{"id":240698,"date":"2026-05-22T16:52:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T16:52:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/240698\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T16:52:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T16:52:42","slug":"the-latest-trump-tests-his-economic-messaging-as-republicans-stand-up-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/240698\/","title":{"rendered":"The Latest: Trump tests his economic messaging as Republicans stand up"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump<\/a> hosted a White House swearing-in ceremony for Kevin Warsh, urging the new chairman of the Federal Reserve to be \u201ctotally independent\u201d and then urging him not to overly constrain the central bank with concerns about inflation. Later Friday, he’s expected to test his economic messaging in a New York stump speech<\/a>, even as voters largely disapprove of his stewardship. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Republicans are struggling to find the votes to keep supporting<\/a> Trump’s war with Iran<\/a>. In Havana, a huge crowd of Cubans taunted Trump, and in Europe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio faced NATO allies confused by contradictory administration statements.<\/p>\n

The Latest:<\/p>\n

Warsh briefly nods to the issue of independence<\/p>\n

Warsh, in his remarks, said he saw former Fed chair Alan Greenspan as a model for the role, explaining that the Fed can help with the nation\u2019s prosperity.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mandate at the Fed is to promote price stability and maximum employment. When we pursue those aims with wisdom and clarity, independence and resolve \u2014 inflation can be lower; growth, stronger; real take-home pay, higher,\u201d Warsh said.<\/p>\n

America\u2019s central bank has a new chairman<\/p>\n

Kevin Warsh has been sworn in as Fed chair by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.<\/p>\n

Warsh said it was an honor to be sworn in by his \u201cesteemed friend,\u201d Thomas. He explained Kavanaugh\u2019s presence by telling the audience the two of them had worked at the White House earlier in their careers.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also talking about former Fed chair Alan Greenspan, calling him an idol.<\/p>\n

Greenspan was sworn in at the White House by President Ronald Reagan.<\/p>\n

Warsh said that, like Greenspan, he intends to fill the role of Fed chair \u201cwith energy and purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump says he wants new Fed chair to be \u2018totally independent\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI really mean this. This is not said in any other way,\u201d Trump said. \u201cI want Kevin to be totally independent. I want him to be independent and just do a great job.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t look at me, don\u2019t look at anybody. Just do your own thing and do a great job, okay?\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The pressure Trump placed on outgoing Fed chair Jay Powell to lower interest rates raised questions about the independence of the Federal Reserve.<\/p>\n

Trump hosts swearing-in ceremony for Kevin Warsh as new Fed chair<\/p>\n

The East Room was packed for the ceremony, which usually is held at the Federal Reserve Building.<\/p>\n

Among those attending are Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council and at one point a top contender to succeed Jay Powell as Fed chair, until Trump decided he wanted to keep Hassett at the White House.<\/p>\n

Supreme Court Justice Clarence will deliver the oath. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was also present, as were members of Trump\u2019s Cabinet, other top Trump administration officials, and current and former members of Congress.<\/p>\n

Trump opened with praise for Warsh, predicting that he \u201cwill go down as one of the truly great chairmen of the Federal Reserve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s got abilities that very few people have,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

Blanche thrust into Republican firestorm over $1.8B fund <\/p>\n

When Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed off on a nearly $1.8 billion fund<\/a> meant to compensate Trump\u2019s allies for alleged political prosecution, he may have pleased his boss. But the eyebrow-raising move<\/a> \u2014 has agitated the same Republican lawmakers<\/a> he would need to secure the permanent job.<\/p>\n

Blanche insists he\u2019s not auditioning<\/a> for the job of attorney general. But a succession of splashy steps taken under his watch at the Justice Department, including an indictment of former FBI Director James Comey<\/a>, have left no doubt that he\u2019s trying to prove his loyalty to the president.<\/p>\n

The fund in particular has put Blanche at the center of a Republican firestorm<\/a> just when he aims to establish himself as the perfect person for the job for the remainder of Trump\u2019s term. Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Buoyed by Trump, Paxton makes final pitch in Texas against Sen. Cornyn<\/p>\n

