Trump criticizes sermon asking him to show ‘mercy’ toward LGBTQ people, immigrants
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(WASHINGTON) — Following a traditional inaugural prayer service at Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday, during which an Episcopal bishop called on President Donald Trump to show “mercy” toward LGBTQ people and immigrants, he told reporters the sermon “wasn’t too exciting” and added he “didn’t think it was a good service.”
The National Prayer Service was one of several events presidents attend around being sworn in.
“What did you think? Did you like it? Did you find it exciting? Not too exciting, was it? I didn’t think it was a good service, no,” Trump said to reporters.
In her sermon, the Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde addressed Trump directly from the pulpit.
“In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives,” Budde said.
“They may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals,” she continued. “They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurdwara and temples. I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here.”
Throughout the sermon, Trump, in the front pew, had a stoic expression, flipping through his program and scanning the room.
He looked up only during the hymns, sometimes moving his head to the music. Melania Trump was seen stifling a yawn and shifting around to stay alert.
A majority of Trump family members were seated behind the Trumps.
(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration is set to impose tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China on Saturday, placing pressure on three top U.S. trade partners while risking price increases for essential products like gasoline and groceries.
The policy is expected to slap a 25% tariff on all products from Canada and Mexico, as well as a 10% tariff on goods from China.
Hours before the tariffs were set to take effect, leaders in Canada and Mexico vowed to respond, indicating the possibility of a trade war.
Tariffs of this magnitude will likely increase prices paid by U.S. shoppers, since importers typically pass along a share of the cost of those higher taxes to consumers, experts previously told ABC News.
The policy could raise prices for an array of products ranging from avocados to tequila to auto parts.
The price impact remains unclear, however, since businesses within the supply chain could opt to take on some or all of the tax burden, some experts added.
Speaking at the White House on Friday, U.S. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the tariffs target the three countries for hosting the manufacture and transport of illicit drugs that end up in the U.S.
“Canada, Mexico and China have all enabled illegal drugs to pour into America,” Leavitt said.
The sentiment echoed comments made by President Donald Trump when he proposed such tariffs in a post on Truth Social weeks after winning the November election.
“These are promises made and promises kept by the president,” Leavitt said.
Less than two hours after Leavitt addressed reporters, Canadian President Justin Trudeau said in a post on X that such tariffs would elicit a “forceful and immediate response.”
Speaking earlier in the day, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum cast doubt on the likelihood of tariffs. “We don’t believe that it will happen and if it does, we have our plan,” Sheinbaum said.
Mexico and Canada account for 70% of U.S. crude oil imports, which make up a key input for the nation’s gasoline supply, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, a government agency.
The tariffs could raise gasoline prices by as much as 70 cents a gallon for some drivers, Timothy Fitzgerald, a professor of business economics at the University of Tennessee who studies the petroleum industry, previously told ABC News.
Trump said at the Oval Office earlier this week that the tariffs may feature an exemption for oil. Such a move could mitigate the risk of a price hike for gasoline, but the inclusion of the exemption remained unclear a day before the tariffs were set to take effect.
When asked on Friday about a possible exemption for oil, Leavitt declined to directly respond. “I don’t have an update,” Leavitt said. “Those tariffs will be for public consumption in about 24 hours.”
The proposed tariffs could also raise the price of an array of fresh fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, jalapenos, limes and mangoes, Jason Miller, a professor of supply-chain management at Michigan State University, told ABC News.
It would be difficult for the U.S. to replace those goods with domestic production or an alternative supplier, making it likely that prices would rise significantly if the tariffs take effect, he added.
The auto industry also retains deep ties to Canada and Mexico, making tariffs a threat to prices for cars and auto parts, experts said.
Inflation has slowed dramatically from a peak of more than 9% in June 2022, but price increases have picked up in recent months, keeping inflation nearly a percentage point higher than the Fed’s target rate of 2%.
Speaking on Friday, Leavitt touted Trump’s previous achievements in keeping inflation under control.
