As President Trump seems to be to his subsequent 100 days in workplace, White Home officers stated his focus may be summarized in 5 phrases: Commerce offers and peace offers.
Trump’s first 100 days in workplace noticed a flood of government motion to quickly ship on key marketing campaign guarantees round immigration and tradition conflict points, in addition to a blitz towards main companies to slash the scope and measurement of presidency staffing and spending.
Trump is anticipated to take further deregulatory actions and signal extra government actions to implement immigration and different elements of his agenda, officers stated.
However as Trump charts the trail ahead, the president and his aides are devoting important time and assets to making an attempt 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 conflict in Ukraine and has stored a detailed 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 middle 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 steered there might be “90 deals in 90 days.”
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt advised 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 international economies.
Up to now, there are not any stable offers in place, and Trump himself has been obscure 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 big 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 may be “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 means to get a commerce deal achieved is also essential for his political prospects.
A Washington Submit/ABC Information/Ipsos ballot revealed Friday discovered 70 % of People, together with 47 % of Republicans, stated Trump’s tariffs may have a destructive impact on inflation. The ballot discovered 64 % disapproved of how Trump has dealt with tariffs.
International coverage
One other space the place Trump is anticipated to focus his power is on overseas coverage, the place he has been making an attempt 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 conflict 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 advised Time Journal final week.
However Trump has expressed rising frustration with each Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin because the conflict drags on.
Democrats and a few specialists have argued Putin is dragging his ft 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 position 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 advised reporters on Friday.
White Home officers stated Trump would even be targeted on efforts to free the remaining hostages nonetheless being held by Hamas in Gaza. And Trump has spoken in latest 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 in 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 likely be a robust indication of the place his overseas coverage stands.
Reconciliation
Whereas commerce offers and peace offers are prime of thoughts on the White Home, the president and his staff may even be maintaining a detailed 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 an enormous reconciliation invoice that incorporates key elements 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 get rid of taxes on tipped wages, extra time wages and Social Safety.
Republican lawmakers had beforehand set an formidable objective of getting the reconciliation bundle 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 finances hawks who need to see spending cuts, at the same time as Trump and different Republicans have warned towards chopping Medicaid and different essential applications that don’t fall beneath “waste, fraud and abuse.”
“I would veto it, yeah. But they’re not going to do that,” Trump stated when requested a couple of potential invoice that included cuts to Social Safety, Medicare or Medicaid.
Committees are set to start the mark-ups after they return from recess, setting a Could 9 deadline to finish their committee work, with an formidable objective of getting the laws to the president’s desk round Memorial Day.
A White Home official acknowledged a lot of Trump’s agenda had to this point been completed by means of government energy, however they stated Trump’s outreach to Congress and involvement on Capitol Hill will improve because the reconciliation bundle will get nearer to the end line.
“Moving forward, we expect Congress to get their work done,” a White Home official stated.
