Trump admin updates: Trump wants Senate to cancel August recess to work on nominees

Trump also suggested the Senate cancel long weekends.

Last Updated: July 20, 2025, 5:25 PM EDT

President Donald Trump continues to face backlash from his MAGA supporters over his administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, calling on Attorney General Pam Bondi "to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval" related to the case.

On Friday, Trump signed the GENIUS Act -- the first major federal cryptocurrency bill -- into law.

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Jul 16, 2025, 5:41 AM EDT

Trump to host Bahrain, Qatar officials at White House

President Donald Trump will meet on Wednesday with Bahrain's crown prince, hold a bill signing ceremony, then have dinner with the prime minister of Qatar, according to the White House.

Trump is scheduled at 11 a.m. to greet Bahrain's Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the crown prince, who has also served as prime minister since 2020. The pair will hold a bilateral meeting, then have lunch, the White House said.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters, while White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stands next to him, as he departs for travel to Pennsylvania from the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, D.C. U.S., July 15, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

The crown prince of the Gulf state met on Tuesday with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, according to Al Khalifa's office. The crown prince announced late Tuesday that private sectors in Bahrain and the U.S. signed agreements worth about $17 billion.

The president will then hold a bill-signing ceremony at 3 p.m., before having dinner with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at 7 p.m., the White House said. The dinner comes as Israeli and Hamas officials are in Doha, Qatar, where they're engaged in discussions about a potential ceasefire.

-ABC News' Lalee Ibssa

Jul 15, 2025, 7:43 PM EDT

GOP Rep. Massie hopes to force release of Epstein files

Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie said he plans to pursue a procedural gambit to trigger a House vote on legislation that would force the release of the “complete” Jeffrey Epstein files.

The congressman plans to offer a discharge petition, which requires 218 signatures and allows the majority of the chamber to circumvent GOP leaders. There would only be floor action if the resolution receives enough support.

Rep. Thomas Massie walks towards the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol Building, July 2, 2025 in Washington.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

A waiting period of seven legislative days kicks off once the petition has enough signatures. So this could become a headache for GOP leaders after the August recess.

“We all deserve to know what’s in the Epstein files, who’s implicated, and how deep this corruption goes. Americans were promised justice and transparency. We’re introducing a discharge petition to force a vote in the US House of Representatives on releasing the COMPLETE files,” Massie said in a post on X.

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie

Jul 15, 2025, 3:54 PM EDT

Bondi says she'll stay as attorney general 'as long as the president wants me'

Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday responded to calls for her resignation over the administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which has rankled the MAGA base.

"I'm going to be here for as long as the president wants me here, and I believe he's made that crystal clear," Bondi said.

Attorney General Pam Bondi discusses a drug enforcement-related announcement during a press conference at DEA Headquarters in Arlington, Va., July 15, 2025.
Umit Bektas/Reuters

When asked about her reported rift with Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino over the matter, Bondi said she was not going to discuss personnel matters.

"I was with [FBI] Director Patel all morning and we are committed to keeping America safe, making America safe, working with our incredible partners at DEA, FBI, ATF, U.S. Marshals to do everything we can to make America safe and that's what we're focused on," she said at an event at the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Jul 15, 2025, 1:58 PM EDT

Trump takes questions on Epstein files, defends AG Bondi

President Donald Trump continued to defend Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of Jeffrey Epstein files as he took some questions from reporters on the subject.

One reporter asked about comments from his daughter-in-law Lara Trump that there should be more transparency in the Epstein case.

"The attorney general's handled that very well. She's really done a very good job," Trump said. "And I think that when you look at it, you'll understand that. I would like to see that also. But I think the attorney general, the credibility is very important. And, you want credible evidence or something like that. And I think the attorney general has handled it very well."

Donald Trump speaks to reporters on his way to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on July 15, 2025, in Washington, DC.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

ABC News' Katherine Faulders asked the president what Bondi told him about the DOJ and FBI review of the Epstein files and "specifically, did she tell you at all that your name appeared in the file?"

"No, no, she's -- she's given us just a very quick briefing," Trump responded before making baseless claims that the files were created by some of his political foes.

"And in terms of the credibility of the different things that they've seen, and I would say that, you know, these files were made up by Comey, they were made up by Obama, they were made up by the Biden -- and you know, we and we went through years of that with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax, with all of the different things that we had to go through. We've gone through years of it, but she's handled it very well, and it's going to be up to her. Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release," Trump said.

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