Trump delivers another crushing blow to Harvard with new executive order: Live updates

By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.S. Political Editor

President Trump signed orders on Wednesday that put more pressure on elite universities amid his administration’s clash with Harvard.

The first order deals with ‘large foreign gifts’ to universities. White House staff secretary Will Scharf told Trump it would apply to ‘for example, Harvard.’

A second deals with accreditation for universities. According to Scharf, it deals with accrediting schools based on merit, ‘as opposed to how woke these universities have gotten.’

Trump then weighed in with his own pet peeve about education. ‘They’re allowing people into school that can’t do math,’ he complained.

It comes just days after Trump announced his plan to pull another billion dollars in funding from Harvard.

The White House froze more than $2.2 billion in funding to the school after it rejected demands from the government to reform its hiring, admissions, and teaching practices in order to help fight antisemitism on campus.

Now, Trump has escalated the feud by moving to pull an additional $1 billion of the school’s funding for health research, anonymous government sources told the Wall Street Journal.

The shock move by the Ivy League has prompted the Trump administration to be even more heavy-handed with its response, the officials told the WSJ.

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent

Glenn Beck interviewed President Donald Trump on Wednesday and said the new Trump portrait between Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush is a ‘troll.’

Beck remarked on Trump’s ‘tremendous sense of humor’ as he introduced their interview from the White House lawn, before airing it on his BlazeTV network.

‘I was with him just 45 minutes ago, and now I’m here, and already memes are going out with the two of us. Between a picture of Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush he decided to put a painting of him in between,’ Beck said. ‘And he’s doing it as a troll.’

‘He has a very funny sense of humor,’ the former Fox News host said. ‘It’s driving the left out of their minds.’

The rather colorful piece of Trump art was placed in the East Wing’s booksellers hallway, usually reserved for portraits of first ladies.

Trump has made some more serious changes to the White House decor, including adding a lot of gold elements to the Oval Office.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

President Donald Trump, who is still pondering making Canada the 51st state, declined to comment on who should be the next prime minister of America’s neighbor to the north.

‘I don’t want to predict other nation’s elections. It’s tough enough doing this one. Look, I love the Canadian people. I like Canada, but it’s costing us $200 billion a year to support Canada,’ he said.

Canada elects its new prime minister on April 28.

Trump reiterated his desire to incorporate Canada into this country, saying it ‘makes a better state.’

President Donald Trump said he’ll meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘soon after’ he travels to Saudi Arabia.

The president is pushing Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky to come to a peace deal.

Asked by reporters if he’ll meet with Putin during his Saudi Arabia trip, Trump responded: ‘It’s possible, but most likely not. I think we’ll meet with him shortly thereafter.’

Trump will travel to Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar starting May 13.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

President Donald Trump welcomed 10 wounded warriors in the Oval Office and noticed something unusual.

He asked one of the veterans about the Joe Biden sticker on his artifical leg – and got a surprising response.

‘That is Joe Biden,’ the veteran said and added: ‘It says let’s go Brandon.’

During the 2020 campaign, ‘let’s go brandon’ was a derogatory phrase Trump supporters used to describe Biden.

Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent

President Donald Trump continued to heap praise on the Mahomes family – Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, his wife Brittany and mother Randi – during a back-and-forth with reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday.

Trump had been asked if the Washington Commanders’ stadium deal should be tied to the team reverting its name back to the ‘Redskins’ – considered a racial slur by some Native American groups.

That got Trump talking about the Kansas City Chiefs.

‘They’re not changing their name,’ Trump observed. ‘Great team, great people, great owners, great coach and quarterback. I love the quarterback, like his girlfriend too – and his wife, his wife,’ the president said, correcting Patrick and Brittany’s relationship status.

‘His wife is great, she’s been a big fan. The quarterback’s mother is incredible. I like that team. They’re called the Chiefs and frankly I see nothing wrong with it,’ the president continued.

Trump showed his appreciation for Brittany during the 2024 campaign, especially as the team’s other prominent WAG – tight end Travis Kelce’s girlfriend, pop star Taylor Swift, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris after her September debate against the now-president.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he thought Russia had agreed to a deal to end the conflict in Ukraine, with President Volodymr Zelensky now the holdout.

Trump said in the Oval Office:

I think we have a deal with Russia. We have to get a deal with Zelensky.

I thought it might be easier to deal with Zelensky. So far it’s been harder.

President Trump said he has not had contact with Fed Chair Jerome Powell but may call him.

I haven’t called him. I might call him.

It came a day after Trump said he had ‘no intention’ of firing Powell.

He wants Powell to lower interest rates.

President Trump praised Elon Musk – at one point in the past tense – after the DOGE chief said he would pare back his government work to a ‘day or two’ per week after Tesla profits plunged.

Trump repeatedly lauded Musk, who has become a national lightning rod for spearheading the effort to slash agency spending, fire federal workers on short notice, and identify billions in savings by slashing what he calls waste and abuse.

‘He was a tremendous help both in the campaign and what he’s done with DOGE,’ Trump told reporters when asked about what role Musk would play in the future.

