Top Trump aide eviscerates ‘failed loser’ Kamala Harris while ridiculing her big ‘comeback’ move: Live updates

White House communications director Steven Cheung ridiculed former Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday for her planned ‘comeback’ speech in California.

‘A failed loser desperately clinging to relevance as she spirals into the political abyss,’ Cheung wrote, highlighting a news story featuring a preview of her upcoming speech at the Emerge 20th Anniversary Gala.

The group is charging $25 for viewers to watch the speech online and up to $50,000 for a sponsor level ticket.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins warned of a damaging pest called the New World Screwworm that is making its way to the U.S.

‘New World Screwworm is a scourge making its way from Latin American up through Mexico. If it hits America it is going to be absolutely devastating to our cattle industry,’ she told reporters at the White House. ‘I sent a very strongly worded letter to my counterpart in Mexico.’

Screwworm can infest livestock, wildlife and in rare cases, people. Maggots from screwworm flies burrow into the skin of living animals, causing serious and often fatal damage.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) offered his ‘support’ for an unlikely – and entirely unofficial – candidate to lead the Catholic Church: President Donald Trump.

The endorsement, laced with humor, came hours after Trump himself joked to reporters outside the White House, ‘I’d like to be pope. That would be my number one choice.’

Trump, who was departing for Michigan to mark the 100th day of his second term with a campaign-style rally, added that he had ‘no preference’ for who should lead the Church, though he described New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan as ‘very good.’

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro downplayed the bad economic numbers that came out Wednesday, saying ‘all things are good.’

‘What happened with the numbers today is we had a fairly extraordinary surge of imports that was totally driven by the rest of the world trying to get their products in here before the tariffs took full hold,’ he told reporters at the White House.

‘The great news about that is that’s a one-shot deal. So next time we get the data, that won’t be the case at all. And in fact, it’ll reverse, and that’ll contribute to growth.’

The United States’ economy shrank 0.3 percent in the first three months of 2025, an unexpected downturn. There was unexpected rise in imports as companies and consumers sought to get ahead of President Donald Trump’s tariff war.

Navarro argued there actually was a 3% GDP growth, ‘which is very, very good.’

‘All things are good. So we felt really good about that number, when you when you fully understand it, and then that’s, that’s pretty much all I gotta say about that,’ he said.

President Trump weighed in on a drop in the stock market during his first 100 days – blaming President Biden and defending his tariffs that have spooked investors and dinged his approval rating.

Trump termed it a ‘Biden overhang’, in a post that followed a series of 100-day wrap up pieces – including one by the Wall Street Journal editorial staff noting that it was the worst performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 since Richard Nixon.

‘This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s,’ Trump posted on his Truth Social site.

‘I didn’t take over until January 20th. Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers. Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden “Overhang.”’

Voters in the critical swing state of Michigan delivered some mixed reviews when describing President Donald Trump’s first 100 days, some celebrating his policy, others bashing him as a liar.

The Republican is heading to the Detroit area on Tuesday to celebrate his first 100 days in office.

Slated to talked about brining jobs back to America, the president has made an event of the anniversary of his first few months back in the Oval Office.

He has celebrated his administration’s quick start; they have, so far, made good on immigration, economic and labor reform.

Though those walking around the streets of downtown Detroit Tuesday afternoon ahead of Trump’s celebratory rally just outside of town warned the rapid changes have been unsettling – a sentiment reflected in recent polling.

Others, however, celebrated the president’s early achievements, like his aggressive deportation campaign that has already ejected over 65,000 illegal aliens, many of whom have criminal records.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

President Donald Trump blamed his predecessor Joe Biden for Wednesday’s bad economic report.

‘This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s. I didn’t take over until January 20th,’ he noted in a post on Truth Social.

The United States’ economy shrank 0.3 percent in the first three months of 2025, an unexpected downturn.

Trump counseled patience.

‘Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers. Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden “Overhang.” This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS, only that he left us with bad numbers, but when the boom begins, it will be like no other. BE PATIENT!!!,’ he wrote.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

Ukraine is ready to sign a long-anticipated minerals deal with the United States.

Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is currently in Washington for the final coordination, the AP reported.

The deal would give the United States access to Ukraine’s critical earth minerals, which are used in technology ranging from batteries to aircraft wings.

The progress comes after President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a sit down over the weekend on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral in the Vatican.

The two sides were prepared to sign a framework agreement in February but the plan was derailed following a contentious Oval Office meeting between Trump and Zelensky.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

The United States’ economy shrank in the first three months of 2025, coming as President Donald Trump wages his tariffs war.

The gross domestic product, a sum of all the goods and services produced from January through March, fell at a 0.3% annualized pace, according to a Commerce Department report Wednesday

Trump’s tariffs have sparked fears of a recession. The GDP number is seen as a mark of consumer and business confidence in Trump’s handling of the economy.

The president will speak at 4 pm on investing in America.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

President Donald Trump will swear in Warren Stephens, a Little Rock investment banker, as his ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Stephens is a longtime Republican donor who gave $2 million to a Trump-backing super PAC during the 2024 election.

‘Warren has always dreamed of serving the United States full time. I am thrilled that he will now have that opportunity as the top Diplomat, representing the U.S.A. to one of America’s most cherished and beloved Allies,’ Trump said when he announced Stephens’ nomination.

Stephens was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday night and Wednesday’s ceremony will take place in the Oval Office.

The billionaire will be the president’s eyes and ears in London. He’ll also help coordinate Trump’s upcoming state visit to the country, which is expected to take place in September.

He’s no stranger to the UK.

Stephens’ family bank has a footprint in London. And he’s a fan of the Tottenham Hotspurs Premier League soccer team.

The White House has published a list of dozens of media reports it says were ‘hoaxes.’

It includes reports that Trump was ‘very good friends’ with Vladimir Putin.

The list also includes a report that Elon Musk’s DOGE consisted of ‘young, inexperienced engineers.’

And another was that Trump referred to Euroopean nations as ‘parasites.’