February 22, 2025: Donald Trump presidency news

Our live coverage of Donald Trump’s presidency has moved here.

President Donald Trump lavished praise on the nation’s governors as he welcomed them to the East Room of the White House for a dinner and reception Saturday evening, offering a tone of unity after a tense exchange with Maine’s Democratic governor a day prior.

The president promoted a strong bond between the governors and himself, offering his support regardless of political affiliation.

Trump encouraged governors to reach out to him directly, saying, “You’ll call me, and we’ll take care of it. And that’s Republican or Democrat.”

Trump also vaguely weighed in on the next presidential election, telling the crowd of a number of heavy hitters across the political spectrum — including Vice President JD Vance — “Someday, somebody sitting in this, is probably going to be here for four or eight years.”

“We don’t know who it is, but I have some suspicions, but you never know, right?” Trump added.

Friday’s tense exchange between Trump and Maine governor: Trump’s remarks on unity and bipartisanship came one day after he had a confrontation with Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills over transgender athletes.

Trump threatened to strip Maine of its federal funding if it refuses to comply with his executive order banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports.

In response, Mills said: “See you in court.”

Read more about the dispute here.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic controllers received Office of Personnel Management’s Saturday email asking employees to explain what work they did last week — though it is not clear how and when the understaffed workforce will be able to respond, their union told CNN.

Elon Musk, tapped by President Donald Trump to reshape the federal government with his Department of Government Efficiency, said on social media that not responding to the request “will be taken as a resignation.” Employees were given until Monday at 11:59 p.m. to respond to the email.

Some context: Shortages of air traffic controllers and FAA infrastructure issues have come to light in recent weeks following multiple midair collisions and plane crashes.

And as Trump and Musk ramp up their efforts to shrink the federal government, hundreds of probationary FAA workers were fired.

The country’s more than 10,000 air traffic controllers are already working mandatory six-day weeks of ten-hour shifts. CNN has reached out to the FAA and the Department of Transportation for comment.

FBI Director Kash Patel told bureau employees Saturday night not to immediately respond to an email from the Office of Personnel Management sent earlier in the day requiring them to justify their work accomplishments.

Employees were told to respond “with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week” by Monday at 11:59 p.m.

Patel said in an email to bureau employees obtained by CNN, “The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes, and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures.”

Employees of the National Security Agency were also notified Saturday that they should hold off on responding to OPM until they receive further guidance from the Department of Defense.

President Donald Trump had a phone call with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday, the White House said, ahead of a virtual gathering of the Group of Seven countries on Monday.

During the conversation, the two leaders said they “looked forward to” the upcoming G7 call that will mark the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war, the White House statement said. The other G7 countries are the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.

According to a statement from the Canadian prime minister’s office, Trudeau also told Trump that there has been progress in the curbing of fentanyl flow across the US-Canada border and the two discussed “the work of Canada’s new Fentanyl Czar.”

Kash Patel appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 30.

Kash Patel, who was sworn in as FBI director earlier this week, will also serve as the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), a US official familiar with the matter told CNN.

The prospect of Patel running both agencies has stoked speculation over whether President Donald Trump plans to merge at least part of ATF with the FBI.

The idea has been floated in conservative media, and Joe Biden as vice president once proposed it when he led an Obama administration effort to address mass shootings.

Democratic and Republican administrations have struggled to win Senate approval for ATF director nominees because of opposition from gun-rights groups.

Tracers are seen in the night sky during a Russian drone strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, early Friday morning.

A draft deal between the United States and Ukraine over rare earth minerals and other natural resources is “not the one President (Volodymyr) Zelensky would accept,” according to a source familiar with the negotiations.

“It is a strange offer to try and take from a country that is a victim of war, more than it cost to pay for its defence,” the source told CNN.

The US is trying to gain access to Ukraine’s critical minerals and other resources as part of wider negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war. In return, Ukraine has been pushing for security guarantees, with Kyiv not only keen to see the return of lost territory but protection against a possible future Russian invasion.

President Donald Trump claimed Friday that the US and Ukraine were “pretty close” on a deal — an assessment backed up by a US official who said a deal is “nearly done.”

A White House official told CNN Saturday that the draft deal between the US and Ukraine is not a guarantee of future aid for the war nor would it include any commitment of US personnel in the region.

A minerals pact would reduce US dependency on China and provide significant incentive for the United States to boost Ukrainian security, a US official familiar with negotiations told CNN.

