President Donald Trump has dominated the domestic and international agenda today with a series of assertive actions and statements, including the implementation of a broad new travel ban, the initiation of a contentious investigation into his predecessor Joe Biden, and renewed efforts to reshape global trade, even as economic forecasts project a slowdown.
Expansive Travel Ban Takes Effect Monday
In a significant move echoing his first term, President Trump has signed a sweeping order that will ban travel to the United States from 12 countries and impose heightened restrictions on citizens from seven others, effective Monday, June 9, 2025. The White House justified the ban by citing concerns over national security, inadequate vetting processes, and a lack of cooperation on deportations from certain nations.
The 12 countries facing a full ban on entry for immigrants and many temporary visa holders are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Seven additional countries will face partial restrictions, primarily impacting prospective immigrants and some temporary visa holders: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The proclamation makes specific exemptions, including for U.S. permanent residents, dual nationals with a passport from an unlisted country, and athletes participating in major sporting events like the World Cup and Olympics. However, the order does not explicitly exempt fans from the targeted countries wishing to attend these events.
The announcement follows an attack in Boulder, Colorado, which Trump referenced as underscoring the dangers of foreign nationals overstaying visas. Critics have quickly condemned the ban as discriminatory and warned it will lead to family separations, drawing parallels to the legal challenges faced by similar policies in his first term.
Biden Administration Under Investigation by Trump Order
In a move set to further intensify political divisions, President Trump has ordered an investigation into Joe Biden’s actions during his presidency. Trump alleges that Biden’s aides orchestrated a “cover-up” to mask his “cognitive decline,” and he has raised questions about the legitimacy of Biden’s use of an autopen to sign official documents, including pardons.
Trump declared that this alleged conspiracy constitutes “one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history,” directing Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House counsel David Warrington to lead the probe. While autopen use for official documents has been a practice across multiple administrations, Trump contends that in Biden’s case, it points to a deliberate effort by aides to usurp presidential authority and conceal information from the public regarding Biden’s fitness for office. Democrats have swiftly dismissed the inquiry as a “distraction” and a politically motivated attempt to undermine his predecessor.
Fractured Alliance: Trump and Elon Musk Trade Barbs
A highly public and acrimonious split has emerged between President Trump and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, previously a notable backer of the administration. The feud ignited over Musk’s scathing criticism of Trump’s “mega-bill,” a cornerstone of the President’s second-term economic agenda.
Trump expressed being “very disappointed” in Musk, lamenting their soured relationship and questioning the billionaire’s sudden opposition. He suggested Musk was well-informed about the bill’s details during its drafting and only voiced objections after certain provisions, particularly regarding electric vehicle tax credits, were altered.
Musk, in turn, unleashed a barrage of criticism on his social media platform, X, calling the bill a “disgusting abomination” and warning it would significantly deepen the federal deficit. He made an explosive claim that “Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” adding, “Such ingratitude.” The public exchange underscores a widening rift between two prominent figures known for their combative styles.
Rekindled Trade Talks with China Amid Economic Headwinds
President Trump held a “very positive” hour-and-a-half phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, marking their first direct engagement since Trump’s return to office. The leaders discussed trade, with Trump announcing that their respective teams would “be meeting shortly” to resume talks aimed at resolving impasses over tariffs and global supply chains, particularly regarding rare earth minerals.
Despite the positive tone of the call, underlying trade tensions remain. Trump had previously stated he would no longer be “Mr. NICE GUY” with China, accusing Beijing of “TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT” with the U.S.
Meanwhile, economic forecasts paint a challenging picture for the U.S. and global economies. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Tuesday projected that U.S. economic growth will slow to 1.6% in 2025 and 1.5% in 2026, down from 2.8% in 2024. The OECD explicitly cited “Trump’s trade wars” and the associated “rising trade costs” and “policy uncertainty” as primary drivers of this slowdown. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) further estimated on Wednesday that Trump’s sweeping tariff plan, while projected to cut deficits by $2.8 trillion over 10 years, would also “shrink the economy, raise the inflation rate and reduce the purchasing power of households overall.”
Ukraine Conflict and Putin’s Warning
In international affairs, President also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Following the call, stated that Putin “did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond” to recent Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian military airfields. This development comes as Ukraine reported a Russian drone attack on Pryluky that killed five people, including a one-year-old child, just hours after the Trump-Putin call. Trump also suggested that Putin conveyed a willingness to discuss a new nuclear deal with Tehran.
The array of actions and statements today underscores a robust and often controversial agenda from the administration as it navigates complex domestic challenges and global geopolitical shifts.
