NationalWatch

EXCLUSIVE: California Gov. Gavin Newsom will announce plans Friday afternoon directing the state to pursue “strategic” relationships with countries announcing retaliatory tariffs against the U.S., urging them to exclude California-made products from those taxes, Fox News Digital has learned.

Sources in Newsom’s administration told Fox News Digital the announcement is a direct response to President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff plan, which sets out a baseline duty of 10% on all imports to the U.S. and some higher percentages for other top traders. 

The Newsom administration is worried that California’s almond industry, a major agricultural exporter, will lose billions of dollars as nations like China, India and the European Union move to impose retaliatory tariffs.

HERE’S A CLOSER LOOK AT TRUMP’S TARIFF PLAN: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW DUTIES

Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, is considered to be weighing a run to replace term-limited President Donald Trump in the White House in 2028. (Fox News)

Almonds, California’s most valuable food export, account for about 20% of the state’s $23.6 billion in agricultural sales abroad and 2.5% of its total exports, according to the California Department of Food & Agriculture. The state produces 80% of the world’s supply and exports the majority of its almond crop. Other top agricultural exports include dairy products, pistachios, wine and walnuts.

California boasts of being the fifth-largest economy in the world, a vital engine for much of U.S. economic growth, with a gross domestic product of $3.9 trillion — 50% larger than Texas, the nation’s second-largest state. The Golden State is the largest importer and second-largest exporter among U.S. states, with more than $675 billion in two-way trade supporting millions of jobs, state officials said.

Trade with Mexico, Canada and China are also key partners for California, as nearly half of the state’s imports come from these countries, totaling $203 billion of the more than $491 billion in goods imported by California last year. 

A Newsom official said the new Trump tariffs will also affect access to critical supplies, like construction materials, needed to rebuild after the Los Angeles wildfires. The U.S. currently imposes a duty of over 14% on Canadian lumber, with the rate potentially rising to nearly 27% this year.

TRUMP TOUTS RETURN OF ‘AMERICAN DREAM’ IN HISTORIC TARIFF ANNOUNCEMENT 

President Donald Trump holds a “Foreign Trade Barriers” document as he delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 2025. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

State officials also said the retaliatory tariffs will cause “major disruptions” to cross-border supply chains in the California-Baja region, arguing that if component goods are taxed each time they cross the border, the final price of the finished product will increase and be passed onto Californians.

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“The markets are going to boom. The stock is going to boom, the country is going to boom, and the rest of the world wants to see is there any way they can make a deal,” Trump said Thursday leaving the White House.

“This is one of the most important days, in my opinion, in American history. It’s our declaration of economic independence. For years, hardworking American citizens were forced to sit on the sidelines as other nations got rich and powerful, much of it at our expense,” Trump said. “But now it’s our turn to prosper, and in so doing, use trillions and trillions of dollars to reduce our taxes and pay down our national debt, and it’ll all happen very quickly.”

All but one Senate Republican voted on Thursday to confirm President Donald Trump’s nomination of Harmeet Dhillon to serve as an assistant attorney general.

While the 52-45 vote was almost entirely along party lines, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, joined Democrats in voting against Dhillon’s confirmation.

Fox News Digital reached out to a Murkowski spokesperson on Friday morning to request a comment from the lawmaker, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

DR. OZ BECOMES NEXT HEAD OF MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES FOLLOWING APPROVAL FROM FULL SENATE

Harmeet Dhillon, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, prepares for her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 26, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Then-President-elect Donald Trump announced in December that Dhillon was his choice to serve as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Justice Department.

“I am pleased to nominate Harmeet K. Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. Throughout her career, Harmeet has stood up consistently to protect our cherished Civil Liberties, including taking on Big Tech for censoring our Free Speech, representing Christians who were prevented from praying together during COVID, and suing corporations who use woke policies to discriminate against their workers,” Trump declared in his Truth Social post at the time.

SENATE CONFIRMS DR MARTY MAKARY AS TRUMP’S FDA CHIEF

Harmeet Dhillon, nominee to be an assistant attorney general, testifies during her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Building on Feb. 26, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“Harmeet is one of the top Election lawyers in the Country, fighting to ensure that all, and ONLY, legal votes are counted. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia Law School, and clerked in the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Harmeet is a respected member of the Sikh religious community. In her new role at the DOJ, Harmeet will be a tireless defender of our Constitutional Rights, and will enforce our Civil Rights and Election Laws FAIRLY and FIRMLY. Congratulations, Harmeet!” he added.

Trump recently accused Murkwoski, Maine Sen. Susan Collins, and Kentucky Sens. Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell of having “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

TRUMP PRESSURES 4 GOP SENATORS AHEAD OF ANTI-CANADIAN TARIFF VOTE, ACCUSING THEM OF ‘TDS’

Harmeet Dhillon, a candidate for the Republican Party chair speaks to the media after GOP Chair Ronna McDaniel was re-elected during the 2023 Republican National Committee Winter Meeting in Dana Point, Calif., on Jan. 27, 2023 (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

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The president called out the four GOP senators ahead of a vote on a measure to scuttle his tariff policy on Canadian products. 

All four Republican senators voted for the joint resolution anyway, and it cleared the Senate with all Democrats voting in favor.

The Trump administration fired National Security Agency Director Gen. Timothy Haugh and civilian Deputy Director Wendy Noble, according to a report.

The firings were first reported by The Washington Post on Thursday.

Haugh also served as commander of the U.S. Cyber Command – a position from which he was also dismissed. Noble was reassigned to serve in the office of the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, according to the Post.

Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Jim Himes, top Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence committees, reacted to the alleged firings late Thursday night.

TRUMP ADMIN MOVES TO MORE EASILY FIRE FEDERAL WORKERS AT 2 AGENCIES: REPORT 

President Trump reportedly fired National Security Agency Director Gen. Timothy Haugh, who also commanded U.S. Cyber Command, and reassigned civilian Deputy Director Wendy Noble. (U.S. Air Force website)

Himes, a ranking member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said he is “deeply disturbed” by Haugh’s dismissal. 

“I have known General Haugh to be an honest and forthright leader who followed the law and put national security first—I fear those are precisely the qualities that could lead to his firing in this Administration,” he said in a statement, adding an “immediate explanation” is needed for this decision.

Warner, the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, described Haugh’s firing as “astonishing” in a statement.

TRUMP CONFIRMS NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL FIRINGS AS WALTZ’S SIGNAL CHAT WOES SNOWBALL 

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, described President Trump’s decision to fire Gen. Timothy Haugh as “astonishing” in a statement. (Reuters)

“General Haugh has served our country in uniform, with honor and distinction, for more than 30 years. At a time when the United States is facing unprecedented cyber threats, as the Salt Typhoon cyberattack from China has so clearly underscored, how does firing him make Americans any safer?” Warner said.

The senator described Haugh as a “nonpartisan, experienced leader” and said it is astonishing that President Donald Trump would fire him before holding “any member of his team accountable for leaking classified information on a commercial messaging app.” 

He continued, “even as he apparently takes staffing direction on national security from a discredited conspiracy theorist in the Oval Office.”

Sen. Mark Warner accused President Trump of making national security firings based on the guidance of far-right activist Laura Loomer. (Getty Images)

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Warner is appearing to refer to Laura Loomer, a far-right activist who reportedly presented Trump with a list of disloyal National Security Counsel staff members who should be fired.

