Trump's Russian rapprochement, Mars musing and DOGE dividends. And is the gold gone? It's Week 5

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's fifth week in office included a dramatic shift in U.S. policy toward Russia, firing the country’s senior military officer, sitting for a chummy interview alongside bureaucracy-buster Elon Musk and seeking greater authority over independent regulatory agencies.

Trump also said “inflation is back,” but said his short time back in the White House meant he had "nothing to do” with prices remaining high. That deflection can only work for so long, unless the economic outlook changes. Consumer sentiment suggests that isn't happening.

A look at where things stand after the first month of Trump's second term:

Trump dispatched top foreign policy advisers to Saudi Arabia for direct talks with Russian officials that were aimed at ending Moscow’s war against Ukraine. Those meetings did not include Ukrainian or European officials, a matter that has increased tensions between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump.

For much of the time since Russia invaded in February 2022, the United States, under the Democratic Biden administration, held to the basic tenet of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.” The new Republican administration has dispensed with that notion as Trump has accelerated his push to find an endgame to the war.

Zelenskyy said Trump was living in a Russian-made “disinformation space.” Trump called Zelenskyy a “dictator” and falsely suggested that Ukraine started the war, though on Friday he acknowledged that Moscow had attacked its neighbor.

Trump has said he hopes to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin soon — preparations are underway, a Kremlin official said Saturday — and has said the war has cost too many, in lives lost and U.S. money spent equipping Ukraine.

“I’m not trying to make Putin nicer or better," Trump said during a Fox News Radio interview. “I’m just telling you the fact that war should have never happened” if Trump had been reelected president in 2020.

Trump's comments have alarmed European leaders and could make for some awkward moments when French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visit the White House in the week ahead.

In an extraordinary move, Trump fired Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The dismissal of the history-making fighter pilot and respected officer was part of a push to rid the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks.

In an online post announcing the move, the president called Brown, only the second Black general to serve in that post, “a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader.” But his ouster sent shockwaves through the Pentagon and was part of a larger wave of dismissals at the Defense Department.

Meanwhile, federal firings continued to accumulate as Musk's Department of Government Efficiency team pursued more spending cuts. On Saturday, Musk gave hundreds of thousands of federal workers a deadline of Monday at 11:59 p.m. EST to explain what they accomplished over the past week. In an X post, he said failure to respond to an email going out to employees with that request "will be taken as a resignation.”

DOGE had some wins in court and posted a savings tracker meant to show taxpayer money being recovered by canceled contracts and other cuts.

The amounts listed were sometimes misattributed or erroneous, however, and the totals often didn't add up.

Trump nonetheless floated the idea of returning as much as 20% of any savings produced by DOGE to taxpayers. Musk suggested $5,000 rebate checks might be in the offing, even though generating that much money might require cuts to big-ticket government items such as Social Security.

Trump and Musk gushed with mutual admiration during a joint, nationally televised interview. Musk also used an appearance at conference of conservatives to wave around a chainsaw meant highlight his leading role in cost-cutting efforts. Yet the White House suggested in a court filing that Musk wasn't heading DOGE, a notion undercut by Trump himself, who said he had “put a man named Elon Musk in charge.”

On Saturday, the president posted on his social media site, “ELON IS DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GET MORE AGGRESSIVE.”

Trump signed an executive order seeking to give the White House control of independent regulatory agencies created by Congress, including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission.

He and his aides say the economy is ready to roar. But the public is increasingly pessimistic. Trump's constant tariff threats, mass federal layoffs and broader uncertainty about spending cuts and taxes have spooked many consumers.

The University of Michigan said its consumer index in February dropped roughly 10% on a monthly basis. Predictably, Republicans feel better about the economy than Democrats. But even Republicans’ index reading of 86.7 points was lower than it was in June 2016 when Democrat Barack Obama was president, and Trump built momentum for his election win on economic discontent.

