On February 26, 2025, President Donald Trump convened his first official cabinet meeting of his second term at the White House, setting the tone for an administration focused on reshaping the federal government, advancing economic initiatives, and redefining U.S. foreign policy.
The meeting, attended by key cabinet secretaries and notably tech billionaire Elon Musk, underscored Trump’s intent to hit the ground running with an aggressive agenda aimed at fulfilling campaign promises.
The cabinet room buzzed with energy as Trump’s newly confirmed appointees, including Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, gathered around the iconic oval table.
Elon Musk, though not a cabinet member, was a prominent presence, seated off to the side in a casual “tech support” T-shirt.
As head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk’s inclusion signaled his outsized influence in Trump’s plans to slash federal spending and bureaucracy.
Trump opened the meeting with characteristic flair, praising his “star-studded” team and touting the administration’s achievements in its first month.
“We’ve got the best people, folks, the very best, and we’re already making America great again,” he declared, setting an upbeat tone for the discussion.
A major focus of the meeting was the administration’s push to downsize the federal government, an effort spearheaded by Musk and DOGE.
Trump emphasized the need to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse, while Musk elaborated on his controversial initiative requiring federal employees to justify their roles.
Addressing reporters, Musk clarified that a recent email blast to federal workers—demanding a summary of their past week’s accomplishments—was a “pulse check” rather than a performance review.
“We think there are people on the payroll who might be dead,” he quipped, prompting a quick interjection from Trump: “If they don’t reply, they’re on the bubble—believe me.”
The administration doubled down on this initiative with a new memo from the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management.
Agency leaders were instructed to submit plans by mid-March for “significant reductions” in staffing, building on earlier layoffs targeting probationary workers.
Trump also hinted at ambitious cuts, citing a conversation with EPA chief Zeldin about slashing 65% of the agency’s workforce to “speed things up.”
Trump unveiled one of his boldest proposals yet: a “gold card” visa program aimed at wealthy foreigners.
Priced at $5 million, the initiative would replace the existing EB-5 visa program, offering a path to U.S. citizenship in exchange for substantial investment.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick explained that selling 200,000 such visas could generate $1 trillion to help pay down the national debt—a figure Trump called “tremendous.”
“This is going to sell like crazy,” Trump predicted, lamenting the loss of talented foreign graduates unable to stay in the U.S. due to visa restrictions.
While the concept echoes “golden visa” programs in other countries, it marks a dramatic shift in U.S. immigration policy, blending economic pragmatism with Trump’s “America First” ethos.
On the international front, Trump addressed an impending deal with Ukraine, set to be finalized during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington on Friday.
The agreement would grant the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals—critical for technology and defense industries—in exchange for unspecified security assurances.
“They’ve got great rare earth, and it brings us great wealth,” Trump said, though he downplayed any major U.S. military commitment, suggesting Europe should bear the burden of Ukraine’s defense.
Regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine, Trump claimed Moscow would need to make concessions for peace, aligning himself with Russia’s narrative that NATO expansion provoked the conflict.
This stance drew immediate scrutiny from critics who see it as a softening of U.S. support for Kyiv.
Closer to home, Trump stirred confusion over his threatened 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, originally tied to border security and fentanyl trafficking concerns.
After delaying the tariffs to March 4 following concessions from both nations, he suggested April 2 as a new start date. Lutnick added that further pauses could occur if the countries satisfy Trump’s demands, leaving the timeline uncertain.
Domestically, Trump vowed to shield Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security from cuts, despite a House Republican budget blueprint slashing $880 billion from health and energy programs over a decade.
“We’re not going to touch it,” he insisted, attributing potential savings to cracking down on fraud by “illegal aliens and other criminals” and even “people that are 200 years old getting checks.”
The pledge drew skepticism from experts who argue such cuts are unfeasible without touching entitlements.
The meeting wrapped up with minimal input from cabinet secretaries—an unusual departure from the praise-heavy sessions of Trump’s first term. Instead, Trump and Musk dominated the conversation, reinforcing their partnership as the driving force behind the administration’s early moves.
Post-meeting, cabinet members like Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum took to the Rose Garden to praise the team’s enthusiasm and cohesion. “I’ve never seen so much focus on teamwork,” Rollins remarked.
As Trump prepares to sign additional executive orders later today and welcome Zelensky on Friday, his first cabinet meeting offered a glimpse into an administration blending bold policy swings with his signature showmanship.
With Musk by his side and a cabinet eager to execute his vision, Trump appears poised to leave an indelible mark on Washington—just as he promised.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
