Tariff Angst and Whiplash
We’re two days away from the imposition of tariffs on more products imported from more countries. And President Donald Trump’s already talking about new ones on Russia, maybe, and expressing a willingness to back down under the right conditions.
First, the Russia part of the trade-war whiplash: Trump said he’s considering tariffs on Russian oil if Vladimir Putin refuses a ceasefire with Ukraine.
Trump told NBC if he can’t make “a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault — which it might not be — but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil.”
Later, Trump said he doesn’t think Putin’s going to go back on his word and “I certainly wouldn’t want to put secondary tariffs on Russia.”
Those remarks were made aboard Air Force One on the way back from Florida. On the way to Mar-a-Lago, Trump talked about the tariffs he plans to impose later this week, and said a deal to ease up on those is possible: “I’m certainly open to that, if we can do something, we can get something for it.”
One of the dynamics to watch is whether the nations targeted for tariffs on goods sold in the US decide to negotiate, fold, or retaliate. The European Commission, which handles trade matters for the EU, is reported to be working a “term sheet” of potential concessions.
Today, stocks fell in Europe and Asia. Here in the US, the week begins with consumer sentiment down and inflation expectations.up. Depending on the scale of Trump’s new tariffs, Bloomberg Economics sees the potential for a 4% hit to US GDP over a two- to three-year period, alongside a 2.5% increase in prices. Read More
Trump v. 22nd Amendment
Trump tells NBC News that he doesn’t rule out seeking a third term in the White House in 2028 and “I’m not joking.”
“A lot of people want me to do it,” Trump said in a phone call. “But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration.”
The two-term limit is in the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. Repealing that would be a deliberately difficult process: Either a two-thirds vote of Congress followed by ratification from three-fourths of the states, or two-thirds of the states agreeing to call a constitutional convention, followed by ratification by three-fourths of the states. Read More
An Election Like No Other
After the state Supreme Court declined a request to stop him, Elon Musk handed out $1 million checks to two local voters at a Wisconsin rally.
The performance was part of a push in a high-stakes judicial election tomorrow that could tip the balance on issues from abortion to redistricting.
Musk warned repeatedly that control of the US House is at stake in the state, where the GOP holds six of Wisconsin’s eight congressional districts. Musk’s money has already contributed to making the Supreme Court contest the most expensive ever.
“I think this will be important for the future of civilization,” he said. “It’s that’s significant.”
Musk and Trump support candidate Brad Schimel in the nonpartisan election against Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, who has been endorsed by Democrats. Currently a liberal-leaning bloc holds a 4-3 edge on the swing state’s highest court. Read More
‘Misinformation and Lies’
Help Wanted — Top Vaccine Regulator: Peter Marks, who’s been director of the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research since 2016, will be gone as of Wednesday, resigning with harsh words about his soon-to-be-former boss, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr..
“I was willing to work to address the Secretary’s concerns regarding vaccine safety and transparency,” he said in a letter obtained by Bloomberg. “However it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies.” Read More
You’ll recall that vaccine skepticism had been a confirmation stumbling block for Kennedy, and physician-senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) voted yes only after securing specific promises on vaccine policy.
Under Kennedy, HHS has postponed and canceled meetings of outside vaccine experts, announced plans to study links between vaccines and autism, and canceled funding to study vaccine hesitancy.
How Well Do You Know Washington -- Oops Edition
An oh-so-familiar phrase kept getting repeated as lawmakers framed their initial public-facing reactions to news that a top national security official looped a journalist into a pre-military strike conversation. Their passively constructed comments inspire this week’s question.
Who do we have to thank for launching “mistakes were made” into the upper eschelon of assign-no-blame Washingtonspeak?
A) Ron Johnson
B) Ron Klain
C) Ron Nesson
D) Ron Ziegler
Scroll down for the answer.
Musk to See Where More Secrets Are Kept
Today, Musk will get to see where American spycraft is headquartered. He’s to visit the CIA after already getting a look inside the Pentagon and the NSA.
National security is supposed to be exempt from Musk’s cost-cutting efforts. But CIA Director John Ratcliffe offered buyouts to his staff in what the agency said was an effort to sharpen its focus on priorities like China and help Trump’s push to shrink the federal workforce. Read More
D.C.'s Billion
We’ll be watching for movement in the House to restore the District of Columbia’s ability to spend its own money.
The continuing resolution that funded the government for the rest of the current fiscal year restricts D.C.'s spending authority, raising the prospect of $1 billion in cuts to police and other services.
A Senate-passed D.C. fix (S. 1077) hasn’t been scheduled for a floor vote, though that could change now that it has the right endorsement. “Washington, D.C., must become CLEAN and SAFE again!,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “We need our Great Police back on the street, with no excuses from the Mayor, or anyone else.” Read More and get a full rundown of what’s up on Capitol Hill in BGOV’s Congress Tracker.
Did You Ace the Quiz?
We completely understand if you scowled at the four choices because you remember President Bill Clinton using “mistakes were made” when asked about a fundraising scandal, or because President Ronald Reagan used it in what became known as the Iran-Contra affair (his administration sent money to Nicaraguan rebels that it got by selling arms to Iran).
And though political dictionary author William Safire documented an instance when it was used by President Ulysses S. Grant, the guy who got the modern “mistakes were made” ball rolling was President Richard Nixon’s press secretary.
Give yourself a star if you chose D) Ron Ziegler.
Before You Go
A few more developments to skim as your workweek begins:
- Court filings show existential risks posed to big law firms targeted by Trump’s orders Read More
- The Wall Street Journal reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth brought his wife to two meetings with foreign military counterparts where sensitive information was discussed. Generally those meetings have included people who both need to be there and possess security clearances.
- Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif) is targeting longstanding precedent with his effort to limit the power of federal judges. The California Republican told a Federalist Society conference that it’s time to rein in the 1803 Supreme Court ruling in Marbury v. Madison. Read More
- Remember the kerfuffle involving a hobbyist who tracked Musk’s private plane? That chapter of free information will close, as the FAA gets ready to let aircraft owners keep identifiable data from the public. Read More
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