Latest news with #Trumpagenda
Reuters
a day ago
- Business
- Reuters
New Trump human resources czar distances himself from Elon Musk
WASHINGTON, July 21 (Reuters) - The new chief of the agency spearheading efforts to slash the federal workforce said on Monday he had no personal ties to tech billionaire and former Trump advisor Elon Musk, pledging to faithfully execute President Donald Trump's agenda. "I have zero personal relationship with Elon Musk. I have talked to Elon Musk once on the phone in my life," Scott Kupor, who was sworn in to lead the Office of Personnel Management earlier this month, told reporters. The comments underscored lingering questions about the loyalties of Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs among Trump administration officials following a public spat between Trump and Musk that led to a deep rift between the two former allies. Kupor said he had told Trump and other people in the White House that "my job is to do the agenda that the president lays out to the best I can." "But I'm not going to do it consistent with someone else's objectives that are inconsistent with what the president wants to do," he added. Musk, who spent over a quarter of a billion dollars to help Trump win November's presidential election, led the Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to slash the budget and cut the federal workforce until his departure in late May to refocus on his tech empire, including electric vehicle maker Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab. While Trump hailed Musk's tenure upon his departure, the president quickly pulled the nomination of Musk ally and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Reuters previously reported that Musk was disappointed by Isaacman's removal. The president also threatened to cancel billions of dollars worth of contracts between the federal government and Musk's companies after Musk denounced Trump's tax-cut and spending bill as a "disgusting abomination." Prior to taking the helm at OPM, Kupor was a partner at Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, which invests in Musk's AI startup Xai as well as SpaceX.
Arab News
a day ago
- Business
- Arab News
New Trump human resources czar distances himself from Elon Musk
WASHINGTON: The new chief of the agency spearheading efforts to slash the federal workforce said on Monday he had no personal ties to tech billionaire and former Trump adviser Elon Musk, pledging to faithfully execute President Donald Trump's agenda. 'I have zero personal relationship with Elon Musk. I have talked to Elon Musk once on the phone in my life,' Scott Kupor, who was sworn in to lead the Office of Personnel Management earlier this month, told reporters. The comments underscored lingering questions about the loyalties of Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs among Trump administration officials following a public spat between Trump and Musk that led to a deep rift between the two former allies. Kupor said he had told Trump and other people in the White House that 'my job is to do the agenda that the president lays out to the best I can.' 'But I'm not going to do it consistent with someone else's objectives that are inconsistent with what the president wants to do,' he added. Musk, who spent over a quarter of a billion dollars to help Trump win November's presidential election, led the Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to slash the budget and cut the federal workforce until his departure in late May to refocus on his tech empire, including electric vehicle maker Tesla . While Trump hailed Musk's tenure upon his departure, the president quickly pulled the nomination of Musk ally and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Reuters previously reported that Musk was disappointed by Isaacman's removal. The president also threatened to cancel billions of dollars worth of contracts between the federal government and Musk's companies after Musk denounced Trump's tax-cut and spending bill as a 'disgusting abomination.' Prior to taking the helm at OPM, Kupor was a partner at Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, which invests in Musk's AI startup Xai as well as SpaceX.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Talk about no taxes on tips, less about Medicaid cuts: How GOP is trying to sell Trump's landmark law
The White House just spent six months jamming a massive legislative package through Congress with almost no margin for error. Now comes the real challenge. Donald Trump's aides and allies are embarking on a concerted bid to sell the president's 'big, beautiful bill' to voters who are mostly unfamiliar with its specifics and skeptical of what little they have heard about the administration's central domestic accomplishment. The yearlong mission — relying in part on dispatching top Trump officials across the country to highlight the bill's economic benefits — is seen as critical to preserving GOP control of Congress in next November's elections, according to interviews with more than half a dozen White House aides, allies and Republican lawmakers. And for a White House that's cast Trump's agenda as a financial boon for Americans, the midterms represent a high-stakes referendum that could determine the course of his final years in office. 'It comes down to whether people feel like they're doing better and have more money in their pockets,' said one Trump political adviser. 'And if they don't think the economy's going well, then we've got a problem.' Republicans will have several months to make headway with voters before the midterm season heats up, after lawmakers passed nearly the entirety of Trump's domestic agenda in a single multitrillion-dollar package just ahead of the White House's self-imposed July 4 deadline. But the urgency behind an extended campaign for the bill underscores how little time the GOP had to explain what was actually in the package before passing it — and signals a recognition of the steep uphill battle the party now faces in selling it after the fact. What Americans did learn about the bill amid the rushed process was largely negative, polling has shown. Perhaps most alarming for Trump and Republicans, party operatives said, is that many voters remain concerned that rather than juicing the economy as the president promised, a package that includes deep cuts to Medicaid and food assistance might end up leaving them worse off overall. 