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton<\/a> is riding high ahead of his Republican primary runoff against Sen. John Cornyn<\/a>, now that he has the president\u2019s backing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if y\u2019all noticed this, but Donald Trump endorsed me,\u201d Paxton told a small rally in a town outside Austin, inciting whoops and applause.<\/p>\n

The senate race in Texas has drawn gobs of money and attention, including from Trump, who continues encouraging voters to boot any politician<\/a> who displeases him.<\/p>\n

Paxton has been turning his focus to state Rep. James Talarico, opening his latest event with attacks on the Democratic nominee, a sign of his confidence heading into Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more:<\/a><\/p>\n

Judges in Maine and Wisconsin reject DOJ efforts to obtain voter rolls<\/p>\n

Democrats are cheering rulings by federal judges in Maine and Wisconsin that dismissed Justice Department demands for detailed voter registration information.<\/p>\n

The DOJ has sued at least 30 states and the District of Columbia seeking to force the release of voter information<\/a> including dates of birth, addresses, driver\u2019s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers. Thursday\u2019s defeats follow similar rulings in Arizona<\/a>, California<\/a>, Massachusetts<\/a>, Michigan<\/a>, Oregon<\/a> and Rhode Island<\/a>, In Georgia<\/a>, a judge dismissed a DOJ lawsuit filed in the wrong city, prompting the Trump administration to refile elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Bianca Shaw, state director of Common Cause Wisconsin, said the decision protects voters \u201cfrom an unauthorized national database that would have been a goldmine for hackers and a tool for intimidation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat and Trump opponent<\/a> who is running for governor, said the ruling affirms that states run elections.<\/p>\n

Trump IRS immunity shocks experts, who warn of undermining trust in tax system<\/p>\n

Trump has a reputation for slashing his taxes using techniques that some experts find aggressive. Now the Justice Department has told the president he doesn\u2019t have to worry about being called out on it.<\/p>\n

In an extraordinary decision this week, the IRS is suspending probes into his past returns to settle a lawsuit that Trump brought against the agency he ultimately runs. Trump says tax authorities targeted him politically \u2014 a claim for which he has given no proof \u2014 and that he was right to seek a remedy.<\/p>\n

Law experts say the move is unprecedented and unfair.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is giving the president and his affiliates completely different set of rules than everyday taxpayers,\u201d said Brandon DeBot, policy director at New York University\u2019s Tax Law Center.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Rubio says an Iranian tolling system can\u2019t happen. Iran says it already has<\/p>\n

\u201cIran is trying to create a tolling system,\u201d Rubio said. \u201cThat\u2019s just not acceptable. It can\u2019t happen. If that were to happen in the Straits of Hormuz, it will happen in five other places around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s official Mizan news agency reported that 35 vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard navy in the previous 24 hours.<\/p>\n

Without specifying the nationalities of the vessels, Mizan quoted the Revolutionary Guard navy as saying that the oil tankers, container ships and other commercial ships transited the strait after obtaining permission and in coordination with, and under the protection of, the Revolutionary Guard navy.<\/p>\n

Iran has demanded the right to collect the tolls<\/a> as a precondition for reopening the waterway vital to world oil supplies.<\/p>\n

Rubio says US remains ready to resume Russia-Ukraine peace efforts<\/p>\n

The Trump administration remains ready to resume mediation efforts that have been stalled for some time, Rubio said.<\/p>\n

With concerns high in Europe, particularly in the Baltic states, that the administration\u2019s interest in ending the conflict is waning, Rubio told reporters that the U.S. still believes the \u201cthe war can only end with a negotiated settlement. It will not end with a military victory by one side or the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Previous rounds of talks were unfortunately \u201cnot fruitful,\u201d Rubio said, but \u201cif we see an opportunity to pull together talks that are productive, not counterproductive, and that have the chance to be fruitful, we\u2019re prepared to play that role.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rubio: \u2018Someone\u2019s going to have to do something about\u2019 Hormuz<\/p>\n