An undisclosed number of NSC employees were dismissed on Thursday, but Trump has said Loomer was not involved in those firings.

Fox News Digital reached out to the NSA for comment but was referred to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. 

Two senior lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill that would reassert Congress’ powers over U.S. tariffs, a day after President Donald Trump announced a new wide-ranging tariff strategy during his “Liberation Day” speech on Wednesday.

Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., on Thursday introduced the Trade Review Act of 2025, which would require the president to notify Congress about any new tariffs within 48 hours of imposition. 

The bill also requires that Trump provide an explanation of the rationale along with an analysis of the tariffs’ potential impact on the U.S. economy. Congress would have to approve the new tariffs within 60 days or allow them to expire.

If enacted, the bill would shift certain trade policymaking powers from the executive branch to the Congress. 

WHAT IS TRUMP’S NEW LIBERATION DAY AND WHAT TO EXPECT APRIL 2?

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, appears during a confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 30. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“For too long, Congress has delegated its clear authority to regulate interstate and foreign commerce to the executive branch,” Grassley, a Trump ally who is skeptical of tariffs, said in a statement. 

“Building on my previous efforts as Finance Committee Chairman, I’m joining Senator Cantwell to introduce the bipartisan Trade Review Act of 2025 to reassert Congress’ constitutional role and ensure Congress has a voice in trade policy,” he continued.

TREASURY SECRETARY BESSENT TELLS COUNTRIES NOT TO RETALIATE AFTER SWEEPING ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., speaks during a news briefing at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 9, 2024. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Cantwell said in a statement that Trump’s tariffs would hurt sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and technology and have reverberating effects on consumers.

“Ultimately, consumers will pay the price,” Cantwell said in a statement. “It’s time for Congress to take action to counter the president’s trade war.”

READ THE BILL – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

Grassley’s home state of Iowa heavily relies on farm crop exports, while Cantwell’s Washington state is home to many export-heavy companies such as Boeing.

Trump on Thursday compared the tariffs to a medical operation, and said the “patient lived, and is healing.” “The prognosis is that the patient will be far stronger, bigger, better, and more resilient than ever before,” he wrote on Truth Social.

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President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Thursday’s bill was introduced after four Republican senators joined Democrats in approving a separate resolution on Wednesday that would repeal Trump’s emergency declaration levying tariffs on Canadian imports. Grassley was not one of the Republican defectors. The resolution is likely dead on arrival in the House.

More than half a billion dollars in federal funding to Brown University is being halted by the Trump administration over the Ivy League’s response to antisemitism since Hamas’ 2023 attack in Israel.

A White House official said nearly $510 million awarded to the university through federal contracts and grants is on the line, The Associated Press reported, adding that the official spoke on condition of anonymity.

Fox News Digital reached out to Brown University, but did not immediately hear back.

Brown Provost Frank Doyle said in an email on Thursday to campus leaders that the school is aware of “troubling rumors” about its research money, but they don’t have any “information to substantiate” the claims, according to The AP.

IVY LEAGUE SCHOOLS RECEIVED $6.4 BILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING IN 2024 

The Trump administration is reportedly set to halt nearly $510 million in federal funding to Brown University as the government investigates the Ivy League’s response to antisemitic protests on campus last year. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

President Donald Trump has suspended federal funding to every Ivy League, besides Penn and Dartmouth, over investigations into anti-Israel protests that have taken place on their campuses since October 2023. Funding for dozens of other universities has also been impacted by investigations for the same reason.

Columbia University, which had more than $400 million in federal funding taken away, was the first Ivy League to lose money over its failure to make Jewish students feel safe on campus. The university caved to demands from the Trump administration late last month in hopes of restoring the funding. 

This week, a federal antisemitism task force announced a review of Harvard’s federal grants and contracts, worth nearly $9 billion, as the university faces an investigation into campus antisemitism, and Princeton University confirmed dozens of its research grants have been halted. 

Education Secretary Linda McMahon has said schools receiving federal funding “have a responsibility to protect all students from discrimination” when discussing the investigations into campus antisemitism. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

DHS: DEPORTED BROWN UNIVERSITY DOCTOR ATTENDED HEZBOLLAH CHIEF’S FUNERAL, SUPPORTED TERROR LEADER 

The Trump administration has promised to be more aggressive in ending campus antisemitism after saying President Joe Biden did not hold universities accountable for their violent protests.

“Americans have watched in horror for more than a year now, as Jewish students have been assaulted and harassed on elite university campuses – repeatedly overrun by antisemitic students and agitators. Unlawful encampments and demonstrations have completely paralyzed day-to-day campus operations, depriving Jewish students of learning opportunities to which they are entitled,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement last month.

She said schools that receive federal funding “have a responsibility to protect all students from discrimination” and described the failure to do so as a reason to question if the university should be “doing business with the United States government.”

The administration has also made moves to detain and deport foreign students who participated in or orchestrated anti-Israel protests at American universities.

Brown University was one of many campuses across the U.S. impacted by anti-Israel protests last year. ( Joseph Prezioso / AFP)

The Department of Homeland Security announced last month that an assistant professor at Brown, who held an H-1B visa, was deported to Lebanon for her support of and attendance at the funeral of a slain Hezbollah leader.

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Brown made headlines last year for a deal it struck with anti-Israel protesters, who were taking over the university, promising to have its governing board vote on whether it should divest from companies linked to Israel.

The Corporation of Brown ultimately rejected the divestment proposal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

There’s no denying that billionaire Elon Musk has been the most visible member of President Donald Trump’s administration during Trump’s first 10 weeks back in the White House. But with familiarity can come contempt, as recent polling shows the DOGE point man underwater with approval ratings.

Musk, the world’s richest person and the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, has grabbed outsized attention as he’s steered DOGE, the acronym for Trump’s recently created Department of Government Efficiency, which has swept through federal agencies, rooting out what the White House argues was billions in wasteful federal spending.

The unit has also taken a meat cleaver to the federal workforce, resulting in a massive exodus of employees. The controversial moves by Musk and DOGE have triggered a slew of lawsuits in response.

But it’s becoming increasingly clear that a majority of Americans are far from happy with Musk’s moves. And two new national public opinion polls released this week offer further proof.

MUSK NOT LEAVING YET, WRAPPING UP WORK ON SCHEDULE ONCE ‘INCREDIBLE WORK AT DOGE IS COMPLETE’: WHITE HOUSE

President Donald Trump listens as White House senior advisor and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks next to a Tesla Cyber Truck and a Model S on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 11. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted March 31-April 2, Musk’s favorable rating stands at 39% among Americans, with 57% viewing him in an unfavorable light.

And only 36% of respondents said the Trump administration was doing a competent job in reducing the number of federal employees. Even fewer — 31% — offered that the Trump administration was competently downsizing the federal government without affecting vital services.

According to a Marquette Law School national survey, 41% approve of the job Musk is doing at DOGE, with 58% giving him a thumbs down.

And Musk’s personal favorability rating was in negative territory — at 38% favorable to 60% unfavorable — in the poll, which was conducted March 17-24.

AMERICANS WANT SMALLER GOVERNMENT BUT NEW POLLS SHOWS WHETHER THEY LIKE HOW MUSK IS GOING ABOUT IT

A slew of new and recent public opinion polls indicate that Elon Musk’s favorable ratings and approval ratings are hovering in negative territory. Musk, the world’s richest person and President Donald Trump’s top donor in last year’s election, is currently serving as a top White House advisor and steering DOGE. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

The two surveys are the latest to indicate Musk’s poll numbers deeply underwater.

