by Sharon Rondeau
(Feb. 26, 2025) — At approximately 11:43 a.m. EST, President Trump convened the first full cabinet meeting of his new term, first speaking about an agreement he said “has all been worked out” between Russia and Ukraine to end the war, now beginning its fourth year.
He said the previous administration hadn’t “spoken with President Putin in two years,” thereby hampering progress toward peace.
Trump’s opening remarks were followed by a prayer by HUD Secretary Scott Turner, a former Texas associate pastor.
“We pray that we lead with a righteous clarity,” he said, “…Father, we, today, honor you…We thank you for giving us this opportunity to restore faith…in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Trump remarked “illegal border crossings” have “plummeted” dramatically since he took office on January 20. He then said prospects for producing domestic energy have improved.
“We have to get the prices down,” he said of inflation and American goods, particularly eggs.
“One of the most important additions is DOGE,” he said, referring to the “Department of Government Efficiency” whose hands-on mission is being led by businessman Elon Musk.
“Theft and fraud” have been found,” Trump said, including some which might not be provable.
He reiterated that in DOGE’s quest for waste, fraud and abuse, “letters were sent out just to find out if the people exist.”
“It’s very unique, but we have a very unique situation,” he said of his administration’s efforts to identify where taxpayers’ money is being misspent.
“So, Elon, if you can get up and explain what you’re doing,” he said at 11:51 a.m., prompting Musk to stand and provide an overview of the agency’s goals.
The “DOGE team,” he said, seeks to find unnecessary spending so the U.S. government avoids bankruptcy. “That’s why it has to be done,” he said. He thanked those in the room for their support.
“When we make a mistake, we’ll fix it very quickly,” he said. “We do need to move quickly” to achieve a “trillion-dollar deficit reduction,” he said.
At that point, Trump called upon reporters to ask questions of Musk.
To a question about DOGE’s goal of eliminating employees, Musk said everyone performing an “essential” job “and doing it well will be retained.”
Last week DOGE sent emails to various government departments requiring a response as to five items each employee accomplished the week before.
“A lot of people” receiving the email “…didn’t exist,” Trump interjected.
He reiterated his intent to “return education to the states,” deploring that the U.S. was rated “40 out of 40” during the Biden administration.
He then called upon Fox News’s Lawrence Jones, who asked, “Which department have you received the most resistance from?”
Trump did not answer the question directly, instead saying, “I think I’m very impressed with everybody…we’re negotiating very successfully with Russia and Ukraine…we’re cutting down the size of government; we have to. We’re very sloppy; we have a lot of people who don’t exist…”
He said the Social Security Administration has been sending checks to people “200 years old.”
“We want to have a balanced budget” soon, Trump said, “perhaps by next year.”
Trump’s remarks turned back to “the money” the U.S. has spent on the Ukraine-Russia war, stating that the investment of European countries in the conflict has been considerably less but made in the form of loans, not outright gifts as U.S. support has been.
Reporters continued asking questions of Trump on tariffs and specifically, China, with which he said we “will have a very good relationship.”
When Jones asked another question asking if all the military leaders participating in the “botched withdrawal from Afghanistan” have been “relieved of duty,” Trump turned to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host himself, stating, “That’s a great idea…,” then reiterated his criticism over how the Biden administration handled the matter. “We send them millions of dollars in aid,” he said, expressing the view that “if we give them something, I think they should give it back,” referring to the military equipment left in the country during the August 2021 withdrawal.
No legal recipient of Social Security, Medicaid or Medicare will lose benefits, Trump responded to a reporter who asked the question, reflecting the U.S. House’s budget passed Tuesday.
Trump continued speaking on the U.S.’s subsidization of Canada. Having imposed 25% tariffs on imported goods from there and Mexico, Trump repeated his frequent observation that “Canada should be our 51st state.”
“I call him ‘Governor Trudeau…'” he said of Canada’s leader, who is expected to step down within the next three months.
The European Union, Trump said, “was formed to sc*** the United States” economically.
At 12:36, Trump shifted his commentary to U.S. elections. “We’re the only country in the world that has mail-in voting and all these other things…,” he said, reiterating that he believes voting should revert to “paper ballots.” The cost would be “9%” of that of voting machines, he contended.
The broadcast ended at 12:48 p.m. when Trump concluded taking questions from the press.