Trump calls for famed Alcatraz prison to be reopened, expanded

Elon Musk at the White House on Wednesday described his first 100 days in Washington leading his Department of Government Efficiency as "very, very intense," and, while he said he was proud of his team's work, he blamed what he called an "entrenched set of interests" for hindering their effectiveness so far.

Speaking to a small group of reporters in the Roosevelt Room, Musk was joined by fellow DOGE lieutenants Steve Davis and Antonio Gracias.

Musk was asked what he would have done differently with DOGE after 100 days and said while he believes they have made progress and have been effective, he said DOGE hasn't been "as effective as I'd like."

"I think we've been effective, not as effective as I'd like, I think we could be more effective, but we made progress."

Musk was pressed multiple times on whether he still believed his DOGE team would reach their $1 trillion cost-cutting goal – telling reporters he still believes it is "possible" but acknowledged "it's really difficult."

"I think it's possible to do that, but there's that. It's a long road to go and, you know, this, this, this really, it's really difficult," he said. "But our rate of savings per day is pretty good. You know, we're like, $1.6 billion a day, 100 days in."

Musk claimed that if DOGE is going to get to $1 trillion in cuts, it may come down to "how much pain is, you know, the cabinet and Congress going only to take. It can be done, but it requires dealing with a lot of complaints."

Asked by ABC News what specifically those obstacles were blocking him from reaching that $1 trillion goal, Musk blamed "an entrenched set of interests in the vast federal bureaucracy that wants to keep things as they were before and increase the expenses."

He described what he called the "default" of the federal bureaucracy as "spend what you did last year plus 5% indefinitely… So in order to change that, it's like changing the direction of a fleet of supertankers."

"We are making as much progress as we can… there's a lot of inertia in the government… So it's like, it's not easy. This is, this is a way to make a lot of enemies and not that many friends."

Pushed again, Musk said is it possible: "Absolutely."

But the biggest question is does Musk and DOGE have the support.

"Is there a sufficient political will in Congress and elsewhere to actually do that?" he said. "It remains to be seen. If we can do it. We will is it? Is it possible to do, Yes."

-ABC News' Will Steakin

During his town hall on NewsNation Wednesday evening, President Donald Trump joined by phone and fielded questions from the moderators, which mainly focused on the economy and the current status of his tariffs.

As Trump’s ever-changing tariff plans continued to impact the economy, he was asked when Americans should expect him to announce trade deals with countries such as South Korea and Japan, which the administration has said have been ongoing.

Trump said he's not in a hurry to make trade deals and that other countries need us more than we need them.

"Well, we have potential deals with that, yeah... I'll tell you this. I'm in less of a hurry than you are. We are sitting on the catbird seat. They want us. We don't need them," Trump said.

Asked if there’s been a perception problem with the tariffs he’s implemented, Trump said yes.

"Yeah, but I'm an honest guy, and I -- we have to save the country," Trump said during the town hall.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie

Despite three Senate Republicans voting with Democrats on a resolution seeking to block Trump’s tariffs, the legislation failed to reach a simple majority.

Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Democrats in supporting the measure, but Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky -- both backers of past Senate efforts to kneecap Trump’s tariff policies -- were notably absent for the vote, which was 49-49.

Whitehouse appeared to be en route back to the U.S. from South Korea. While the vote was ongoing, he said in a post on X that he was returning from the 10th Our Ocean Conference.

It’s unclear why McConnell was absent, but the senator’s team broadly affirmed his opposition to tariffs when asked about his vote.

“The Senator has been consistent in opposing tariffs and that a trade war is not in the best interest of American households and businesses. He believes that tariffs are a tax increase on everybody,” David Popp, a spokesperson for McConell told ABC News.

The resolution was expected to pass with the same razor-thin margins that an earlier bill, led by Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota to repeal Trump's tariffs on Canada, passed earlier this month. That legislation had bipartisan support from the three Republicans who also backed tonight’s efforts and McConnell also voted for that bill.

-ABC News’ Isabella Walsh and Mariam Khan

ABC News' Selina Wang asked Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins if the administration would consider relief for farmers because of President Donald Trump's retaliatory tariffs on China.

Rollins said she hopes it doesn’t come to that, but she added that Trump would step in "if necessary."

"If necessary, this president will step in the gap. He's already did it once in the first term and will do it again," she said.

Farmers are being hit especially hard by China's retaliatory tariffs. China buys more soybeans from the U.S. than any other country, paying U.S. farmers nearly $13 billion last year.

During the first Trump administration, $28 billion was given to farmers because of Trump's trade war.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie