WASHINGTON (UNITED STATES) (ITALPRESS) – President Donald Trump took part in his first Cabinet meeting at the White House today. On the occasion, the tycoon confirmed that the visit of Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky will take place on Friday, speaking of an upcoming “major minerals deal that will allow the U.S. to get its money back,” but without providing further details. According to Trump’s statement, this pact between the United States and Ukraine could be followed relatively quickly by a final peace agreement with Russia to end the conflict.
“I think they should forget about being able to join NATO-I think that’s probably what started the war,” Trump said referring to Ukraine. For the U.S. president, however, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “will have to make concessions.”
According to Trump, the agreement with Ukraine could help offset all the military aid the Biden administration has sent over the past three years of war, potentially generating much more revenue. “Zelensky will come and sign the agreement and it’s a great thing, a great deal for Ukraine as well.”
During his speech, Trump praised the work done so far by Elon Musk, who was also in the room and was appointed by the tycoon to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DGE). “Everyone in the government is extremely pleased,” Trump said. Musk himself stated that the president “has put together the best government ever.”
Trump also stressed that he was pleased with the work his cabinet has done in just over a month since he began his second term in the White House. “Right now I’m impressed with everybody,” he said. High praise was also heaped on Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the meeting and the need to “reduce the size of government” was reiterated.
One of the central topics that characterized this first cabinet meeting of the second Trump administration was precisely that of staff cuts within federal agencies. A memo unveiled today by the mogul states that at present new plans are being worked on to downsize the federal workforce, described as an obstacle to his agenda. So far, thousands of probationary employees have already been laid off, and now the focus is turning to career officers with civil service protections. According to a latest measure, agencies are required to submit their plans regarding staff reductions by March 13.
Another central theme of the meeting concerns the introduction of the so-called $5 million “gold card” for obtaining permanent residence in the United States. An idea that Trump reiterated also includes a specific pathway to obtain U.S. citizenship: “If we sell a million of them, that’s $5 trillion,” the president said, also reiterating his desire to want to use these potential receipts to repay the country’s debt: “I think we’re going to sell a lot because there’s really a thirst and no other country can do that because people don’t want to go to other countries, but they want to come here, especially since Nov. 5.”
– IPA Agency Photos –
(ITALPRESS).
