Donald Trump said he believed he had not made any mistakes in his first 100 days back in office, as he joined a NewsNation town hall via phone on Wednesday night.
The president faced a grilling from author and journalist Bill O’Reilly and sports pundit Stephen A Smith, as well as moderator Chris Cuomo. However, responding to a question from an audience member about what he believed his biggest mistake from his first 100 days was, Trump was blunt.
“I’ll tell you, that's the toughest question I can have, because I don't really believe I’ve made any mistakes,” he said.
Earlier, the president attempted to deflect blame as Wall Street fell on news that the U.S. economy shrank for the first time in three years, in Q1 2025. Trump claimed it was because of the Biden “Overhang” and had nothing to do with the panic over his tariffs.
During the 2024 campaign, the now-president would take credit for a booming stock market under his predecessor, Joe Biden, saying that it was because of expectations he would win the election. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 have had their worst performance in the first 100 days of an administration since 1973.
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Key points
- Trump to join NewsNation town hall event
- Trump tariffs: President says American children will have to make do with less
- Trump defends trying to blame Biden for poor GDP data after repeatedly claiming credit for Democrat’s strong economic numbers
- Trump admin signs Ukraine minerals deal in key move for Russian peace
- Trump says Americans ‘signed up' for his trade war with China
Elon Musk is leaving Trump. Or is he?
Wednesday 30 April 2025 13:20
,
James Liddell
Stepping on the stage at Madison Square Garden, nine days before Donald Trump was declared president a second time, Elon Musk told a crowd of screaming fans that their “money is being wasted.”
Musk — dressed in all black, topped with a black “MAGA” hat in blackletter type — vowed to cut “at least $2 trillion” in federal spending, a figure he apparently came up with on the spot. He pledged to put his so-called Department of Government Efficiency to work getting the “government off your back and out of your pocketbook.”
Nearly six months later, after pumping tens of millions of dollars into the president’s campaign and deploying an army of loyalists across the government to fire workers and slash budgets, the wealthiest person on the planet announced plans to “significantly” withdraw from the White House to focus on his company, Tesla.
DOGE’s cost-cutting crusade isn’t going anywhere, officials told The Independent’s Alex Woodward.
Read More:
Kamala Harris to make rare public appearance in California today
Wednesday 30 April 2025 13:41
,
James Liddell
Former Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to make a rare public appearance in California today, one day after President Trump marked his first 100 days in the White House.
The 2024 Democratic presidential candidate is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at Emerge at the organization’s 20th Anniversary Gala at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. The group recruits, trains and provides support to Democratic women eying political office.
Harris is expected to criticize Donald Trump over his aggressive push to fulfill his agenda and how she believes his administration is failing Americans.
“There is a clamoring for her voice right now,” a former Harris senior adviser told NBC News Wednesday. “No one can better prosecute the case while inspiring a call to action than the former vice president.”
Jon Sopel: I was at Trump’s 100 day rally – but the MAGA crowds were missing
Wednesday 30 April 2025 14:00
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James Liddell
Columnist Jon Sopel was struck by the hundreds, maybe a thousand protestors lining the highway outside Macomb Community College – and cars were honking their horns to show their support.
Walking across the vast parking lot, he expected to see the long lines of the Trump lovers, queuing in the already humid heat to get a prime spot in the venue.
Over the Jon says he has seen Trump speaking at venues holding 20,000 – and those places have been packed to overflowing. But yesterday there were no lines.
Read about Jon’s experience at Trump’s 100-day rally in Michigan:
Just in: US economy stalls under Trump stewardship, BEA report states
Wednesday 30 April 2025 14:02
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James Liddell
The U.S. economy has stalled since Donald Trump returned to the White House, according to a new quarterly report from the Bureau of Economic.
Real gross domestic product—inflation-adjusted GDP—unexpectedly slipped by 0.3 percent, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s advance estimate. It was expected to increase by 0.2 percent.
Negative GDP growth has occurred just three times over the last decade: the first and second quarters of 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic; and in the first quarter of 2022 when the Fed imposed its first interest rate hike in more than three years.
“The decrease in real GDP in the first quarter primarily reflected an increase in imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, and a decrease in government spending,” the BEA said in a statement.
“These movements were partly offset by increases in investment, consumer spending, and exports.”
Trump’s deportations are turning immigrant communities into ghost towns
Wednesday 30 April 2025 14:21
,
James Liddell
In the hills above California’s Half Moon Bay, immigrant families are not leaving the farms where they work. The once-bustling streets of New York’s Jackson Heights have grown eerily quiet. And in Chirilagua, Virginia, some are saving money to return to their home countries.
