15 things Trump and team did this week
2025-02-08
Category: news

The third week of Donald Trump's second term has been marked by more major action from the US president and his team.From announcing US goals on the future of Gaza and massively slashing the US agency for foreign aid to intervening in a golf dispute and banning transgender women from female sports competitions, Trump, his adviser Elon Musk and the rest of his team have pressed on with their agenda.There's a lot to keep up with - so here's a reminder of 15 moves this week.
1. Proposed the US 'take over' Gaza
At a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said the US would "take over" and "own" Gaza, resettling its Palestinian population in the process.Trump proposed developing the territory, devastated after 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas, into the "Riviera of the Middle East"."The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting," Trump repeated on social media on Thursday, reiterating the idea would mean resettling Palestinians who currently live there. Trump suggested the displacement would be permanent, but administration officials later suggested any relocation would be only temporary.Any forced deportation of civilians would be a violation of international law.Read Jeremy Bowen's take on Trump's vision for GazaWhy does Trump want to take over Gaza and could he do it?How Trump's plan compares to international law
2. Planned to put thousands of USAID staff on leave
Thousands of employees at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the government's main foreign aid agency, are expected to be placed on leave at midnight on Friday.The proposed cuts will affect the vast majority of the agency's workforce, leaving only a few hundred essential staff out of a total of about 10,000 employees globally.The move comes after workers were asked to stay out of the agency's Washington DC headquarters earlier this week.Cutbacks at the agency have upended the global aid system, with hundreds of programmes already frozen in countries around the world.The Trump administration reportedly intends to merge the agency, which distributes billions of dollars in aid globally, with the state department, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters he was now the acting head of the agency.Read this piece on the effect aid cuts are already having 
3. Imposed tariffs on China and pulled back threats on neighbours
Trump imposed a 10% tariff on Chinese imports on Tuesday, but held off on his threat of implementing 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico for 30 days, after those countries' leaders pledged to beef up border security.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed to reinforce the US-Canada border to clamp down on migration and the flow of the deadly drug fentanyl.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to bolster the country's northern border with troops, and in return the US would limit the flow of guns into Mexico.The tariffs, which some experts suggest could exacerbate inflation, were part of Trump's campaign platform ahead of November's election. Some Canadians cancel US subscriptions and trips after Trump threatsChina threatens to retaliate with tariffs on the US
4. Pressed ahead with plan to incentivise federal workers to resign
The Trump administration had offered incentives to federal workers to voluntarily resign by a Thursday midnight deadline - part of an effort to slash the size of the government.However, a US judge temporarily halted the plan hours before the deadline, pausing it until a hearing on Monday to determine the merits of a lawsuit filed by federal employee unions, CBS News, the BBC's US partner, reported.Some of the federal government's more than two million civilian workers have voiced confusion about the terms of the deal, which the administration says would allow them to receive pay and benefits through September in exchange for resigning.Critics have questioned the legality of the offer and some federal employee unions have advised members to exercise caution around accepting the deal. 'We were blindsided': Federal workers react to buy-out offer
5. Sanctioned the International Criminal Court
On Thursday, Trump signed an order to impose sanctions on some staff of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The sanctions place financial and visa restrictions on individuals and their families who assist in ICC investigations of American citizens or allies.The Hague-based court brings global prosecutions for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Recently, it issued arrest warrants for a Hamas commander and Israel's Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza, which Israel denies.Trump's announcement came as Netanyahu was visiting Washington DC.More than 120 countries, including the UK, are members of the ICC, though the US and Israel are not.What is the ICC and why has Trump sanctioned it?
6. Ordered strikes against the Islamic State group in Somalia
Trump said he ordered military air strikes on a senior attack planner and others from the Islamic State (IS) group in north-east Somalia on 1 February.He said "many terrorists" were killed "without, in any way, harming civilians". The BBC could not independently verify reports of casualties.The office of Somalia's president on social media welcomed the "unwavering support of the United States in the fight against international terrorism".Read our correspondent on why Trump is on the warpath in Somalia
7. Withdrew from United Nations institutions 
Trump also took action to end US involvement in several UN institutions.On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the main UN agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, of which Israel has been highly critical.The same order said the US would no longer participate in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and the US would conduct a review of its membership in the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) within 90 days.Read more about Unrwa and why Israel has banned it
8. Sent first plane of deportees to Guantanamo
The US sent the first group of migrants to Guantanamo Bay on Tuesday, after Trump announced plans to expand migrant detention at the US Navy base in Cuba.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the detainees were part of the Tren de Aragua - a gang that originated in Venezuela's prisons. Ten detainees were sent, CBS reported, citing multiple US officials.The move came after Trump ordered that an existing migrant detention facility at the base be expanded to hold some 30,000 people. The Naval base has been used to house a small number migrants - a few dozen at a time, in recent years - for decades. Separately, nearly 800 people - most held on suspicions of terrorism - have been jailed at the base's detention centre since it opened in 2002. About 15 people are still held there now, according to US media.Deportation flights also carried migrants back to India this week.Read about the row between India and the US over deportation flightsWhat is birthright citizenship and can Trump ban it?