A majority — 54% — questioned in a Quinnipiac University survey conducted early last month said that Musk and DOGE are hurting the country, with just four in 10 saying their efforts are helping the country.

And according to a Fox News national poll conducted in mid-March, approval of Musk’s work at DOGE was in negative territory, at 40% approval and 58% disapproval.

While nearly six in 10 questioned in the Fox News poll felt that a great deal or almost all of government spending is wasteful and inefficient, 51% opposed substantially shrinking the number of government employees, 56% disapproved of the job the Trump administration is doing identifying and reducing wasteful spending, and another 65% worried that not enough thought and planning has gone into the cuts.

Trump continues to praise Musk’s efforts with DOGE – he’s done a fantastic job. We found hundreds…of millions of dollars in fraud and abuse and waste and, they’re still….going strong,” the president said on Thursday.

But Republicans are starting to voice concerns about Musk’s political liabilities. And Democrats have increasingly spotlighted and targeted Musk in their political attacks. And that was before he inserted himself front-and-center in this week’s high-profile and historically expensive state supreme court election in Wisconsin.

DEMOCRAT CONGRESSMAN LASHES MUSK IN OPENING SALVO OF SENATE BID

Billionaire businessman Elon Musk arrives for a town hall wearing a cheesehead hat at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Sunday. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

With a massive infusion of money from Democrat- and Republican-aligned groups from outside Wisconsin, which turned the race into the most expensive judicial election in the nation’s history, the contest partially transformed into a referendum on Trump’s sweeping and controversial moves during the opening months of his second tour of duty in the White House, and on Musk’s efforts.

Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford, the liberal-leaning candidate, ended up defeating Brad Schimel, the conservative-leaning Trump-backed candidate, a former state attorney general who currently serves as a state circuit court judge in Waukesha County, by roughly 10 points.

The large margin was not expected, in a race that was expected to be close, in a state that last November had an extremely tight margin in the presidential race.

Musk, who last year was Trump’s top donor, dished out roughly $20 million in the Wisconsin race through aligned groups in support of Schimel.

ELON MUSK HANDS OUT MILLION-DOLLAR CHECKS AMID ‘SUPER IMPORTANT’ WISCONSIN JUDICIAL RACE

Elon Musk, right, sparked controversy as he presented million-dollar checks to two attendees during a town hall ahead of the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Sunday. (Jamie Kelter Davis/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In a controversial move, Musk handed out $1 million checks at a rally in Green Bay on Sunday evening to two Wisconsin voters who had already cast ballots in the contest and had signed a petition to stop “activist judges.”

Musk’s lighting rod efforts in Wisconsin are being blamed for partially contributing to the 10-point shellacking Schimel suffered.

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The White House confirmed to Fox News on Wednesday that Musk will exit his role with DOGE on schedule later this spring, once his efforts are complete.

The White House, pushing back against reporting by Politico that Trump had told his inner circle and cabinet members that Musk would be “stepping back in the coming weeks from his current role,” said that Musk had long been anticipated to step back from DOGE when his 130 days as a “special government employee” run out in May. 

“We’re in no rush. But there’ll be a point at which time, you know, he’s going to have to leave,” Trump told reporters on Thursday, when asked when Musk would leave. “I would think a few months.”

President Donald Trump confirmed that multiple employees within the National Security Council were fired Thursday, adding to National Security Advisor Mike Waltz’s recent political woes that have snowballed since Democrats first slammed him over March’s Signal chat leak. 

“Always, we’re going to let go of people we don’t like, or people we don’t think can do the job, or people who may have loyalties to somebody else,” Trump said from Air Force One when asked about reports on the NSC firings. 

Trump confirmed that NSC members had been fired, but remarked it was not many individuals. 

Trump added that he continues to trust his NSC team, remarking that they’ve “done very well” and “had big success with the Houthis.”  

Waltz, who previously served as a Florida congressman and as a decorated combat Green Beret, has come under fire from Democrats and critics since March, when the Atlantic magazine’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg published a firsthand account of getting added to a Signal group chat with top national security leaders, including Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, while they discussed strikes against Yemen terrorists. Trump and his administration have repeatedly defended the national security leader amid criticisms over the chat leak.  

Signal is an encrypted messaging app that operates similarly to texting or making phone calls, but with additional security measures that help ensure communications are kept private to those included in the correspondence. 

NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR MIKE WALTZ TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR ‘EMBARRASSING’ SIGNAL CHAT LEAK

President Donald Trump believes that a staffer for national security advisor Mike Waltz may have accidentally added the Atlantic’s editor in chief to the Signal text chain that he eventually leaked to the press. (Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

The Atlantic’s report characterized the Trump administration as texting “war plans” regarding a planned strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Trump administration has maintained, however, that no classified material was transmitted in the chat, with Trump repeatedly defending Waltz amid the fallout. 

NSC CONFIRMS MIKE WALTZ AND STAFF USED GMAIL FOR GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION

“As the president has made it very clear, Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team,” Trump administration press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the media in brief remarks outside of the White House’s press room Monday afternoon. “And this case has been closed here at the White House, as far as we are concerned.” 

President Donald Trump and his administration have repeatedly defended national security advisor Mike Waltz. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“There have been steps made to ensure that something like that can obviously never happen again,” she continued. “And we’re moving forward. And the president and Mike Waltz and his entire national security team have been working together very well, if you look at how much safer the United States of America is because of the leadership of this team.” 

TRUMP REVEALS WHO WAS BEHIND SIGNAL TEXT CHAIN LEAK

Fox News Digital has compiled a timeline of accusations and outrage directed at and involving Waltz since the Atlantic’s first report on the chat leak. 

