Welcome to the online edition of From The Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that provides the latest reports and analysis from the NBC News Politics team’s White House, Capitol Hill and Campaign Trail.
Today’s edition explores how Donald Trump Eron’s musk dynamics define political state in the White House outside Capitol Hill, Washington. Plus, Peter Nicholas is divided into how seriously Trump supporters take his third term of affairs.
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– Adam Walner
Trump and Musk control the first cabinet meeting of the new administration
By Catherine Doyle
When President Donald Trump convened Cabinet Secretary for the first meeting of his new term today, a large-scale character tablefull sat mostly, watching the administration’s early heroes once again take the central stage.
The group, which includes candidates that have not yet been confirmed, had early actions to restructure the federal bureaucracy, causing assault and anxiety among government officials, and had tweeted concerns among some Republicans in Congress.
“He’s sacrificing a lot,” Trump said, introducing him to the mask. “He’s got a lot of praise, I tell you, but he’s also been hit.”
Trump’s first cabinet meeting outlined the hierarchy in his administration. Many of the department heads whose Senate was confirmed spent an hour as members of the audience after the president gave Musk the floor at the top of the meeting.
As Musk standing at the edge of a long table, Trump’s secretary described Doge and his work as “described as a support function for the president, institutional and department, achieving those savings and effectively finding a 15% reduction in fraud and waste.”
“And we’ll bring you a receipt,” Musk added.
doge Tim C. Timm reports that many of the “receipts” on the Doge list of savings are dozens of “blanket purchase agreements” for potential future jobs, rather than reductions in active contracts.
Trump also made clear his expectations for the Cabinet. “Yeah, they’ll follow the orders,” Trump said in response to a question from a reporter about his control of the administration. “Of course, there are no exceptions.”
Details of Katherine at Trump’s first cabinet meeting →
On the other end of Pennsylvania Ave. Trump and Musk’s slash and burn tactics have emerged as a key sticking point between the two parties, as there is a March 14 deadline to fund the government’s fast approach, Sahil Kapur reports.
Republicans who control the House and Senate have made it clear they will not accept restrictions on Trump’s authority.
But they will need democratic support for the bill to avoid government shutdowns and compensate for the expected asylum from conservatives in the House to overcome the Senate’s 60 vote threshold. Democrats use that leverage to request a guardrail for the bill, limiting the discretion of the administration and demanding that the administration implement the spending directed by Congress.
Outside of Washington: Trump and Musk’s efforts have another effect on lawmakers: House Republicans are tired of in-person town hall meetings after facing backlash against federal cuts and reporting from Melanie Zanona, Jonathan Allen and Matt Dixon.
The leader of the party suggests that if lawmakers feel the need to hold such an event, they should do teletown halls or at least veterinarian participants to avoid scenes that would become viral clips. GOP aides said House Republican leaders are urging lawmakers to stop working fully with them.
Other things you need to know from today’s President Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymia Zelenki said Ukraine and the United States have outlined an agreement to jointly fund Ukraine’s future security and reconstruction using investment funds loaded with the country’s rare earth minerals. Trump said Zelensky will visit the US on Friday. Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared to downplay the severity of the outbreak of measles in West Texas, which killed one school-age child. Ignore the court’s order. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the US will invest up to $1 billion to fight the spread of avian flu. Trump said he wanted to replace his long-standing visa program for foreign investors with a “gold card” that offers a $5 million path to legal permanent residency and citizenship.
Trump continues to bully in his third term – despite the constitution banning it
By Peter Nicholas
Donald Trump’s Loyalist compatriots are in the early stages of his campaign to rewrite the constitution, allowing him to serve other terms.
As a candidate last year, and since he took office, Trump has been teasing, excited, raised, fed, and lived on the unlikely notion that he might run and serve again if nothing else.
“Are you allowed to run again?” Trump said last month during a meeting with House Republicans of Florida.
The Constitution is clear in that respect. He isn’t. Under the amendment to Article 22, no one can be elected president more than once. It eliminates Trump.
Stubborn supporters don’t want to overcome such small obstacles.
R-Tenn. Rep. Andy Ogres proposed a constitutional amendment calling for an extension of the president’s term limit to eight years. That is, if Trump wins again, he could have taken office until he was 86 in January 2033.
And the poster, exhibited at a conservative political action conference outside of Washington, DC over the weekend, was captioned for “Third Period Project,” showing Trump in Empire’s Julius Caesar outfit.
I read “For Trump 2028…and more!”
Areation Serious or Joke Problem? : Opinions differ between GOP lawmakers who have previously worked with Trump and former advisors about the seriousness of the outlook. There is a strong view that he is simply trolling critics.
“President Trump is joking about his third term, like a chef who jokes about putting Michelin stars in his own restaurant. It’s obviously not happening, but it’s fun to see critics lose their hearts.”
But others believe that if the Constitution is amended to allow a third term in some way, then Trump will make a leap.
“If there’s a procedural way to achieve that, he’s likely to think that very much,” said Jenna Ellis, a 2020 Trump campaign lawyer.
“It will undergo constitutional amendments, but remember that the constitution was amended to impose term limits.
Read more from Peter→
today’s other top stories
Battle Budget Battle: Speaker Mike Johnson was able to get a House budget resolution to advance Trump’s legislative agenda approved by the narrowest margin. There’s a difficult part right now. Get on the same page as Senate Republicans. Read more →⚖→ Court: The Supreme Court seemed likely to allow women to pursue allegations that they were discriminated against in the workplace because they were straightforward. Read more →➡→In State: Lawmakers in at least nine states have introduced measures to remove the rights to marriage for same-sex couples. Read more → 🚫2026 Surveillance: Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz will not run for the Senate next year, instead considering a third term bid as governor. Read more →🎙→🎙️2028Watch: California Gov. Gavin Newsom is launching what he calls “a thing other than that ordinary ‘politician’ podcast.” Read more →
For now, it’s all from the political desk. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Ben Kamisar.
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