As President Trump appears to his subsequent 100 days in workplace, White Home officers stated his focus will be summarized in 5 phrases: Commerce offers and peace offers.
Trump’s first 100 days in workplace noticed a flood of govt motion to quickly ship on key marketing campaign guarantees round immigration and tradition warfare points, in addition to a blitz towards main businesses to slash the scope and dimension of presidency staffing and spending.
Trump is anticipated to take further deregulatory actions and signal extra govt actions to implement immigration and different facets of his agenda, officers stated.
However as Trump charts the trail ahead, the president and his aides are devoting important time and sources to attempting to barter commerce offers to resolve tariff disputes and the potential financial fallout largely created by Trump’s personal insurance policies.
Trump can also be anticipated to focus within the weeks forward on overseas coverage, the place he has struggled to ship on a pledge to finish the warfare in Ukraine and has saved an in depth eye on the Center East.
“I think we’re now entering this new era where we’ll now be able to focus on peace and prosperity,” a White House official said. “Peace in the world, prosperity at home by fixing our trade relationships and finding peace deals.”
White Home officers indicated that commerce offers could be on the heart of Trump’s agenda and schedule within the coming weeks. The president introduced earlier this month a 90-day pause on “reciprocal” tariffs for a lot of international locations to permit for talks, making a deadline of July 8.
Senior commerce adviser Peter Navarro has urged there may very well be “90 deals in 90 days.”
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt instructed reporters final week that the administration had 18 proposals from different international locations it was contemplating. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has stated the administration is prioritizing on coming to phrases with 15 main world economies.
To this point, there aren’t any strong offers in place, and Trump himself has been imprecise when requested for specifics about negotiations. However administration officers have stated they’re in contact with India, South Korea, the European Union, Japan and different nations.
Finishing any main commerce offers by July 8 could be a major feat. The U.S.-Mexico-Canada settlement, which changed NAFTA, took years to barter and finalize, although it required congressional approval. Trump’s “phase one” cope with China throughout his first time period was additionally the product of months of discussions earlier than it was finalized.
One White Home official stated there’s “nothing the president is more resolute about” than tariffs and new commerce offers. The official described Trump as “deeply involved” in negotiations, as evidenced by his assembly earlier this month with Japanese commerce officers.
Trump’s potential to get a commerce deal executed may be vital for his political prospects.
A Washington Submit/ABC Information/Ipsos ballot printed Friday discovered 70 % of Individuals, together with 47 % of Republicans, stated Trump’s tariffs can have a damaging impact on inflation. The ballot discovered 64 % disapproved of how Trump has dealt with tariffs.
Overseas coverage
One other space the place Trump is anticipated to focus his vitality is on overseas coverage, the place he has been attempting to dealer a ceasefire in a single a part of the world and stave off an escalation of tensions in one other.
Trump pledged on the marketing campaign path that he would finish the warfare in Ukraine earlier than even taking workplace, or inside 24 hours of taking the oath.
“Obviously, people know that when I said that, it was said in jest, but it was also said that it will be ended,” Trump instructed Time Journal final week.
However Trump has expressed growing frustration with each Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin because the warfare drags on.
Democrats and a few consultants have argued Putin is dragging his toes and has continued firing missiles into Ukraine regardless of Trump’s efforts to dealer peace. Trump officers have been outwardly bothered by Zelensky’s public declarations that ceding Ukrainian territory as a part of a peace deal wouldn’t be acceptable.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy for Center East affairs who has taken a number one function in Russia-Ukraine talks, was in Moscow on Friday to satisfy with Putin.
“I think Russia and Ukraine, I think they’re coming along. We hope. Very fragile,” Trump instructed reporters on Friday.
White Home officers stated Trump would even be centered on efforts to free the remaining hostages nonetheless being held by Hamas in Gaza. And Trump has spoken in current weeks about diplomatic efforts with Iran to keep away from a wider battle within the Center East.
Trump traveled to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, however his first main overseas journey will are available mid-Could when he travels to the Center East for stops in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Who Trump meets with and the outcomes of that journey will probably be a robust indication of the place his overseas coverage stands.
Reconciliation
Whereas commerce offers and peace offers are high of thoughts on the White Home, the president and his workforce may also be holding an in depth eye on Capitol Hill over the following 100 days.
Officers famous that Trump has solely signed one main piece of laws round his agenda, the Laken Riley Act, which mandated the federal detention of immigrants with out authorized standing who’re accused of theft and housebreaking, amongst different issues.
Republicans are anticipated within the coming weeks to ramp up exercise on passing a large reconciliation invoice that incorporates key facets of Trump’s agenda, together with border funding, an extension of the tax cuts Trump signed into regulation in 2017 and a few new proposals Trump made final 12 months, together with to remove taxes on tipped wages, extra time wages and Social Safety.
Republican lawmakers had beforehand set an bold aim of getting the reconciliation package deal to the president’s desk by Memorial Day, a timeline that seems unlikely.
One of many main questions looming over the invoice is how GOP management will fulfill funds hawks who need to see spending cuts, whilst Trump and different Republicans have warned towards reducing Medicaid and different vital packages that don’t fall below “waste, fraud and abuse.”
“I would veto it, yeah. But they’re not going to do that,” Trump stated when requested a few potential invoice that included cuts to Social Safety, Medicare or Medicaid.
Committees are set to start the mark-ups once they return from recess, setting a Could 9 deadline to finish their committee work, with an bold aim of getting the laws to the president’s desk round Memorial Day.
A White Home official acknowledged a lot of Trump’s agenda had up to now been completed by way of govt energy, however they stated Trump’s outreach to Congress and involvement on Capitol Hill will improve because the reconciliation package deal will get nearer to the end line.
“Moving forward, we expect Congress to get their work done,” a White Home official stated.
