Trump administration live updates: Musk leaves the White House; court rules against Trump's tariffs
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Elon Musk said on X last night that he is leaving the administration, capping his tenure targeting wasteful federal government spending under the Department of Government Efficiency.
A federal trade court ruled against several of Trump's tariffs on U.S. trading partners, saying the president had exceeded his authority and that some of his executive orders were 'invalid, as contrary to law.'
Democratic former Rep. Abigail Spanberger is launching her first TV ad of the 2025 Virginia governor's race as she ramps up her campaign in the closely watched election.
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ITV News
an hour ago
- ITV News
Trump tells US steelworkers he's going to double tariffs on aluminum and steel imports to 50%
President Donald Trump says he's doubling the tariff rate on aluminum and steel to 50% from Wednesday, a dramatic increase that could further push up prices for metal used to make housing, autos and other goods. Trump made the announcement on Friday at U.S. Steel's Mon Valley Works–Irvin Plant in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, where he announced a $14 billion investment through a partnership with Japan's Nippon Steel. In a fresh escalation of his global trade war, he told the rally the move would ensure US Steel's survival and reduce the reliance on China, the world's largest steel manufacturer. The price of steel products has increased roughly 16% since Trump became president in January, according to the government's producer price index. Trump told reporters after he arrived back in Washington that he still has to approve the deal. 'I have to approve the final deal with Nippon and we haven't seen that final deal yet, but they've made a very big commitment and it's a very big investment,' he said. Though Trump initially vowed to block the Japanese steelmaker's bid to buy the Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, he reversed course and announced an agreement last week for 'partial ownership' by Nippon. However, it's unclear if the deal his administration helped broker has been finalised or how ownership would be structured. Nippon Steel has never said it is backing off its bid to outright buy and control U.S. Steel as a wholly owned subsidiary, even as it increased the amount of money it promised to invest in U.S. Steel plants and gave guarantees that it wouldn't lay off workers or close plants. 'We're here today to celebrate a blockbuster agreement that will ensure this storied American company stays an American company,' Trump said as he opened an event at one of U.S. Steel's warehouses. 'You're going to stay an American company, you know that, right?' As for the tariffs, Trump said doubling the levies on imported steel 'will even further secure the steel industry in the U.S.' But such a dramatic increase could push prices even higher. Steel prices have climbed 16% since Trump became president in mid-January, according to the government's Producer Price Index. As of March 2025, steel cost $984 a metric ton in the United States, significantly more than the price in Europe ($690) or China ($392), according to the U.S. Commerce Department. The United States produced about three times as much steel as it imported last year, with Canada, Brazil, Mexico and South Korea being the largest sources of steel imports. Analysts have credited tariffs going back to Trump's first term with helping strengthen the domestic steel industry, something that Nippon Steel wanted to capitalise on in its offer to buy U.S. Steel. However, the United Steelworkers union remain skeptical. Its president, David McCall, said in a statement that the union is most concerned 'with the impact that this merger of U.S. Steel into a foreign competitor will have on national security, our members and the communities where we live and work.' Trump stressed the deal would maintain American control of the storied company, which is seen as both a political symbol and an important matter for the country's supply chain, industries like auto manufacturing and national security. Trump, who has been eager to strike deals and announce new investments in the U.S. since retaking the White House, is also trying to satisfy voters, including blue-collar workers, who elected him as he called to protect U.S. manufacturing. U.S. Steel has not publicly communicated any details of a revamped deal to investors. Nippon Steel issued a statement approving of the proposed 'partnership' but also has not disclosed terms.