Jon Michael Raasch, Political Reporter for DailyMail.com

Two of the most identifiable progressive climate justice champions in Congress have been busted for flying around on a gas-guzzling private jet.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and self-proclaimed Democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., were filmed by Fox News boarding a private, $15,000 per hour private jet to travel to events on their ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ tour.

The plane itself carries a hefty price tag as well, with models ranging from $5 million to $7 million.

According to the report, Sanders and AOC boarded the luxurious Bombardier Challenger jet in California on Tuesday afternoon after speaking at a tour stop in Bakersfield.

But their use of a private jet directly contradicts comments they have made in the past disparaging unnecessary polluting practices.

By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.S. Political Editor

President Trump praised Elon Musk – at one point in the past tense – after the DOGE chief said he would pare back his government work to a ‘day or two’ a week after Tesla profits plunged.

‘He was a tremendous help both in the campaign and what he’s done with DOGE,’ Trump told reporters.

He complained that Musk was ‘treated unfairly’ and said he ‘can’t speak more highly about any individual.’

He complained that members of the public ‘took it out on Tesla’ amid controversy over DOGE firings.

‘I also want him to make sure that he’s going to be in great shape,’ Trump said, alluding to the car company’s problems.

‘He was always at this time going to ease out,’ Trump said of Musk, who is a designated Special Government Employee on a temporary assignment that can get renewed.

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent

President Donald Trump wouldn’t quite endorse the Washington Commanders changing the NFL team’s name back to the ‘Redskins’ – which was considered a slur by a number of Native American groups.

He did voice support for the Kansas City Chiefs – and mocked Cleveland for changing the name of its MLB franchise from Indians to Guardians.

Trump was asked if he’d tie the Commanders’ football stadium deal in Washington, D.C. to reverting the name back to the original.

‘Now Washington, the Redskins, perhaps that’s a little different, a little different,’ he said. ‘I think it’s a superior name to what they have right now,’ he also volunteered.

He added that, ‘we’re about bringing common sense back to this country.’

President Trump handed out large metal keepsakes to Afghan war veterans in the Oval office.

One vet is a man Trump visited at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Trump called the vets ‘great heroes,’ then reached inside a drawer in his desk to offer them large coins.

‘I think you’re going to really like them,’ Trump said. The coins came in gold and black – a color he said soldiers prefer. ‘Soldiers like the black,’ he said. They were much larger than traditional challenge coins.

‘I’ll take a gold one sir,’ said one vet. Trump kept a light-hearted count, saying that ‘gold has an edge’, before the gun metal black ‘picked up at the end.’

Jon Michael Raasch, Political Reporter for DailyMail.com

Former New York Republican congressman George Santos wrote a letter pleading with the judge overseeing his upcoming sentencing for fraud charges to take it easy on him.

Santos, 36, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft last year.

The Department of Justice has been seeking a seven-year prison sentence for the ex-lawmaker, who admitted to stealing the identities of close to a dozen people and deceiving donors into giving him campaign cash he would later spend on himself.

He served about a year in Congress, but was expelled in December 2023 after a House Ethics Committee report uncovered his sweeping misconduct.

The report found Santos had been funneling political donations into his personal bank accounts to fund Botox treatments, designer clothes, casino holidays, and OnlyFans fees.

But just days before his sentencing hearing on Friday, Santos struck a more humble and conciliatory tone in an attempt to escape a harsh prison sentence.

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent

President Donald Trump has called her a ‘very low-IQ person’ and now Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett has said she’d challenge the Republican to an intelligence test.

Crockett made an appearance Tuesday night on Jimmy Kimmel Live and was played some of the insults Trump had hurled at her for the first time.

‘He also called you “low-IQ,” I’m sure you’re aware of that,’ Kimmel said. ‘Would you be willing to take an IQ test publicly, head-to-head against the president of the United States?’ the comedian asked.

The Texas Democrat wholeheartedly agreed.

‘Absolutely, absolutely!’ she yelled, prompting Kimmel’s studio audience to cheer.

It was a stunning change in tone for a president who has repeatedly accused China of ‘ripping off’ the United States.

‘No, no, we’re going to be very nice. They’re going to be very nice, and we’ll see what happens,’ Trump told reporters at the White House Tuesday, suggesting that there was potential to lower the temperature in his trade war with China and substantially bring down tariffs he had imposed this month.

‘We’re going to live together very happily and ideally work together,’ Trump said. His new public approach came hours after the president met with three CEOs whose retail companies are highly dependent on imports.

They warned Monday that Trump’s spate of tariffs had the potential to once again further disrupt supply chains – leading to a spike in inflation just as Trump was championing a cooling in fuel and household goods.

Jon Michael Raasch, Political Reporter for DailyMail.com

Illinois Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin has announced he will not run for re-election.

The powerful Democratic Whip, the second most powerful position in the chamber, first joined in 1997.

‘The decision of whether to run for re-election has not been easy,’ Durbin said Wednesday in a video he posted on social media.

