President Donald Trump's second term has concluded its fifth week, and this week saw the President take more notable steps to reform the federal government and cut spending. From calling Ukrainian President Zelenskyy a "dictator" to announcing further cuts to thousands of federal jobs, the Trump administration continues to advance the promises made during its campaign.
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02-22, 2025To help you stay up-to-date, here's a recap of 18 significant actions taken by the Trump administration this week. These actions span multiple fields, including diplomacy, domestic affairs, and the economy, reflecting the Trump administration's policy priorities and course of action.
The Trump administration's actions this week included calling Ukrainian President Zelenskyy a "dictator." Trump on Tuesday called Ukrainian President Zelenskyy a "dictator," part of a heated argument between the two leaders. This followed Zelenskyy's response to talks between the U.S. and Russia regarding the war, from which Kyiv was excluded. Zelenskyy stated that Trump "lives in a Moscow-controlled information space," after Trump said the Ukrainian leader's support among the Ukrainian public had fallen to 4%, a figure Zelenskyy claimed was spread by Russia.
U.S. and Russian officials held their first high-level face-to-face talks since the start of the war, but Ukraine was not invited. Senior U.S. officials met with their Moscow counterparts in Saudi Arabia, raising concerns in Kyiv that the country invaded by Russia was being sidelined. The U.S. also conducted a prisoner swap with Russia, with Russian authorities releasing an American citizen arrested at a Moscow airport this month for possessing marijuana. In exchange, the U.S. released a Russian national who was arrested in 2017 for allegedly using Bitcoin to launder billions of dollars.
The Trump administration is taking steps to end New York City's congestion pricing plan, which charges vehicles entering specific areas of the city and then uses the proceeds to upgrade its aging transportation system. "Congestion pricing is dead," Trump said on social media. "Manhattan and all of New York are saved. Long live the King!" Meanwhile, four women accusing social media influencer Andrew Tate of sexual abuse said they were "very concerned" about reports that U.S. officials had asked Romania to ease travel restrictions on Tate and his brother Tristan Tate, who hold dual British and American citizenship.
The U.S. Border Patrol says the number of migrants illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border decreased in January. According to department data, they recorded 29,000 arrests, the lowest level since May 2020, down from 47,000 in December. The Trump administration continues to advance cost-cutting plans aimed at significantly reducing the federal workforce. More than 6,000 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees are expected to be laid off, and the Pentagon says it plans to "furlough" 5,400 probationary employees starting early next week. According to CBS News, about 1,000 employees of the U.S. National Park Service, about 5% of its total workforce, were laid off over the weekend.
The Trump administration is trying to rehire U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials who were in charge of the government's response to avian influenza before being laid off over the weekend. According to U.S. media reports, after laying off officials from the National Nuclear Security Administration, the government is trying to restore some of them to their positions but is having difficulty contacting them. Trump signed an executive order aimed at lowering the cost of in vitro fertilization (IVF). The order requires the Domestic Policy Council to make recommendations within 90 days to protect access to IVF and "aggressively" reduce its costs. Trump also restricted the Associated Press's (AP) coverage of the naming dispute in the Gulf of Mexico and ordered the body of water to be renamed the "Bay of the Americas" in government documents.
U.S. Department of Justice lawyers defended their decision to end the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Trump signed an executive order ending federal benefits for undocumented immigrants. The Trump administration also suspended a service that helps children who come to the U.S. without a parent or guardian navigate the immigration court system. Trump said he is considering using some of the money that Elon Musk's special task force might save to pay U.S. taxpayers directly. Vice President JD Vance slammed European democracies at the Munich Security Conference, saying the biggest threat facing the continent was not from Russia and China, but "from within."
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he will not attend next week's G20 finance ministers meeting. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has informed U.S. military departments to identify $50 billion in cuts next year so that the money can be used for other matters prioritized by Trump. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has restored funding for 9/11-related cancer research after Doge attempted to cancel it last week. Trump's motorcade drove around the Daytona Speedway at the opening event of the NASCAR series.
