12:30 Report — Trump’s foreign policy whiplash week

12:30 REPORT

Happy Valentine’s Day to all my 12:30 readers! 💘 I appreciate each and every one of you. In this edition:

Vance scolds Europe in his big foreign policy address.
Hegseth complicated Trump’s Russia-Ukraine efforts.
White House-AP dispute escalates.
Sunday: SNL’s big anniversary show, HBO’s “The White Lotus”

I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips & feedback to cmartel@thehill.com. Someone forward this to you? Sign up.

This has been ~Foreign Policy Whiplash Week~:

Vice President Vance rounded out the Trump administration’s whirlwind of a week in foreign policy with his first major address to the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

Let’s start from the beginning: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whose relative inexperience with foreign policy partly complicated his confirmation process, raised eyebrows in his first weeks on the job.

What did he say?: He said Wednesday that he does *not* believe Ukraine joining NATO is “realistic” as the Trump administration tries to negotiate an end to its war with Russia. Ukraine desperately wants to join NATO, so this would signal a major win for Russia.

He then tried to walk it back: Hegseth tried to walk back some of his comments amid global blowback. He followed up Thursday to say “everything is on the table” with regards to Russia-Ukraine negotiations.

🚨 A senior Republican senator slammed Hegseth: Republican Sen. Roger Wicker (Miss.) chided Hegseth for this comment, which he painted as a “rookie mistake.” Wicker told Politico on Friday that he was “puzzled” and “disturbed” by Hegseth’s comments.

“I don’t know who wrote the speech — it is the kind of thing Tucker Carlson could have written, and Carlson is a fool,” Wicker told Politico’s Jonathan Martin on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. 👀

And then Vance entered the chat: Vance stepped on stage in Germany, where world leaders anxiously wanted clarity on Trump’s plan for ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict. 💻 Watch Vance’s remarks

Instead: Vance scolded Europe over its differing viewpoints from the Trump administration, slamming censorship, “mass migration” and a change in “fundamental values.”

Vance did mention Ukraine, but not on stage: He spoke with The Wall Street Journal while in Munich. He argued that his boss, President Trump, has a “broad” range of options in brokering a peace deal with Russia and Ukraine.

🔎 More from Vance’s WSJ interview

The Ukraine-Russia war isn’t the only foreign policy whiplash: Last week, President Trump floated the idea last week taking of the Gaza Strip, infuriating Middle Eastern countries and prompting international pushback from U.S. allies. His secretary of State, Marco Rubio, then walked back the president’s comments, arguing he meant to rebuild the territory, not claim it as the U.S.’s own.

➤ MORE READS:

The New York Times: Ukrainians Fear Peace May Strand Them Forever From Lost Homes
The Washington Post: GOP lawmakers scramble to protect foreign aid as food relief languishes
The Wall Street Journal: Pentagon Prepares Potential Cuts for DOGE

➤ WHERE TRUMP’S DEPORTATIONS STAND:

“U.S. agents arrested more than 21,000 unauthorized immigrants in November as President Biden's term wound down — a pace the Trump administration doesn't appear to be matching in its first month despite its crackdown,” according to an Axios review.

Compare that to Trump’s first weeks in office: “Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, says about 14,000 immigrants have been arrested in the three-plus weeks since President Trump took office.”

➤ A FIGHT BREWING IN THE WEST WING:

The Trump administration blocked The Associated Press from covering a press conference over the publication’s decision not to recognize President Trump’s “Gulf of America.”

💡 Back story: AP’s style guide determines editorial standards for journalism and serves as a wire service for millions of news sites globally. It determined Trump’s order only carries authority within the U.S., and international bodies would have to agree for the change to be formal. As you can imagine, the White House was not happy with that decision.

The White House’s argument: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the decision, calling it a “privilege to cover the White House.”

The press corps’s argument: The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) issued a scathing statement, accusing the Trump administration of “[admitting] publicly they are restricting access to events to punish a news outlet for not advancing the government’s preferred language.”

