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CNN
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When we asked you, readers of CNN.com and the What Matters newsletter, for your questions about the whirlwind of news that has been Trump 2.0, thousands rolled in.
I’ve taken a sampling of the questions and either tried to answer them or gotten input from CNN reporters who cover these issues. I also used the first names and state of residence for people who provided them and did some light copy editing to the text of the questions.
Many took the opportunity to criticize CNN for being too tough on President Donald Trump, while others said CNN was not tough enough. Perhaps that’s a good sign of objectivity, although those asking questions in the future could tone down some of the vitriol. A good number of responses were not fit to print.
The most-asked question was what can be done if Trump refuses to comply with court orders.
One questioner complained that his congressman would not get back to him. Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey also refused to answer questions for me.
Want our reporters to answer a question? Ask it here.
Why are Democrats so opposed to the Trump administration exposing waste and corruption and abuse? The Democrats are more concerned about protecting the bureaucracy instead of the taxpayers and citizens.
Andy
This question was put to former Rep. Joe Crowley by CNN’s Laura Coates.
CROWLEY: We’re all against waste, fraud and abuse. Nobody wants that. But at the same time … government is deliberative, government is slow.
He added that there are questions about whether Trump and Elon Musk have actually exposed corruption or have just seen spending they disagree with and used that to fire workers.
CROWLEY: They haven’t exposed any corruption. They haven’t exposed any abuse. All they’re doing is dismantling and destroying. They’re just taking it away and saying, well, we’ll find the abuse later, but first, we’re just going to get rid of everybody. And that to me is — it’s cynical. It’s — it’s incredibly sad. But it’s to that point, as I said before, we’re —everyone is against waste, foreign abuse. That’s not new.
He said change should come in a bipartisan way and should not simply come from Trump.
CROWLEY: It’s not going to happen overnight. You’re not a king. You’re not a dictator.
If Trump totally ignores court orders, does the judiciary have any effective method of enforcement? I don’t know of any ‘constitutional’ police force to compel compliance with the articles of that document.
Peter in Massachusetts
CNN’s Devan Cole has written about what happens if Trump ignores the courts, as some Republicans have suggested he do, so I put this question to him.
COLE: The simple answer is “not really.” Legal experts say there are few options for courts looking to force compliance with a pronouncement.
Judges could hold an agency or official in civil or criminal contempt — but that’s about it. The most likely response by a court if the administration were to defy its edict would be to hold the agency acting in defiance of an order or ruling in civil contempt, which would allow a judge to levy fines on the government for its noncompliance.
Criminal contempt would be a much more dramatic response by a court to such defiance. And it could prove to be a futile approach because it would need to be initiated by the Justice Department — meaning it’s highly unlikely given the president’s control over that department. The US Marshals Service, which enforces federal court orders, is also part of the Department of Justice.
“The threat of sending somebody to jail is sort of a last resort,” said Carl Tobias, a constitutional law professor at the University of Richmond School of Law.
The Supreme Court’s ‘get out of jail free card’ Trump decision wouldn’t protect him in the event of an impeachment, would it?
Steve
This reader is referring to the special immunity the Supreme Court granted Trump (and all presidents) for most of their actions. Chief Justice John Roberts, in agreeing with Trump before his reelection that presidents should enjoy special immunity for nearly all of their activities while in office, argued they need “maximum ability to deal fearlessly and impartially,” with their duties.
But in that decision Roberts rejected the idea that by escaping conviction in two impeachment trials during his first term, Trump could entirely escape accountability. Roberts distingushed between the criminal justice system and impeachment, which he described as a “political process” that is distinct from criminal law.
That said, Trump is at the height of his power at the moment. It’s hard to envision the circumstances of his third impeachment in the current political environment.
I’m a federal employee. Why won’t my congressman, Chris Smith, NJ 4th, respond to my queries about Trump’s ‘fork in the road’ program. The guy is impossible to reach. I’ve called his local NJ office, his DC office and contacted his office via email and can’t get an answer. It is an endless ‘do-loop.’ He is the longest sitting congressman and after 40 years in office he still doesn’t understand his responsibilities as a member of Congress. And I should note that Joint Base Dix-McGuire-Lakehurst is in his district and employs a lot of civil servants.
Rob in New Jersey
I called Smith’s office and emailed his press secretary twice. No response. According to the Congressional Research Service, using data from the Office of Personnel Management, the level of federal employment in New Jersey’s 4th congressional district is actually not that high. There are fewer than 6,000 federal workers in the district, which is about 1.5% of all employees there.
Around 77,000 federal workers nationwide took the “Fork in the Road” deferred resignation offer. Now the Trump administration has moved to mass layoffs, firing thousands of probationary workers across the country as part of their effort to shrink the federal workforce.
Exactly how far can Trump and/or Musk go into cutting Medicaid without congressional approval? I am in an assisted living center due to my health and cannot live on my own. The only way this is possible is through Medicaid. I am afraid that my services will be cut and I will be out in the cold with nowhere to go as I am not eligible for Medicare as of yet.
Grace-Ann in Ohio
CNN’s Tami Luhby is the resident expert on Medicaid and she helped me with this response:
Jointly funded by the federal government and states, Medicaid provides health insurance to more than 72 million lower-income Americans. It has long been a target of Republicans, and Musk has said “the big money fraud is happening” at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
How far Trump and Musk can go into cutting any funding approved by Congress will be a key question going forward. Trump wants to use the theory of “impoundment” to refuse to spend money Congress approves.
