Evening Report — Trump floods the zone

Evening Report

TRUMP FIRST 100 DAYS

Trump 2.0: First days defined by border moves, feuds

PRESIDENT TRUMP IS FLOODING THE ZONE in the early days of his second term, sparring with the news media, stoking feuds and rolling out scores of pardons and executive orders.

The blizzard of activity is designed to keep his supporters fighting, his critics outraged and the news media churning.

Trump will sit for his first official interview this evening in the Oval Office with his friend and ally Sean Hannity of Fox News. In a shift from former President Biden’s term, Trump has constantly engaged the press since returning to the White House.

While the early days of Trump’s second term have been defined by executive actions and big moves, such as the announcement that 1,500 troops will be deployed to the Southern border, he’s also engaged in some dust-ups and score-settling that defined his first term.

• Trump is engaged in a back-and-forth with Right Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopalian reverend at the National Cathedral. At a service Tuesday, Budde implored Trump to have “mercy upon the people in our country who are scared,” including the “gay, lesbian, transgender children, Democratic, Republican, independent families" that she said "fear for their lives.” She also included a plea for Trump to have mercy on immigrants.

Trump responded this morning on TruthSocial, calling Budde a "so-called Bishop" and "a Radical Left hard line Trump hater" who "brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way."

"She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart … She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!” he added.

Budde has since become a media star, hitting the airwaves to discuss the matter on CNN and “The View.”

• Since entering office Trump has also threatened Russia with taxes and tariffs if it does not immediately end its “ridiculous” war with Ukraine.

• Trump revoked the security clearance for his former national security adviser John Bolton, who often criticizes the president.

“I thought he was a very dumb person,” Trump said.

• Trump is diving headlong into the culture wars, directing all federal diversity, equity and inclusion employees be placed on paid leave by Wednesday evening.

• Trump shrugged off the billions of dollars he made on paper overnight by launching a meme crypto coin, saying he didn’t know he’d benefitted from it and calling it “peanuts” compared to how much money Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos have.

• The president announced a $500 billion investment to build artificial intelligence infrastructure in the U.S. Musk later claimed on X that the tech companies involved were inflating their numbers.

• Trump is playing dealmaker with TikTok, extending the deadline for the Chinese-owned social media app to divest or face a U.S. ban.

A new Reuters/Ipsos survey finds Trump’s approval rating at 47 percent, which is higher than it was throughout most of his first term in office.

TRUMP DEPLOYING TROOPS TO SOUTHERN BORDER

Trump’s campaign promise to secure the border and deport people in the country illegally had its first real-world implications Wednesday.

• The Pentagon is sending 1,500 active duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.

• Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 308 people on Tuesday, according to Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.).

• The Trump administration authorized immigration raids in “sensitive” areas, including schools and churches.

Trump rode into office in part due to his promises to secure the border.

Polls show the nation has moved to the right on immigration, and some Democrats have acknowledged the issue was a blind spot for their party.

Senate Democrats sent a letter to Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Wednesday requesting input in talks on a budget reconciliation package the GOP is plotting to move Trump’s immigration policies, among other things.

“[I]n working together on a bipartisan basis, we can achieve the best outcome for the American people,” Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and others wrote.

New polling shows there are risks for Trump in how his immigration policies are carried out.

A survey from The Associated Press finds support for bolstering border security and targeted deportations for those with criminal records. The public is split on whether all adults in the country illegally should be deported. There is mass opposition to immigration arrests at schools and churches, it found.

Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said this week there will be “collateral arrests” in sanctuary cities.

Trump’s Justice Department plans to investigate local officials who refuse to enforce their immigration policies, according to a memo obtained by the AP.

💡Perspectives:

• BIG: Antitrust in an oligarchy.

• The Hill: American carnage, round two.

• The Hill: Trump is bringing capital back to the nation’s capital.

• Los Angeles Times: Trump' cruelty and excesses return.

• USA Today: Trump corrects Biden’s overreach.

Read more:

• Trump’s ‘shock and awe’ is Washington’s new normal — again.

• Advocates rue Trump immigration plan ‘calculated to create fear’.

• Trump executive orders and actions: By the numbers.

• Five takeaways on Trump’s executive actions on gender.

• Four major climate, energy moves included in Trump’s executive orders.

CATCH UP QUICK

Florida shattered its all-time snowfall record as a winter storm blanketed the Gulf Coast. Snow and ice covered Bourbon Street in New Orleans, where a hockey game broke out.
Two Americans were freed in a U.S.-Taliban prisoner swap.
Netflix is raising prices again as subscriptions soar.

NEWS THIS AFTERNOON

Pardons drama grips Washington

President Trump’s pardons for more than 1,500 people accused or convicted of crimes stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021 riot has stunned Capitol Hill, with some Republicans who were present that day expressing anger that individuals who attacked police officers have been set free.

“It is wrong to pardon individuals convicted of violent crime, especially when many of the victims of their violence were law enforcement officers,” Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) said in a statement.