“Our countries are more aligned as a result and America will receive access to critical materials, materials we won’t have to rely on China for,” the official said. “Once resources start flowing, America will have even more incentive to protect Ukraine.”

Talks between the two sides have been intensive and ongoing, sources say, and made progress Friday.

Here’s what else you should know:

Trump’s comments on Zelensky and the war:

US special envoy to Ukraine in Kyiv:

President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, on Saturday.

President Donald Trump is celebrating his first month as commander-in-chief during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, addressing a cheering crowd that repeatedly chanted “USA” as the president returned to the gathering for a victory lap.

“On November 5 we stood up to all the corrupt forces that were destroying America. We took away their power. We took away their confidence … and we took back our country,” he said on stage Saturday at the conference outside Washington, DC.

Trump went on to tout the crowd size at the conservative event, as well as the margin of his electoral victory.

He went on to applaud the confirmation of some of his Cabinet picks, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, and touted elements of his agenda, starting with mass deportation efforts.

The president also praised Elon Musk for his work with the Department of Government Efficiency, after recently posting that he would like to see the tech tycoon “get more aggressive.”

“Elon is doing a great job. He’s doing a great job. We love Elon, don’t we? He’s a character,” Trump said.

During his remarks, Trump also made several false claims, including about his poll numbers, tariffs and US aid to Ukraine.

Read CNN’s fact check here.

This post has been updated with additional comments from the speech.

CNN’s Betsy Klein and Alejandra Jaramillo contributed to this report.

Federal workers began receiving emails Saturday asking them to explain what work they did last week, after Elon Musk announced that “failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

“Please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager. Please do not send any classified information, links, or attachments,” reads the email, which has no signature. CNN has obtained copies of emails sent to multiple federal employees.

“Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk posted Saturday on X, hours after President Donald Trump suggested he be more “aggressive.” “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

However, the email itself does not state that failure to answer will be taken as resignation. It says the deadline for submission is Monday at 11:59 p.m. ET.

CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.

Swift criticism: The head of a top union representing federal workers lambasted Musk’s ultimatum, telling CNN in a statement that it reflects the Trump administration’s “utter disdain for federal employees and the critical services they provide to the American people.”

Kelley said his union plans to take legal action to “challenge any unlawful terminations of our members and federal employees.”

Read more about the emails here.

President Donald Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda met backstage at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, according to the White House.

The White House published photos on X of the meeting, which was closed to members of the media, ahead of Trump’s remarks at the conservative gathering in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

“President Trump met with President Andrzej Duda of Poland and reaffirmed our close alliance,” the post read, adding that Trump praised Duda “for Poland’s commitment to increase their defense spending.”

Trump mentioned Duda in the opening of his remarks to CPAC, saying he was honored by his attendance and describing the Polish leader as “a fantastic man, and a great friend of mine.”

Some context: Trump’s meeting with Duda comes as leaders across Europe navigate a widening rift between Washington and Kyiv over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

On Friday, Duda shared on X that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called him and they “had a candid conversation on the heels of the recent meetings” with Trump’s US envoy.

Also in attendance: Trump also met with Argentine President Javier Milei during CPAC, according to the White House.

In a post on X, the administration posted pictures of the two leaders and mentioned Trump invited Milei to the White House “in the coming months.” The post said the two men discussed Milei’s “groundbreaking economic reforms and how our countries can work closer together.”

This post has been updated with details on Trump’s meeting with the Argentine president.

A specialized program within the the US Agency for International Development designed to quickly respond to humanitarian emergencies around the world has been dismantled as part of the Trump administration’s gutting of the aid agency, two staffers who were just fired told CNN.

The Support Relief Group, sometimes called “Surge” by its members, comprises “the people that deploy to the frontlines of emerging crises on a moment’s notice,” said one SRG staffer, who was told Friday evening she was being terminated.

Most of SRG is made up of contractors, who are easier to terminate than career officials.

“People stationed around the world are waking up to the terminations,” the former staffer said Saturday, telling CNN she is in a group chat with more than 180 members. Just a few of those members had not been told they were fired, she said.

The second contractor, who was fired on Friday evening while at dinner with a friend, said he was expecting the news but still called it incomprehensible, after weeks of grieving over what’s being done to hollow out USAID.