Donald Trump’s shock-and-awe deportation campaign has had a chilling impact across the country, turning thriving communities into ghost towns.
The Independent’s Michelle Del Ray, Josh Marcus and Richard Hall visited three immigrant neighborhoods across the U.S. to investigate the impact of Trump’s policies on the communities in the crosshairs.
Read more:
GDP is down for Q1 — what drove the numbers?
Wednesday 30 April 2025 14:23
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Oliver O'Connell
US GDP shrunk at an annualized rate of 0.3% in the first quarter of 2025. pic.twitter.com/PoF8wwGiVe
— Steven Rattner (@SteveRattner) April 30, 2025
Former Obama adviser Steven Rattner breaks down what specifically changed as the U.S. buckled down ahead of President Donald Trump’s tariffs announcement.
He points to a surge in imports in anticipation of the tariffs, as well as a drop in consumer spending and government spending.
The shrink in GDP was driven by a surge of imports in anticipation of tariffs, as well as a drop in consumer and government spending. pic.twitter.com/HclIdfk9MY
— Steven Rattner (@SteveRattner) April 30, 2025
Yesterday, Rattner pointed to data showing that importers were stockpiling to ensure shelves don’t go empty. That could change in time though...
One reason why the hard data isn’t showing much effect from tariffs is that importers stockpiled in anticipation. When stockpiles run out, things will start to degrade. (Unless Trump changes his mind by then) pic.twitter.com/TpNb0tsUBD
— Steven Rattner (@SteveRattner) April 29, 2025
Trump blames Biden for state of economy — despite having been president for 100 days
Wednesday 30 April 2025 14:25
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Oliver O'Connell
Clearly furious at this morning’s bad economic data, President Donald Trump has lashed out at his predecessor on Truth Social, claiming there is a Biden “overhang” and this has nothing to do with tariffs, despite all the evidence to the contrary.
Here’s what the president wrote on his social media platform:
This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s. I didn’t take over until January 20th. Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers. Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden “Overhang.” This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS, only that he left us with bad numbers, but when the boom begins, it will be like no other. BE PATIENT!!!
“This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s,” Trump says after the stock market recorded its worst first 100 days of any president since Gerald Ford in 1974.
— Joey Garrison (@joeygarrison) April 30, 2025
The S&P 500 gained 23% in 2024 and 24% in 2023. pic.twitter.com/64nxq7iNoW
Developing: U.S. economy shrinks for first time in three years as Trump’s tariffs spark trade war fears
Wednesday 30 April 2025 14:36
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Oliver O'Connell
The American economy shrank by 0.3 percent during the first quarter of this year, marking the first drop in three years as President Donald Trump’s tariff policies disrupted businesses and their supply chains.
The tariffs imposed on other countries have created uncertainty among both businesses and consumers. The economy, as a measure of GDP, shrank in part because of a rise in imports as companies stockpiled goods to avoid Trump’s tariffs.
Imports increased more than 40 per cent as federal spending fell about five percent during the first three months of the year. The Commerce Department said the decrease in GDP "primarily reflected an increase in imports” and a decrease in government spending.
Gustaf Kilander is following the latest developments:
In photos: Whitmer and Trump embrace at Michigan air base
Wednesday 30 April 2025 14:42
,
James Liddell
Weeks after Gretchen Whitmer was photographed standing glumly inside the White House, hiding behind her binders, the Michigan Governor appears to have saved face.
Whitmer was snapped beside Donald Trump Tuesday in Michigan to announce a she had finally secured funding for a new fighter mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.
“I am so, so grateful that this announcement was made today, and I appreciate all the work,” Whitmer said.
Trump said that Whitmer has “done a very good job,” despite stating he wasn’t meant to praise her because “she’s a Democrat.”
Trump took credit for booming stock market under Biden
Wednesday 30 April 2025 14:46
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Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump is claiming that recent stock market volatility and today’s drop after the Wall Street open (the Dow Jones Industrial Average is currently down more than 600 points or 1.52%) are the fault of his predecessor and nothing to do with him or his tariffs, despite having been in office for 100 days.
You may remember that a year before his inauguration, then-candidate Trump was taking credit for a booming stock market during Joe Biden’s presidency, claiming it was in anticipation of his return to the White House...
Perhaps that just wasn’t true.
If you’re keeping track, Candidate Trump claimed credit for a booming stock market a year before he would ultimately take office, but here President Trump blames his predecessor after 100 days of his stewardship of the economy https://t.co/vRFvlHNPuz pic.twitter.com/dzxEPcHHoH
— Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) April 30, 2025
Will Trump ruin Christmas?