The secretary of state said he and other foreign ministers discussed the issue of reopening the critical waterway, and that he reiterated the need for a \u201cPlan B\u201d if a deal isn\u2019t reached between Washington and Tehran.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone\u2019s going to have to do something about it, okay?\u201d Rubio said. \u201cThey\u2019re not just going to voluntarily reopen the straits in that scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rubio said he received lots of \u201cnods\u201d from European allies when he brought it up Friday. In the same breath, Rubio confirmed what Iranian officials had been saying, that progress is being made in the negotiations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t exaggerate it and I wouldn\u2019t diminish it,\u201d he said. \u201cBut there\u2019s more work to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rubio says US force posture in Europe will eventually be reduced<\/p>\n

Rubio says America\u2019s NATO allies understand that eventually there will be a reduction in the U.S. troop presence in Europe as the Trump administration evaluates its force posture globally.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s a broad recognition that there are going to be eventually less U.S. troops in Europe than there has historically been for a variety of reasons,\u201d Rubio told reporters.<\/p>\n

NATO allies have been confused by contradictory statements coming from Trump and his top aides, including an announcement last week that troop levels would be reduced in Poland that Trump appeared to reverse on Thursday. A previously announced troop reduction in Germany appears to be going ahead but Rubio noted that the Germans \u201cdidn\u2019t freak out about it\u201d because it brought the numbers back to where they were three years ago.<\/p>\n

Marco Rubio meets NATO allies with demands to increase defense capabilities<\/p>\n

The U.S. secretary of state has met with his NATO foreign minister counterparts in Sweden and reiterated U.S. demands for Europe and Canada to increase their defense spending and military industrial capabilities.<\/p>\n

In meetings with his colleagues in Helsingborg on Friday, Rubio said the U.S. remains committed to NATO but said the force posture of American troops in Europe is contingent on what allies contribute. The alliance has been jolted by Trump\u2019s abrupt decisions on troop deployments.<\/p>\n

Trump has expressed strong dissatisfaction with some allies and their reluctance or refusal to assist in the war with Iran. Rubio said the president\u2019s views and \u201cfrankly, disappointment at some of our NATO Allies and their response to our operations in the Middle East, they are well documented\u201d and need to be addressed by NATO leaders at their summit in Turkey in July.<\/p>\n

Trump and the Republican party are now exposed in new ways<\/p>\n

While the president\u2019s handpicked candidates are winning GOP primaries, many are untested heading into general elections this fall. Trump\u2019s own approval rating sits at a low point, and he\u2019s spending his political capital, alienating would-be allies and threatening to detail GOP priorities.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s announcement of nearly $1.8 billion \u201canti-weaponization\u201d fund for people he believes were wrongly prosecuted blindsided senators already fuming over his push for $1 billion to provide security for his new White House ballroom. The audacity of the arrangement proved too toxic for the Senate to bear.<\/p>\n

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina called it \u201cstupid on stilts\u201d and a \u201cpayout for punks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the nation\u2019s top law enforcement official is asking for a slush fund to pay people who assault cops? Utterly stupid, morally wrong \u2014 Take your pick,\u201d said Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the former majority leader.<\/p>\n

The GOP\u2019s top priority is now in shambles<\/p>\n

Voting on a roughly $70 billion budget package that would fuel Trump\u2019s immigration and deportation operations for the remainder of his presidential term, into 2029, was postponed until Congress resumes next month. That blows Trump\u2019s June 1 deadline to have it on his desk.<\/p>\n

Trump shrugged when asked during an Oval Office event if he was losing control of the Senate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really don\u2019t know,\u201d the president said.<\/p>\n

And it wasn\u2019t just the Senate. For the first time this year, enough Republican House members broke ranks to signal support for a war powers resolution from Democrats that\u2019s designed to halt Trump\u2019s military action in Iran. House Speaker Mike Johnson<\/a> postponed the voting to avoid confronting the president.<\/p>\n

The day has arrived. The Senate said No<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s<\/a> political revenge tour<\/a> met its potential match this week as angry Republican senators, pushed to a breaking point by his seemingly insatiable and outlandish demands \u2014 particularly a $1.776 billion fund<\/a> for Jan. 6 rioters<\/a> and others he believes were wrongly prosecuted \u2014 did the unthinkable.<\/p>\n