While the State Department has issued a waiver allowing for the continuation of lifesaving assistance, many USAID officials have told CNN about countless programs being halted due to confusion or an inability to communicate after being shut out, payments not being made, and staffers being put on leave or furloughed.

Elon Musk speaks in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 11.

Elon Musk said Saturday that federal employees will receive an email inquiring “what they got done last week” and that “failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

“Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk wrote in a post on X, hours after President Donald Trump suggested he be “more aggressive.”

Shortly after Musk’s post, Trump called the X owner a “patriot” and said he was “doing a great job” during remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Musk did not provide additional details about the emails, including when the deadline is and who they would be sent to. Whether Musk’s plan is legal is also unclear.

Remember: Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency are at the forefront of Trump’s effort to radically reshape the federal workforce — including reducing its size, replacing career workers with political appointees, wiping away some civil service protections, ending diversity efforts and more.

The Trump administration offered federal workers “buyouts” last month, allowing workers to leave their jobs but be paid through the end of September. The plan faced legal challenges, and unions warned workers it was unclear if they would actually receive their pay, though a federal judge last week allowed the Trump administration to move forward for the moment.

Meanwhile, federal workers have been fired by the thousands in several departments, with more planned.

President Donald Trump was briefed Saturday on the health of Pope Francis, who remains hospitalized in “critical” condition.

Trump “has been updated and we’re praying for the Pope,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Saturday. “And I’ll let the president put out his own statement, but of course our thoughts and prayers are with him.”

The Pope has been hospitalized for more than a week and remains in “critical” condition after developing an “asthmatic respiratory crisis” earlier on Saturday, according to a statement from the Vatican.

Trump met Pope Francis during his first term in 2017. The Pope sent the president a cordial message of prayer upon his second inauguration last month, but more recently criticized the president’s mass deportation policy in a letter to American bishops.

A worker removes the US Agency for International Development (USAID) name from its headquarters in Washington, DC, on February 7.

President Donald Trump said officials from US Customs and Border Protection will now work out of the US Agency for International Development’s former headquarters, as the administration slashes foreign aid and beefs up immigration enforcement.

“We’ve also effectively ended the left-wing scam known as USAID. The agency’s name has been removed from its former building, and that space will now house agents from Customs and Border Patrol,” Trump said during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, appearing to blend the names of US Customs and Border Protection and the US Border Patrol.

Some background: A federal judge on Friday approved one of the Trump administration’s final actions in its effort to dismantle USAID, permitting the removal of thousands of staff members from their positions both in the United States and abroad.

Elon Musk recently bragged of feeding USAID to a “woodchipper,” as CNN reported.

USAID provided humanitarian and development aid around the world, and the Trump administration’s actions have left billions of dollars of aid in limbo, ending life-saving global health programs, early warning systems and food security efforts.

The president and White House officials have argued USAID spending was wasteful and not aligned with his “America First” policies.

CNN’s Laura Paddison contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump gestures to supporters gathered for a Presidents Day rally as he leaves the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday.

President Donald Trump railed against federal employees working from home as his administration initiates a return-to-office mandate that could upend the federal workforce.

Speaking to supporters at a gathering outside Washington on Saturday, Trump suggested that if he were to work remotely, his golf game would improve dramatically — remarks that come after he spent four out of the past eight days at his Florida golf clubs while working remotely himself.

“If they don’t report for work, we’re firing them. In other words, you have to go to office,” Trump said at the Conservative Political Action Conference. “If I’m staying home … my golf handicap would get down to a very low number.”

Trump spent an extended long weekend in Florida and hit the links at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach last Saturday, Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, he golfed at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami before remarks to a Saudi-backed investment conference.

The president mused that while working remotely, he would be on the phone, saying that he’s “really working,” but also, “Where are my clubs?”

More context: In the first 29 days of his second term, Trump has spent at least 12 nights at home in Florida, most of them over the weekend. During his four years out of office, Trump frequently ridiculed Joe Biden for spending weekends at home in Delaware.

No matter where they travel, all presidents are accompanied by the trappings of office, so Trump’s frequent visits to Florida are hardly unusual during his first month back in power. But his trips home stands in stark contrast to his strident view against remote work, which is a centerpiece of his efforts to reduce the size of the federal workforce.

CNN’s Jeff Zeleny and Kevin Liptak contributed reporting.

Vice President JD Vance leaves the stage after speaking during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on Thursday.