• March 24: The Atlantic publishes a report that Goldberg was added to a Signal chat that claimed national security leaders were discussing “war plans” with one another.
• March 25: Trump tells NBC News he believes a staffer in Waltz’s office was behind mistakenly adding the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief to the group chat.
• March 25: Democratic outrage over the Atlantic article mounts, including Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, calling on Waltz and Hegseth to resign.
• March 25: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe join an annual Senate Intelligence Committee hearing and report no classified material was shared in the chat and that the Signal chat was “lawful.”
• March 25: Waltz joins Fox News and takes “full responsibility” for the Signal chat leak. Waltz added that he “100 percent” did not personally know Goldberg before the Signal debacle.”I take full responsibility. I built the group,” Waltz said on “The Ingraham Angle” March 25. “It’s embarrassing. We’re going to get to the bottom of it.”
• “I take full responsibility. I built the group,” Waltz said on “The Ingraham Angle” March 25. “It’s embarrassing. We’re going to get to the bottom of it.”
• March 26: Politico reports anonymous sources found Trump was irritated with Waltz over the leak, while the president publicly defended Waltz as “a very good man.”
• March 26: The Atlantic publishes a follow-up story that included direct texts from the Signal chat, but notably did not include the phrase “war plans” in its headline, instead characterizing the texts as “attack plans.”
• March 26: Administration officials slam the Atlantic’s follow-up story as exposing a “hoax” against Trump. Waltz also doubled-down that the Signal messages published in the Atlantic article did not include, “locations. No sources & methods. NO WAR PLANS.”
• March 26: Leavitt says Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency team would help investigate the Signal leak.
• March 28: Politico reports Trump did not want to fire Waltz and “give the press a scalp,” according to anonymous sources reportedly familiar with private discussions.
• March 30: Goldberg joins NBC News’ Kristen Welker and says Waltz’s claims the two had never met or spoken are “simply not true.”
• March 31: Leavitt declares Signal case is “closed,” reiterating that “Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team.”
• April 1: Washington Post reports Waltz and National Security Counsel staff used Gmail to conduct government business. NSC spokesman Brian Hughes pushed back on the Washington Post report in a comment provided to Fox Digital Thursday:”This is the latest attempt to distract the American people from President Trump’s successful national security agenda that’s protecting our nation. Let me reiterate, NSA Waltz received emails and calendar invites from legacy contacts on his personal email and cc’d government accounts for anything since January 20th to ensure compliance with records retention, and he has never sent classified material over his personal email account or any unsecured platform.”
• “This is the latest attempt to distract the American people from President Trump’s successful national security agenda that’s protecting our nation. Let me reiterate, NSA Waltz received emails and calendar invites from legacy contacts on his personal email and cc’d government accounts for anything since January 20th to ensure compliance with records retention, and he has never sent classified material over his personal email account or any unsecured platform.”
• April 1: House Oversight Democrats open investigation into Waltz’s use of Gmail.
• April 2: Politico reports Waltz’s office set up at least 20 different Signal group chats to coordinate with other officials. NSC pushes back that Signal is allowed on government devices and is an app used by both the Biden and Trump administrations:”Signal is an approved, encrypted messaging app and any claim NSC officials sending classified information over these channels is false. It can be used for unclassified messaging and a user has the responsibility to preserve any official record created,” Hughes said in Thursday comment provided to Fox Digital. “Some in NSC, like those in the media and many areas across the federal government, use the Signal app. There are federal agencies that automatically install the app on government devices, as was testified to in congressional hearings last week. Using Signal to send unclassified information is appropriate and these same facts have been reported multiple times in the last few days. All communications are a reflection of a thoughtful dialog of those committed to the effective implementation of the President’s agenda.”
• “Signal is an approved, encrypted messaging app and any claim NSC officials sending classified information over these channels is false. It can be used for unclassified messaging and a user has the responsibility to preserve any official record created,” Hughes said in Thursday comment provided to Fox Digital. “Some in NSC, like those in the media and many areas across the federal government, use the Signal app. There are federal agencies that automatically install the app on government devices, as was testified to in congressional hearings last week. Using Signal to send unclassified information is appropriate and these same facts have been reported multiple times in the last few days. All communications are a reflection of a thoughtful dialog of those committed to the effective implementation of the President’s agenda.”
• April 3: The New York Times reports far-right activist Laura Loomer reportedly presented Trump with a list of National Security Counsel staff who have been disloyal and should be fired.
• April 3: Trump confirms some members at NSC have been fired. He told the media that Loomer was not involved with the firings of the NSC members on Thursday.

National security advisor Mike Waltz speaks during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House, March 25, 2025. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the matter, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

The House and Senate are a long way from approving President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” to cut spending, slash taxes and likely raise the debt ceiling.

But the next step in the process begins unfolding Thursday afternoon and over the next 48 hours.

The Senate likely votes between 4 and 6 p.m. ET Thursday to actually “proceed” to a retooled budget framework. The framework is necessary under special budget rules the Senate is using to avoid a filibuster, which would kill the bill.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: APRIL FOOLS’ ON CAPITOL HILL

The next step in the budget process begins unfolding Thursday afternoon and over the next 48 hours. (Getty Images)

If the Senate fails to proceed, Republicans have major problems. But if the Senate can forge ahead, then it can actually launch up to 50 hours of debate on the updated budget package and go to what’s called a “vote-a-rama” on Friday evening. The Senate would presumably finish this step in the process and adopt the new framework in the wee hours of Saturday morning or perhaps during the day on Saturday.

A “vote-a-rama” is really just a very Senate way of saying “long vote series which probably runs all night.” The Senate rifles through roll call vote after roll call vote for hours on end. Most vote-a-ramas run 10–15 hours. They are always related to the budget process. And, because of special budget rules, senators can offer an unlimited number of amendments — and that’s why there are so many votes.

Republicans will try to get through this process as quickly as possible — although some conservatives may offer amendments for additional debt reduction or something related to the debt ceiling.

DEMOCRAT REP VOWS TO WORK WITH TRUMP ON KEY PART OF TARIFF PLAN: ‘HOPING THAT I CAN HELP’

The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on May 16, 2024. (Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Democrats will likely offer a host of amendments to get vulnerable Republicans on the record about controversial issues like possible cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and even tariffs.

The bottom line is this:

There is high interest in Congress advancing the “big, beautiful bill.” It’s the touchstone of Trump’s legislative agenda and probably the most significant piece of legislation to come before Congress over the next two years. But getting to a point where the House and Senate can actually try to approve the bill itself is an exhaustive process and months away. However, this incremental step is essential to getting there. And that’s why interested parties will focus on the vote-a-rama starting Friday night and when it ends.

Also, why start this process so late on a Thursday and compel the Senate to meet on a Friday night and into the weekend? Especially when the Senate has had multiple weekend sessions already this year and several overnight sessions? That includes the all-night, record-breaking speech by Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., earlier this week.

There is some method to the madness.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. (Senate Democrats YouTube channel)

First, the Senate needs to get through this step. Time is of the essence. But secondly, Fox is told that holding off until later in the week could limit the length of the vote-a-rama if the Senate doesn’t start until Friday night. That isn’t to say the vote-a-rama won’t be long and tiring. But it could abbreviate the process.

Let’s take a step backward so we can look forward on what the House and Senate must still do to pass the tax cut and spending cut plan. There are potentially eight steps here. The Senate motion over the next few days is step three.

In February, the Senate adopted an initial budget outline so it could use the special “budget reconciliation process” and avoid a filibuster.

The House approved its own version of a budget outline in late February — even though the consequences of the filibuster mean nothing to the House. But the issue was that the House and Senate approved different budget frameworks. They still need to sync up.

So those were steps one and two of this protracted process.

The Senate’s vote-a-rama — culminating with the adoption of a new, updated budget blueprint — is step three.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., left, and Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (Reuters)

Step four likely comes next week when the Senate’s updated package goes to the House. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., indicated Wednesday night he’d like the House to align with the Senate framework next week. So that entails another vote. However, some archconservatives might look askance at the Senate’s spending cut numbers. Those close to the Senate process have told Fox that those figures represent a “floor” for spending cuts. Not a “ceiling.” But the ultimate Senate number might not please as many House conservatives.

Why does the Senate do it this way? To comply with specific, strict Senate budgetary rules.

Johnson seemed buoyed last night after he swore in new Reps. Jimmy Patronis, R-Fla., and Randy Fine, R-Fla., on Wednesday night.

“The margin is a little more comfortable. It’s an embarrassment of riches. Now we can lose, what, three votes now or something,” he said.

Yours truly asked Patronis if he and Fine would vote for the still incomplete package when it comes over from the Senate.

“I vote for my speaker,” replied Patronis.

“Right!” piped up Johnson.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a news conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 22. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

It’s possible the speaker was glad to have some backup after one of the worst weeks of his tenure. Johnson lost an internecine fight over proxy voting for members who are pregnant or new moms. That blocked the House from considering other major bills and forced him to shut the House down for the rest of the week on Tuesday.