'I'm not sure anybody completely understands what's in it, including most of the people who voted for it,' said Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster. 'But there are a lot of provisions in it that will be challenging to sell to many of the Trump voters who live in small-town and rural areas, a great many of whom are on Medicaid.' White House officials and their allies have coalesced behind a plan to bolster enthusiasm for the sprawling bill by focusing mainly on the narrow slice of policies that have proved most popular — such as provisions eliminating taxes on tips and on overtime pay, according to GOP lawmakers and campaign officials. Republican leadership has also encouraged lawmakers to tailor their messaging on Trump's agenda to their specific constituencies' priorities. 'Energy states are going to talk about the things that are going to really help us build our energy dominance; border states, probably more about border security,' said Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota. 'You've got all those general concepts that are important, and then how you present it is going to be a function of what you work on as a member and what's really important in your state.' That strategy is aimed primarily at reframing voters' view of what Republican lawmakers privately acknowledge is an unwieldy and vaguely named bill, while also allowing them to paper over more unpopular elements such as the hundreds of billions of projected cuts to health care spending needed to help pay for the array of tax breaks. Democrats have seized on those Medicaid cuts, betting that the backlash will propel them back into power next year. Within GOP circles, strategists plotting out the next several months are operating under the theory that if they can simply contain the damage done to the party on health care issues, they'll be able to press advantages elsewhere. 'As long as we level the playing field on the Medicaid aspect, we can talk about tax cuts and border security all day,' said one Republican campaign official. 'It's something we think about every day: What is the narrative of this cycle?' In eastern Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance offered an early look at how Trump officials will try to execute on the strategy in forthcoming trips to key districts, touting the bill's tax breaks and energy policies in a state where the coal and gas industry plays a major role. He made no mention of Medicaid and the broader health provisions expected to eliminate coverage for nearly 12 million people over a decade, instead urging attendees to talk up the bill's benefits in their own communities. 'Go and talk to your neighbors, go and talk to your friends about what this bill does for American citizens,' Vance said. The White House is still finalizing which Cabinet officials to send where to promote the bill over the next several months. In a statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson called the bill 'an encapsulation of the campaign promises that the American people elected President Trump to enact.' 'The Trump administration plans to communicate the massive achievements in the One Big Beautiful Bill at every opportunity,' she said. Still, there are lingering doubts across the GOP about how quickly the White House and Republican lawmakers can turn around public opinion — and whether enough voters will feel enough of the benefits in time to salvage their congressional majorities. The bill's passage further widened an advantage Democrats hold over Republicans over which party's base is more energized to vote, CNN polling released last week shows. The GOP has so far made little progress toward countering Democratic attacks over Medicaid cuts as well, even as Republicans point to data showing the specific policies in the bill imposing work requirements and restricting eligibility have majority support. And while Republicans believe they will eventually find their footing, much of their fate may depend on whether Trump and his GOP allies can stay focused on promoting the bill for more than a year. In the weeks since July 4, Trump's heightened attacks on the Federal Reserve chair and his administration's botched handling of promised Jeffrey Epstein disclosures have created days of news cycles that distracted from the administration's core agenda. 'The sales job is important, and when the administration then gets in its own way with things that are going to garner a lot of media attention — let's say, Jeffrey Epstein, for instance — that impacts that,' said Doug Heye, a longtime Republican strategist. The White House in the coming weeks is likely to face another decision point that could alter Republicans' trajectory ahead of the midterms: Whether to push Congress to pass new legislation enacting even more spending cuts, and potentially even pursue a second major policy bill at some point next year. The prospect has animated budget hawks in the White House and on Capitol Hill eager to further shrink federal spending. But others are wary of the political fallout of slashing more from popular programs after congressional Republicans just passed a $9 billion cuts package taking aim at PBS and NPR. And with little GOP consensus on what policies the party should pursue next, some Republicans say focusing on how to sell their one 'big, beautiful bill' is challenge enough for the coming year. 'Given the fact this bill is enormous,' Ayres said, 'I don't know that you really need much of anything else to try to explain.'
