DORAL, Fla. — President Trump floated operating for a 3rd time period, commented on a brand new Chinese language synthetic intelligence app, and urged Home Republicans to unify and rapidly advance his legislative priorities in a speech to the lawmakers at their annual coverage retreat.
Home Republicans are gathering for his or her points convention at Trump’s Doral, Fla., resort, the place they’re set to hash out their legislative technique over the approaching days.
Listed below are 5 takeaways from Trump’s speech:
Floats operating for a 3rd time period
In what was interpreted by some to be a joke, Trump floated in search of a 3rd time period.
“I’ve raised some huge cash for the following race that I assume I am unable to use for myself, however I am not one hundred pc certain, as a result of I do not know. I believe I am not allowed to run once more, I am undecided,” Trump stated.
Trump then turned to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who was sitting on stage whereas Trump spoke.
“Am I allowed to run again, Mike?” Trump stated, earlier than including: “I better not get you involved in that.”
It isn’t the primary time that Trump has joked to Republicans about in search of a 3rd time period. In November, Trump stated in one other speech to Home Republicans: “I suspect I won’t be running again, unless you do something.”
Final week, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) launched a proposed constitutional modification that might clear the way in which for Trump to hunt a 3rd time period — however would bar former President Obama from doing so on account of a provision about consecutive phrases. The modification has nearly zero likelihood of clearing the two-thirds threshold in Congress.
Urges unity for legislative agenda however impartial on technique
Trump urged Home Republicans to unify round his legislative agenda, recognizing that they’ve a razor-thin majority that may require close to unanimity within the Home to go his legislative agenda.
“The Republican Party has to stick together,” Trump stated, including that Republicans can’t lose one, two, or three votes. “Everything is so hard — always have two or three or five or something people that just don’t want to do it. And you just gotta do it. You just gotta do it. Make life easy.”
And whereas Trump has beforehand referred to as for “one big beautiful bill” to maneuver his legislative priorities, he stated that he had no desire on whether or not Republicans try one invoice or two. Republicans have a restricted variety of cracks at passing Trump’s agenda whereas bypassing the 60-vote threshold within the Senate and the necessity for Democratic help, and have been fiercely debating technique for weeks.
“We don’t want to get hung up on the budget process,” Trump stated. “Whether it’s one bill, two bills, I don’t care.”
Trump did, nevertheless, listing quite a lot of coverage priorities that he desires to see Congress take motion on, notably on border and tax guarantees from his 2024 marketing campaign.
Trump stated Congress ought to “include full funding for a record increase in border security personnel and retention bonuses for ICE and border patrol,” and referred to as for “a massive increase in the number of beds and funding for all border security infrastructure barriers, including the completion of the border wall.”
“Let’s make a record investment in interior enforcement including deportation flights and aircraft, as well as funding for our new task force to eradicate the presence of foreign gangs,” Trump stated.
Trump additionally referred to as to completely prolong the tax cuts that he signed into regulation throughout his first time period, that are set to run out with out congressional motion.
And he stated Congress ought to embody the tax guarantees he made on the marketing campaign path within the tax bundle: no tax on ideas, no tax on Social Safety, and no tax on additional time pay.
Digs in on birthright citizenship
Trump dug in on his government order ending birthright citizenship, which has already been challenged in court docket and quickly blocked by a federal choose.
The president asserted that the Fourth Modification, which was adopted in 1868, was supposed to be utilized to the kids of slaves, not the kids of immigrants.
“If you look, it was really meant for children of slaves,” Trump stated. “It was not meant for everybody to return into our nation by airplane, or charging throughout the borders from all around the world and assume they will turn out to be residents. It’s not meant for that. And hopefully sooner or later the courts will perceive that with out having to undergo an entire massive deal.”
Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) launched a invoice final week to “restore the 14th Amendment to its original purpose” by granting computerized citizenship solely to people with no less than one father or mother who’s a U.S. citizen, a lawful everlasting resident within the U.S. or an immigrant who’s actively serving within the Armed Providers. However the birthright citizenship transfer additionally has some GOP critics.
Sees DeepSeek AI as a “positive” however a “wake-up call”
Trump informed lawmakers that DeepSeek, a Chinese language synthetic intelligence (AI) startup, was a “wake-up call” however could possibly be a “positive.” The discharge of DeepSeek’s AI mannequin, which may rival U.S. AI for a fraction of the price, despatched U.S. shares plunging over the weekend in after-hours buying and selling.
“The release of DeepSeek AI from a Chinese company should be a wake-up call for our industries that we need to be laser-focused on competing to win,” Trump stated.
He added: “When you hear somebody come up with something, we always have the ideas. We’re always first. So, I would say that’s a positive. That could be very much a positive development. So instead of spending billions and billions, you’ll spend less and you’ll come up with, hopefully, the same solution.”
Trump additionally stated he had turn out to be “jaded” towards one other Chinese language app, TikTok, whereas speaking in regards to the government order he signed final week delaying enforcement of a Congress-passed TikTok ban for 75 days.
“I became a little bit jaded towards TikTok, but lets see what happens,” Trump stated. “You don’t want China involved, but let’s see what happens.”
He added that there’s going to be “a lot of people” bidding on the app.
Criticizes chip funding
Trump appeared to criticize the CHIPS and Science Act, a $280 billion measure supposed to spice up home semiconductor and chip manufacturing that former President Biden signed into regulation in 2022.
“We don’t want to give them billions of dollars like this ridiculous program Biden has. Give everybody billions of dollars. They already have billions of dollars. They’ve got nothing but money, Joe. They didn’t need money, they needed an incentive. And the incentive is going to be they’re not going to pay a 25, 50 or even 100 percent tax,” Trump stated.
Johnson acquired into sizzling water through the 2024 marketing campaign when he informed a reporter that he would “probably” attempt to transfer to repeal the CHIPS and Science Act. Johnson on the time was campaigning in a district that had benefited from CHIPS Act funding, and needed to stroll again the remark and saying that “the CHIPS Act is not on the agenda for repeal.”
Alex Gangitano and Brett Samuels contributed.
