Tracking Trump: The trade war, Ukraine and Columbia

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Chart: Axios Visuals

President Trump‘s whirlwind of policy hauls kept spinning this week as he navigated international trade disputes, a ceasefire proposal for Ukraine and turbulence over his claims of antisemitism at Columbia University.

Here’s our recap of major developments.

U.S. economic outlook sours amid trade war

Global investors are becoming wary of the possibility Trump will eventually follow through on his pledge of across-the-board tariffs on many of the largest U.S. trading partners.

  • These trade conflicts have triggered worries about stagflation, a combination of stagnant growth and elevated inflation.

Catch up quick: The European Union announced $28 billion in counter tariffs Wednesday in response to Trump’s levies on steel and aluminum, escalating the global trade war.

  • The EU’s move follows Trump’s earlier tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China.
  • While Trump temporarily paused tariffs for Mexico and Canada, uncertainty looms, leaving businesses and consumers on edge.

Go deeper: Trump threatens 200% wine tariffs as trade war with Europe shifts to alcohol

Putin won’t commit to ceasefire

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he needs more specifics regarding a U.S.-backed proposal for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine before fully committing.

  • Meanwhile, Trump asked Putin to “spare” thousands of Ukrainian soldiers “surrounded” in the Kursk region in Russia on Friday.
  • The U.S. military assistance resumed on Tuesday after the U.S. president paused the aid following a public dispute with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
  • Leaders from both countries negotiated the ceasefire proposal announced on Tuesday.

Columbia protest leader targeted

The Trump administration is moving to revoke the green card of Columbia University protest leader Mahmoud Khalil. Though, federal court action has paused the White House’s push to deport him.

  • Immigration agents arrested Khalil, on Sunday, setting off free speech protests in New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. One of them ended in dozens of arrests Thursday in Manhattan.
  • The White House is arguing Khalil’s involvement in pro-Palestinian protests violates Trump’s executive order banning antisemitism. Trump hailed Khalil’s arrest on Monday and promised more activist arrests.

Context: The Trump administration has warned of funding cuts over its claims of antisemitism at 60 colleges and universities, including Harvard and Yale.

Zoom out: The Department of Education announced Tuesday it is cutting its workforce of more than 4,100 people by nearly half in the first step toward Trump’s plans for a total shutdown of the agency.

Go deeper: Education secretary says mass layoffs first step toward shutting down DoE

EPA plans to revisits carbon cost

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Wednesday plans to revisit the social cost of carbon and its endangerment finding — this time taking into account the price tag associated with regulation.

  • The social cost of carbon, which prices climate pollution per ton, is a metric that influences government regulations. The endangerment finding is the scientific basis for regulating greenhouse gases.
  • “Challenging the science would be fraught,” Axios’ Andrew Freedman writes. Science “has pointed to increasingly obvious and severe present–day and forthcoming climate damages,” he adds.

Instead, the Trump administration is attempting to introduce new considerations into the finding such as the cost of regulations.

  • Harvard University law professor Jody Freeman called it “a very aggressive, swing for the fences-sounding announcement, meant to send a political message, which is, we don’t care about climate change.”

Trump spikes football at Justice Department

For a president given to making and creating superlatives, Trump’s off-the-cuff campaign-style speech was unlike any other ever given by an occupant of the White House at the department, Axios’ Mark Caputo and Erin Doherty report.

  • Trump paid his first visit to the Department of Justice Friday and denounced the prosecutors who once worked out of this office in public remarks.
  • Despite his November victory, he won’t let go of his grievances over his federal criminal cases, which have been dismissed. He didn’t announce any new policies in a more than hour-long speech.

Go deeper: Trump spikes football at Justice Department

Trump picks who fail to make it to confirmation

The White House withdrew the nomination of Dave Weldon to be the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Axios’ Caitlin Owens scooped.

  • Weldon, a former Florida congressman who was scheduled to appear before the Senate health committee Thursday for his confirmation hearing, garnered media attention for his anti-vaccine views.
  • Even Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose vaccine stances sparked public concern, said Weldon wasn’t ready.

In other news, Adam Boehler, who oversaw unprecedented U.S. and Hamas negotiations on Trump’s behalf, has withdrawn his nomination for the position of special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, Axios’ Barak Ravid writes Friday.

  • A senior Trump administration official told Axios the move was planned to transition Boehler into a broader presidential envoy role that does not require Senate confirmation.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with news of Boehler’s withdrawal.

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