Regardless, if the House adopts the plan now before the Senate, they go to steps five and six. That’s where the House and Senate actually assemble, debate and presumably pass the bill itself. Those steps will be the most challenging set yet. And it likely involves yet another vote-a-rama in the Senate.

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Then, we may have steps seven and eight. That’s where the House and Senate may need to take yet another set of votes to align again — if both bodies have approved different bills.

That’s why passing the “big, beautiful bill” may take until summer. And there will undoubtedly be additional hiccups along the way.

President Donald Trump said he supports letting new moms in Congress vote by proxy, putting him at odds with House Speaker Mike Johnson.

“You’re having a baby, I think you should be able to call in and vote,” Trump told reporters Thursday on Air Force One. “I’m in favor of that.”

“I don’t know why it’s controversial,” he added.

He said he had spoken with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., one of the lead GOP voices behind the plan.

ANNA PAULINA LUNA FORCES HOUSE LEADERSHIP’S HAND ON PROXY VOTING AS GOP WAR ESCALATES

President Trump said he supports proxy voting for new mothers in Congress. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Luna and Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo., are pushing a proposal that would let new parents vote by proxy for 12 weeks while caring for their newborns. With 218 lawmakers backing the move, it has enough support to force a vote.

Johnson, however, has historically opposed proxy voting, previously calling it unconstitutional and warning it was misused under then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi during COVID. But after Trump’s endorsement, Luna revealed that Johnson reached out to her.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is pushing for proxy voting for new parents in Congress. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“@SpeakerJohnson has called me after POTUS statement and we discussed limiting the vote to just new moms who cannot physically travel in event of emergency etc. This is smart,” Luna tweeted. “Remember: only 13 in US history.”

ANNA PAULINA LUNA RESIGNS FROM HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS, SAYS ‘MUTUAL RESPECT’ WAS ‘SHATTERED’

Johnson had tried to kill the effort earlier this week, but nine Republicans joined all Democrats to block him, voting 206-222. After the loss, Johnson canceled votes for the rest of the week.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has opposed proxy voting. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Despite the setback, Luna made it clear the issue isn’t about advancing any legislation for the president, saying she personally told Johnson as much.

It is unclear whether the issue will be brought back for a vote on the House floor before the April Recess.

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The offices of House Speaker Mike Johnson and Representative Anna Paulina Luna did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content.

Here’s what’s happening…

-Newsom foe picked by Trump for key prosecutor job vows to ‘dismantle’ sanctuary state shields

–Trump’s DOGE push slashes millions in DEI contracts funding ‘divisive ideologies’ in blue states

-Hawley, Senate Judiciary panel to hear from muzzled Meta whistleblower next week

Signal Chat Snowball

President Donald Trump’s national security advisor, Mike Waltz, has repeatedly landed in hot water in recent days, beginning with an uproar from Democrats over a Signal chat leak with high-ranking national security officials that has since snowballed. 

Trump and his administration, however, repeatedly have defended the national security leader publicly. 

Waltz, who previously served as a Florida congressman and as a decorated combat Green Beret, has come under fire from Democrats and critics since March, when the Atlantic magazine’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg published a firsthand account of getting added to a Signal group chat with top national security leaders, including Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, while they discussed strikes against Yemen terrorists…Read more

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and President Trump.  (Getty Images)

White House

‘NAZI NEPO BABY’: Unearthed photo shows smiling Obama touring SpaceX alongside ‘Nazi nepo baby’ Elon Musk

‘CASH AVALANCHE’: President Trump, conservatives celebrate ‘absolutely massive’ Florida special elections sweep

‘THE PATIENT LIVED’: Trump issues ‘prognosis’ for US after tariffs in medical metaphor

WASHINGTON, DC  April 2, 2025: US President Donald Trump during a Make America Wealthy Again event in the Rose Garden of the White House on Wednesday April 2, 2025. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

CHANGE OF POLICY: Trump admin moves to more easily fire federal workers at 2 agencies: report

COURT TURBULENCE: Trump faces Judge Boasberg over migrant deportation flights defying court order

World Stage

‘REAL LEADERSHIP’: Trump invites El Salvador’s Bukele to White House for ‘working visit’

COSMIC CLASH: Space Force chief fires off dire warning about Chinese capability to knock out US satellites

‘RESTORING DIALOGUE’: Kremlin official says he’s meeting Trump admin in first Russian visit to US since Ukraine war

Russia President Putin and President Trump (Getty Images)

Capitol Hill

UNLIKELY ALLY: Trump gets rare Democrat support for new tariffs: ‘This is a good start’

‘LONG-OVERDUE’: Trump’s GOP allies praise new tariff strategy, Dem critics say they will only make life more difficult

‘UNBELIEVABLY DISLOYAL’: Senate approves resolution against Trump’s Canada tariffs hours after ‘Liberation Day’ event

CALIFORNIA CLASH: Congress barrels toward showdown over Biden-era rule letting California ban gas cars

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ambitious electric vehicle agenda is getting severe pushback from House Republicans (Shutterstock/Getty Images/Smith Collection)

POWER STRUGGLE: Bipartisan senators’ bill would require Congress to approve new tariffs

GOOD TIMING: House Democrats to head to U.S.-Mexico border in California to scrutinize Trump security policies

Across America 

‘FULL SUPPORT’: Top House Republican backs Byron Donalds for Florida governor

FIRST ON FOX: Washington Post article hyping anti-DOGE protesters in deep red state omits crucial details

DOWNWARD DOGE: Musk’s political baggage: Polls show Americans sour on Trump’s most visible advisor

Elon Musk’s Tesla showroom locations have faced repeated protests over his role in DOGE.  (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

WATCHDOG: Pentagon watchdog opens probe into Hegseth’s use of Signal to discuss Houthi attack plans

ONE-WAY TICKET: ICE says it deported 174 criminal migrants from Texas, including a man with 39 illegal entries

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

President Donald Trump said he wants Elon Musk to stay on his team “as long as possible” during a conversation with reporters Thursday, adding DOGE had found something “horrible” without divulging details.

The president made his remarks during a conversation with reporters on Air Force One after Trump was asked how much longer Musk would stay on as a “special government employee.” 

The questions followed a report from Politico this week claiming Trump had told his inner circle that Musk will be leaving his role as a “special government employee” with DOGE soon. The report cited internal frustrations with Musk’s “unpredictability” and his potential to be a “political liability.”  

“Elon is fantastic. He’s a patriot,” Trump told reporters, adding Musk can stay at the White House “as long as he’d like” and that he personally wants him to stay “as long as possible.”

JD VANCE FIRES BACK AT CRITICS OF TRUMP TARIFFS, ADDRESSES ELON MUSK’S DOGE FUTURE

“I like smart people, and he’s a smart person. I also like him, personally,” Trump added. “We’re in no rush. But there will be a point at which time Elon’s going to have to leave.”

Elon Musk is celebrating a new poll that found most voters agree there should be a government agency dedicated to efficiency and that DOGE is helping make major spending cuts.  (Getty Images)

“Special government employees” are permitted to work for the federal government for “no more than 130 days in a 365-day period,” according to data from the Office of Government Ethics. Musk’s 130-day timeframe, beginning on Inauguration Day, would expire May 30.

When asked if he would consider appointing Musk to a different post to keep him around longer, Trump said that could be a possibility. 

“I would. I think Elon’s great,” Trump responded. “But he also has a company to run, or a number of companies to run.”

