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President Donald Trump holds a "Foreign Trade Barriers" document as he delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025.

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Trump’s tariffs spark market chaos, risk political backlash

Donald Trump’s much-anticipated “liberation day” tariff announcement on Wednesday is the biggest disruption to global trade in decades, so the political, diplomatic, and economic impacts will take time to become clear.

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A coalition of labor unions, political action, and community groups march against DOGE and proposed cuts to Medicaid, housing, food assistance, and other vital programs in New York, New York, on March 15, 2025. Some expressed their outrage with Senator Chuck Schumer for voting to advance the Republican funding bill.

Gabriele Holtermann/Sipa USA via Reuters

Democrats vs. Democrats

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) met in Brooklyn on Sunday to try to plot a Democratic legislative strategy at a time of deepening divisions within their party. They don’t appear to have found one.
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Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., talks with reporters in Russell building after a senate vote on Wednesday, February 19, 2025.

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Sipa USA)

Dems vs GOP: Who Blinks?

House Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to pass a budget bill with only Republican support on Wednesday, sending Senate Democrats an imminent predicament: Either approve a spending bill created solely by the GOP or trigger a shutdown standoff – a strategy they have consistently criticized in the past.

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President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025. Vice President JD Vance and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson applaud behind him.

Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS

Trump lays out a bold vision for second term

Six weeks into Donald Trump’s second presidency, he delivered his first major address. Speaking before a joint session of Congress late Tuesday, he highlighted some of the nearly 100 executive orders he has signed, touted cuts to the federal government, and outlined his bold vision for reshaping the US over the next four years.

Trump began by focusing on culture war issues, including the elimination of DEI programs and a ban on transgender athletes in competition. He tied these topics to the Department of Government Efficiency’s mission to reduce government waste, listing what he called “woke” programs that had been defunded. He also emphasized his administration’s success in strengthening US border security and immigration enforcement, pointing to a 25-year low in border crossings during his first month in office and the passage of multiple immigration bills through Congress.

Trump blamed the country’s economic struggles — such as high grocery prices and egg shortages — on Joe Biden’s administration. As for his approach, Trump touted populist economic policies, including eliminating taxes on tips, overtime pay, Social Security benefits, and car payments for US-made vehicles. He also urged Congress to extend his 2017 tax cuts and assured that DOGE initiatives would save taxpayers money.

Trump’s speech notably came amid market turmoil following his newly imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. On Monday, the S&P 500 dropped 1.2%, wiping out its gains since Election Day, while the Nasdaq declined 0.4%. Trump announced additional reciprocal tariffs set to take effect on April 2, acknowledging they could cause short-term economic pain and urging American farmers to “bear with me.” During his first term, Trump secured tariff relief from China for the agriculture industry ahead of the midterms.

On Ukraine, Trump spoke at length about brokering a peace deal, reading a letter from President Volodymyr Zelensky stating that Ukraine was ready to negotiate and commit to a minerals agreement. He criticized Europe for spending more on Russian gas than on Ukraine’s defense and emphasized the importance of engaging both sides in diplomacy. “If you want to end wars, you have to talk to both sides,” he said.

Trump also argued that the US needed Greenland for “international world security.” He extended an open invitation, saying Greenland would be welcomed into the US “if you choose,” before adding moments later, “I think we’re going to get it one way or the other.”

What about the Democrats? Partisan tensions flared from the start of the speech. Still, Democratic boos were quickly subdued when Rep. Al Green from Texas was removed from the chamber after repeatedly shouting, “You have no mandate to cut Medicaid!” at the president. Democratic protests then became more restrained. Many members silently expressed their opposition through their attire — women dressed in pink, while men wore blue and yellow ties in support of Ukraine. Later, a handful of members walked out, revealing black t-shirts emblazoned with the word “RESIST.”

Following Trump’s speech, Democrats made their appeal to the American people. Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin called for a return to bipartisanship and outlined key policy priorities, including lowering costs, strengthening national security – both at the border and abroad – and defending American democracy. She criticized Trump for prioritizing billionaires and for abandoning US allies in favor of autocrats.

Slotkin’s speech was concise, though likely delivered after many Americans had already turned off their televisions. Still, it marked the first time Democrats had formally outlined a party platform since losing the White House and both chambers of Congress in November.

US Attorney Pamela Jo Bondi speaks before the Senate Judiciary Committee during the nomination hearing for US Attorney General in Washington DC, USA, on January 15, 2025, at Hart Senate/Capitol Hill.

(Photo by Lenin Nolly/NurPhoto) via Reuters

Trump Cabinet hearings ramp up, and so do concerns

On Monday, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the first president to serve two nonconsecutive terms since Grover Cleveland over a century ago. As he heads back to the White House, his controversial Cabinet nominees face hearings in the Senate, while concerns about the weaponization of government institutions loom.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to the media following the passage of spending legislation to avert a government shutdown, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, on Dec. 20, 2024.

REUTERS/Nathan Howard

US averts shutdown but offers preview of Trump 2.0

US lawmakers early Saturday struck an 11th-hour deal to avert a government shutdown. On Friday, the House voted overwhelmingly to pass a stopgap spending bill after a week of chaos on Capitol Hill in which President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk intervened to scuttle two earlier bipartisan bills. The Senate followed suit shortly after midnight.

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Representatives on Capitol Hill spent all day Thursday scrambling to cobble together a deal to keep the government open, after pressure from President-elect Donald Trump sank must-pass legislation on Wednesday.

REUTERS/Leah Millis

Trump hurls Congress headlong toward a government shutdown

Representatives on Capitol Hill spent all day Thursday scrambling to cobble together a deal to keep the government open, after pressure from President-elect Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk sank must-pass legislation on Wednesday.

If lawmakers can’t agree and pass a continuing resolution — legalese for kicking the financial can down the road — by the end of the day on Friday, the government will shut down. Late on Thursday, Republicans presented a deal that Trump called a “SUCCESS,” while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) called it “laughable” and insisted the caucus would not support anything but the originally negotiated plan.

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Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., withdrew his bid to become attroney general on Nov. 21 over continuing allegations of sexual impropriety. President-elect Donald Trump appointed him on Nov. 13, 2024.

USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters Connect

Gaetz becomes first Trump nominee to crash out

Matt Gaetz announced Thursday that after meeting with senators, he would not go through with the nomination process to become Donald Trump’s attorney general, claiming he did not wish to be a “distraction.” In other words, at least four GOP senators couldn’t approve a man in the midst of a federal sex-trafficking investigation and accused of sex with a minor to lead the Justice Department. Gaetz’s nomination lasted just 0.8 Scaramuccis.

Trump on Thursday swiftly announced a new pick for attorney general after Gaetz stepped aside, tapping former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to be the nation's top law enforcement official. Bondi is a Trump loyalist who was part of his defense team during his first impeachment trial.

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