1. Called Powell "Stupid and Incompetent," Complained About Obstacles to Firing Him – On Tuesday, Trump harshly criticized Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, whom he had nominated, as a "foolish idiot" and claimed that his attempts to immediately remove Powell were repeatedly blocked by advisors. Trump also hinted that he had already decided on a replacement for the Fed chair.
2. Met with Saudi Crown Prince, Secured $1 Trillion Investment – Trump held a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House on Tuesday, discussing topics including the F-35 fighter jet deal, U.S.-Saudi defense agreements, and Saudi-Israeli normalization. The Crown Prince pledged to increase Saudi investments in the U.S. from $600 billion to $1 trillion.
3. Pushed for Unified Federal AI Regulations – Trump stated that excessive state-level regulations on AI are threatening industry growth. He emphasized the need for a single federal standard rather than a patchwork of 50 different state rules, suggesting it should be included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) or passed as standalone legislation.
4. Expressed Pride in June Attack on Iranian Nuclear Facilities, Claimed Iran Wants a Deal – Trump once again praised the U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June. He later stated that Iran is seeking a diplomatic resolution with the U.S., saying, "I’m completely open to it and am currently in talks with them."
5. Dismissed Congress’s Epstein Files Bill: "Don’t Care" – The U.S. House and Senate passed a bill on the 18th requiring the Justice Department to release documents related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein’s case. Trump responded that he "doesn’t care" when the Senate passed the bill and insisted he had "no relationship" with Epstein.
6. Called for Revoking ABC’s License After Epstein Files Question – After an ABC News reporter asked Trump about handling Epstein-related documents, he renewed his call for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to revoke ABC’s broadcasting license.
7. Defamation Lawsuit Against CNN Dismissed – On the 18th, a federal appeals court upheld the dismissal of Trump’s $475 million defamation lawsuit against CNN, which stemmed from the network labeling his claims of a "stolen 2020 election" as "lies."
8. Vowed to Only Support Healthcare Plans That Refund Money Directly to People – Amid stalled congressional negotiations on healthcare subsidies, Trump said he would only back plans that return funds "directly to the people" and allow individuals to negotiate their own insurance purchases.
9. Approval Rating Hits Record Low Over Cost of Living and Epstein Case – A Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Trump’s approval rating dropping to 38%, the lowest since his return to the White House, due to public dissatisfaction with his handling of living costs and the Epstein investigation.
10. Advanced Plan to Dismantle Education Department, Transferred Offices to Other Agencies – Sources revealed that the U.S. Department of Education will announce an agreement on Tuesday to transfer multiple offices to other agencies, marking a major step toward dissolving the nearly 50-year-old cabinet department.