During a White House news briefing, Donald Trump claimed “activist judges” in the US were taking authority away from him. Meanwhile, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni said Trump had accepted an official visit to Rome. Listen below to the latest episode of Trump 100 as you scroll.
Thursday 17 April 2025 20:55, UK
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During the White House news briefing earlier, Donald Trump said that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s termination “cannot come fast enough”, while calling for the US central bank to cut interest rates.
Trump has been calling for his termination, accusing him of not cutting interest rates quickly enough. This comes after the central bank chief delivered a stark warning about the effect of Trump’s sweeping tariffs on the economy.
“The Fed really owes it to the American people to get interest rates down. That’s the only thing he’s good for,” Trump said.
“I am not happy with him. If I want him out of there he’ll be out real fast believe me.”
Giorgia Meloni is “playing a tricky hand” by going to visit Donald Trump but has “performed well”, the former British ambassador to Italy says.
Speaking to Sky’s political correspondent Ali Fortescue, Sir Ivor Roberts, says that “Trump operates on a personal level and has his particular likes and dislikes”.
When it comes to Trump and Meloni, the “two are ideological bedfellows and see eye to eye on most things”.
But the former ambassador notes Meloni has said tariffs are a mistake and has also asked for a more robust line on Russia.
“Those are two areas where they have some distance but she seems to have bridged that gap and used her personal relationship with Trump to good advantage in the European cause and the Italian cause,” he adds.
Sir Ivor also says that Trump going to Italy is “significant”.
Donald Trump now goes on to speak about the tariffs the US has imposed on countries.
He says: “We’re taking in tremendous amounts of money with the tariffs.
“We were treated very unfairly with trade and countries are getting used to the fact that they can’t do that to us anymore.”
The US leader says “everyone wants to make a deal” with the US and “fantastic numbers” will be seen.
“Tariffs are making us rich,” he adds.
“We’re taking in billions of dollars.”
The US president is asked about Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was removed from the US by the Trump administration in March despite an immigration court order preventing his deportation.
He is asked if he will take steps to return him.
Trump says: “I’m not involved in it but you will have to speak to the lawyers.”
He goes on to say: “We were inundated with millions of people during the Biden administration and a big proportion of them were criminals.
“I was elected to get them out of our country.
“I don’t see how judges can take that authority away from a president.”
He says his team has done an “amazing job”.
Trump says the US has “activist judges who don’t want murderers to be sent out of our country”.
“Maybe that’s the liberal way?” he adds.
Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni are now sat in the Oval Office, surrounded by officials and reporters.
The Italian prime minister says both leaders have been talking about “bilateral topics”, including defence and the economy.
She goes on to confirm Trump has accepted an official visit to Rome in the “near future”.
Meloni says he has also “considered the possibility” of meeting European leaders during that visit.
“The goal for me is to make the West great again,” she adds.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has arrived in Washington – but can she strike a deal with the US on tariffs? Or act as a conduit between Donald Trump’s team and the EU?
Speaking to Sky’s Mark Austin, Lord Darroch, former UK ambassador to US, said it was a “good question”.
“You have to be hopeful,” he said, adding she had to be given a “chance”.
“She is from the populist right who was one of the few world leaders invited to Trump’s inauguration,” he added.
“The single market is 450 million people… so there is a lot of power and weight behind her in terms of a unified EU position.”
But he noted the risk is Trump will “probably try and offer her a strictly bilateral deal”.
“I hope she doesn’t go down that track,” he added.
As the White House fights to shift the focus on its El Salvador deportations with a surprise late afternoon news conference,US correspondents James Matthews and Mark Stone ask if Trump’s administration are intentionally conflating two different cases in order to win the PR battle.
And, the Democrats are fighting to grab the headlines for themselves, but will it be enough to convince voters?
If you’ve got a question you’d like Mark, Martha, and James to answer, you can email it to trump100@sky.uk.
The US president also says when it comes to tariffs his team will make “fair deals”.
On China, Donald Trump says: “I think we are going to make a very good deal with China.
“You will see we’ll make a good deal with China.”
He adds the US is in “no rush” to announce trade deals.
Donald Trump has kicked off the briefing and says he is “very proud” of Giorgia Meloni, adding “she is doing a fantastic job in Italy”.
“She is one of the real leaders of the world,” he says.
Asked if tariffs are still on the table, Meloni says: “I’m sure we can make a deal.
“I’m here to help on that. I can’t make a deal in the name of the EU.
“My goal would be to invite the president to make an official visit to Italy and to organise a meeting with Europe.”
She says it is important to “speak frankly”.
Trump on this says that “he has very little problem making a deal with Europe”.
Donald Trump is holding a news conference at the White House following Giorgia Meloni’s arrival.
Meloni, who arrived to Washington moments ago, is the first European leader to hold a face-to-face meeting with Trump since he imposed tariffs on European exports.
You can watch the briefing live at the top of this page – and we’ll bring you any updates here.
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Trump latest: President slams 'activist judges' – as Italy's PM says she wants to 'make the West great again' – Sky News