Trump issued sweeping pardons after saying on the campaign trail he would consider them on a case-by-case basis. Vice President Vance had said that those who committed acts of violence would not be up for pardons.

The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports: “GOP lawmakers are largely willing to overlook the hundreds of people who entered the Capitol illegally four years ago, which disrupted the certification of former President Biden’s victory by several hours, but pardoning people who assaulted Capitol Police, causing dozens of injuries, was hard to swallow.”

Police organizations criticized the “dangerous message” the pardons send.

The conservative editorial board at The Wall Street Journal called the pardons a “stain on Mr. Trump’s legacy.”

The Hill’s Ella Lee has a look at five violent offenders who were set free.

The leaders of two far-right organizations who were pardoned by Trump went on Alex Jones's InfoWars" to say they want the president to seek retribution on their behalf.

One man whose case was dismissed Tuesday was arrested Wednesday on pending federal gun charges.

Trump defended the moves in combative back-and-forth with reporters at the White House, saying many of those convicted had already served their time.

“These people have already served years in prison, and they’ve served them viciously. It’s a disgusting prison. It’s horrible. It’s been inhumane,” he said.

A new Reuters survey found that almost 60 percent oppose Trump’s pardons for the Jan. 6 rioters.

On Tuesday night, Trump pardoned Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who had become a cause célèbre on the Libertarian right.

Of course, former President Biden’s last-minute preemptive pardons for his close family members complicated matters for Democrats.

The frenzy of unusual pardons has some in Washington scrutinizing presidential pardon power.

The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch reports: “At the stroke of pen, both presidents’ acts of clemency marked a stark departure from the status quo, stretching the already vast limits of the pardon power and raising alarm among critics and allies alike.”

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Wednesday said he will establish a new select subcommittee that will probe the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, as well as the now-defunct Jan. 6 Select Committee. Many of those on the Select Committee were granted preemptive pardons by Biden, including former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.)

💡Perspectives:

• The Free Press: Trump’s pardons sets free many who violently attacked police.

• The Liberal Patriot: Biden and Trump deserve America’s scorn.

• The Hill: Biden’s last-minute family pardons are indefensible.

• The Washington Post: Biden’s pardons were bad. Trump’s are a travesty.

IN OTHER NEWS

Hegseth gets a vote; Patel gets a hearing

A couple of critical moments for President Trump’s Cabinet nominees are on the horizon.

Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, will get a confirmation vote in the Senate by the end of the week, according to Senate GOP Leader John Thune (S.D.).

Hegseth survived his combative hearing, swatting away questions about his drinking and past allegations of sexual impropriety.

But Democrats are pushing to delay the vote after NBC News reported on new allegations that Hegseth was abusive toward his second wife, Samantha Hegseth.

Samantha Hegseth went on the record to deny the allegations, which were made by Hegseth’s former sister-in-law.

Hegseth is believed at the moment to have enough GOP support to get to 50 votes in the Senate and be confirmed, although Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Wednesday she found it “troubling” that the FBI background report did not include the allegations in the NBC report.

Another big moment will come next Wednesday, when Kash Patel appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing.

It’s still an open question as to whether Patel has the GOP votes to get across the finish line. He’s unlikely to get any help from Senate Democrats.

Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, met with Patel this week and determined “he’s the wrong choice to lead the FBI.”

“Mr. Patel’s political grievances make him a favorite of the MAGA world, but they have not prepared him to work night and day to keep us safe from violent crime, drug trafficking, terrorism, and other threats,” Durbin said after a 30-minute meeting with Patel.

• There are some areas where Democrats are signaling a willingness to work with Republicans.

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) will lead Democrats on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee’s new subcommittee that will work in conjunction with Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency.”

Democratic Reps. Robert Garcia (Calif.), Stephen Lynch (Mass.), Greg Casar (Texas) and Jasmine Crockett (Texas) will also be joining the subcommittee.

MEANWHILE...

Trump huddled this afternoon with three House GOP moderates, as the lower chamber seeks to push through his legislative agenda with only a bare majority.

Trump met with GOP Reps. Don Bacon (Neb.), Mike Lawler (N.Y.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), who represent districts carried by former Vice President Kamala Harris in November.

💡Perspectives:

• The Hill: Confirmation hearings show a Cabinet fully committed to Trump.

• Washington Monthly: For Rubio, bad timing was great timing.

• The American Prospect: Will the courts enforce the Constitution against Trump?

• The Hill: Why exactly are tech billionaires kissing Trump’s ring?

• Foreign Affairs: Trump’s “America First” is not realism.

Read more:

• Democratic infighting is rising as Trump takes center stage.

• Senate panel unanimously advances Trump pick to run DOT

• GOP leaders stare down legislative minefield after Trump’s Day 1 blitz.

• Pence group launches ad campaign opposing RFK Jr. nomination.

• Oversight Dems seek out role protecting whistleblowers, IGs.

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