They simply refused<\/a>, closed up shop, and went home.<\/p>\n

The moment was as rare as it was daring, a sudden flex from the Congress that has become a shell of its former self<\/a> as a coequal branch, the Republican majority almost always more willing to accommodate the Republican president than to confront him.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more:<\/a><\/p>\n

Rubio says US force posture in Europe will eventually be reduced<\/p>\n

Rubio says America\u2019s NATO allies understand that eventually there will be a reduction in the U.S. troop presence in Europe as the Trump administration evaluates its force posture globally.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s a broad recognition that there are going to be eventually less U.S. troops in Europe than there has historically been for a variety of reasons,\u201d Rubio told reporters.<\/p>\n

NATO allies have been confused by contradictory statements coming from Trump and his top aides, including an announcement last week that troop levels would be reduced in Poland that Trump appeared to reverse on Thursday. A previously announced troop reduction in Germany appears to be going ahead but Rubio noted that the Germans \u201cdidn\u2019t freak out about it\u201d because it brought the numbers back to where they were three years ago.<\/p>\n

Marco Rubio meets NATO allies with demands to increase defense capabilities<\/p>\n

The U.S. secretary of state has met with his NATO foreign minister counterparts in Sweden and reiterated U.S. demands for Europe and Canada to increase their defense spending and military industrial capabilities.<\/p>\n

In meetings with his colleagues in Helsingborg on Friday, Rubio said the U.S. remains committed to NATO but said the force posture of American troops in Europe is contingent on what allies contribute. The alliance has been jolted by Trump\u2019s abrupt decisions on troop deployments.<\/p>\n

Trump has expressed strong dissatisfaction with some allies and their reluctance or refusal to assist in the war with Iran. Rubio said the president\u2019s views and \u201cfrankly, disappointment at some of our NATO Allies and their response to our operations in the Middle East, they are well documented\u201d and need to be addressed by NATO leaders at their summit in Turkey in July.<\/p>\n

A festive crowd taunts Trump in Havana<\/p>\n

\u201cWho do they think they are to judge Ra\u00fal?\u201d Gerardo Hern\u00e1ndez asked as the crowd cheered. He\u2019s one of five Cubans accused of being a spy who was imprisoned and later released by the U.S. in 2014.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the United States, the law is a tailor-made suit,\u201d he said before punching the air with this fist, to a shout of \u201cViva Ra\u00fal!\u201d<\/p>\n

The crowd responded to his call: \u201cHomeland or death, we will vanquish!\u201d<\/p>\n

Thousands of people have crowded along Havana\u2019s famed seawall to decry the U.S. indictment. Attendees include daughter, Mariela Castro, and his grandson, Ra\u00fal Guillermo Rodr\u00edguez Castro. Salsa songs with biting anti-Trump lyrics are booming across the old city.<\/p>\n

Would a Venezuela playbook work in Cuba? Not so fast, expert warns<\/p>\n

The Castro indictment has many thinking the Trump administration is following a playbook it used to capture then-Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a> in a military operation in January. Maduro is now imprisoned in the U.S. on federal drug trafficking charges<\/a> and has pleaded not guilty.<\/p>\n

The U.S. military touted the arrival<\/a> of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier group for maritime exercises in the Caribbean Sea as the charges against Castro were announced. But professor William LeoGrande, a Latin America specialist at American University, warned against assumptions that a Maduro-like extraction would succeed in Cuba.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe United States certainly has the military capability to seize Ra\u00fal Castro, just as they seized Maduro, although it would probably be more costly,\u201d LeoGrande said. But Castro has been retired for almost a decade. \u201cHe still has influence and the leadership seeks his opinion on major decisions, but he is not running the government on a day-to-day basis. If the US were to abduct him, it would not change the operations of government, unlike what happened in Venezuela.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cubans protest US indictment of Castro in front of US embassy<\/p>\n

