President Trump Holds First Cabinet Meeting of Second Term

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump convened the initial Cabinet meeting of his second term, praising the team he assembled and their early achievements. He also voiced support for Elon Musk's work alongside the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to tackle government waste and excessive spending.

Trump kicked off the meeting by saying, “We’ve formed an outstanding Cabinet, and the results have been remarkable so far.”

Elon Musk, the head of X and SpaceX, spoke at the outset about DOGE’s mission to reduce the national deficit. He cautioned that without significant reductions, the country risks sliding toward financial ruin. “That’s why I’m involved, despite facing heavy criticism and even death threats,” Musk remarked.

It’s been just over a month since Trump returned to the presidency, yet DOGE has already reportedly saved the federal government $65 billion. Musk has floated the idea of distributing $5,000 payments to Americans, though with savings continuing to grow, some speculate that figure could increase if the plan moves forward.

When a reporter asked Musk if any Cabinet members were uneasy about his prominent role in the administration—given he holds no elected position—Trump jumped in. “Anyone got a problem with Elon? If so, they can leave right now,” he quipped, drawing a mix of applause from around the room. “They respect what he’s doing. Some might not fully agree, but most are not just fine with it—they’re excited.”

Trump also spotlighted plans by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to slash up to 65% of the agency’s staff. “He’s aiming to cut about 65% of the workforce there, and we’ll streamline things while we’re at it,” Trump said.

On foreign policy, Trump addressed Ukraine, saying he won’t offer extensive security commitments. “Europe should take the lead there—it’s their neighbor. We’ll ensure it all works out, but we’re also looking at partnering with Ukraine for rare earth minerals. They’ve got top-notch resources, and we need them,” he explained. He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin will have to compromise in talks to end the conflict. “He’ll have no choice,” Trump asserted, predicting the war could wrap up soon due to his election victory.

Trump promised to protect entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. “We won’t lay a finger on them,” he said firmly.

He also confirmed that starting April 2, a 25% tariff will hit all goods imported from Mexico and Canada, with a deadline set for that date to finalize retaliatory tariffs on other nations.