President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that all Americans under age 18 are being automatically enrolled in Trump Accounts, which are set up by the government to invest in stocks. Parents and legal guardians need to formally claim the accounts by using the program’s website or mobile phone app.
Trump’s push to highlight his economic agenda comes as Republicans are increasingly anxious that the $1 billion at their disposal may not be enough to fend
off sweeping midterm election losses due to late spending, the president’s unpopularity, persistent cost concerns and the fallout from the war in Iran.
Trump said he has a call scheduled with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible case of plague at a Siberian research institute. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he would be talking with Putin about the case “very soon.”
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The U.S. president said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the third anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack in Israel.
Trump said he wished Netanyahu and the people of Israel well, and added, “the other side is paying a very big price” for the attacks.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has awarded the USS Abraham Lincoln the Presidential Unit Citation during a visit to the ship and just a day ahead of the carrier’s return to home port in San Diego.
The award, which is the highest award a unit can receive and one typically reserved for significant achievement in combat, was bestowed upon the Lincoln and accompanying ships for “40 days of combat operations and an iron clad maritime blockade against Iran in support of Operation Epic Fury,” according to Hegseth.
The aircraft carrier’s extended deployment drew national attention following reports of crew stress and poor mental health, as well as supply shortages, including food and hygiene products.
In speaking to the crew, Hegseth acknowledged that “I’m the only thing standing between you and home” and that he was the one “who signed that orders book twice” to extend the ship’s deployment.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said yields on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note have risen close to 5.3% “because of growth.”
“Growth here is strong,” said Bessent, stressing higher energy costs because of the Iran war were pushing up interest rates rather than concerns about the growing national debt and the administration’s credibility on the issue.
Higher growth can imply an increase in demand that can keep inflation elevated. But Bessent said that rates will drop once the war ends. He did not specify when the war would end.
The increase in rates is a global phenomenon in multiple industrialized nations, as debt loads have climbed without clear plans to reduce annual budget deficits.
Trump told reporters, “Today is Vladimir Putin’s birthday.”
He said he had “a call set up” with the Russian leader and intended to discuss the death of a Russian lab workers that raised questions about the possibility of a plague outbreak. Trump previously said the Russians claim to have the issue under control.
Asked about Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers releasing an ad calling for an end to President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada, the president suggested Rogers wasn’t breaking with him on the issue.
“I viewed it as wanting Canada to make a deal,” Trump said of Rogers’ ad.
In the spot, Rogers says, “We know that Canada is not our enemy” and “we need to end this tariff war now.”
The U.S. and Canada have been locked in an escalating trade war since Trump imposed 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian goods this summer.
Before the ad, Rogers had previously defended some of the tariffs as “necessary.”
In another break with Trump, Rogers has also recently called for the U.S. war with Iran to “end quickly.”
“They’re sharing it a little bit with our people. We expect them to share it a lot with our people,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday, when asked if Russia has been sharing enough information on the death of a lab employee in Siberia.
The president added that he had “just met with our people” to talk about the situation. “We have brilliant experts,” Trump said. “They know everything about what’s going on.”
Appearing with Trump in the Oval Office, Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz made a point of mentioning Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom when praising Trump accounts.
“To give a sense of the broadness of the impact,” Cruz said before adding, “Gavin Newsom had a press conference celebrating the Trump accounts.”
He said that the governor saluted Trump and proved “miracles could happen.”
Newsom has praised the federal accounts for children as one of the best things Trump has done.
Cruz added Newsom said “nice things about you and nice things about me, and lightning did not strike anything.”
Cruz is widely considered a likely 2028 presidential candidate and so is Newsom.
Trump said he would be willing to put a presidential retreat at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida because “it seems that all presidents play golf.”
“This wouldn’t be for me,” Trump said. “This would be for all future presidents.”
Trump said the location, which is near a public library, would be ideal because it’s close to the airport and there are not houses or “high buildings” surrounding the greens.
“I love Alabama. I’ve got to go to the game,” Trump responded, when asked if Tropical Storm Isaias — which could become the year’s first Atlantic hurricane — might affect his plans to attend the game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Saturday night.
Forecasts have the storm menacing the Gulf Coast. That might affect Alabama in coming days.
Trump said he didn’t want to do “anything to take the focus” away from “all of the great people that work on those things,” including first responders and police, adding “We’ll have to see” about his travel plans.
