Trump 2nd term updates: Trump says USAID is run by 'radical lunatics'

The comments came amid turmoil as DOGE took over USAID offices last week.

ByAlexandra Hutzler, Ivan Pereira, Emily Chang, Andrea Pineda-Salgado, Meredith Deliso, and Julia Reinstein
Last Updated: February 2, 2025, 11:11 PM EST

President Donald Trump made good on his threats to impose tariffs on some of the U.S.'s trading partners, announcing Saturday that he will levy 25% tariffs on some goods from Canada and Mexico and 10% on Chinese goods.

Experts have warned that tariffs of this magnitude will likely increase prices paid by U.S. and Trump appeared to acknowledge that “some pain” might be possible in the U.S.

Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee announced it will meet Tuesday, when it is expected to vote on the controversial nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for secretary of Health and Human Services.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing:
Jan 31, 2025, 6:57 PM EST

Pentagon readying to send 500 Marines to Gitmo and 500 more soldiers to southern border

Two U.S. officials confirmed the Pentagon is readying to send more troops to the southwestern border and a complement of 500 Marines to Guantanamo Bay as part of the plan to use the U.S. naval base in Cuba to house some deported migrants.

One U.S. official confirmed 500 U.S. Army soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum, New York, mostly a headquarters unit, will be readied to head to the border.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivers recorded remarks on the mishap involving a U.S. Army helicopter at Ronald Reagan National Airport and an update on Guantanamo Bay operations at the Pentagon, in Washington, Jan. 30, 2025.
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza/DoD

Another U.S. official confirmed about 500 Marines are being readied to head to Guantanamo.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

Jan 31, 2025, 6:06 PM EST

Trump on Putin: "We are having discussions"

In a murky moment during the Oval Office spray, President Donald Trump implied he is already speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but then, when pressed for details, he said he "didn’t want to say."

"We are having discussions, yes," Trump said.

"Ongoing? Already scheduled and ongoing?" a reporter asked.

"Already talking, yes," Trump said.

"So you've already spoken to Vladimir Putin?"

"I don't want to say that, but we are having very serious discussions," Trump said.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks to the press after after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Jan. 31, 2025.
President Donald Trump speaks to the press after after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Jan. 31, 2025.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Over the course of the past week, Trump has repetitively failed to disclose details about his conversations with Putin, including the frequency and timeline of when discussions may have occurred.

During his first oval office spray on Jan. 20, Trump indicated that he’d be meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, he again fell short of establishing when the meeting may occur.

-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett and Kelsey Walsh

Jan 31, 2025, 5:02 PM EST

Trump says tariff costs are passed down to consumers 'sometimes'

President Donald Trump campaigned relentlessly on high prices during the 2024 campaign, promising to bring down costs for American families.

As he pursues aggressive tariffs against key U.S. trading partners -- China, Canada and Mexico -- experts say it could raise prices in the United States for groceries, gas and more everyday goods. That's because importers typically pass along a share of the cost of those higher taxes to consumers.

When confronted with that issue in the Oval Office, Trump acknowledged that happens "sometimes."

"There could be some temporary short-term disruption, and people will understand that," he told reporters.

Trump went on to claim his administration is "going to have great success" with tariffs.

President Donald Trump answers a question after signing an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, Jan. 31, 2025.
Evan Vucci/AP
Jan 31, 2025, 5:00 PM EST

Trump says more tariffs to come on steel, chips and pharmaceuticals

President Donald Trump on Friday hinted more taxes could be in store on various industries -- including steel, aluminum, copper, computer chips and pharmaceuticals.

President Donald Trump answers a question after signing an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, Jan. 31, 2025.
Carlos Barria/Reuters

Next month we're going to be putting tariffs on steel and aluminum, and we'll give you an announcement as to what the exact date is," Trump said as he spoke to reporters in the Oval Office. He didn't provide any other details.

He also said he was "absolutely" going to place tariffs on the European Union, though he didn't elaborate.