Trump Is Said to Push for Early Reopening of North American Trade Deal
The president wants to begin renegotiating a U.S. trade deal with Canada and Mexico earlier than a scheduled 2026 review, people familiar with his thinking said.
Federal DEI employees to be placed on paid leave
The Trump administration has directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) employees be placed on paid leave by Wednesday evening.
In a Tuesday memo to heads of departments and agencies, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) directed them to place staff on leave and to remove all DEI-related websites and social media accounts by Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Charles Ezell, OPM’s acting director, also instructed the heads to send an agency-wide notice of the closure and ask the staff about any known efforts to disguise similar programs.
The move follows President Trump’s Monday executive order entitled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.”
The move is an apparent effort to repeal President Biden’s executive order to remove potential workforce barriers for the outlined demographic in 2021.
Federal agencies and departments must report on all steps taken to comply with what is outlined in the memorandum by Thursday and provide a complete list of DEIA employees as of November 2024.
Heads are also asked to submit a written plan to fulfill Trump’s decree by Jan. 31.
“Under my leadership, we will restore fair, equal and impartial justice under the constitutional rule of law, and we are going to bring law and order back to our cities,” Trump said during his inaugural speech.
“This week, I will also end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life. We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based,” he added.
The 47th President’s First Words
When Donald Trump took the oath of office for the second time, his hand wasn’t on the Bible, an exceedingly odd omission for a president
Trump Boasts He Used Visas To Hire ‘Wine Experts’ and ‘High Quality Waiters’
President Donald Trump boasted on Tuesday that he has used H-1B visas to hire foreign “wine experts” and “high quality waiters.”
During a White House press conference, Trump was asked about the ongoing debate over H-1B visa immigration and the replacement of American workers.
“There’s been some debate within your orbit over whether or not to keep or eliminate H-1B visas. What’s your position on that?” asked a reporter. “Do you want to keep H-1Bs or do you want to get rid of them?”
Trump replied, “I like both sides of the argument, but I also like very competent people coming into our country, even if that involves them training and helping other people that may not have the qualifications they do. But I don’t want to stop, and I’m not just talking about engineers. I’m talking about people at all levels. We want competent people coming into our country.”
Getting the name of the visa wrong, Trump continued, “H-B1, [sic] I know the program very well. I use the program. Maitre d’s, wine experts, even waiters. High quality waiters. You gotta get the best people.”
He concluded, “Now, by doing that, we’re expanding businesses and that takes care of everybody. So I’m sort of on both sides of the argument, but what I really do feel is that we have to let really competent people, great people come into our country.”
Trump’s allies split into a civil war last month over H-1B visas and their relation to immigration fraud.
Billionaire Trump surrogate Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy argued in favor of the visas – with Musk endorsing a post that suggested Americans were too “retarded” to do skilled jobs – while former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon and other populists opposed the system.
Trump sided with Musk and Ramaswamy on the issue, expressing support for the importation of foreign workers.
“I have many H-1B visas on my properties,” he said. “I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program.”
Watch above via Fox News.
The post Trump Boasts He Used Visas To Hire ‘Wine Experts’ and ‘High Quality Waiters’ first appeared on Mediaite.
‘Why Would You Try To Shake My Hand?’ Doug Emhoff Rejects Senator’s Husband Who Snubbed Kamala Harris
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff was not interested in shaking the hand of a man who refused to do the same with former Vice President Kamala Harris, his wife.
As vice president, Harris swore in members of the Senate earlier this month. That included Sen. Den Fischer (R-NE), whose husband Bruce Fischer refused to shake Harris’s hand when she extended it for a shake.
Before President Donald Trump was inaugurated on Monday, Harris and Emhoff attended a ceremonial tea, which the Fischers also attended because the senator served as Trump’s inauguration co-chair. According to CNN, Bruce Fischer attempted to shake Emhoff’s hand and was rejected:
At the ceremonial tea at the White House before the motorcades headed to the US Capitol, the former second gentleman refused a handshake from Bruce Fischer, the husband of inauguration co-chair Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer, a person familiar with the interaction tells CNN.
