# 14 things the Trump administration did this week

The eighth week of Donald Trump's second term has been marked by the dizzying ping-pong of tariffs and counter-tariffs, and Ukraine peace talks with officials from both Kyiv and Moscow.

The US president and his administration continue to make headlines as they forge ahead with their policies. Here's a quick look at some of their biggest recent moves.

## 1) Escalated trade war

Trump went ahead with his plan for a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminium products coming from the rest of the world.

But his team halted its plan to double US tariffs on imports of Canadian steel and aluminium to 50%, only hours after threatening America's northern neighbour in another skirmish in their trade war.

The rollback came after Ontario Premier Doug Ford said his province would suspend new charges of 25% on electricity that it sends across the border.

"Cooler heads prevailed," Peter Navarro, a trade adviser in the White House, told broadcaster CNBC.

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## 2) Refused to rule out a recession as stocks tumbled

Tariffs and the unpredictable threats of new ones raised concerns among investors, particularly in light of a question Trump appeared to dodge over the weekend about whether the US economy was headed for a downward turn.

In an interview on Fox News, the president who presides over the world's largest economy refused to be drawn on a question about whether there was a recession on the horizon - saying instead that the US was in a "period of transition" because "what we're doing is very big".

Those words seemed to do little to reassure confidence among investors, as the US S&P 500 share index fell nearly 3% the next day.

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## 3) Took a shot at the EU, threatening alcohol tariffs

US allies across the Atlantic also weren't spared by Trump's tariff threats, as he took to his Truth Social network on Thursday to threaten European Union countries with a 200% tariff on alcohol.

His alcohol tariffs are the latest escalation in a separate trade war with EU nations, who earlier that day unveiled their own counter-tariffs to Trump's steel and aluminium tariffs.

Trump - who has eschewed alcohol his whole life - highlighted in his social media post that the whopping 200% tariff would only cease once the EU stops a "nasty 50% tariff on whisky". He called the union "hostile and abusive".

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## 4) Extended an olive branch to Canadian premier

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the "temperature was brought down" this week between the US and Canada thanks largely to an olive branch that was extended by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

The two nations struck a more diplomatic tone by the end of the week - which began with a frenzy of tariffs and counter-tariffs.

Ford, who just last week  that Canada provides to the US, emerged from an hours-long sit-down in Washington DC with Lutnick, saying: "I can honestly say that was the best meeting I've ever had coming down here."

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## 5) Held peace talks with Ukraine and Russia

A proposal for a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine was unveiled this week in Saudi Arabia. It was the most recent step in the Trump administration's plans to secure peace in the region after more than three years of full-scale war.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz met a Ukrainian team for several hours on Tuesday. Afterwards, Kyiv said it was ready to support the immediate pause in fighting.

A separate team of US officials, led by special envoy Steve Witkoff, arrived in Moscow on Thursday to discuss the terms with Russian officials. He was met by President Vladimir Putin, who said afterwards there was still "a lot ahead to be done" on a ceasefire deal.

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## 6) Lifted suspension in aid to Ukraine

Tuesday's talks in Saudi Arabia did prompt some action. The US delegation said afterwards it would resume sending military aid to Ukraine and sharing intelligence with the embattled country - with whom its relations have recently soured.

The announcement came just days after the Pentagon announced that it would suspend sharing satellite imagery with Ukraine - technology that Kyiv relies on for tracking the movements of Russian troops and missile attacks.

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## 7) Cancelled billions worth of climate grants

As part of its drive to cut government cuts, the administration scrapped funding for $20bn (£15.4bn) worth of Biden-era climate and environmental grants on Tuesday. The projects had been frozen for weeks.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also announced plans to end the funding for more than 400 diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and environmental justice grants with about $1.7bn.

A federal judge pressed the government's lawyers on Wednesday to present "some kind of evidence" that these grants were "unlawfully done".

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## 8) Moved to deport a permanent legal US resident

The administration tried to deport a permanent legal US resident and Columbia University graduate for his participation in 2024 protests at the campus over the war in Gaza. The attempt is now the subject of a legal battle.

Palestinian protester Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder who was considered one of the faces of the movement at Columbia, has been held at a detention center in Louisiana where he was sent after his arrest in New York.

Khalil's arrest, Trump has said, was one of "many to come" and arrived not long after his administration announced that it was cutting off $400m (£309m) worth of grants to Columbia University because it had failed to fight antisemitism on campus. The university has pledged to get its funding restored.

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## 9) Sweeping cuts to hit Department of Education

The Department of Education announced this week that it planned to lay off 1,300 workers, a move that will effectively slash the department's workforce in half.

Tasked with managing federal loans for college and enforcing civil rights law in school, the department has long been eyed by Trump and some conservatives to be eliminated altogether - although such an action would require Congress approval.

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## 10) Further shredding at USAID

Staff at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) were told to "shred as many documents" and personnel files as they could this week, as the weeks-long purge on the agency has left the vast majority of its initiatives hollowed out.

After exhausting that option, staff were instructed to turn to "burn bags".

The request, which raised alarm among employees and labor groups, comes as Secretary of State Rubio confirmed that 83% of the long-running aid programs managed under USAID have now been terminated.

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## 11) Penned a letter to Iran

Trump engaged in a different kind of diplomacy when he penned his thoughts on a piece of paper rather than tagging a foreign leader in a social media post.

In a letter addressed to Iran's supreme leader, passed through an official from the UAE, the US president said he'd set out plans for negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program.

His warnings of facing potential military action unless talks were agreed to seem to have fallen on uninterested ears - as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected the idea of negotiations, calling it "deception of public opinion".

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## 12) Withdrew CDC nominee - just hours before hearing

Dave Weldon, the Republican tipped to head the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), was withdrawn by the Trump administration to be its candidate for the public health agency - the decision coming only hours before he was set to testify before a Senate committee.

The 71-year-old doctor and former Florida congressman was said by the White House to "not have the votes in the Senate" to be confirmed, an official told CBS News, BBC's news partner.

Up until now, all of Trump's picks - including some of his more controversial ones - have been approved.

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## 13) 'Tesla takedown' prompts Trump to eye a new car

Tesla facilities across the US were faced with protesters who stood outside the electric car manufacturers' doors to call out its founder - Elon Musk - for the new role he plays in Donald Trump's administration.

The "Tesla takedown" protests have been largely peaceful, but a few in parts of the country have ended with fires being lit in showrooms.

This prompted Musk's new boss to proclaim that these individuals should be labeled domestic terrorists, as he held an event on the White House lawn showcasing the tech billionaire's product.

While the pair sat in the front seat of one of the electric cars, Trump told the media he planned to buy it.

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## 14) Went on the charm offensive with Vance

During his Oval Office visit this week, Taoiseach Micheál Martin presented Donald Trump with a bowl of shamrocks.

JD Vance, who attended the same meeting, didn't miss his own chance to pay homage to the Irish prime minister, donning a pair of cream-colored socks that were - fittingly - adorned with green shamrocks.

The gift of the traditional shamrock bowl was given a warm reception by the president, while the vice-president's attempts at celebrating the heritage of the Emerald Isle were less so.

"What's with these socks?" the president asked, as the room erupted in laughter. The group were discussing inflation, but the socks proved to be a central talking point, too. "I'm trying to stay focused, but I'm very impressed with the VP's socks."

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