‘I truly love the job of being a United States Senator, but in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch, so I’m announcing today that I will not be seeking re-election at the end of my term.’

‘The people of Illinois have honored me with this responsibility longer than anyone elected to the Senate in our state’s history, I’m truly grateful,’ he shared.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that President Donald Trump is losing patience with Ukraine and the lack of a peace deal with Russia.

‘In order to make a good deal, both sides have to walk away a little bit unhappy,’ she told reporters outside the White House.

And she put the blame on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump, earlier in the day, blasted Zelensky for ‘harming peace negotiations’ by talking to the Wall Street Journal about why his country wouldn’t concede the Crimea to Russia.

‘Unfortunately, President Zelensky has been trying to litigate this peace negotiation in the press, and that’s unacceptable to the president,’ Leavitt said. ‘These should be closed door negotiations.’

She added: “The President frustrated. His patience is running very thin. He wants to do what’s right for the world. He wants to see peace. He wants to see the killing stop but you need both sides of the war willing to do that, and unfortunately President Zelensky seems to be moving in the wrong direction.’

The US President slammed Zelensky over his refusal to formally cede Crimea to Russia.

‘It’s inflammatory statements like Zelensky’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War,’ Trump said in a post on Truth Social, and adding that ‘We are very close to a deal.’

President Trump issued another warning to judges who have issued rulings that would curb his migrant deportation plans – saying ‘you can’t have a trial for all of these people.’

The president directed his comments at judges after yet another federal jurist, this one in New York, blocked migrants being held in the state from being deported without due process.

‘And I hope we get cooperation from the courts, because, you know, we have thousands of people that are ready to go out, and you can’t have a trial for all of these people,’ Trump said at the White House Tuesday.

Markets spiked Wednesday after President Trump and his Treasury secretary spoke optimistically about a deal to lower tariffs on China amid a disruptive trade war.

Trump spoke to reporters Wednesday about a potential deal with China, after slapping on tariffs totalling 145%, and prompting retaliatory tariffs of 125% by Beijing.

‘It’s going to be fair,’ Trump said.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

President Donald Trump took a surprise stroll on the North Lawn of the White House to look for a spot to put a flag pole.

The president, along with head groundskeeper Dale Haney, walked around examining the terrain for the perfect spot.

He told reporters he was putting up a 100-foot flag pole on the North Lawn and another one on the South Lawn.

‘We’re putting up a beautiful, almost 100-foot-tall American flag on this side and another one on the other side, two flags top of the line,’ he said. ‘It’s going to be two beautiful poles.’

He added: ‘Paid for by Trump.’

Trump has a massive American flag flying outside of his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Fla.

Jon Michael Raasch, Political Reporter for DailyMail.com

Fox News host Laura Ingraham ripped into a Democrat lawmaker for the explanation she gave for her recent trip to El Salvador to see a suspected migrant gang member.

Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., was one of four Democratic lawmakers who traveled to El Salvador this week hoping to meet with deported migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

The Salvadoran migrant was deported from the U.S. because of his suspected ties to the MS-13 cartel, though during the process, the Trump administration admitted they made an ‘administrative error,’ prompting the Supreme Court to demand his return.

‘What was this? What was your point in traveling to El Salvador? Senator Van Hollen had just been there. Ingraham asked, referencing the visit last week by another Democrat lawmaker.

‘To me, there is nothing more American than due process and the rule of law,’ Ansari responded.

Barron Trump debuted a new pragmatic look, sporting a polo shirt and khakis as he left the campus of NYU Tuesday, as its revealed security have prevented him from giving his phone number to girls.

President Donald Trump’s youngest son is often seen looking the part of a future businessman in formalwear and slicked back hair, bearing a striking resemblance to his father.

On Tuesday, however, DailyMail.com’s exclusive photos show Barron in New York City in a white polo shirt, khakis and a belt as he dragged his backpack away from campus.

Vice President JD Vance spoke with reporters Wednesday about his visit with Pope Francis on Sunday, just hours before the Holy Father’s death.

He acknowledged the timing was “pretty crazy” and considered himself lucky to meet with the Holy Father.

‘Obviously when I saw him, I didn’t know he had less than 24 hours still on this earth … I try to just, you know, remember that I was lucky that I got to shake his hand and tell him that I pray for him every day…’ he said.

When asked about the differences the administration had with Pope Francis, Vance told reporters he was aware of them but also that the Holy Father had issues they agreed with.

‘I’m not going to soil the man’s legacy by talking about politics, I think he was a great Christian pastor and that’s how I choose to remember the Holy Father,’ he said.

When asked what kind of pope he wanted to see in the Vatican, Vance chuckled.

‘I won’t pretend to give guidance to the cardinals on who they should select as the next pope … I’ll just say a prayer for wisdom,’ he said.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich received a note from President Donald Trump on taxes.

There have been reports Trump is considering raising taxes on those earning over $1 million.

After getting the note Gingrich told Politico: ‘It’s pretty clear that that conversation should now be over.’