“Americans who are concerned about increased prices should look at what President Trump did in his first term. He effectively implemented tariffs and the average inflation rate during the first Trump administration was 1.9%.”
ABC News’ William Gretsky contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration is compiling a list of agents and other FBI officials from around the country who they believe should be fired or forced to resign in the coming days, several sources told ABC News.
Trump administration officials are especially looking at whether anyone tied in any way to former special counsel Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 and classified documents investigations of President Donald Trump should be included in the firings, according to the sources. They are also looking for anyone who may be resistant to carrying out some of the administration’s new initiatives, sources said.
Firings could begin as early as Friday, but a list is expected to be finalized on Monday, sources said.
The list of those who could be fired includes the heads of dozens of field offices across the country and could include scores of agents in the FBI’s Washington, D.C., Field Office alone, sources said.
An FBI spokesperson said in a statement to ABC: “The FBI is declining to comment on any questions regarding FBI personnel matters. We have also instructed the public affairs officers in our field offices to decline to comment as well.”
Trump’s nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, was pressed Thursday during his confirmation hearing as to whether FBI agents who worked on Smith’s investigations would be protected from “retribution,” should he be confirmed.
“Every FBI employee will be held to the absolute same standard, and no one will be terminated for cases,” Patel said. “All FBI employees will be protected against political retribution.”
The FBI Agents Association said the actions “contradict the commitments” Patel made to the association ahead of his Senate confirmation hearing, saying Patel said FBI agents “would be afforded appropriate process and review and not face retribution based solely on the cases to which they were assigned.”
“If true, these outrageous actions by acting officials are fundamentally at odds with the law enforcement objectives outlined by President Trump and his support for FBI Agents,” the FBI Agents Association added in a statement. “Dismissing potentially hundreds of Agents would severely weaken the Bureau’s ability to protect the country from national security and criminal threats and will ultimately risk setting up the Bureau and its new leadership for failure.”
In the Oval Office later Friday, Trump was asked by reporters about Justice Department employees who may be fired or forced out in the coming days and he appeared to indicate it could be a “good thing.”
“If they fired some people over there, that’s a good thing because they were very bad,” Trump said. “They used the Justice Department to correct their political opponents, which in itself is illegal.”
Asked if he specifically requested any action, Trump denied, “No, but we have some very bad people over there. It was weaponized at a level that nobody’s ever seen before”
ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Donald Trump’s administration has rescinded its sweeping directive that sought to pause potentially trillions in loans, grants and financial assistance, according to a memo obtained by ABC News.
“OMB memorandum M-25-13 is rescinded,” the short memo from Matthew Vaeth, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, reads. “If you have questions about implementing the President’s Executive Orders, please contact your agency General Counsel.”
The policy reversal follows a tumultuous 48 hours for the White House, as states and local governments raised concerns that funding for health care, law enforcement, disaster aid and infrastructure spending could be paused or delayed during the expansive rollout of the policy.
Amid the confusion, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., issued a stay of the policy through Monday as lawyers for the Department of Justice struggled to confirm the extent of the directive.
“Without this funding, Plaintiff States will be unable to provide certain essential benefits for residents, pay public employees, satisfy obligations, and carry on the important business of government,” 22 state attorneys general had said in the lawsuit challenging the policy Tuesday.
On Monday, the Office of Management and Budget ordered federal agencies to freeze any federal funding to activities that might be implicated by Trump’s executive orders, causing states, local governments and nonprofits to scramble to determine if their funding would be cut off. Less than 24 hours after the policy was revealed, the White House attempted to clarify the policy in a memo, saying programs that provide direct benefits to Americans — such as Social Security, Medicare and SNAP benefits — would be excluded from the freeze.
During the hearing Tuesday, the lawyer for the Department of Justice struggled to clarify exactly what would be affected.
“It seems like the federal government currently doesn’t actually know the full scope of the programs that are going to be subject to the pause. Is that correct?” U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan asked.
“I can only speak for myself, which is just based on the limited time frame here, that I do not have a comprehensive list,” DOJ lawyer Daniel Schwei said, adding, “it just depends” on the type of program and funding source.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