9. Demanded Ukraine provide rare earth resources
On Monday, Trump said he wanted Ukraine to guarantee the supply of more rare earth metals in exchange for $300bn (£240bn) to support its fight against Russia."We want what we put up to go in terms of a guarantee... we're looking to do a deal with Ukraine where we're going to secure what we're giving them with their rare earth (minerals) and other things," Trump said.Ukraine has large deposits of uranium, lithium and titanium, which can be used for defence and electronics manufacturing, CBS reported.In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was open to investment by American companies.Zelensky says war will 'end sooner' with Trump as president
10. Banned transgender competitors from women's sports
Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday that prevents transgender women from competing in female categories of sports.The order outlines guidance, regulations and legal interpretations largely around high school, university and grassroots sports. However, Trump said the order would include the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, adding he would deny visas for transgender Olympic athletes trying to visit the US to compete.Read what the ban includes and what people are saying
11. Released water from dams in California
Trump on Monday ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to release billions of gallons of water from two reservoirs in California's Central Valley after deadly wildfires in Los Angeles in January.Trump had claimed California withheld water supplies that could have made a difference in fighting the fires, which the state's Governor Gavin Newsom and other officials disputed, CBS reported.The water was released into a dry lakebed more than 100 miles (160km) away from the fires. Experts and officials told CBS the water could not flow to Los Angeles and would likely go to waste.US Congressman Ted Lieu, a Democrat from California, said that before the water in the dams was released, it was being "saved for the farmers for the summer season when they needed the water" in the state's agricultural region.How climate change made LA fires worse, scientists say
12. Announced taskforce to tackle 'anti-Christian bias'
Trump on Thursday signed an executive order that aimed "to protect the religious freedoms of Americans and end the anti-Christian weaponization of government".He appointed newly confirmed Attorney General Pam Bond to lead a task force to eradicate what he called "anti-Christian bias" in the federal government.Trump signed the order after giving remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC.'Anointed by God': The Christians who see Trump as their saviour
13. Intervened in a dispute in the golf world
Trump, an avid golf player who owns courses around the world, reportedly intervened in a dispute between championship organiser PGA Tour and its rival series LIV Golf.After the launch of LIV Golf led to a rift, the rivals entered negotiations and announced a "framework agreement" for a merger, but a deadline to complete that deal passed.This week, PGA Tour said it was "closer to a deal" with LIV Golf after calling on Trump to step in."We asked the president to get involved for the good of the game, the good of the country, and for all the countries involved," said the statement. "We are grateful that his leadership has brought us closer to a final deal, paving the way for reunification of men's professional golf."Read more about the split in the golf world 
14. Removed climate change mentions from government websites
Starting last week, the Trump administration reportedly ordered some US government agency websites to remove references to climate change. It has affected the websites of the departments of transportation, defence, state and agriculture, which manages the forest service, the Guardian reported.Some climate content remained on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Nasa and energy department's sites.This week, some employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) were also ordered to temporarily stop communicating with foreign nationals, US media reported.The change came after reports that staff from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) - which is not an official government department - entered the offices of NOAA and took over the agency's internal websites, removing pages devoted to diversity-focused employee affinity groups.What we know about Doge, Trump and Musk's new cost-cutting mission
15. Increased access for Musk's Doge
The Trump administration also gave members of Doge, an initiative to shrink the federal government led by tech billionaire Musk, access to the federal payments system that controls the flow of trillions of dollars in funds every year, US media reported.Reports suggested members of Doge, which is not an official government department, were granted access to a US treasury department system containing the sensitive information of millions of Americans.Musk's new initiative has been heavily involved in government upheaval.Inside Musk's race to upend government