Wednesday 30 April 2025 14:54
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Oliver O'Connell
It may be many months away, but hundreds of toymakers have canceled orders since President Donald Trump imposed hefty tariffs on China, raising the prospect of a nightmare before Christmas.
Kelly Rissman reports.
Five bills and 142 executive orders signed in Trump's first 100 days
Wednesday 30 April 2025 15:00
,
James Liddell
Wednesday 30 April 2025 15:05
,
Oliver O'Connell
With a mediation hearing scheduled for today in Donald Trump’s suit against CBS and Paramount regarding his allegations about the 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, the president now appears to be trying to include The New York Times in the case, alleging “tortious interference” for reporting that the case is baseless.
Here’s what the president wrote on Truth Social:
The case we have against 60 Minutes, CBS, and Paramount is a true WINNER. They cheated and defrauded the American People at levels never seen before in the Political Arena. Kamala Harris, during Early Voting and, immediately before Election Day, was asked a question, and gave an answer, that was so bad and incompetent that it would have cost her many of the Votes that she ended up getting. It was a disastrous answer! 60 Minutes and its corporate parents, in order that this not have a negative impact on her, removed and deleted Kamala’s entire answer, every word of it, and replaced it with a response that she gave later on to an entirely different question. The new answer was not good, but it didn’t show Gross Incompetence like the one that was removed by 60 Minutes. In other words, 60 Minutes perpetrated a Giant FRAUD against the American People, the Federal Elections Commission, and the Federal Communications System. Despite all of the above, and Paramount’s/CBS’/60 Minutes’ admittance to this crime and, with other similar corrupt removals of answers to questions, the Failing New York Times, which is Fake News both in writing and polling, claims that “people” said that the case is baseless. They don’t mean that, they just have a non curable case of TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, possibly to the point where the Times’ interjection makes them liable for tortious interference, including in Elections, which we are intently studying. The bottom line is that what 60 Minutes and its corporate owners have committed is one of the most egregious illegalities in Broadcast History. Nothing like this, the illegal creation of an answer for a Presidential Candidate, has ever been done before, they have to pay a price for it, and the Times should also be on the hook for their likely unlawful behavior. It is vital to hold these Liars and Fraudsters accountable!
Here’s our recent coverage of Trump’s feud with 60 Minutes:
And the fallout from the departure of the show’s producer:
Girl, 2, marooned in US foster care after parents deported
Wednesday 30 April 2025 15:21
,
James Liddell
A two-year-old girl has been marooned in foster care in the U.S. after her Venezuelan parents were deported to countries 1,500 miles apart.
Yorely Bernal Inciarte and Maiker Espinoza Escalona arrived with their child Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Bernal in Texas on May 14 last year. Neither held valid entry documents so they immediately surrendered to immigration authorities, according to ABC News.
After being held in separate detention facilities in the Lone Star State for several months, able to communicate with one another only by phone, Inciarte was abruptly returned to Venezuela earlier this month – but without her daughter.
She was subsequently shocked to learn that Escalona had been sent first to Guantanamo Bay and then to the notorious CECOT mega-prison in El Salvador on March 30, meaning their child was without access to either parent.
Joe Sommerlad has more:
Navarro says trade deals are coming 'just be patient'
Wednesday 30 April 2025 15:35
,
Oliver O'Connell
Coming up to a quarter of the way through Donald Trump’s 90-day tariffs pause, trade adviser Peter Navarro told reporters at the White House this morning, “deals are coming, just be patient.”
He previously said there would be 90 deals in 90 days.
About 20 days into President Trump's 90 day reciprocal tariff pause Trump's Trade Advisor Peter Navarro told reporters this morning, "deals are coming, just be patient."
— Libbey Dean (@LibbeyDean_) April 30, 2025
Navarro previously forecasted 90 trade deals in 90 days.
Top Dems planned all-nighter to mark Trump’s ‘100 days of hell’
Wednesday 30 April 2025 15:42
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James Liddell
Top Democrats planned to hold the Senate floor late into the night Tuesday to mark what Minority Leader Chuck Schumer coined as Donald Trump’s “100 days of hell.”
That evening, Schumer tweeted: “RIGHT NOW: We are holding the Senate floor to fight back against the hell American families have gone through in Trump’s first hundred days.”
Before the planned all-nighter, Schumer said that Trump is a “threat to our democratic republic,” adding that: “He's acting like a king, a mob boss, a wannabe dictator.”