The tense moment came after a viral exchange earlier this month when Fischer’s husband did not shake Harris’ hand as they stood in the old Senate chamber at the beginning of January for the traditional repetition of the oath and family photo with the vice president. At one point during the interaction Harris encouraged Fischer’s husband forward, saying, “I’m not going to bite, don’t worry.”
After they finished and Harris shook the third-term senator’s hand in congratulations, she reached out to Bruce Fischer, who looked down at her hand and said “thank you.”
A full-length image of the interaction shows that the GOP senator’s husband was holding a cane with one hand and the Bible for his wife’s swearing-in with his other. But the awkwardness of the moment was evident from Harris’ widened eyes and clenched teeth smile.
And it was still on Emhoff’s mind on Monday: “Why would you try to shake my hand,” he told Bruce Fischer according to the person familiar with the interaction, “when you wouldn’t shake my wife’s hand?”
CNN said that neither the senator nor Harris were involved. Bruce Fischer, the report stated, later apologized.
“And by the time they headed to the car to the Capitol, tempers had cooled and there was a cordial conversation which touched on golf, among other things,” CNN added.
The post ‘Why Would You Try To Shake My Hand?’ Doug Emhoff Rejects Senator’s Husband Who Snubbed Kamala Harris first appeared on Mediaite.
Sanders says ‘don’t equate’ Trump, Biden pardons
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Americans should not be equating the pardons issued by President Trump and former President Biden.
Sanders joined CNN’s “The Source” on Tuesday evening, where he was asked about the flurry of executive action from Trump, including pardons for Jan. 6 rioters, and how some are comparing it to the pardons seen from Biden before he left office.
Host Kaitlan Collins asked what he thought on the matter, particularly since Biden pardoned his family members.
“What I think is that he was worried that, given all of Trump’s rhetoric, that [Biden] was going to go after his family and close associates,” Sanders said. “All right, that’s a concern, but don’t equate the two.”
Sanders said he doesn’t know anyone in Trump’s family that attempted to overthrow the U.S. government.
“What Trump is saying to the world is that it is okay for you to attack police officers when you have a mind to do that,” he said. “And I think that is an outrageous message to send to the world.”
Sanders admitted that the argument could be made about whether it was the right or wrong thing for Biden to preemptively pardon his family members but said still, “It has nothing to do with what Trump did today.”
Biden’s move to pardon family was an unprecedented use of power on his last day in office. He was concerned that in his second administration, Trump would follow through on his threats of retribution. The issue divided Democrats, with some agreeing with the pardon and some disagreeing with the action.
Once Trump took office, he moved swiftly to pardon nearly all rioters who stormed the Capitol four years ago.
Both presidents’ pardons sparked scrutiny.
Sanders said Tuesday that it “says a lot” that Trump would pardon them, particularly as a supporter of law enforcement.
“To tell the entire world that we’re going to pardon people who attacked and hurt police officers is telling,” Sanders said. “I think that is a horrible message and I strongly disagree with his pardoning of those insurrectionists.”
WATCH: Donald, Melania Trump visit the Bidens at the White House
The president-elect and his wife were greeted by Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden.
Trump defends pardons for violent rioters at AI news conference
In his first news conference since returning to the Oval Office, Trump defended supporters who were convicted of violent crimes — and condemned political opponents
Rachel Maddow Shows How To Pump The Brakes On Trump
PoliticusUSA is ad-free and completely reader-supported. You can support our work by becoming a subscriber.Subscribe nowRachel Maddow devoted the first half of her show on Tuesday to the concept of
Trump administration directs federal DEI staff be put on leave
President Trump ‘s administration is directing that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on paid leave, and that agencies develop plans to lay them off, according to a memo Tuesday from the Office of Personnel Management.