Trump is asked for his reaction to Elon Musk’s public criticisms of his “big, beautiful bill” – his signature tax and spending cuts bill which was narrowly approved by the House last week – saying Trump’s spending plan undermines Doge’s cost-cutting efforts to shrink the US budget deficit that Musk spearheaded.
Trump says the bill “needs to get a lot of support” in Congress, adding “we have to get a lot of votes”.
He says he will be negotiating the tax bill and is not happy with certain parts of it.
We will be negotiating that bill, and I’m not happy about certain aspects of it, but I’m thrilled by other aspects of it.
Updated at 12.54 EDT
Key events
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Gifted Qatar plane is in the US and is ‘being refitted’, says Trump, adding ‘it’s much too big’
Trump brings up his “beautiful, big, magnificent, free airplane for the United States air force”, adding “frankly, it’s much too big”.
Asked if it’s going to be Air Force One, Trump says it’s in the US and “is being refitted for military standard”. He admits he doesn’t know how much the refitting will cost but guesses “a hell of a lot less than building a new one”. He again blames Boeing delays to replacing the current one for him needing a new plane.
The United States formally accepted the Boeing 747-8 luxury jetliner – worth an estimated $400m – last week as a gift from the Qatari government and tasked the air force with upgrading it to be used as Air Force One.
NPR reported last week that the air force is “currently preparing to award a contract to modify a Boeing 747 aircraft for an executive airlift”, according to an air force spokesperson who said said further details about the contract are classified.
The White House claimed the plane was a gift to the Department of Defense and not a personal gift to Trump, and would go through the legal protocols required when something is given to the government. Trump has said he would not use it after leaving office but it would leave the air force as he has said he would like to keep it in his presidential library.
Updated at 13.43 EDT
Trump hesitant to impose new sanctions on Russia for fear of ‘screwing up’ a deal
Asked why he hasn’t imposed new sanctions on Russia, Trump says: “I think I’m close to getting a deal [to end the war], I don’t want to screw it up by doing that.”
“I’m a lot tougher than the people you’re talking about,” he adds. “But you have to know when to use that.”
Updated at 13.07 EDT
Trump says he would sit down with both Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin “if it’s necessary” to end the war.
At this point … we’re working on President Putin and we’ll see where we are … I don’t like what’s happening.
Updated at 12.58 EDT
Trump says Harvard should have maybe a 15% cap on foreign students
Trump says Harvard University should have a 15% cap on the number of foreign students it admits and that the Ivy League school needs to show the administration their current list of students from other countries.
He adds:
Harvard has got to behave themselves. Harvard is treating our country with great disrespect and all they’re doing is getting in deeper and deeper.
ShareTrump says he told Israel’s Netanyahu not to act against Iran
Trump says he warned the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, last week not to take actions that could disrupt nuclear talks with Iran.
I told him this would be inappropriate to do right now because we’re very close to a solution now. That could change at any moment.
Updated at 13.08 EDT
Trump says he will be negotiating the tax bill after Musk criticizes it
Trump is asked for his reaction to Elon Musk’s public criticisms of his “big, beautiful bill” – his signature tax and spending cuts bill which was narrowly approved by the House last week – saying Trump’s spending plan undermines Doge’s cost-cutting efforts to shrink the US budget deficit that Musk spearheaded.
Trump says the bill “needs to get a lot of support” in Congress, adding “we have to get a lot of votes”.
He says he will be negotiating the tax bill and is not happy with certain parts of it.
We will be negotiating that bill, and I’m not happy about certain aspects of it, but I’m thrilled by other aspects of it.
Updated at 12.54 EDT
Trump says he thinks there will be a “sensible” outcome t0 US-Iran nuclear talks.
He alludes to forceful action once again if the outcome is unfavorable to US interests:
There are only two outcomes: a smart outcome and a violent outcome. I don’t think anyone wants to see the second.
He adds Iran “still has to agree to the final stages of a document”.
The US envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, says they’re “on the precipice of sending out a new terms sheet” to hopefully be delivered today, and he has “some pretty good feelings” about getting to a temporary ceasefire in Gaza and a long-term peaceful resolution to the conflict. No further details, though.
Updated at 12.59 EDT
Trump says: “We’re dealing with the whole situation in Gaza. We’re getting food to the people of Gaza. It’s been a very nasty situation.”
He doesn’t give any further details.
Share‘We’ll respond differently’ to Putin if ‘he’s tapping us along’ on ending Ukraine war, says Trump
Trump says Vladimir Putin may be intentionally delaying negotiations on a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine and expresses disappointment at Russian bombings.
Asked if he thinks Putin wants to end the war, Trump tells reporters: “I can’t tell you that.” He then adds:
We’re going to find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not, and if he is, we’ll respond a little differently.
He adds that he’s “very disappointed” at continued Russian bombing while ceasefire negotiations are taking place.
Updated at 12.45 EDT
Donald Trump is currently taking questions in the Oval Office, following the swearing-in of former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as interim US attorney for the district of Washington.
ShareTermination notices expected to go out to all remaining Voice of America employees this week – Politico
Termination notices are expected to go out to all remaining Voice of America employees this week, Politico reports, citing four VOA employees familiar with the situation.
Those terminations, expected to go out as soon as later today, would affect the 800 remaining workers at the embattled news network, after nearly 600 VOA contractors were dismissed by the Trump administration earlier this month. Employees have been advised by management to expect termination notices in the coming days.
According to Politico’s report, the notices will probably mean the shutting down of the international broadcasting network.
Updated at 12.44 EDT
US ‘assessing’ future of military presence in Africa, says top general
Faisal Ali
Gen Michael Langley, the most senior American general overseeing the United States’ military presence in Africa, has said that the US is currently reviewing the future of its armed presence on the continent. He also called on African countries to urge their ambassadors in Washington to let Trump officials know if they wish the US presence to be maintained.
Langley was speaking at an annual gathering in Nairobi on Tuesday, attended by the most senior generals in Africa’s armies, where he said: “I’ve talked to a number of ministers of defence and a few presidents and told them we were assessing.” Langley added that if the US’s continued military role in Africa was important, African countries would need to “communicate that and we’ll see”.
The US is a key security partner for many African countries battling jihadist insurgencies across the continent, from Somalia to Nigeria. The announcement follows a report published late last year by risk analysts at Verisk Maplecroft, which identified a “conflict corridor” emerging from Mali to Somalia.
Donald Trump has been seeking ways to reduce the United States’ global military footprint since taking office earlier this year and, according to his vice-president, JD Vance, to focus solely on “core American interests” rather than open-ended conflicts or nation-building efforts.
During a Senate armed services committee evidence session last March, Langley was asked by Republican senator Rick Scott why Africa should be a concern for American policymakers. Langley told the committee that several African countries were on the “tipping point of actually being captured by the Russian Federation”. He added that north Africa formed Nato’s southern flank, and the US needed to maintain “access and influence” among those countries.
Updated at 12.27 EDT