“Let us commit ourselves, all of us Democrats here in the Senate, against this administration, and to uphold the core values and principles of this beautiful nation which we must fight to preserve and protect,” he said.
Senate Democrats are due to join members of the House on the steps of the upper chamber on Wednesday in protest against Trump’s agenda.
Watch: Agriculture sec dismisses shrinking GBP
Wednesday 30 April 2025 15:44
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Oliver O'Connell
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins dismisses the latest GDP numbers that show the U.S. economy contracted in the first quarter of 2025 — the first time it has shrunk in three years.
“We remain convinced and confident this president knows exactly what he is doing. He is the ultimate deal-maker,” Rollins told Fox News this morning, towing the party line in a manner we will likely see echoed at today’s Cabinet meeting.
Brooke Rollins dismisses shrinking GDP: "We will get back to the GDP, etc., moving forward, and we remain convinced and confident this president knows exactly what he is doing. He is the ultimate deal-maker." pic.twitter.com/wLn86CnLbb
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 30, 2025
Musk no longer working from White House, Trump’s chief of staff reveals
Wednesday 30 April 2025 15:50
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Oliver O'Connell
Elon Musk is no longer working from the White House, Donald Trump’s chief of staff has revealed.
The president’s so-called First Buddy has been a looming presence during Trump’s first 100 days back in office. But earlier this month the Tesla CEO said he would be spending more time working on his troubled car company.
Now Susie Wiles has said that Musk is “not as present as he was” - physically at least.
He will reportedly be at this morning’s Cabinet meeting.
Here’s Madeline Sherratt’s report.
How did Trump's first 100 days impact the dollar?
Wednesday 30 April 2025 16:01
,
James Liddell
Watch LIVE: President Trump holds first cabinet meeting after celebrating 100 days in office
Wednesday 30 April 2025 16:05
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Oliver O'Connell
Vance's absence from pope's funeral may have led to a more cordial Trump-Zelensky meeting
Wednesday 30 April 2025 16:21
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James Liddell
JD Vance’s absence from the Vatican for Pope Francis’ funeral Saturday may have led to a more cordial meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky than February’s explosive Oval Office spat.
Sources told Axios that the recent Trump-Zelensky meeting was more positive without the Vice President and White House envoy Steve Witkoff.
Those close to the meeting said it lasted about 15 minutes and that the Ukrainian leader urged Trump to take a tougher line with Russian President Vladimir Putin to push for a ceasefire.
‘I’m not afraid of you’: Columbia student activist rebukes Trump after release from ICE detention
Wednesday 30 April 2025 16:40
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Oliver O'Connell
A Columbia University student who was arrested at his citizenship interview and hauled off in handcuffs had some words for Donald Trump’s administration after a federal judge in Vermont ordered his release.
Mohsen Mahdawi, holding up two “peace” signs, was greeted by cheering supporters as he walked out of the courthouse on Wednesday.
“To President Trump and his cabinet,” he said, “I am not afraid of you.”
Alex Woodward reports.
Watch: 'Schoolchildren could fact-check Trump,' CNN hosts quip after Michigan rally
Wednesday 30 April 2025 16:42
,
James Liddell
Trump Cabinet meeting: President continue to blame Biden for economy
Wednesday 30 April 2025 16:45
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Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump continues to blame his predecessor, President Joe Biden, for the state of the economy.
“You probably saw some numbers today. I have to start off by saying that's Biden, not Trump. Because we came in on January — these are quarterly numbers, and we came in, and I was very against everything that Biden was doing in terms of the economy, destroying our country in so many ways,” the president said at today’s Cabinet meeting.
Presumably, that means he is responsible for just over two-thirds of the data?
Trump on GDP: You probably saw some numbers today. I have to start off by saying that's Biden, not Trump. Because we came in on January -- these are quarterly numbers pic.twitter.com/u030PzjF6A
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 30, 2025
Trump began the meeting by attacking judges for ruling against him.
He said: “We're having some judge problems, as everybody's reading. Some judges that don't like known killers, murderers being thrown out of the country. So I don't know what their problem is.”
Trump asks Cabinet for updates, starting with Hegseth
Wednesday 30 April 2025 16:50
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Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump asks for an update from his Cabinet, joking that he will be starting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth because “he's my least controversial person.”
Amid laughter, Hegseth replies: “I think we're controversial because we're over the target.”