Ahead of the Nobel Peace Prize being announced, Trump said he deserved the award from the Norwegian Nobel Committee but, “They have a reputation for maybe not giving it to people like me.”
Trump, who launched a war in Iran this year, went through his accomplishments for which believed qualified him for the Nobel. He also noted that the 2025 winner, Venezuela’s María Corina Machado, gave him her award.
“Whether I get it or not, I have done far more,” Trump said. “And I think it would be a great discredit to them” if he goes unrecognized.
The president said Paxton is “a great attorney general” and that he thought he’d be “a great senator.”
In leaked, recent audio, Paxton, the Texas attorney general, was recorded as saying his campaign was being run by Washington, rather than himself.
Trump’s endorsement of Paxton helped him beat incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP primary. But Paxton is now locked in a close race with Democrat James Talarico — even in America’s largest reliably Republican state.
Asked if he now regretted backing Paxton, Trump said that Paxton was “the best attorney general of the whole country.”
Asked if the recent death of a Russian lab worker was a sign that a plague might be developed as bioweapon, Trump said, “We don’t think so so. We’re going to find out soon enough, but we don’t think so.”
Trump had previously indicated that he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the issue. When asked if the situation was similar to dealing with China on the coronavirus during his first term, Trump suggested that Russia was staying relatively quiet on the issue just as China did before the virus turned into a global pandemic.
“China didn’t say much and Russia is not saying much either, but they do say they have it very much under control,” Trump said.
Trump says that 70 million children under the age of 18 will now have automatic “Trump Accounts” set up by the government to invest in stocks.
Parents and legal guardians need formally claim the accounts by using the program’s website or mobile phone app. Trump called the accounts “a passion of love” that promotes capitalism.
The accounts were part of the 2025 tax overhaul and allow after-tax contributions of up to $5,000 a year, with the government seeding accounts with $1,000 for children born between 2025 and 2028.
Trump says he will press two of his top political advisers on their outside consulting work amid scrutiny over their efforts to help a pro-Russian government in the Balkans.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that as Trump was campaigning last week ahead of next month’s midterm elections, advisers James Blair and Chris LaCivita were in Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Serb-majority entity of Republika Srpska assisting with local elections.
“Chris LaCivita and James Blair are outside consultants,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social site. “They are allowed to do work for others, just like all consultants in Washington, D.C.”
“I do not have any idea who else they work for but will, on reflection, ask them and, if there’s a conflict, I will terminate them, immediately!” he wrote.
Blair served as White House deputy chief of staff before departing to lead Trump’s outside political operation. LaCivita was co-manager of his winning 2024 campaign.
The two did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Standing in front of the ruins of the Acropolis, Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the case for nationalism, while trying to maintain the importance of global alliances.
In a sweeping and dramatic speech about ancient civilization that reflected his political aspirations beyond being America’s top diplomat, Rubio warned European countries that decisions made in the next decade “will determine whether the West maintains its place at the head of the world, or resigns itself to a future of atrophy and servitude and decline.”
“We will either choose to act now, or lose the choice to act at all,” he said. “Under President Trump, the United States has made its choice. We choose the unapologetic pursuit of national power.”
Rubio also said despite “passions” that have strained U.S.-Europe relations, allied-countries must work to “rebuild our institutions and our alliances to face these threats together.”
Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee for Senate in Michigan, released an ad Wednesday calling for an end to President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada, marking the second recent break with the president by the battleground state candidate.
“We know that Canada is not our enemy,” Rogers says in the video. “We need to end this tariff war now.”
The U.S. and Canada have been locked in an escalating trade war since Trump imposed 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian goods this summer. Rogers previously defended some of the tariffs as “necessary.”
Rogers has also recently called for the U.S. war with Iran to “end quickly.” He had previously backed the war.
Rogers, once a critic of Trump, has aligned himself closely with the president since his first Senate campaign in 2024 and has Trump’s endorsement this year. Rogers faces progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed for the open Senate seat.
The $70,000 fee proposed Wednesday for international students seeking to work in the United States is just the latest Trump administration effort to reduce foreign enrollment in U.S. higher education. A Department of Homeland Security statement described the fee as a response to visa fraud and abuse that created a “pipeline for cheap foreign labor.”
And Trump on Tuesday said he has a call scheduled with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible case of plague at a Siberian research institute. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he would be talking with Putin about the case “very soon.”
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Last year, the Republican administration began suddenly terminating the legal status of thousands of international students, detaining and deporting many of them, as part of its wider efforts to crack down on immigration and reshape higher education.