But Grace-Ann should also be worried about the cost-cutting that congressional Republicans are discussing for Medicaid. House Republicans are looking to the program to save at least $880 billion over a decade to help pay for extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. A separate issue will be whether lawmakers will push for savings in Medicare, which provides health coverage to older Americans and adults with disabilities.
Where do Trump and RFK stand on cannabis legalization or descheduling?
Marc in New Jersey
Law enforcement agencies, under President Joe Biden, have already said that marijuana should be reclassified to a substance with medical value, but Trump could interrupt that process. Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said during confirmation hearings that the effects of marijuana should be studied.
Trump nominated Virginia’s secretary of public safety, Terrance Cole, to lead the Drug Enforcement Agency. Cole opposes the legalization of marijuana.
Trump said he would vote to legalize adult marijuana use in Florida in 2024. So did more than 55% of voters. But Republicans in the state raised the bar to 60% for such amendments to pass, so the minority was able to keep recreational marijuana illegal in Florida. It’s not clear how Trump will proceed as president.
President Trump swore up and down that he didn’t sign off on Project 2025, but just about everything that’s been done since his Inauguration seems to be straight out of that document. Was he being deceptive in the run-up to the election?
Chris in Georgia
That’s a value judgment each American will have to make. Trump said during the campaign that he hadn’t read Project 2025. That may be true. But many of the people working in his administration were involved in Project 2025 and his policies bear similarities to it.
No one asked him to dismantle the government. We thought he would lower the prices of groceries and make life easier.
– Anonymous
Trump did talk frequently about slashing the size of government throughout the campaign. And many of his supporters are applauding his moves. He talked about attacking the bureaucracy, which he calls the deep state.
True, he tried to distance himself from Project 2025, the conservative plan to redefine how the government works. But he still talked about ending certain government agencies, like the Department of Education. Musk, campaigning for Trump, also talked frequently about shrinking the size of government.
This should not be a total shock, although it’s a much larger effort than many may have envisioned.
Polling suggests there is general support for shrinking the size of government, although it will be interesting to see how the public reacts to the scale of the cuts.
That said, Trump has certainly spent more energy so far as president on slashing government than on bringing down prices.
If it’s now ‘okay’ to bribe foreign nationals when doing business, will it be acceptable for domestic and foreign interests to bribe US politicians and corporate figures? Just wondering, I may have plans to make.
– Anonymous
This reader is referring to Trump’s order to halt enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a US law banning overseas business bribes. Trump does not have the power to repeal the law. He is saying he won’t enforce it, arguing American companies should not face prosecution for staying competitive and doing what companies from other countries do. Ethics experts generally disagree. Bribery within the US is also illegal and there’s no indication he will pause enforcement.
Now that Trump has renamed the Gulf of Mexico, will he also be renaming Greenland to Red, White and Yellowland?
Ted
That’s funny! Although I think Ted should have said Blue and Yellowland. Since yellow and blue make green. Whatever.
Perhaps the reader saw Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter, of Georgia’s introduction of a bill in Congress to authorize Trump to negotiate to buy Greenland and rename it “Red, White, and Blueland.”
It’s not funny that Trump’s White House has banned the Associated Press over that news agency’s refusal to use “Gulf of America” exclusively. It’s also no joke that Trump views his second term as a time for renewed US expansion. He wants to retake control of the Panama Canal. He wants to take control of Greenland. He is said to be serious about wanting to make Canada the 51st state. It’s also true that his bid to rename the Gulf of Mexico, along with his re-renaming military bases, are part of an effort to focus on his version of American dominance and history.
Concerned Canadian for our American friends: Tariffs will undoubtedly cause prices to increase for everyone on both sides of the border. Why does President Trump want to cause economic hardship for everyone? His supporters are blindly following his statement that prices will rise before they get better. And the MAGA crowd accepts this? After Canada announces their retaliatory tariffs? Who benefits?
– Francis in Manitoba
I put this question to David Goldman, executive editor of CNN Business, who has written about Trump and tariffs. Here’s his answer:
I don’t believe Trump wants to cause economic hardship — just the opposite. He has said that tariffs will raise revenue to support sweeping tax cuts that will help lower costs for Americans. Although Trump acknowledges prices could get higher in the near term, he believes inflation will be temporary and offset by lower energy costs and lower interest rates that his policies will bring into effect. But those are some big assumptions with many potential pitfalls. Like you noted, tariffs often invite retaliatory tariffs, which could ignite a full-blown trade war that makes prices even higher for Americans and hurts the economy.
Mr. Trump was elected for the second time with his campaign promise that he would bring inflation and prices down including gas and grocery. When, exactly, will US consumers will see lower prices at gas stations and supermarkets? Please be specific. Thank you.
– Bibekanand
Here’s more from Goldman at CNN Business:
Trump has done very little to bring prices down. So I can’t tell you when prices will come down or even promise that they will. However, I actually think lowering inflation is one thing Trump has a well-constructed and well-articulated plan for. It’s not just “drill, baby, drill “— it’s tax cuts, DOGE, interest rates, tariffs and oil.
Basically the plan boils down to this:
1) Lower taxes within America’s borders, incentivizing companies to do business there.
2) Raise taxes on businesses outside of America (that is, tariffs), bringing in revenue that will both pay for the lost proceeds from lower tax rates and drive more American manufacturing to grow the economy.
3) Produce more oil to lower energy costs to defeat inflation.
4) Cut spending, primarily via Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, to lower interest rates to reduce costs for businesses and consumers.
There are countless potential problems with that logic — for example, most mainstream economists believe that tariffs will actually make prices higher, not lower, and the president can’t set interest rates on his own. But there is a plan in the works.