MUSK NOT LEAVING YET, WRAPPING UP WORK ON SCHEDULE ONCE ‘INCREDIBLE WORK AT DOGE IS COMPLETE’: WHITE HOUSE  

According to the president, “the secretaries” within his cabinet will take over the work Musk has been doing with DOGE upon Musk’s exit from DOGE.

That work, Trump added, found something “horrible” and “incredible” today, but he would not divulge further details to reporters.

New York Times opinion writers despair over the Trump administration’s first fifty days.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Musk’s work with DOGE officially began after President Trump signed an executive order establishing the office Jan. 20. The role of “special government employee” was created in 1962 to permit the executive or legislative branch to hire temporary employees for specific short-term initiatives.

When asked for a specific date of Musk’s potential departure, the president responded that it could be as long as “a few months.”

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“I’d keep him as long as I can keep him,” Trump told reporters earlier this week. “He’s a very talented guy. You know, I love very smart people. He’s very smart. And he’s done a good job.”

The president added on Air Force One that he envisions many of the employees working under Musk at DOGE will eventually find their way into full-time positions in various federal agencies.

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg on Thursday grilled Trump administration lawyers over whether they defied a court order blocking deportations under a wartime immigration law — a potential step toward holding the administration in contempt.

At issue is the administration’s use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan nationals, including alleged members of the violent Tren de Aragua gang. Boasberg pressed Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign on why the government appeared to ignore an emergency injunction last month halting those deportations.

The administration has appealed the underlying case to the Supreme Court. But for now, Boasberg is weighing whether there is probable cause to move forward with contempt proceedings — a question that remained open after a tense exchange in court.

Boasberg said he would issue a decision as early as next week on how to proceed if he finds grounds to hold the administration in contempt.

WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS?

James Boasberg, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, attends a panel discussion at an annual American Board Association meeting in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. (Drew Angerer/AFP)

During the hearing, Ensign was repeatedly questioned about who in the Trump administration had information about the flights and when the three deportation flights left U.S. soil for El Salvador. At least 261 migrants were deported that day, including more than 100 Venezuelan nationals who were subject to removal “solely on the basis” of the law temporarily blocked by the court.

“You maintain that the government was in full compliance with the court’s order on March 15, correct?” Boasberg asked Ensign. 

Ensign said yes, to which the judge responded: “It seems to me the government acted in bad faith that day.” 

“If you really believed everything you did that day was legal and would survive a court challenge, you would not have operated the way that you did,” Boasberg said.  

‘WOEFULLY INSUFFICIENT’: US JUDGE REAMS TRUMP ADMIN FOR DAYS-LATE DEPORTATION INFO

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg stands for a portrait at E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C. on March 16, 2023. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

He repeatedly questioned Ensign about his knowledge of the flights and whether any related materials were classified, which could have triggered state secrets protections.

Government lawyers have refused to share information in court about the deportation flights, and whether the plane (or planes) of migrants knowingly departed U.S. soil after the judge ordered them not to do so, citing national security protections. 

But according to Ensign, that may not have been an issue. He told Boasberg the flight information likely wasn’t classified, prompting the judge to wonder aloud why it hadn’t been shared with him in an ex parte setting.

“Can you think of one instance” where the state secrets privilege was invoked using unclassified info? he asked Ensign, who struggled to respond.

“Pretty sketchy,” Boasberg said aloud in response.

Another focus of Thursday’s hearing was timing — both when President Donald Trump signed the proclamation authorizing use of the Alien Enemies Act, and when federal agents began loading planes with migrants bound for El Salvador.

Boasberg noted that the Trump administration began loading the planes the morning of March 15, hours before the flights left the U.S.

“So then it’s not crazy to infer there was prior knowledge and actions ahead of the Saturday night deportations?” he asked Ensign.

The judge pressed the lawyer over the names, locations and agencies of individuals who were privy to the removals, as well as internal conversations with other administration officials who may have been listening in to the court proceedings.

“Who did you tell about my order?” Boasberg asked. “Once the hearing was done, who did you tell?”

Ensign says he relayed the information to Department of Homeland Security contacts and State Department officials, among others.

President Donald Trump, left, and U.S. District Judge James Boasberg. (Getty Images)

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He listed the names of the individuals, at Boasberg’s request, which the judge then carefully transcribed onto a pad of paper, interjecting at times to clarify the spelling or ask for their job titles.

The hearing is the latest in a flurry of legal battles over the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act. It follows Boasberg’s order requiring officials to explain why they failed to comply with his directive to return the deportation flights — and whether they knowingly defied the court.

Boasberg told both sides he would see them again next week for arguments on the plaintiffs’ preliminary injunction motion, set for Tuesday.

The hearing also marks the latest clash between Trump and Boasberg, whom the president has publicly denounced as an “activist” judge and called for his impeachment. 

Dr. Mehmet Oz will serve as the next administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services after the full Senate voted along party lines to confirm his nomination on Thursday. 

The former daytime TV doctor turned politician will be in charge of nearly $1.5 trillion in federal healthcare spending. His duties will entail overseeing Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), including directing decisions related to how the government covers procedures, hospital stays and medication, as well as the reimbursement rates at which healthcare providers get paid for their services.   

Medicare is a federal healthcare program for seniors aged 65 and up, and currently provides coverage to about 65 million Americans, according to the Center for Medicare Advocacy. Medicaid, a public health assistance program for people with low incomes, covers roughly 72 million Americans, according to Medicaid.gov. Meanwhile, CHIP, which provides free or low-cost health coverage for eligible low-income children and family members, assists around 7.2 million individuals. 

HHS DOWNSIZING BEGINS AMID RFK JR. ‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN’ PUSH: ‘WIN-WIN FOR TAXPAYERS’

GOP Senate candidate Mehmet Oz is greeted by former president Donald Trump at a rally to support local candidates at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Sept. 3, 2022 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A graduate of Harvard University, Oz received medical and business degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a former heart surgeon who saw his fame rise through his appearances on daytime television, including “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” and 13 seasons of “The Dr. Oz Show.”

Oz later transitioned into politics, launching an unsuccessful bid for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat in 2022. He lost to John Fetterman, then the state’s lieutenant governor.

NEW BIPARTISAN PROPOSAL TARGETS ‘ONE OF THE MOST EGREGIOUS’ KINDS OF FRAUD RAVAGING HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY

Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz speaks at a campaign rally ahead of the midterm elections in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, Nov. 7, 2022. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

“Dr. Oz has a strong desire to modernize CMS and encourage healthy lifestyles for all Americans, including by focusing on the underlying causes of chronic disease and implementing innovative technologies,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said Thursday.

Crapo, who led Oz’s nomination process at the committee level, commended Oz for his “diligence and accessibility” throughout the process, including his willingness to answer “hundreds” of questions for the record.

Those questions came from both Republicans and Democrats. They included asking about Oz’s stance on abortion, transgender medical treatments, Medicare privatization, prescription drug pricing and more. Potential financial conflicts of interest were also a concern among Democratic lawmakers throughout Oz’s confirmation process. Oz has committed to divesting any holdings that may pose an issue. 

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Thursday’s confirmation comes as the Trump administration continues to work to finalize the rest of its political appointments, including notably the president’s pick to be the next United Nations ambassador and his pick for director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

Per The Washington Post’s “political appointee tracker,” there are currently still 233 nominees being considered by the Senate.

President Donald Trump laid out his plans for imposing a host of new tariffs on imports to the U.S. Wednesday — a day his administration touted as “Liberation Day” and vowed would restore the American dream. 