This summer, the administration finalized a rule that sought to prevent international students from staying in the U.S. for more than four years without approval from the federal government. The move drew swift backlash from higher education leaders who said it would increase the burden on schools and noted that many programs are longer than four years by design. A federal court prevented the rule from taking effect in September.
The $70,000 fee proposed Wednesday for international students seeking to work in the United States is just the latest Trump administration effort to reduce foreign enrollment in U.S. higher education. A Department of Homeland Security statement described the fee as a response to visa fraud and abuse that created a “pipeline for cheap foreign labor.”
It would require schools to pay for each student participating in an optional practice training program, known as OPT, in jobs related to their major during or after their time in school. Students are generally eligible for one year of work post-graduation, though certain science, technology, engineering and math majors are eligible for an additional two years. The initial application would cost $70,000, plus a $30,000 fee for each renewal.
The public has 60 days to commen t on the proposal before DHS can finalize it and put it into effect. The proposal also could face legal challenges from higher education groups or business associations that could delay it.
The White House said the president is announcing that all Americans under age 18 are being automatically enrolled in Trump Accounts.
The Treasury Department described the new initiative last week, saying it’s opening accounts for all children with a valid Social Security Number, which their parents or guardians can claim through the Trump Accounts app.
Children born during Trump’s second term automatically qualify for $1,000 from the government. Other minors can invest their own money into the tax-advantaged accounts, and draw on it when they turn 18 for costs like school or a home.
The White House said automatic enrollment makes it easier for families to participate.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Michael and Susan Dell are expected to be among those attending the 1 p.m. event at the White House.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says there should be no confusion over the Trump administration’s ultimate goal with respect to the Iran war — and that is to prevent the country from ever developing a nuclear weapon.
Rubio made the comments on Wednesday at a news conference in Athens with the Greek foreign minister after Vice President JD Vance told Reuters that the administration might be able to accept an agreement that calls for Iran to make a “meaningful” decrease in its capacity for nuclear enrichment.
President Donald Trump has previously said Iran should not be allowed the capability to enrich.
“I don’t understand where the confusion is about the nuclear program,” Rubio said. “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Simple, period, end of story. I’m not going to go into the details about what would be acceptable or not. I can tell you this: that they’re not going to ever have a nuclear program.”
Republican Sen. Susan Collins argued during the first of four debates with Democrat Troy Jackson that she’s the most independent senator in Congress, repeatedly voting against Trump’s agenda. “I’m not exactly his favorite senator,” she said.
Jackson, a former state Senate president and logger, pointed to Collins’ critical vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a Trump nominee who eventually helped overturn the constitutional right to abortion. “Would you trust her to pick the next Supreme Court justice?” he asked.
Collins argued that her seniority and experience in the Senate have resulted in money and resources for Maine. She touted her ability to remove certain items from Trump’s trade war with Canada, including pulp, concrete and road salt.
Jackson’s response: “We can’t eat road salt.”
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Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito told The Associated Press in a rare interview that rhetoric about the court from Trump and his administration doesn’t sit well with him.
“I personally am not pleased with that,” he said. “Everybody in this country has the right to criticize what we do. The substance of their criticism can be quite harsh. If we deserve it, then that’s fine. But rhetoric is a different story.”
Alito also criticized the escalating volume of emergency appeals before the court, but said there’s little the justices can do to change the trajectory. Such petitions have skyrocketed during Trump’s second administration, putting the court at the center of hotly debated issues such as the Republican president’s new ballroom construction and his proposed restrictions on mail ballots in the midterm elections.
Alito spoke in connection with his first book, “So Ordered: An Originalist’s View of The Constitution, The Court and Our Country.”
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Republicans are increasingly anxious that the $1 billion at their disposal may not be enough to fend off sweeping midterm election losses as the party reckons with Trump’s unpopularity, persistent cost concerns and the fallout from the war in Iran.
The cash advantage, spread out across a half-dozen groups, is driven largely by the Trump-aligned MAGA Inc., which had nearly $416 million on hand at the end of August and increased its spending on critical races in September.
But that money may have come too late, forcing the president’s group to pay much higher rates because of the shrinking availability of air time. Four Republican Senate campaign officials said groups that reserved advertising time last spring paid much lower rates than MAGA Inc. and its affiliated groups. Now, the Trump-connected organizations are sometimes paying more than five times what they would have spent if they had acted earlier.
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