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:
Feb 01, 2025, 11:29 AM EST

Former FBI Director James Comey responds to turmoil at agency

James Comey, the former FBI director who was fired by President Donald Trump under Trump's first administration, posted on his social media accounts what he described as a message for his former colleagues at the FBI, Justice Department and U.S. attorney's offices around the country.

In this May 30, 2023, file photo, James Comey speaks onstage at 92NY in New York.
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images, FILE

"Fight for the rule of law -- to protect your country and to keep your jobs. Don't let the darkness of bad people steal the joy of public service. Sleep, love, laugh, and exercise because our country needs you over the long haul," he wrote.

"Know that these people -- some evil, most just followers too weak to stand up -- will fade, but the need for your work will remain. Thank you for being light in the darkness," Comey added.

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-ABC News' Mike Levine

Feb 01, 2025, 11:13 AM EST

Trump administration fires Consumer Financial Protection Bureau chief

The Trump administration has fired Rohit Chopra, an outspoken Biden administration official who led the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the government watchdog charged with safeguarding the public's finances.

In this June 12, 2024, file photo, CFPB Director Rohit Chopra testifies during the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on "The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Semi-Annual Report to Congress" in Washington, D.C.
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images, FILE

Chopra was notified of his firing in an email from the White House late Friday night, a source familiar with the notice told ABC News.

He was appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in 2021 to lead the CFPB for a five-year term.

-ABC News' Elizabeth Schulze and Kelsey Walsh

Jan 31, 2025, 9:16 PM EST

Venezuela frees 6 Americans following Trump’s envoy visit

Trump's envoy Richard Grenell said he was headed back to the United States with six
American citizens following his visit to Venezuela.

President Donald Trump's Special Missions Envoy Richard Grenell poses on board a plane alongside six U.S. citizens released from detention in Venezuela, Jan. 31, 2025.
Richard Grenell/AFP via Getty Images

The citizens are David Guttenberg Guillaume, Gregory David Werber, David Estrella, Jose Marcelo Vargas, Lucas Hunter and Aaron Barrett Logan.

The White House was adamant on Friday that Grenell’s trip to meet with Nicolas Maduro does not represent a formal recognition of the dictator, which would have marked a shift in U.S. policy, since the government recognizes opposition candidate Edmundo González.

Maduro agreed to facilitate and take all the deportees from Venezuela including all Tren de Aragua members currently in jail in the U.S., a source confirmed to ABC News.

In exchange, Maduro asked America to start a clean slate regarding economic sanctions, migration and other matters.

Grenell did not promise to recognize Maduro as president, the source said.

Jan 31, 2025, 7:14 PM EST

Trump issues Black History Month proclamation

President Donald Trump issued a proclamation officially recognizing February as Black History Month.

"Throughout our history, black Americans have been among our country's most consequential leaders, shaping the cultural and political destiny of our Nation in profound ways," Trump wrote.

The proclamation cites Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, conservative economist Thomas Sowell, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and golf pro Tiger Woods.

"This National Black History Month, as America prepares to enter a historic Golden Age, I want to extend my tremendous gratitude to black Americans for all they have done to bring us to this moment, and for the many future contributions they will make as we advance into a future of limitless possibility under my Administration," Trump said.

The proclamation comes amid scrutiny by officials in the Trump administration over diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the federal government.