Today in Trump: February 25, 2017
Today in the Trump Administration
White House
It’s been a quiet day at the White House for President Trump, though he did have a working lunch with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Florida Gov. Rick Scott “to discuss how best to solve the problems of Obamacare, with a special emphasis on the states’ role in healthcare,” according to White House readout.
Fact-checking Trump’s claim that debt dropped by $12 billion in first month
President Trump claimed Saturday that the national debt decreased by $12 billion in his first month as commander in chief. Later in the day, the president of the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Budget said that while the debt outstanding did decline by $12 billion in his first month, it had nothing to do with new policies implemented by his administration.
CPAC
CPAC wraps up its conference. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt speaks (1:50 p.m.), and a straw poll will be taken (3:05 p.m.)
DHS report: Citizens of travel ban countries “rarely implicated” in U.S.-based terrorism
An intelligence report compiled by DHS’ Intelligence and Analysis Unit has concluded that citizens affected by President Trump’s travel ban are “rarely implicated in U.S.-based terrorism.”
The report concluded that “country of citizenship is unlikely to be a reliable indicator of potential terrorist activity,” and it says that “relatively few” of the citizens of these countries maintain access to the U.S.” The countries named in the president’s original travel ban were Somalia, Libya, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Sudan and Yemen.
Trump at CPAC - AP fact check
President Donald Trump said Friday that his predecessor’s health care law covers “very few people” as he minimized the impact of replacing it. That’s only true if you consider more than 20 million people to be very few.
He took another mysterious poke at Sweden, too, and decried open U.S. borders that are not.
Here’s a look at his statements at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday:
TRUMP: “Obamacare covers very few people.”
THE FACTS: More than 20 million people are covered by the two major components of former President Barack Obama’s health care law: expanded Medicaid and subsidized private health insurance.
What you missed yesterday
WH spokesman Sean Spicer defends Priebus’ contacts with FBI
In an afternoon briefing Friday, Sean Spicer defended the White House over a CNN report that Reince Priebus had inappropriately pressured the FBI to dispute a New York Times story that alleged multiple contacts between Trump campaign associates and Russian intelligence officials during the presidential campaign.
At issue were communications between FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus about the accuracy of the story published by the Times.
On Thursday, CNN suggested that Priebus’ contact with the FBI may have been inappropriate, given that there is a pending investigation into the alleged Russian contacts.
Trump appeals to conservatives at CPAC, vows to keep campaign promises
President Trump returned to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Friday after skipping the event last year in order to campaign in Kansas during the presidential primary season.
For the first half of the speech, Mr. Trump bashed what he called “the dishonest press” and said that “fake news” is “the enemy of the people.”
“They have no sources, they just make it up,” Mr. Trump said, adding that he’s “not against” the media or the press and that he doesn’t mind bad stories about him.
He then went on to discuss his election victory last November and outlined all of the policy promises he intends to keep as president. He discussed his plan to dismantle Obamacare, lower taxes for the middle class, rebuild the military, build a border wall and deport “bad dudes” from the U.S.
“By stopping the flow of illegal immigration, we will save countless tax dollars,” Mr. Trump said. “They’re not coming back in, folks.”
Trump signs executive order targeting regulations that are deemed unnecessary
President Trump on Friday signed an executive order that calls on all executive agencies to evaluate federal regulations and identify any that are unnecessary, according to the White House pool report.
“Excessive regulations are killing jobs, driving companies out of our country like never before,’’ Mr. Trump said with a dozen or more CEOs standing behind him in the Oval Office.
“Today, this executive order directs each agency to establish a regulatory reform task force. It will ensure that every agency has a team of dedicated people to research all regulations that are unnecessary, burdensome and harmful to the economy, and harmful to the creation of jobs and business.’’
Trump slams FBI for failing to track down leakers
President Trump on Friday blasted the FBI for failing to track down people who are leaking information to journalists about the new administration.
Mr. Trump went on say that classified information is being relayed to the press, which he said could have a “devastating effect” on the U.S. He demanded that the leakers be found immediately. -- Rebecca Shabad
Poll: Hispanics divided over what Trump presidency means about their place in U.S.
Hispanic people in the U.S. are divided about what Donald Trump’s presidency means for them, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center.
The poll found that 54 percent of Hispanics said that they’re confident about their place in America after Mr. Trump’s election and 41 percent said they have serious concerns.
Among undocumented immigrants, 55 percent said that they have serious concerns about their place in the U.S. The same was said by 38 percent of U.S.-born Hispanic and 34 percent of Hispanic immigrants to the U.S. Forty-nine percent of Hispanic lawful permanent residents said they have serious concerns, too.
The Takeout: What to expect from Trump’s first joint address to Congress
Next week’s must-watch political television is the president’s joint address to Congress Tuesday. How will the president command the podium in the august House chamber? What will it feel like in the room?
Though Mr. Trump claims his White House has run like a “fine-tuned machine,” there have been a few stalls and false starts. For instance, a key executive order, the travel ban, has been stayed by the courts, forcing him to write a new one. Mr. Trump and his top aides are at war with the media -- he declared several TV networks the “enemy of the people last week.”
A new CBS News poll this week shows the president’s approval ratings are low -- 39 percent -- similar to other recent polls over the last couple of weeks.
Just over a month after his inauguration, it seems likely that Mr. Trump could use this speech to turn his attention from the solo executive actions and cabinet appointments toward the agenda that will require working with Congress.
How will all of this be manifest in the president’s Tuesday address? Correspondent Margaret Brennan, who covers the White House and foreign affairs for CBS News, joined Major Garrett for this week’s episode of “The Takeout” podcast.
Caitlyn Jenner tells Trump his reversal on transgender rights is “a disaster”
Caitlyn Jenner is taking President Trump to task for his administration’s reversal of a directive on transgender access to public school bathrooms.
Jenner addresses Mr. Trump in a video posted Thursday night on Twitter. She says, “From one Republican to another, this is a disaster.”
The Trump White House has ended a directive issued during Obama’s presidency that told public schools to let transgender students use bathrooms and locker rooms of their chosen gender.
Kasich
Mr. Trump meets with Ohio Gov. John Kasich. The National Governors and the Republican governors are in Washington this weekend for their annual meeting. Mike Pence will host the GOP governors for lunch, 12:30 p.m. Later, Pence will travel to Las Vegas to address the Republican Jewish Coalition, 10:30 p.m.
