Key Takeaways from Trump's First Cabinet Meeting

Donald Trump held his first cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday, turning the occasion into an extended question- and-answer session that lasted more than an hour.
During a discussion with his cabinet and Elon Musk, who sported a "tech support" T-shirt, Trump covered a variety of topics, including Doge's push to reduce government spending, immigration, the economy, and the war in Ukraine.

Trump Praises both Rubio and Musk

Reporters asked Trump which government department, and consequently which cabinet members, were the most resistant to his policy changes. "So far, I'm happy with all of those choices," he said.

He added, whatever, that “some groups are much easier than others", especially praising the efforts and work of Elon Musk who is not in a cabinet and Secretary of State Macro Rubio. Trump’s administration is focusing on “ cutting down the size of government, we have to”, he added.

"We want to have a balanced budget within a reasonably short period of time... meaning maybe by next year or maybe the year after," Trump said.

Tackles possible tensions within the Cabinet

Trump openly and consistently supported the efforts of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, which is responsible for cutting government spending and reducing the federal workforce. The president aimed to quell any rumors of friction between Musk and the rest of his team.

"They have a lot of respect for Elon and that he's doing this, and some disagree a little bit," Trump said. "But I will tell you for the most part I think everyone's not only happy, they're thrilled." "If they aren't, I want them to speak up," he added.

At one point, Trump was asked if any cabinet members had voiced concerns about Musk, and he turned to the room to ask them directly. No one responded. Musk also stood by Doge, describing it as a "support function" for government agencies to eliminate fraud. He did admit, however, that the system would make mistakes, citing an instance where it had accidentally canceled Ebola prevention efforts before later restoring them.

A caution to Federal Employees

The president also commented on Musk's email to federal employees, which urged them to list five tasks they've completed in the past week or face possible job loss, stating that the cabinet is "strongly supportive" of the initiative. Trump speculated, without evidence, that some of the roughly one million federal workers who hadn't replied to the email might "not even exist."

"Maybe they're going to be gone," he added. 

"We're trying to figure out who those people are who haven't responded," Trump added. "We're being a little more surgical in situations where people are doing classified stuff."

Trump also mentioned that he was urging cabinet members to "create their own Doge" within their respective agencies. He further suggested that the Environmental Protection Agency, headed by Lee Zeldin, might see a reduction of up to 65% of its workforce.

Memo directs additional Staff cuts

Later in the day, a memo was issued to federal agencies, instructing them to submit plans for "a significant reduction" in staff by March 13. The memo requests agencies to identify employees deemed non-essential and outlines that future hiring should be limited to one new position for every four positions eliminated. These layoffs would be in addition to those already carried out by Doge, which primarily affected probationary workers. Several U.S. outlets have reported that nearly 10,000 federal employees were laid off across multiple agencies earlier this month. This figure adds to the estimated 75,000 workers who accepted voluntary departure offers from the White House last fall. Wednesday’s memo marks another phase in Doge’s efforts to further shrink the size of the U.S. government. However, positions in law enforcement, border security, immigration enforcement, and the military are exempt from this reduction.

Trump confirms Zelensky's visit

Trump confirmed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit the White House on Friday, a trip that had been previously hinted at. Trump stated that the visit would result in the signing of a broad minerals agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine, though the details of the deal are still unclear. He added that the agreement would enable the U.S. to "recoup our money" for the assistance provided to Ukraine since Russia's invasion three years ago.

"We're going to get a lot of money in the future, and I think that's appropriate, because we have taxpayers that shouldn't be footing the bill," he said. "It's all been worked out."

Zelensky has referred to the bilateral deal as preliminary and expressed his desire for further agreements that would include U.S. security guarantees to prevent renewed Russian aggression. When asked about future security guarantees for Ukraine, Trump stated that the U.S. would not provide any, emphasizing that the responsibility should lie with Europe.

And announces EU Tariffs are coming "very soon"

Trump stated that he plans to impose a 25% tariff on goods produced in the European Union.

"We'll be announcing it very soon," he told gathered reporters. "It'll be 25% generally speaking and that will be on cars and all other things."

"They've really taken advantage of us," Trump said of the EU. "They don't accept our cars. They don't accept essentially our farm products. They use all sorts of reasons why not."

Trump was also asked if he still intends to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico, despite the significant decrease in illegal migrant detentions at the southern border and Canada's plans to strengthen border security. On February 4, Trump unexpectedly decided to delay the 25% tariffs on both countries for 30 days, averting a potential trade war between the three nations. The date Trump referenced seemed to be an extension of that delay.

"April 2, the tariffs go on," he said. "Not all of them but a lot of them. And I think that's gonna be amazing.