Live updates: Trump administration news on tariffs

CNN

3 days ago

Update:
Date: 2 min ago
Title: US trade representative says he'll discuss tariffs and non-tariff barriers in trade talks with EU next week
Content:
United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Friday he's going to speak with his European Union counterpart next week to discuss an EU trade deal.
'I would say that when it comes to the trade deficit, China is the biggest problem but the EU is right behind them, and when it comes to non-tariff barriers, certainly we have that in China, but we also have that in the EU with respect to their standards on industrial goods and ag (agriculture), where they effectively block a lot of our products,' Greer told CNBC.
'Obviously, with China, you have a geopolitical layer on top of that, where their geopolitical goals are different and at odds with ours, and so that's its own challenge when it comes to the pure economics. I mean, we have problems with all kinds of countries, friend or foe, and we're trying to resolve those.'
Greer said President Donald Trump's call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week 'went very well,' adding that the EU was 'responsive' to trade talks, but criticized the EU for an ongoing trade deficit.
'There is a very long list of problems in US-EU trade, where the EU has enjoyed very broad market access to the United States, and the EU, on its end, has somewhat higher tariffs than the US,' he said. 'And they have these non-tariff barriers. … These are things that have gone on for a really long time, and that's why the EU, you know, it's one reason why the EU has a $240 billion surplus with us.'
'It's not because they're competitive — we had come out several months ago saying how the EU is not competitive. So, the fact that they, despite that, managed have a huge surplus with the US certainly shows there's a structural problem there that needs to be resolved,' he added.
Update:
Date: 21 min ago
Title: Trump says he will appear with Elon Musk during an Oval Office event today
Content:
President Donald Trump announced yesterday on social media that he will have an event from the Oval Office with tech billionaire Elon Musk on today.
'I am having a Press Conference (Friday) at 1:30 P.M. EST, with Elon Musk, at the Oval Office. This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way. Elon is terrific! See you tomorrow at the White House.' Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Musk was granted special government employee status to lead the Department of Government Efficiency. He said Wednesday that his time in the Trump administration has come 'to an end.'
Update:
Date: 21 min ago
Title: State Department spokesperson says pause on new student visa appointments will not be indefinite
Content:
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the pause on new appointments for student and exchange visas will not continue indefinitely and suggested they could reopen 'perhaps sooner than later.'
The State Department on Tuesday ordered all embassies and consulates worldwide to suspend the new appointments as they prepare to expand social media screening and vetting. The diplomatic cable Tuesday noted that they expected guidance on that policy to be issued 'in the coming days.'
Asked by CNN if appointments would reopen immediately when that guidance is issued, Bruce said she couldn't say it would be immediate.
'Right now, there might be delay, and what I'm told to encourage people to do is to regularly check to see when those spaces open,' she said.
'I would not be recommending that if this was going to be weeks or months,' she said at a State Department briefing yesterday.
'I can't tell you immediately after some indeterminate moment of an action, but I can tell you that is something that would happen, perhaps sooner than later,' Bruce said.
Update:
Date: 21 min ago
Title: Vance says he will miss Musk, who is "entitled to have his opinions"
Content:
Vice President JD Vance on Thursday reflected on his relationship with Elon Musk, calling the tech billionaire a 'very good friend' and defended his continued influence on the administration, even as Musk has begun to step back and focus on his businesses.
'Elon has become a very good friend, really, over the campaign, and certainly over his time in Washington,' Vance said during an interview on Newsmax Thursday night. 'He and his kids have come over to our house, and, you know, had dinner with our kids, so I'm very close to him.'
When asked about Musk's recent criticism of Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,', Vance said 'Elon is entitled to have his opinions about the function of government.' But was quick to reaffirm his own support for the legislation.
'I still think the big, beautiful bill is the way to go,' Vance said.
Vance also praised the tech billionaire's efforts in his role leading the Department of Government Efficiency.
The vice president then pushed back on media narratives suggesting Musk's influence in Washington is fading.
'There's also an effort by the media to sort of say the Elon era is over, and I think that's actually totally wrong,' Vance said. 'Elon will continue to be an important advisor for both me and the president.'
Vance emphasized that the administration's push for government reform, a cause Musk helped shape, will move forward.
'The job of making the government more efficient, of not wasting people's money, that has to continue. I think it's one of the most important mandates that we got from the American people,' Vance said.
Update:
Date: 21 min ago
Title: Trump told Fed Chair in private meeting he was 'making a mistake by not lowering rates," White House says
Content:
President Donald Trump on Thursday met with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and relayed his view that the Fed should cut interest rates, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
'The president did say that he believes the Fed chair is making a mistake by not lowering interest rates, which is putting us at an economic disadvantage to China and other countries,' Leavitt said.
Powell met with Trump at the White House 'at the President's invitation,' the Federal Reserve said in a statement.
'Chair Powell did not discuss his expectations for monetary policy, except to stress that the path of policy will depend entirely on incoming economic information and what that means for the outlook,' the Fed said in its statement.
Remember: The meeting comes after months of unrelenting attacks from Trump against Powell over the Fed's refusal to cut rates. The president has called Powell a 'fool' and 'a major loser,' while also saying that the Fed chief's termination 'cannot come fast enough.'
Still, last month, Trump said he had 'no intention of firing' the beleaguered Fed Chair, despite suggestions he was considering it.