Trump unveiled the new tariffs in a ceremony at the White House’s Rose Garden for a “Make America Wealthy Again” event, where he declared that these new duties would usher in a wave of jobs for U.S. workers. 

“For nations that treat us badly, we will calculate the combined rate of all their tariffs, nonmonetary barriers and other forms of cheating,” Trump said Wednesday. 

“And because we are being very kind, we will charge them approximately half of what they are and have been charging us,” he said. “So, the tariffs will be not a full reciprocal. I could have done that. Yes. But it would have been tough for a lot of countries.”

THESE ARE THE ‘DIRTY 15’ COUNTRIES TRUMP MIGHT TARGET WITH LIBERATION DAY TARIFFS

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick holds a chart as President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025.  (Mark Schiefelbein/The Associated Press )

The Trump administration’s tariff plan sets out a baseline duty of 10% on all imports to the U.S., while customized tariffs will be set for countries who have higher tariffs in place on American goods. The baseline tariffs of 10% will take effect on Saturday, while the others will take effect on April 9. 

The Trump administration previously imposed a 25% tariff on imported auto vehicles, up to 25% tariffs on certain goods from Mexico and Canada, as well as a 20% tariff on shipments from China. The White House said that tariffs already imposed on Canada and Mexico remain unaltered. However, new tariffs on China will be coupled with existing duties on Beijing. 

Here is a look at the tariff rates that the Trump administration imposed as part of Liberation Day:

• China: 34% (not including previous 20% tariffs)
• European Union: 20%
• South Korea: 25%
• India: 26%
• Vietnam: 46%
• Taiwan: 32%
• Japan: 24%
• Thailand: 36%
• Switzerland: 31%
• Indonesia: 32%
• Malaysia: 24%
• Cambodia: 49%
• United Kingdom: 10%
• South Africa: 30%
• Brazil: 10%
• Bangladesh: 37%
• Singapore: 10%
• Israel: 17%
• Philippines: 17%
• Chile: 10%
• Australia: 10%
• Pakistan: 29%
• Turkey: 10%
• Sri Lanka: 44%
• Colombia: 10%

The Trump administration provided a chart of the tariff rates other countries charge on U.S. imports, suggesting that the tariffs the U.S. was imposing were not nearly as stringent as they could have been in order to reach reciprocity. 

For example, the chart says that Japan has imposed a 46% tariff on U.S. goods, while the U.S. is only implementing a 24% tariff on Japanese goods imported to the U.S. 

Why Trump wants tariffs

Trump and his administration have long railed against other countries’ trade practices and accused them of engaging in unfair trade practices against the U.S. — and argued that tariffs will help return manufacturing jobs to the U.S. As a result, he and his administration have called for employing tariffs to address the nation’s 2024 record $1.2 trillion trade deficit. 

“For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike,” Trump said Wednesday. 

Tariffs function as a tax that governments collect on foreign goods and services that manufacturers import. They are collected while undergoing customs clearance in foreign ports, according to the International Trade Administration. 

The tariffs are expected to affect a host of goods, ranging from electronics, like iPhones that are predominantly manufactured in China, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, to wine and other alcoholic beverages originating from European Union countries, like Italy. 

Trump’s new tariffs prompted backlash from members of both parties in Congress, who have warned that the tariffs will raise prices for American consumers. 

Specifically, the Senate moved to approve a resolution by a 51–48 margin Wednesday evening following Trump’s announcement that would rescind the emergency declaration on fentanyl trafficking that Trump used to justify duties on Canada. Four Republicans joined the voting with Democrats in support of the resolution, although it has low odds of passing in the Republican-controlled House. 

Meanwhile, other countries have spoken out against the tariffs, including allies like Canada and Australia. 

TRUMP TOUTS RETURN OF ‘AMERICAN DREAM’ IN HISTORIC TARIFF ANNOUNCEMENT 

Scott Bessent, U.S. treasury secretary, departs following a tariff announcement in the Rose Garden of the White House, April 2, 2025.  (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“In our judgment, it will be negative on the U.S. economy that will have an impact on us,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters Wednesday. 

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese characterized the Trump administration’s new duties as “not the act of a friend” during a press conference Thursday. 

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Meanwhile, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent cautioned other countries against retaliating in response to the new tariffs, warning that the U.S. would not hesitate to take action again. 

“My advice to every country right now: Do not retaliate,” Bessent said in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday. “If you retaliate, there will be escalation.”

The Associated Press and Fox News’ Emma Colton and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report. 

A delegation of House Democratic lawmakers will visit a portion of the southern border on Friday to conduct oversight of the Trump administration’s border policies “firsthand” as authorities continue the president’s mass deportation program. 

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-MS., the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, will lead the delegation. 

Also going will be Reps. Lou Correa and Sara Jacobs, both of California; Delia Ramirez of Illinois; LaMonica McIver and Nellie Pou, both of New Jersey; and Tim Kennedy of New York.

TRUMP ADMIN ENDS DEPORTATION PROTECTIONS FOR MASSIVE NUMBER OF VENEZUELANS AMID ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN

A group of adult and child migrants are smuggled at the Tijuana-San Diego border. (Carlos Moreno/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital has reached out to Thompson’s office. The lawmakers will visit the U.S. Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector. 

San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, who has called for greater border security in the past, criticized the timing of the visit. 

“For years, I invited leaders from both parties to witness the crisis at our Southern Border,” he wrote on X. “Few listened. Now—just one month into the new administration—border crossings are down 95%. Now the Democrats want to come see it? The invasion is over. The border is secure.”

TRUMP REPORTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT HISTORIC LOWS DURING FIRST FULL MONTH IN OFFICE

Chairman Rep. Bernie Thompson (D-MS) speaks before the House Select Committee. (Getty Images)

The Trump administration has deported more than 100,000 illegal migrants in the weeks since Trump returned to the White House on Jan. 20, according to a New York Post report citing a Department of Homeland Security official.

“He’s doing what he was voted in to do. Point blank!” a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) source told the outlet.

A Marine looks towards Tijuana, Mexico, standing between two border walls in San Diego. A group of House Democrats will visit the border in San Diego on Friday.  (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

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Trump’s second term, much like his first, has consisted of executive orders, enforcing current laws and hard-line messaging to clamp down on illegal crossings. On his first day back in office, he declared a national emergency at the southern border.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report. 

The father of a 31-year-old Marine veteran from Arizona who was murdered at an illegal checkpoint while driving to the beach in Mexico in 2024 said he did not expect Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to reference his son’s name when announcing new sanctions against the Sinaloa cartel this week.  

Doug Quets, a U.S. military veteran himself, whose son, Nicholas Quets, served for four years in the Marines, said he was “really humbled and pleasantly surprised” that Bessent remembered him, as well as another American, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. Camarena was abducted, tortured and killed in 1985. 

Bessent named both men in a video statement released Monday – what would have been Nicholas Quets’ 32nd birthday – that announced Treasury Department sanctions against six individuals and seven entities allegedly involved in a money-laundering network supporting the Sinaloa cartel. 

“I had full faith in President Trump… I knew we weren’t forgotten, but when the secretary mentioned my son’s name, no, I was not. I was not expecting that,” Doug Quets told Fox News Digital. “I have the faith in a lot of different levels of our government and in God that things could be done, because in fact, if you apply, if you pursue these problems and you confront these problems, they’re basically bullies, right? And so if you let the bullies go, they become bolder and bolder. But if you confront them, you can defeat them. So the momentum against these groups is palpable right now. I mean, you can feel it, you know that that’s occurring. And that’s only because of the United States deciding to do something about it.” 