In recent days, Walmart’s stock has fallen nearly 10% as its latest earnings report suggested slower growth ahead due to possible tariffs.

“There’s clearly something that’s still nagging consumers,” economist Ryan Cummings said in an email. “Whether that’s elevated price levels, uncertainty surrounding policy, or consumers projecting their feelings about the direction of the country (and world) onto the economy itself.”

He's already suggested invading Panama and Greenland, making Canada the 51st state and reinventing Gaza as a “Riviera” resort.

But there's more.

Last week, the president ordered his administration to take a closer look at Fort Knox, the United States Bullion Depository, “to make sure the gold is there.” That directive came after Musk posted about the site, which has stored precious metal bullion reserves for the U.S. since 1937, potentially having been emptied of gold.

Trump also mused about the federal government taking back control of the nation's capital, which would reverse more than 50 years of home rule in the District of Columbia.

And he renewed his ideas about the U.S. sending humans to Mars, suggesting that task could fall to Musk's rocket company, SpaceX.

The president has long advocating for one “big, beautiful bill” allowing Congress to address his budget priorities, from funding for the U.S.-Mexico border to extending tax cuts approved during his first term.

But there are signs he may be wavering.

“As long as we get to the same point, you know, two bills,” Trump told Fox News Radio. “I guess you could make the case you could do three. You could do 10.”

That came after Senate Republicans made the first tangible progress on Trump's funding goals, advancing a budget blueprint that would provide $342 billion for border security and defense. It’s an approach that would leave the president's prized tax cuts to be dealt with later.

House Republicans, however, aren't onboard. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is trying to generate support for a more ambitious plan that would also extend the tax cuts.

But doing so would increase federal deficits by more than $4.5 trillion over the next decade. Trump’s desire to add new tax breaks by exempting tips, Social Security benefits and overtime from income taxes only boosts the price tag.

That’s creating a difficult balancing act. Johnson has almost no votes to spare with a narrow 218-215 majority for Republicans in the House. Budget hawks back the more than $2 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years that are in the blueprint.

But lawmakers from more divided congressional districts worry their constituents will be harmed in the tradeoff. First-term Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania posted on X that if a bill is put in front of him that “guts the benefits my neighbors rely on, I will not vote for it.”

If the House plan falters, then pressure will build to give Trump an early win and take up the Senate approach.

Associated Press writers Josh Boak, Aamer Madhani and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump dances as he speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with servicemen during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, near the Kremlin Wall during the national celebrations of the "Defender of the Fatherland Day" in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg, left, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attend their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

President Donald Trump responds to reporters as he walks on the South Lawn upon arrival at the White House, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

FILE - Gold bars are stored at the U.S. Depository in Ft. Knox, Kentucky, Sept. 24, 1974. (AP Photo/Barry Thumma, File)

FILE - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, speaks during a hearing, May 8, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Elon Musk speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, second left, meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, third left, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, left, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, second right, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

President Donald Trump arrives at the White House after speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

U.S. forces have boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea. The announcement was made Friday by the U.S. military. The Trump administration has been targeting sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.

The pre-dawn action was carried out by U.S. Marines and Navy, taking part in the monthslong buildup of forces in the Caribbean, according to U.S. Southern Command, which declared “there is no safe haven for criminals” as it announced the seizure of the vessel called the Olina.

Navy officials couldn’t immediately provide details about whether the Coast Guard was part of the force that took control of the vessel as has been the case in the previous seizures. A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard said there was no immediate comment on the seizure.

The Olina is the fifth tanker that has been seized by U.S. forces as part of a broader effort by Trump’s administration to control the distribution of Venezuela’s oil products globally following the U.S. ouster of President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid.

The latest:

Richard Grenell, president of the Kennedy Center, says a documentary film about first lady Melania Trump will make its premiere later this month, posting a trailer on X.

As the Trumps prepared to return to the White House last year, Amazon Prime Video announced a year ago that it had obtained exclusive licensing rights for a streaming and theatrical release directed by Brett Ratner.