CNN
2 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Talk about no taxes on tips, less about Medicaid cuts: How GOP is trying to sell Trump's landmark law
The White House just spent six months jamming a massive legislative package through Congress with almost no margin for error. Now comes the real challenge. Donald Trump's aides and allies are embarking on a concerted bid to sell the president's 'big, beautiful bill' to voters who are mostly unfamiliar with its specifics and skeptical of what little they have heard about the administration's central domestic accomplishment. The yearlong mission — relying in part on dispatching top Trump officials across the country to highlight the bill's economic benefits — is seen as critical to preserving GOP control of Congress in next November's elections, according to interviews with more than half a dozen White House aides, allies and Republican lawmakers. And for a White House that's cast Trump's agenda as a financial boon for Americans, the midterms represent a high-stakes referendum that could determine the course of his final years in office. 'It comes down to whether people feel like they're doing better and have more money in their pockets,' said one Trump political adviser. 'And if they don't think the economy's going well, then we've got a problem.' Republicans will have several months to make headway with voters before the midterm season heats up, after lawmakers passed nearly the entirety of Trump's domestic agenda in a single multitrillion-dollar package just ahead of the White House's self-imposed July 4 deadline. But the urgency behind an extended campaign for the bill underscores how little time the GOP had to explain what was actually in the package before passing it — and signals a recognition of the steep uphill battle the party now faces in selling it after the fact. What Americans did learn about the bill amid the rushed process was largely negative, polling has shown. Perhaps most alarming for Trump and Republicans, party operatives said, is that many voters remain concerned that rather than juicing the economy as the president promised, a package that includes deep cuts to Medicaid and food assistance might end up leaving them worse off overall. 'I'm not sure anybody completely understands what's in it, including most of the people who voted for it,' said Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster. 'But there are a lot of provisions in it that will be challenging to sell to many of the Trump voters who live in small-town and rural areas, a great many of whom are on Medicaid.' White House officials and their allies have coalesced behind a plan to bolster enthusiasm for the sprawling bill by focusing mainly on the narrow slice of policies that have proved most popular — such as provisions eliminating taxes on tips and on overtime pay, according to GOP lawmakers and campaign officials. Republican leadership has also encouraged lawmakers to tailor their messaging on Trump's agenda to their specific constituencies' priorities. 'Energy states are going to talk about the things that are going to really help us build our energy dominance; border states, probably more about border security,' said Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota. 'You've got all those general concepts that are important, and then how you present it is going to be a function of what you work on as a member and what's really important in your state.' That strategy is aimed primarily at reframing voters' view of what Republican lawmakers privately acknowledge is an unwieldy and vaguely named bill, while also allowing them to paper over more unpopular elements such as the hundreds of billions of projected cuts to health care spending needed to help pay for the array of tax breaks. Democrats have seized on those Medicaid cuts, betting that the backlash will propel them back into power next year. Within GOP circles, strategists plotting out the next several months are operating under the theory that if they can simply contain the damage done to the party on health care issues, they'll be able to press advantages elsewhere. 'As long as we level the playing field on the Medicaid aspect, we can talk about tax cuts and border security all day,' said one Republican campaign official. 'It's something we think about every day: What is the narrative of this cycle?' In eastern Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance offered an early look at how Trump officials will try to execute on the strategy in forthcoming trips to key districts, touting the bill's tax breaks and energy policies in a state where the coal and gas industry plays a major role. He made no mention of Medicaid and the broader health provisions expected to eliminate coverage for nearly 12 million people over a decade, instead urging attendees to talk up the bill's benefits in their own communities. 'Go and talk to your neighbors, go and talk to your friends about what this bill does for American citizens,' Vance said. The White House is still finalizing which Cabinet officials to send where to promote the bill over the next several months. In a statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson called the bill 'an encapsulation of the campaign promises that the American people elected President Trump to enact.' 'The Trump administration plans to communicate the massive achievements in the One Big Beautiful Bill at every opportunity,' she said. Still, there are lingering doubts across the GOP about how quickly the White House and Republican lawmakers can turn around public opinion — and whether enough voters will feel enough of the benefits in time to salvage their congressional majorities. The bill's passage further widened an advantage Democrats hold over Republicans over which party's base is more energized to vote, CNN polling released last week shows. The GOP has so far made little progress toward countering Democratic attacks over Medicaid cuts as well, even as Republicans point to data showing the specific policies in the bill imposing work requirements and restricting eligibility have majority support. And while Republicans believe they will eventually find their footing, much of their fate may depend on whether Trump and his GOP allies can stay focused on promoting the bill for more than a year. In the weeks since July 4, Trump's heightened attacks on the Federal Reserve chair and his administration's botched handling of promised Jeffrey Epstein disclosures have created days of news cycles that distracted from the administration's core agenda. 'The sales job is important, and when the administration then gets in its own way with things that are going to garner a lot of media attention — let's say, Jeffrey Epstein, for instance — that impacts that,' said Doug Heye, a longtime Republican strategist. The White House in the coming weeks is likely to face another decision point that could alter Republicans' trajectory ahead of the midterms: Whether to push Congress to pass new legislation enacting even more spending cuts, and potentially even pursue a second major policy bill at some point next year. The prospect has animated budget hawks in the White House and on Capitol Hill eager to further shrink federal spending. But others are wary of the political fallout of slashing more from popular programs after congressional Republicans just passed a $9 billion cuts package taking aim at PBS and NPR. And with little GOP consensus on what policies the party should pursue next, some Republicans say focusing on how to sell their one 'big, beautiful bill' is challenge enough for the coming year. 'Given the fact this bill is enormous,' Ayres said, 'I don't know that you really need much of anything else to try to explain.'