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Trump doubles steel and aluminium tariffs and threatens China and its ‘shoddy' exports in latest trade war escalation
STEELY DON Trump doubles steel and aluminium tariffs and threatens China and its 'shoddy' exports in latest trade war escalation Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DONALD Trump has announced he will double the tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to 50 per cent in his latest trade war escalation. It comes after the president's blistering global tariffs were reinstated by a federal appeals court - just a day after they were ruled illegal and sensationally blocked. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 The US President held up a chart of the tariffs he was implementing Credit: AFP While addressing workers at a US Steel plant in Pennsylvania, Trump said: "We're going to bring it from 25 per cent to 50 per cent, the tariffs on steel into the United States of America. "Nobody's going to get around that." Shortly after, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that the elevated rate would also apply to aluminum, with the new tariffs "effective Wednesday, June 4th." Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs on allies and adversaries alike in moves that have rocked the world trade order. But they became a brief legal setback earlier this week when a court ruled Trump had overstepped his authority. However, an appellate court on Thursday said the tariffs could continue while the litigation moves forward. The Court of Appeals released no official reasoning for the shifting decision. The reinstating of many of the sweeping taxes mean Trump can continue collecting tariffs under emergency powers law for the time being. Trump has always said he will appeal and take the fight all the way to the Supreme Court. Trump memorably held up a board showing rates he was about to set for individual trading partners in the White House's Rose Garden when he announced the tariffs as part of a "liberation day". China was clobbered with 34 per cent tariffs, Vietnam 46 per cent, Thailand 36 per cent and Cambodia 49 per cent. Tariffs on China were eventually increased to a whopping 145 per cent as Trump sought to begin negotiations. Washington and Beijing then signed a trade deal agreement, which Trump has now said was violated by China. More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Elon Musk told how he got black eye and was asked about alleged drug use - but obvious question never came
It was billed by the president as a press conference. But that was accurate only to the extent that there were a few select reporters asking questions in the Oval Office. They were part of the "pool", a chosen group of journalists on a rota to cover the president's movements each day. The rota used to be drawn up by the White House Correspondents Association on a rotating basis. The Trump administration has changed that. They now compile the pool. And on Friday, as it happens, the media seemed particularly compliant. The questions were soft. Painfully so. There was one on whether the president had any marital advice for his French counterpart - who appeared to be shoved by his wife the other day. Another was about whether Musk thought it was harder to colonise to Mars or reform government. There were one or two about the pressing issues of the day, like Gaza, but nothing that could be described as probing or doing what we are supposed to be there to do - hold power to account. And Musk, under Trump, has without question wielded immense power over the past few months; unprecedented for an unelected official. He upended the workings of federal government, slashing thousands of jobs. He forced the closure of whole departments like USAID, changing America's global footprint. He did it all with a sense of enjoyment. The literal chainsaw to bureaucracy was memorable. 0:53 There is little debate in America about the need to cut government bureaucracy or cut the debt. America, more than any country I have lived in, is a place full of bloat and waste. Yet it was Musk's methods which caused so much unease among his many critics. They argued that where a scalpel was definitely needed, Musk instead deployed a sledgehammer. At times, his flamboyant style was a neat distraction from the substance of Trump's sweeping policy changes. But none of that was interrogated in this "press conference". Instead, the inane questions went on. Trump was asked if he would pardon Sean "Diddy" Combs should he be convicted - he didn't say "no", but there was no follow up to examine why. He was asked if he wished he'd become a judge given that they are blocking so much of his legislation. He laughed. There was a moment when irony appeared to have died altogether. In the same breath as trumpeting his success in cutting government waste - when he has, in fact, achieved a fraction of the $2trn savings he promised - Musk congratulated Trump for deploying so much gold around the Oval Office. The presidential office has had an extensive, gaudy gold makeover costing undisclosed sums. One reporter did ask about Musk's alleged drug use. But by attributing the story to the New York Times - who have made the allegations - Musk had an easy out. "Why believe that fake news," he essentially said. Surely the obvious question was "Mr Musk, when was the last time you took ketamine or ecstasy?" It never came. We did get the answer to one burning question, trivial though it was, given what's going on in the world. But it took 41 minutes for any of the reporters to ask it: Why was Elon Musk sporting a shiner on his right eye? His five-year-old son, X, whacked him, he said. Maybe young X has some sympathy for the thousands of federal workers - ordinary Americans - who Musk fired at his president's pleasure.
