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.
In today’s edition, Dandelluth, one of Global Affairs’ resident experts, breaks down the notable changes in President Donald Trump’s policy towards Russia. Additionally, Sahil Kapur offers a reality check on how Trump and Doge’s plans will affect the deficit.
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– Adam Walner
Over the week, Trump overturns decades of US foreign policy
Analysis by Dan de Ruth
Before and after his inauguration, President Donald Trump appears to hold a more critical line in Russia, warning that he will face new sanctions if Moscow does not take part in peace talks.
In a social media post last month, Trump wrote:
But everything changed last week.
After a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump turned the script over. The US and Russia will enter into negotiations to end the war in Ukraine without mentioning the role of the Ukrainian government, Trump said. His defense secretary flew to Europe and said Ukraine’s NATO membership was off the table and it was unrealistic for Kiev to hope that he would reclaim the territory that Russia seized.
By Tuesday night, Trump claimed that Ukraine, which had been invaded by Russia three years ago, had “never started” the war. That spat continues until Wednesday, with Ukrainian Voldy Mee Zelensky accusing Trump of living in the “disinformation bubble” in Russia, and Trump calling Zelensky a “dictator.”
With words of reconciliation with Putin and his willingness to meet in person, Trump effectively invited Russia out of the cold after three years of diplomatic and economic isolation. Photos of Saudi Arabia showing Trump’s representatives, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz, appeared to be sitting across a table from a senior Russian official.
Within a week, Trump overthrew decades of US foreign policy with Russia and Europe. And he raised serious questions not only in Europe but in the world, in the minds of all American allies.
One of the themes of foreign policy that has been consistent throughout Trump’s public life, dating back to the 1980s, is his belief that allies are torn apart Americans. He repeatedly questioned the value of the alliance dating back to the end of World War II, claiming that the US is being used because of the costs of American military presence or the costs of biased trade relations. It’s there.
Historians and analysts say that the postwar order has helped to promote rising standards of living around the world, strengthen and spread democratic rule from Prague to Tokyo, and help avoid wars between great powers. But Trump and his supporters believe the US is getting too cautious about its allies.
Trump is testing the proposition that America can survive and thrive without raising friends. Does “America First” mean “America only”?
How Europe is responding: European leaders are unsure of Trump’s rapid reversal of American policy towards Russia, struggling to unite around a common response.
How Republicans respond: In Washington, a small number of GOP senators sought to distance themselves from Trump’s comments labeling Zelenskyy as a “dictator” while avoiding direct criticism of the president .
More Information: Keir Simmons and Natasha Lebedeva How Investment Banker Became Putin’s Man in a High-Level US Talk Room
Other things you need to know from today’s President Trump
Trump has offered his strongest support for the House GOP’s strategy of passing one sweeping bill to advance his legislative agenda. But Senate Republicans said they would still go further by voting for their budget resolution. Former Rep. Lori Chavez Deremar, the Labor Secretary’s candidate who elicited some skepticism from a Republican senator, faces questions about her stance on unions and stance on the rights of labor law during her confirmation hearing I did. The “Crowded Pricing” toll was established last month to raise funds for the area’s aging mass transit system. A contradictory new explanation as to why the Justice Department is trying to withdraw corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams. He argues that the charges against the mayor are not fully supported by law. A federal judge ordered the spy agency to temporarily suspend the firing of 11 intelligence agents for duties related to diversity, equity, inclusion and access programs. Defense Secretary Pete Hegses is considering firing slaves of military generals and flag officers as early as this week.
Doge’s target cuts are just a fraction of the federal budget. Trump’s agenda can add trillions to the deficit
By Sahil Kapur
President Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk have sent shockwaves to the federal government by trying to bring hand-hatches to certain agencies in the name of reducing federal deficits. Ta.
But reality is much more complicated.
Budget experts say that even if Trump succeeds in reducing government efficiency spending, his policies will be effectively added to the deficit.
Nonpartisans say Trump is seeking new tax cuts and spending, and if there are no changes to current federal law, it adds at least $5 trillion to the 10-year deficit compared to Red Ink. I called for a tax cut. Responsible Federal Budget Committee. Additionally, Republican leaders in Congress are pushing for more military and border security.
Foreign Aid: Trump has focused on cutting foreign aid, which lastly accounted for 1.2% of the overall budget, even after adding emergency assistance to Ukraine.
Education Division: Trump is also calling for the dissolution of the education division, which accounts for around 3% of federal spending, according to the Treasury Department.
Federal Workforce: Trump and Musk are trying to reduce the government’s workforce, but federal workers make up 6% of the budget, according to a report from the Congressional Budget Office on FY 2022.
Qualification Programs: When it comes to Social Security and Medicare, Trump last year promised to put his profits at risk by asking him to tackle “qualification theft and bad management.” However, the President and Musk have yet to provide evidence of fraud that bends the cost curve.
Read more from Sahil→
Related Doge read:
Big Swing, Big Miss: Doge struggles to support that characterization claim by Jane C. Tim
At least 11 lawsuits by Kevin Collier have undertaken Doge over data access and privacy laws
today’s other top stories
By Numbers: New data on immigration and customs enforcement shows that not only the administration arrests criminals, but detention centres are approaching maximum capacity. Read more → “Getting tensions: RN.Y. Rep. Mike Lawler questioned the citizenship status of New York elected county officials during discussions about ICE at the public meeting Read more → Exit Headline: Two of Senator John Fetterman’s longest-serving staff have shown that Pennsylvania Democrats have taken a more open approach to Trump than many of his colleagues. Leave his team because he is. Read more → 🐝beehive Nation Topic: The New York Times says how Utah is going to be for Republicans trying to resist Trump and his political style. We will explore whether we have become “solely retained.” Read more →
For now, it’s all from the political desk. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Bridget Bowman.
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