AP’s statement: Julie Pace, the AP’s senior vice president and executive editor, called it a “deeply troubling escalation.” From Pace: “This is now the third day AP reporters have been barred from covering the president — first as a member of the pool, and now from a formal press conference — an incredible disservice to the billions of people who rely on The Associated Press for nonpartisan news.”

💳 On Capitol Hill

Who’s paying??:

President Trump’s domestic agenda includes several costly proposals including tax cuts, energy production and border security.

How would they pay for this?: That’s the magic question. House Republicans want to gut parts of Medicaid as the main way to pay for Trump’s proposed spending. They argue the program has fraud and abuse that should be weeded out.

Read Tobias Burns and Nathaniel Weixel’s reporting on what this could mean for Medicaid benefits.

📰 Other News

Why Eric Adams is in the news:

A Department of Justice (DOJ) order to drop the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) has caused quite the stir. Danielle Sassoon, the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and a few others resigned on Thursday following the order.

From Sassoon: “Adams’s attorneys repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo, indicating that Adams would be in a position to assist with the Department’s enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed,” Sassoon wrote in a letter. 🔎 Read the letter

➤ THIS MORNING:

Adams and Tom Homan, the “border czar” tasked with overseeing President Trump’s mass deportation plan, made a joint appearance on Fox News.

Back story: “Homan and Adams made a joint appearance on Fox News’s 'Fox & Friends,' after Adams agreed to allow federal immigration officials to operate at Rikers Island — a decision signaling a change in the Big Apple’s sanctuary city policies. The duo also vowed to work together to solve New York’s ‘migrant problem.’”

Homan told Fox, referring to Adams: “If he doesn’t come through, I’ll be back in New York City, and we will be sitting on the couch.”

🐝 Internet Buzz

💝 Celebrate: Valentine’s Day is also National Cream-Filled Chocolates Day! Here’s where you can find restaurant specials today, including a lot of heart-shaped pizzas.

🍕 I fear we’ve strayed too far: Domino’s launched a pepperoni pizza-inspired perfume, and Papa John’s created a garlic dipping sauce-scented bath bomb. Details if you care to know more

🐘 Let’s move this party to Thailand: The third season of HBO’s “The White Lotus” is premiering on Sunday on HBO Max. I will be ordering pad thai and mango sticky rice to celebrate.

🎷 Too many good shows are airing on Sunday: NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a huge live special, airing *Sunday* at 8 p.m.

^ Some of the special guests: Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Chevy Chase, Amy Poehler, Andy Samberg, Eddie Murphy, Jason Sudeikis, Kristen Wiig, Seth Meyers, Tina Fey, etc. There’s a huge list.

📆 On The Agenda

The House and Senate are out. President Trump is in Washington, and Vice President Vance is in Munich. (all times Eastern)

1 p.m.: Trump signs executive orders.
2 p.m.: The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) holds a news conference on last month's helicopter-airplane collision. 💻 Livestream
2:20 p.m.: Trump leaves for his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla.
Monday: President’s Day!
Feb. 18: The Senate returns. 📆 Tuesday’s agenda
Feb. 24: The House returns. 📆 House schedule

👋 And Finally…

To end this with some good vibes heading into the weekend, meet Daisy, the 4-month-old bonobo who lives at the Cincinnati Zoo.

Stay Engaged

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View past issues of 12:30 Report here and check out other newsletters from The Hill here. See you next time!

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12:30 Report — Trump’s foreign policy whiplash week

12:30 REPORT

This has been ~Foreign Policy Whiplash Week~:

➤ MORE READS:

➤ WHERE TRUMP’S DEPORTATIONS STAND:

➤ A FIGHT BREWING IN THE WEST WING:

💳 On Capitol Hill

Who’s paying??:

📰 Other News

Why Eric Adams is in the news:

➤ THIS MORNING:

🐝 Internet Buzz

📆 On The Agenda

👋 And Finally…

Stay Engaged

Topics

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