SINALOA CARTEL SLAPPED WITH TRUMP ADMIN SANCTIONS IN BLOW TO DRUG EMPIRE

Nicholas Douglas Quets, a 31-year-old Marine veteran, loved being on the water, his family said. (Quets family )

Quets noted the contrast between the Trump administration’s message and what he heard from officials on both sides of the border five and a half months ago. He said his grieving family was told repeatedly by officials in the wake of Nicholas’ slaying in the Mexican state of Sonora that “we’re sorry, but there’s nothing that can be done.” 

“That, to me, is just infuriating because [as] somebody that’s spent a lot of time providing security for others and promoting welfare, the knowledge that nothing can be done against bullies and criminals, that perspective is wrong. You just have to confront it,” Quets told Fox News Digital. “We can win any fight. And we can win this fight. And knowing that President Trump is taking it very seriously, yeah, that gives me hope, gives my family hope that this will come to a good ending for so many people. It’ll never come to good ending for me, the things we want back, you know, they’re not coming back, but we can protect your family. We can protect other families.” 

Quets praised Trump for using “all instruments of U.S. national power” against the cartels and described receiving “overwhelming” support from the National Security Council, Justice Department and the FBI.

“It’s moving, it never moves as fast as you want as a parent, but he has taken our case very seriously, and I’m super happy for that. And everything we discussed, he has moved out on and as fast, I’m convinced, as fast as he could,” Quets said. 

About three weeks ago, Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had a “powerful and emotional phone call” with Judge Enrique Camarena, the son of murdered DEA Special Agent Camarena, following the extradition of his alleged killer, Rafael Caro Quintero. Quintero was among 29 defendants taken into U.S. custody in February to face prosecution in the United States for cartel-related crimes dating back to the 1980s. 

FAMILY OF MARINE VETERAN MURDERED IN MEXICO BACKS TRUMP, VANCE AFTER SILENCE FROM BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN

Quets declined to reveal updates about his son’s case amid the active investigation but welcomed those extraditions as a sign of the growing momentum from U.S. agencies in confronting this “evil.” 

“I am pleased. I’m not surprised because I did know it could be done. And I did feel like it would be done under President Trump, but I’m pleased that these extraditions have started,” Quets said.

Donald Trump holds a photo of Marine veteran Nicholas Douglas Quets, who was allegedly killed in Mexico by cartel members, as his parents, retired Army Lt. Col. Warren Douglas Quets and Patricia, speak during a campaign rally on Oct. 31, 2024, in Henderson, Nevada. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Nicholas Quets, who was employed by Pima County, Arizona, in water reclamation and ran his own side business as a welder at the time of his death, was making a drive many Americans had made before down to the Mexican beach town of Rocky Point when he was murdered on Oct. 18, 2024, during the height of the election campaign, after evading an illegal checkpoint in Caborca, according to his father. 

The family later learned the route had become more treacherous with rival cartels fighting over the area, and two elderly American women were killed at a similar checkpoint about a month beforehand, though that story received little news coverage at the time. Nicholas Quets was pursued by cartel members on an about seven-mile chase before they ran his 1996 Ford F-250 into a cement median, and the alleged cartel members “shot him in the back as cowards,” according to Doug Quets. 

Just days after his son’s murder, Doug Quets said he met with vice presidential candidate and then-Sen. JD Vance, of Ohio, while he was campaigning in Arizona. Trump also met with the grieving father, who praised both Republicans for their humanity in speaking with him for about 15 minutes each while they were in the “fight of their lives” in the swing state. 

Doug Quets said he was ignored by Democratic vice-presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’ team when he made a campaign stop in the state. Trump later invited the Quets family to a rally in nearby Arizona, and Doug Quets said Trump unexpectedly introduced him to the crowd and invited him on stage to speak. 

“There was no script, there was nothing else. President Trump just put all his blind faith in me to just tell the truth,” Quets said. “Nick was an innocent U.S. citizen driving to the beach and was executed by cowards in the back.” 

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“You have to accept the fact that, you know, there is good and there is bad and there is evil in the world. And my son, through no fault of his own, confronted evil. And that evil, you know, is now being held accountable and is going to be made to pay.”

President Donald Trump and other leading conservatives are celebrating a special election sweep in Florida, calling it a “huge win for America” and a rebuke to Democrat hopes for an upset in the deep red state.

The races, in Florida’s 1st and 6th Congressional Districts, which Trump carried by 37 and 30 points in last year’s presidential election, are being viewed as early referendums on the opening couple of months of Trump’s second tour of duty in the White House.

Republican candidates Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine each won their elections soundly by margins of 15 and 14 percent, respectively. Patronis, a former Florida chief financial officer under Gov. Ron DeSantis, replaces former Rep. Matt Gaetz and Fine, a state senator, will replace Mike Waltz, the current national security adviser for the Trump administration.  

Though both races were in solidly red districts, the Democratic candidates far outraised the GOP, with the party pouring in millions of dollars in hopes of using frustrations with the early Trump administration to ride to victory and cut into the GOP’s miniscule majority in the House.

FORMER DESANTIS OFFICIAL DEFEATS DEM FOR MATT GAETZ’S HOUSE SEAT

President Donald Trump and other leading conservatives are celebrating a special election sweep in Florida, calling it a “huge win for America” and a rebuke to Democrat hopes for an upset in the deep red state. (Fox News Digital/Getty)

Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday night to celebrate both wins, calling Patronis’ victory a “great WIN against a massive CASH AVALANCHE.”

“Both Florida House seats have been won, big, by the Republican candidate,” the president wrote, adding, “The Trump endorsement, as always, proved far greater than the Democrats forces of evil.”

“CONGRATULATIONS TO AMERICA!!!” he said.

In response to another Trump post Tuesday night which simply said, “RANDY FINE WINS!!!” Fine responded, “Because of you, Mr. President. I won’t let you down.”

GOP STATE SENATOR WINS FLORIDA SPECIAL ELECTION, EXTENDS GOP HOUSE MAJORITY

Republican Randy Fine took on Democrat Josh Weil Tuesday during Florida’s special election for the 6th Congressional District. (Getty/AP)

Republican influencer Charlie Kirk pointed out that Patronis won, despite his opponent raising $6.5 million compared to Patronis’ $2.1 million.

Influencer Benny Johnson also brought up the fundraising differential, pointing out that Fine won despite Democrats investing over $10 million for his opponent.  

“Absolutely massive win,” said Johnson.

“HUGE win for the Trump agenda, as we now have an extra Republican vote in the House,” commented social media personality Nick Sortor. “Democrats poured over $10 million into the race, but still got blown out of the water.”

SCOOP: TRUMP ALLY DONALDS SHOWCASES CAMPAIGN CASH SURGE SINCE ANNOUNCING FLORIDA GOVERNOR RUN

“Both Florida House seats have been won, big, by the Republican candidate,” the president wrote, adding, “The Trump endorsement, as always, proved far greater than the Democrats forces of evil.” (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Florida, who is currently running to be Florida’s next governor, also chimed in, calling the victories a huge win.

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“Thank you to the thousands of Floridians who showed-up for our nation during this Special Election,” Donalds wrote. “This is a huge win for America, saves our House Majority, & helps us to pass the Trump Agenda.”