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Trump 2nd term live updates: Trump defends tariffs, declines to comment on Ukraine aid

Trump said tariffs will be the "greatest thing we've ever done as a country."

Last Updated: March 9, 2025, 8:31 PM EDT

President Donald Trump is defending his decision to pause some tariffs to Canada and Mexico for another month -- a notable reversal after imposing historic levies on the key U.S. trading partners earlier this week, causing markets to tumble.

On Friday, Trump signed more executive orders at the White House before he convened a first-ever cryptocurrency summit with industry leaders.

Mar 03, 2025, 11:46 AM EST

Zelenskyy must express 'regret' for volatile White House meeting: Trump national security advisor

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said President Donald Trump and his national security team will have a "broad discussion of what's next" for Ukraine when they meet Monday, following Friday's explosive Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Waltz expressed support for European efforts to negotiate peace, saying "we welcome the Europeans taking a lead on European security."

Waltz told Fox News the Trump administration wants Zelenskyy to express "regret" for the volatile meeting.

"What we need to hear from President Zelensky is that he has regret for what happened, he's ready to sign this mineral deal, and that he's ready to engage in peace talks. I don't think that's too much to ask," Waltz said.

PHOTO: Vice President JD Vance and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attend a joint press conference with President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron in the East Room at the White House, Feb. 24, 2025 in Washington.
Vice President JD Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Special Envoy for Middle East Steve Witcoff attend a joint press conference with President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron in the East Room at the White House, Feb. 24, 2025 in Washington.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Waltz also said the administration expects both sides to make concessions, broadly outlining what that might look like.

"I think a lot of people can see what those roughly will be; in terms of security guarantee for some type of territorial concessions, those broad outlines are evident," he said. "Does both sides have the will to sit down and drive this towards peace? That's President Trump's objective. That's what he was elected to do, and that's what we're ready to do and trying to do right now."

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

Mar 03, 2025, 10:46 AM EST

Mexican president to speak with Trump Monday on tariffs

In a press conference, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she would speak with President Donald Trump about tariffs on Monday.

Sheinbaum said her meetings in the U.S. "went very well," but urged "patience" as a plan is finalized.

"We have made a great effort to collaborate and coordinate, but it depends on the United States," she said.

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum holds a press conference a day before the imposition of tariffs by President Donald Trump, at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, March 3, 2025.
Luis Cortes/Reuters

-ABC News' Anne Laurent

Mar 03, 2025, 10:32 AM EST

DOGE claims $105B in savings but that figure remains unverifiable

Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency updated its website overnight with new figures, now claiming to have saved $105 billion. However, the figure remains unverifiable and the site claims to have posted only 30% of the receipts supporting this total.

According to the website, all "contract, grant, and lease cancellations" posted account for just 30% of the claimed total savings.

"We are working to upload all of our receipts in a digestible and transparent manner consistent with applicable rules and regulations," the website states. It also claims to have saved $652.17 per taxpayer.

PHOTO: Elon Musk, front left, holds hands with his son,  X Æ A-Xii, as he walks with his mother, Maye Musk, top left, down the stairs of Air Force One upon President Donald Trump's arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md., March 2, 2025.
Elon Musk, front left, holds hands with his son, X Æ A-Xii, as he walks with his mother, Maye Musk, top left, down the stairs of Air Force One upon President Donald Trump's arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md., March 2, 2025.
Luis M. Alvarez/AP

-ABC News' Will Steakin

Mar 03, 2025, 9:27 AM EST

Senate expected to vote to confirm Linda McMahon as education secretary

The Senate is expected to vote on Monday afternoon to confirm Linda McMahon as the secretary of the Department of Education.

Linda McMahon, President Trump's nominee to be secretary of Education, testifies before a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Feb. 13, 2025.
Tierney L Cross/Reuters

After months of anticipation, President Donald Trump could soon sign an executive order that directs the education secretary to spearhead the closing of the federal agency.

As previously reported by ABC News, sources say the order will call for McMahon to submit a proposal to diminish the agency and direct Congress to pass legislation that gets rid of it. However, Trump's directive will be illegal without congressional approval, according to experts. Any proposed legislation would likely fail without 60 Senate votes.

-ABC News' Arthur Jones II and Kiara Alfonseca

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