Melania Trump also released a self-titled memoir in late 2024.

Some artists have canceled scheduled Kennedy Center performances after a newly installed board voted to add President Donald Trump’s to the facility, prompting Grenell to accuse the performers of making their decisions because of politics.

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum says that she has asked her foreign affairs secretary to reach out directly to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio or Trump regarding comments by the American leader that the U.S. cold begin ground attacks against drug cartels.

In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News aired Thursday night, Trump said, “We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water and we are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico. It’s very sad to watch.”

As she has on previous occasions, Sheinbaum downplayed the remarks, saying “it is part of his way of communicating.” She said she asked her Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente to strengthen coordination with the U.S.

Sheinbaum has repeatedly rebuffed Trump’s offer to send U.S. troops after Mexican drug cartels. She emphasizes that there will be no violation of Mexico’s sovereignty, but the two governments will continue to collaborate closely.

Analysts do not see a U.S. incursion in Mexico as a real possibility, in part because Sheinbaum’s administration has been doing nearly everything Trump has asked and Mexico is a critical trade partner.

Trump says he wants to secure $100 billion to remake Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, a lofty goal going into a 2:30 meeting on Friday with executives from leading oil companies. His plan rides on oil producers being comfortable in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.

The president has said that the U.S. will control distribution worldwide of Venezuela’s oil and will share some of the proceeds with the country’s population from accounts that it controls.

“At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.

Trump is banking on the idea that he can tap more of Venezuela’s petroleum reserves to keep oil prices and gasoline costs low.

At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.

Trump is expected to meet with oil executives at the White House on Friday.

He hopes to secure $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s oil industry. The goal rides on the executives’ comfort with investing in a country facing instability and inflation.

Since a U.S. military raid captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has said there’s a new opportunity to use the country’s oil to keep gasoline prices low.

The full list of executives invited to the meeting has not been disclosed, but Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips are expected to attend.

Attorneys general in five Democratic-led states have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration after it said it would freeze money for several public benefit programs.

The Trump administration has cited concerns about fraud in the programs designed to help low-income families and their children. California, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois and New York states filed the lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The lawsuit asks the courts to order the administration to release the funds. The attorneys general have called the funding freeze an unconstitutional abuse of power.

Iran’s judiciary chief has vowed decisive punishment for protesters, signaling a coming crackdown against demonstrations.

Iranian state television reported the comments from Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei on Friday. They came after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized Trump’s support for the protesters, calling Trump’s hands “stained with the blood of Iranians.”

The government has shut down the internet and is blocking international calls. State media has labeled the demonstrators as “terrorists.”

The protests began over Iran’s struggling economy and have become a significant challenge to the government. Violence has killed at least 50 people, and more than 2,270 have been detained.

Trump questions why a president’s party often loses in midterm elections and suggests voters “want, maybe a check or something”

Trump suggested voters want to check a president’s power and that’s why they often deliver wins for an opposing party in midterm elections, which he’s facing this year.

“There’s something down, deep psychologically with the voters that they want, maybe a check or something. I don’t know what it is, exactly,” he said.

He said that one would expect that after winning an election and having “a great, successful presidency, it would be an automatic win, but it’s never been a win.”

Hiring likely remained subdued last month as many companies have sought to avoid expanding their workforces, though the job gains may be enough to bring down the unemployment rate.

December’s jobs report, to be released Friday, is likely to show that employers added a modest 55,000 jobs, economists forecast. That figure would be below November’s 64,000 but an improvement after the economy lost jobs in October. The unemployment rate is expected to slip to 4.5%, according to data provider FactSet, from a four-year high of 4.6% in November.

The figures will be closely watched on Wall Street and in Washington because they will be the first clean readings on the labor market in three months. The government didn’t issue a report in October because of the six-week government shutdown, and November’s data was distorted by the closure, which lasted until Nov. 12.

FILE - President Donald Trump dances as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)