Vice President JD Vance on Saturday finished at the top of a Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll of attendees who were asked who they’d back in a Republican presidential primary in 2028.

Sixty-one percent of respondents said they’d vote for Vance if the primary were held today.

The straw poll, which covers conference attendees, is not a scientific survey and does not represent the larger Republican electorate.

Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon was the second choice with 12% of the vote. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had challenged Trump for the GOP primary in 2024, followed with 7% of the vote.

Vance helped kick off the conservative gathering at the National Harbor in Maryland on Thursday.

Also at CPAC today: President Donald Trump is addressing attendees at the conference now.

His speech Saturday follows remarks from other right-wing figures, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who pushed for unity between American and European conservatives as she addressed the crowd.

Meloni said that, despite speculation Trump could divide the US and Europe, “those who hope for divisions will be proven wrong.” Her comment comes as concern grows among European leaders about Trump freezing them out of Ukraine war negotiations.

Meloni is one of several world leaders, including Argentina’s President Javier Milei, making an appearance at CPAC.

This post has been updated with more news from CPAC.

Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, left, and Rep. Glenn Grothman.

Two Republican Wisconsin congressmen received tough questions and jeers of disapproval from their constituents during town halls this week, adding to recent pushback from voters against President Donald Trump’s actions.

Rep. Scott Fitzgerald was questioned by constituents about Ukraine and Elon Musk’s efforts with the Department of Government Efficiency during a town hall Thursday in West Bend, Wisconsin, according to CNN affiliate TMJ4.

One constituent asked, “How can we be represented by you if you don’t have a voice in Congress?” Other attendees brought signs, including one that read “presidents are not kings.” Trump referred to himself as a “king” in a social media post this week.

Fitzgerald disagreed with the president’s comments this week falsely accusing Ukraine of starting the war with Russia. “No, Ukraine did not start the war,” he said at the town hall, adding that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky need to be “in the room” for negotiations to end the conflict.

Rep. Glenn Grothman also faced concerns related to Medicare and Medicaid, diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and Social Security, receiving some boos during packed town halls in Fox Crossing and Algoma on Friday, according to CNN affiliate WBAY.

Grotham defended Musk’s efforts on Friday, telling WBAY, “I think if they understood more what was going on they would like him. They just don’t believe the degree to which he’s looking out for the average guy, which is what he is trying to do.”

The reactions from constituents during these town halls add to other public showings of unrest from voters this week. GOP Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia faced some tough criticism and occasional boos from constituents Thursday, while GOP Rep. Cliff Bentz of Oregon faced a similar reaction during a town hall Wednesday.

The Trump administration’s purge of the US Agency for International Development continued late Friday after a federal judge dissolved a temporary restraining order blocking the government from putting thousands of the agency’s employees on leave.

At least one known round of firings Friday evening targeted intermittent staff at USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.

According to an email and termination notice shared with CNN by one person who was affected, termination will go into effect in 15 days, on March 10.

The bureau is the lead federal agency on international disaster assistance, with some of its employees tasked with responding on short notice to disasters worldwide.

Remember: USAID provided humanitarian and development aid around the world, and the Trump administration’s actions have left billions of dollars of aid in limbo, ending life-saving global health programs, early warning systems and food security efforts.

The president and White House officials have argued USAID spending was wasteful and not aligned with his “America First” policies.

CNN’s Laura Paddison contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump speaks to the media at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida on Tuesday.

Courts across the country are issuing rulings on the slew of legal challenges facing some of President Donald Trump’s top priorities, especially his major overhaul of the federal government.

If you’re just catching up today, here’s what you should know:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio credited President Donald Trump’s efforts for securing the release of Gaza hostages after Hamas freed six more Israelis Saturday as part of an ongoing ceasefire deal.

Rubio called on the remaining hostages to be released immediately in a post on X.

“Hamas released six more hostages in Gaza today. Through @POTUS ‘s efforts, more than 30 hostages have been freed in the Phase I ceasefire. Nearly twice as many remain - ALL must be released NOW!”

Today marks the final release of living hostages that was agreed to take place during the first phase of the uneasy Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, which came into effect last month. Israel is due to release 620 Palestinian detainees in return, but has delayed the exchange citing further security reviews.

The outgoing Biden administration and the Trump transition team each played a role in helping secure the ceasefire deal shortly before Trump’s inauguration, according to US and Israeli officials.