gave a statement in which she discussed concerns about Pete Hegseth’s drinking, the two sources said. One source familiar with the statement said Samantha Hegseth told the FBI “he drinks more often than he doesn’t.”

The source familiar noted that Samantha and Pete Hegseth have been divorced since 2017.

“There’s nothing new here and we look forward to the confirmation vote,” Tim Parlatore, Pete Hegseth’s lawyer, told CNN.

Samantha Hegseth has not responded to CNN’s request for comment. The FBI declined to comment.

Reed and Wicker received the briefing days before the vote in committee to advance Hegseth’s nomination to the floor of the Senate. The vote was along party lines, with Reed voting against Hegseth’s nomination and Wicker voting to advance him to the floor.

This post has been updated with a statement from Sen. Wicker.

Andrew Puzder speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, on March 3, 2023.

President Donald Trump announced a few new appointments on Wednesday. Here’s a quick look at them

Ambassador to European Union: Trump has selected Andrew F. Puzder for the post, he announced in Truth Social post Wednesday. In a congratulatory post, Trump emphasized Puzder’s skills as an attorney, businessman and author, which Trump claimed would make him an excellent representative for US interests in the European Union — an important region for global diplomacy. CNN previously reported in 2017 that Puzder withdrew his name from contention to be Trump’s pick to lead the Labor Department.

L. Brent Bozell III speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, DC on March 2, 2023.

CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM): Trump, in another Truth Social post, named L. Brent Bozell III to lead the agency and praised him for his extensive experience in the media landscape, particularly his role as the Founder and President of the MediaResearch Center, a conservative media watchdog organization. USAGM oversees US government-funded international media outlets, including the Voice of America.

Sean Curran was one of the Secret Service agents that helped Trump off stage after the assassination attempt during a campaign rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Director of the United States Secret Service: Trump picked his current Secret Service detail leader, Sean Curran, for the job. For the past four years, Curran has led Trump’s detail and is known to have a close, personal relationship with the president, sources said. Several sources, however, also raised significant concerns that Curran lacks the managerial experience to run an agency as large and complex as the Secret Service. On Trump’s detail, Curran supervised about 85 people. He has never managed the kind of budget or operations of the Secret Service. Further, multiple sources point out that Curran has never held a position at the agency’s headquarters and is not a member of the Senior Executive Service, which comprises the highest ranks in the service.

CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo and Whitney Wild contributed to this report.

Federal workers at multiple agencies received department-wide memos Wednesday urging them to report any efforts to conceal work on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

The warning was embedded in the Trump administration’s orders to begin the process of shutting down all DEI initiatives across federal agencies.

“Failure to report this information within 10 days will result in adverse consequences,” the email warns.

The notice sharply criticized diversity efforts as having “divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination.”

Some background: CNN first reported last week that some federal employees were quietly editing job descriptions to protect roles over fears of scrutiny and potential cuts by the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump’s national security adviser on Wednesday sidelined about 160 National Security Council aides, sending them home while the administration reviews staffing and tries to align it with Trump’s agenda.

The career government employees, commonly referred to as detailees, were summoned Wednesday for an all-staff call and told they will be expected to be available to the council’s senior directors but would not need to report to the White House. The council provides national security and foreign policy advice to the president.

Brian McCormack, chief of staff to national security adviser Mike Waltz, delivered the news in a two-minute phone call, telling the detailees they “are directed to be on call and report to the office only if contacted by the NSC leadership.”

Trump, a Republican, is sidelining these nonpolitical experts on topics that range from counterterrorism to global climate policy at a time when the United States is dealing with a disparate set of complicated foreign policy matters, including conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Such structuring could make new policy experts brought in to the NSC less likely to speak up about policy differences and concerns.

The Trump administration is putting a halt to agreements that require reforms of police departments where the Justice Department found a pattern of misconduct, according to a memo issued Wednesday.

“The new administration may wish to reconsider settlements and consent decrees negotiated and approved by the prior administration,” says a memo issued by the acting Associate Attorney General Chad Mizelle.

Mizelle ordered the Justice Department’s civil rights division to “not execute or finalize any settlements or consent decrees approved prior to January 20, 2025, 12:00pm.” The memo also orders civil rights lawyers to notify Mizelle of any settlements or consent decrees finalized in the past 90 days.

Mizelle issued a separate memo Wednesday ordering attorneys in the Justice Department’s civil rights division to pause their cases.

The memo directed the attorneys to not “file any new complaints, motions to intervene, agreed-upon remands, amicus briefs, or statements of interest” until further notice.

It’s common for new administrations to seek to review pending litigation to try to determine whether it aligns with their policy positions. But current and former Justice officials say new administrations usually seek to conduct reviews on a case-by-case basis.

Some context: The move was widely anticipated with the change of administrations and has the potential to upend police reform efforts in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Louisville, Kentucky, which were announced by the Justice Department in the closing weeks of the Biden administration.

The consent decree agreements with both cities are awaiting final approval by judges in those states — meaning that the Trump Justice Department could seek to scuttle the deals.

President Donald Trump and Republican allies have long criticized the use of court-ordered consent decrees to enforce police reform efforts.

During his campaign, Trump vowed to “back the blue,” a slogan meant to show support for police even when officers are accused of misconduct or civil rights violations. In Trump’s first administration, the Justice Department similarly sought to scuttle police consent decrees.