A huge crowd of Cubans rallied Friday outside the U.S. Embassy in Havana to honor former President Ra\u00fal Castro<\/a> and to protest the Trump administration\u2019s criminal indictment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Cuban people reaffirm that neither threats, nor blockade, nor energy embargo, nor false accusations will be able to break the will of an entire people in defense of their Revolution,\u201d read a statement published by state media.<\/p>\n

Ra\u00fal Castro has rarely appeared in public since stepping down and handing over to President Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel<\/a>, who was joined by military leaders at the rally.<\/p>\n

Castro was last seen surrounded by tens of thousands of people at a state-organized rally<\/a> on May 1.<\/p>\n

US approves modest arms sale for Ukraine to sustain air defenses<\/p>\n

The Trump administration has approved a modest $108 million arms sale to Ukraine that will help the country maintain and sustain its midrange air defense missile system.<\/p>\n

The State Department announced the sale of ground-to-air Hawk missile components, spare parts and logistic support late Thursday. The administration has notably reduced military support for Ukraine over the past 18 months as it seeks to mediate an agreement with Russia to end the conflict.<\/p>\n

The sale \u201cwill improve Ukraine\u2019s capability to meet current and future threats by further equipping it to conduct self-defense and regional security missions with a more robust integrated air defense capability,\u201d the department said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Republicans call off vote on Iran war resolution that was on the verge of passing<\/p>\n

Republicans struggled Thursday to find the votes to dismiss legislation that would compel President Donald Trump<\/a> to withdraw from the war with Iran<\/a>, delaying planned votes on the matter into June.<\/p>\n

The House had scheduled a vote on a war powers resolution, brought by Democrats, that would rein in Trump\u2019s military campaign. But as it became clear that Republicans would not have the numbers to defeat the bill, GOP leaders declined to hold a vote on it. It was the latest sign of the slipping support in Congress for a war that Trump launched more than two months ago without congressional approval.<\/p>\n

Republicans in the Senate are also working to ensure they have the votes to dismiss another war powers resolution that advanced to a final vote<\/a> earlier this week, when four GOP senators supported the resolution and three others were absent from the vote.<\/p>\n

The actions by congressional leaders showed Republicans are struggling to maintain political backing for Trump\u2019s handling of the war.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

NATO allies bewildered by Trump\u2019s about-face on US troop moves in Europe<\/p>\n

NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment at Trump\u2019s decision to send 5,000 U.S. troops<\/a> to Poland.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,\u201d Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters at a meeting she was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.<\/p>\n

U.S. defense officials were also confused. \u201cWe just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don\u2019t know what this means either,\u201d said one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.<\/p>\n

NATO allies have been blindsided, despite a U.S. pledge to coordinate troop deployments. \u201cWe\u2019re going to stay well-synchronized with our allies moving forward,\u201d NATO\u2019s top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, promised on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Trump says he\u2019s sending 5,000 more troops to Poland, stirring confusion<\/p>\n

Trump on Thursday said the U.S. will send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, stirring confusion following weeks of changing statements from Trump and his administration about reducing \u2014 not increasing \u2014 the American military footprint<\/a> in Europe.<\/p>\n

The Trump administration has said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer deploying to Poland<\/a>. Trump\u2019s social media announcement raises more uncertainty for European allies that have been blindsided by the changes, as the administration has complained about NATO members not shouldering enough of the burden of their own defense and failing to do more to support the Iran war<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Trump and the Pentagon have said in recent weeks that they were drawing down at least 5,000 troops in Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz<\/a> said the U.S. was being \u201chumiliated\u201d by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in the war<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"President Donald Trump hosted a White House swearing-in ceremony for Kevin Warsh, urging the new chairman of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":240488,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[93968,153,63517,23089,93967,883,9,11,10,87,421,420,1076],"class_list":["post-240698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-alex-grynkewich","tag-donald-trump","tag-friedrich-merz","tag-marco-rubio","tag-maria-malmer-stenergard","tag-mike-lawler","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-politics","tag-u-s-news","tag-washington-news","tag-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=240698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/240488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=240698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}