Fox News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Liberals float Trump will tamper with, cancel midterm elections
Several liberal commentators, including ex-MSNBC host Joy Reid and Democratic strategist James Carville, have suggested in recent weeks that the 2026 midterms will be tampered with or outright canceled by President Donald Trump. During an appearance on "The Jim Acosta Show" earlier this month, Carville told the former CNN anchor he thinks there's a major risk of Trump tampering with votes in the 2026 midterm elections to make sure the Democratic Party can't oppose his second-term agenda. "In the short word, yes," Carville said in response to Acosta relaying a viewer question about whether they believe Trump will end up "tampering" with the midterm votes. "In the longer words, very," Carville added. "I don't put anything past him — nothing — to try to call the election off, to do anything he can," the Democratic strategist continued. "He can think of things like that, that – that, you know, we can't because we're not accustomed to thinking like that. We always assume there's going to be an election." "I don't think Trump intends to leave office," Reid told far-left writer Wajahat Ali on his Substack on July 3. "I've been very clear about that. I think he intends to stay in office like Putin till he dies." Ali declared that Trump would declare martial law and not hold elections. "I am afraid, and I want your thoughts on this, that he is going to say, 'Folks, I'm the commander in chief. I have to protect you. We're getting attacked by Antifa, the Muslims, the invasion, El Salvadorans. I have to declare martial law and I have to punt. I have to punt the elections. But don't worry. I'll bring back elections when they're safe,'" Ali argued. Reid agreed and said she doesn't assume that there will be midterms in 2026. "I've been saying, whenever Democrats say to me, this is the reason we have to coalesce for 2026, I always add to the end of that sentence, yeah, assuming we actually have free and fair elections. I think it's insane, honestly, to just assume we're going to have normal elections next year. I don't assume that," she told Ali. Charlamagne Tha God argued during his "Breakfast Club" radio show on July 8 that the Republican-led "Big, Beautiful Bill" is so unpopular, Trump and the GOP must only be pushing it because they know the upcoming elections are rigged. Noting that the bill was criticized by Republicans and Democrats, the radio host suggested it must mean the elections are fixed. "But if the GOP doesn't seem to be concerned about that, then what does that tell y'all folks?" he asked. "The fight is probably already fixed, when it comes to the midterm elections, you know, and 2028." "I just feel like, you know, if something is, you know, political suicide, if you're using that kind of language for a bill and you pass it anyway, then you know something that the rest of us don't know," the radio host suggested. "Or you know something that the rest of us do know, and we're just sitting around waiting for the inevitable to happen." He added, "Free and fair elections my a--." Former CNN commentator Angela Rye said last week that she believed Trump and the Republicans stole the 2024 election and are planning to steal the 2026 election. "I think me and [Tiffany Cross] really might feel a way about telling y'all how many days are left till the midterms because I don't really know this thing's going to damn happen," Rye said on her "Native Land Pod" podcast. "Even if they are going to happen, are they going to cheat like they did, I still feel like they did, in the 2024 election? I don't have data. I got a gut feeling, but I'm going to tell you about the Black woman and the Holy Ghost. We be spot on," she added. Failed Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams alluded to not having elections at all during an interview on late-night TV last week, where she was asked on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" to speak about a viral clip of her suggesting that the U.S. was on its way to becoming an autocracy. "Step nine, you start to encourage and incentivize private violence. You send the U.S. Marines into spaces they should not be. You send the National Guard in. You kidnap people off of the streets and pretend that's normal, because that's how you quiet dissent," she said. "And once you've done those nine steps, step 10 is easy. That's when you decide there won't be new elections because everyone is either afraid, poor, broken, or complicit," Abrams told guest host Anthony Anderson.
