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An joint interview with Donald Trump and his “first buddy” Elon Musk will be broadcast tonight on Fox.
The interview, conducted by Sean Hannity, is set to air in full at 9 p.m. ET. In an already-released interview segment, Musk discussed his experience of “Trump Derangement Syndrome” among the left and claimed friends behaved like they had “rabies” when the president’s name was mentioned at a dinner party.
It comes after the White House revealed in a court filing that the tech billionaire is, in fact, not an employee of the Department of Government Efficiency and has no decision-making authority.
Musk’s role in the administration is limited to that of an employee and senior adviser to the president, according to the filing.
That clarification comes as Michelle King, the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) acting commissioner, stepped down from her role at the agency over DOGE’s requests to access Social Security recipient’s private personal information and top American and Russian officials are set to hold talks in Saudi Arabia about ending the war in Ukraine.
Trump threatens 25% tariffs on cars, microchips and drugs starting in April
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would unilaterally impose 25 percent import taxes on American purchases of automobiles, pharmaceuticals and microchips as early as April 1 despite fears that doing so would supercharge inflation rates he promised to tame during his campaign for the presidency last year.
Speaking during an impromptu press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump was asked about the rates of tariffs he plans to impose in pursuit of what he has called “reciprocity” in trade and in an effort to force manufacturers to bring their facilities back to the U.S.
Andrew Feinberg reports on what the president said this afternoon.
Oliver O’Connell18 February 2025 22:15
Musk will not take part in space-related decisions, Trump says
Donald Trump suggested that he will not let billionaire Elon Musk participate in any space-related government decisions. The president was asked about Musk’s potential conflicts of interest during the Department of Government Efficiency’s effort to cut government costs.
“So anything to do with possibly even space, we won’t let Elon partake in that,” Trump told reporters this afternoon.
Reuters18 February 2025 22:12
US Postal Service head DeJoy to step down
Louis DeJoy, the head of the U.S. Postal Service, intends to step down, the federal agency said Tuesday, after a nearly five-year tenure marked by the coronavirus pandemic, surges in mail-in election ballots and efforts to stem losses through cost and service cuts.
In a Monday letter, Postmaster General DeJoy asked the Postal Service Board of Governors to begin looking for his successor.
Bannon calls Musk a ‘parasitic illegal immigrant’
The 71-year-old MAGA acolyte and former Trump adviser said Musk is “the one with the power,” and that his work with the Department of Government Efficiency was “performative.”
Mike Bedigan has the story.
Oliver O’Connell18 February 2025 21:55
Judge blocks Trump from firing Democratic member of government workplace board
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered a Democrat who served as the chair of a U.S. agency that hears appeals from fired or disciplined federal government employees to be temporarily reinstated after President Donald Trump fired her.
U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras in Washington, D.C., issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Trump administration from removing Cathy Harris from her position on the Merit Systems Protection Board while he considers her lawsuit alleging that her removal was unlawful.
Federal workers who lose their jobs can challenge this decision before the board, an independent three-member panel, seeking reinstatement. This role could position the board centrally as Trump moves quickly to reduce the federal government’s workforce.
In a 21-page ruling, Contreras stated that Trump’s attempt to fire Harris last week likely violated a federal law that permits board members to be removed only for “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.”
“There is a substantial public interest in having governmental agencies abide by the federal laws that govern their existence and operations,” wrote Contreras, an appointee of former President Barack Obama.
With reporting by Reuters
Oliver O’Connell18 February 2025 21:52
Watch: Trump asked about firings of probationary federal workers who were then rehired
Oliver O’Connell18 February 2025 21:48
Trump asked to clarify if Elon is a DOGE employee
President Donald Trump was asked to clarify if Elon Musk is an employee of DOGE or not.
“Elon is to me a patriot. So, you know, you could call him an employee, you could call him a consultant, you could call him whatever you want,” said the president.
Here’s our earlier reporting:
Oliver O’Connell18 February 2025 21:41
Watch: Trump says AP ‘refuses to go with what the law is’ over ‘Gulf of America’
Trump doubles down on banning the AP over its Gulf of Mexico guidance: “The Associated Press just refuses to go with what the law is… I don’t know what they are doing but I would say we keep them out until such time. Now, the Associated Press, as you know, has been very wrong on the election.”
[image or embed]
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona.bsky.social) February 18, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Oliver O’Connell18 February 2025 21:37
Trump asked about Ukraine peace deal
President Donald Trump railed about Ukraine, mocking President Volodymyr Zelensky for an apparent low approval rating and blaming him for not ending the war sooner.
The president was asked about his message for Ukrainians who, after three years of fighting, might feel betrayed at not having a seat at these initial talks.
Trump responded: “They’ve had a seat for three years.”
“You’ve been there for three years. You should have ended it. You should have never started it.”
Trump was asked by a reporter at Mar-a-Lago if he supports European nations deploying troops on the ground in Ukraine as part of a peace deal. “I’m all for it,” he said.
Asked about Russia wanting to force elections in Ukraine as part of a peace deal, Trump said the country is under martial law and claimed President Volodymyr Zelenksy has an approval rating of four percent.
Oliver O’Connell18 February 2025 21:35
Judge denies state AGs restraining order against Musk and DOGE
Judge Tanya Chutkan denied 14 State attorneys general requests to issue a temporary restraining order against Elon Musk and DOGE, saying the state AGs had not satisfied the burden of showing they would suffer irreparable harm if the order wasn’t issued.
Chutkan recognized that the AGs “legitimately call into question what appears to be the unchecked authority of an unelected individual and an entity that was not created by Congress and over which it has no oversight.”
Ultimately, she needs more evidence to issue one.
Oliver O’Connell18 February 2025 21:27