Hegseth: "Well Mr. President, I think we're controversial because we're over the target." pic.twitter.com/zHx3lh7jj1
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 30, 2025
'Gulf of America' hats for everyone
Wednesday 30 April 2025 16:53
,
Oliver O'Connell
Watch: Lutnick claims dinner companion wanted 10 Trump gold cards
Wednesday 30 April 2025 17:00
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Oliver O'Connell
Lutnick: "The attention on the Trump gold card -- I mean, it makes me very popular. Last night, I was out for dinner and somebody came up and said, 'Can I buy 10?' And I'm like, that's pretty good, that's $50 million for dinner. So it's paying for my dinner." pic.twitter.com/TIaxO2bTDG
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 30, 2025
Here’s what you need to know about the Trump gold card:
Trump says he could free Abrego Garcia, but won’t — that's not what his cabinet have said
Wednesday 30 April 2025 17:01
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Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday night that he could bring back Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongly deported to El Salvador – contradicting statements from the administration, which asserted it couldn’t do anything to return him.
Ariana Baio has the story.
Watch: Duffy says brand new air traffic control system needed
Wednesday 30 April 2025 17:04
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Oliver O'Connell
Duffy: "If we don't build a brand new system, there are going to be failures and people will lose their lives."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 30, 2025
Good luck air travelers! pic.twitter.com/rdD02VtExz
'Don't p*** down my back and tell me it's raining': Dave Portnoy reacts to Trump blaming Biden for stock market
Wednesday 30 April 2025 17:06
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Oliver O'Connell
What’s that old expression? Don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining? Well that applies here. The stock market is a direct reflection of Trumps 1st 100 days in office. Doesn’t mean it won’t get better and that we don’t need to be patient, but this is his market not Bidens pic.twitter.com/GVDCyL8NKH
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) April 30, 2025
'Most powerful women in the world' makes rare on-camera comments
Wednesday 30 April 2025 17:19
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Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump’s White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles made rare on-camera comments during today’s Cabinet meeting when called on by the president as “the most powerful woman in the world.”
Wiles: Congratulations to everyone on 100 days.. it’s unparalleled in my memory and best I can tell, ever. pic.twitter.com/B7tyihOtGH
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 30, 2025
How Democrats are trying to turn MAGA’s ‘flood the zone’ strategy against Trump
Wednesday 30 April 2025 17:20
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Oliver O'Connell
John Bowden writes:
Democrats may have finally learned Steve Bannon’s favorite strategy: “Flood the zone”.
With Donald Trump’s presidency reaching its 100th day and the US president plummeting in approval polling on issues that have historically been his strongest areas with voters, the broader left and a wide coalition of groups are coming together to capitalize on a groundswell of discontent caused by the administration’s slash-and-burn tactics.
Read on...
New York Times responds to legal threat from Trump
Wednesday 30 April 2025 17:25
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Oliver O'Connell
The New York Times has responded to this morning’s legal threat from President Donald Trump regarding its reporting that described his suit against 60 Minutes as baseless.
A spokesperson for the outlet said: “President Trump's post today follows a long list of legal threats aimed at discouraging or penalizing independent reporting about the administration. The law is clear and protects a strong free press and favors an informed American public. The New York Times will not be deterred by the administration’s intimidation tactics. We will continue to pursue the facts without fear or favor and stand up for journalists’ First Amendment right to ask questions on behalf of the American people.”
New: Statement from New York Times spokesperson
— Natalie Korach (@NatalieKorach) April 30, 2025
"President Trump's post today follows a long list of legal threats aimed at discouraging or penalizing independent reporting about the administration. The law is clear and protects a strong free press and favors an informed… https://t.co/F5Xqbru7Yy
Bessent says next 100 days will be 'harvesting' work of first 100
Wednesday 30 April 2025 17:30
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Oliver O'Connell
When it comes to his turn to speak at the Cabinet meeting, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the first 100 days of the Trump administration were “setting the table” for peace, trade, and tax deals.
“The next 100 days will be harvesting,” he says.
Bessent: Sir, it's been a momentous 100 days with you at the helm pic.twitter.com/Hlb0WR5rua
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 30, 2025
Vance describes past presidents as 'place holders'
Wednesday 30 April 2025 17:33
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Oliver O'Connell
At the Cabinet meeting, Vice President JD Vance tells President Donald Trump: “You sit in the oval office and see portraits of presidents past and most of them have been place holders, people who allowed their staff to sign executive orders with an auto pen instead of men of action.”
Vance: you sit in the oval office and see portraits of presidents past and most of them have been place holders, people who allowed their staff to sign executive orders with an auto pen instead of men of action pic.twitter.com/QIRzmo1UNd
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 30, 2025
