What has Trump been doing over the past 24 hours? Here is a rundown of his key activities and statements.
Renewed promise that the Iran war will end soon
Trump stated that regardless of how things unfold, the Iran war will end very soon, and once the war is over, prices will come down. He noted that 28 million barrels of oil were shipped out of the Strait of Hormuz yesterday. He once again emphasized that Iran must never be allowed to possess nuclear weapons. Additionally, when asked whether he would take action against Iran before the midterm elections, Trump said it was a possibility.
Announcement that Russia will supply large quantities of diesel to the US and global markets
Trump announced that he had just concluded a very successful meeting with Russian President Putin. The two sides agreed that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the United States and global markets, with another 500,000 tons in November, followed immediately by an additional 1 million tons. Furthermore, based on the actual condition of Russian diesel refineries, Russia will also supply 3 million tons of diesel in the near term.
Phone call with Putin
Russian presidential aide Ushakov said that during his phone call with Trump, Putin stated that Ukraine had attempted to disrupt Russia's State Duma elections and carry out attacks on the public, which undermined the possibility of immediately resuming negotiations. Ushakov noted that the two sides have not yet held specific discussions regarding a bilateral meeting between Putin and Trump.
Reportedly planning regulations to boost oil and fuel production
Reuters, citing three industry sources, reported that Trump is about to issue directives to certain department heads, ordering them to find ways to control diesel prices. The directive may be issued in the form of a presidential memorandum, which would push officials to find ways around local and state regulations hindering energy production and to invoke the Cold War-era Defense Production Act to increase oil and fuel output.
Selected new White House press secretary
According to The New York Times, citing two people familiar with the matter, US President Trump has selected conservative commentator Katie Zacharia to serve as the new White House press secretary, succeeding Karoline Leavitt, who departed in August.
US imposes sanctions on the International Criminal Court
According to foreign media reports, the Trump administration announced sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday. The move could lead to new diplomatic clashes between Washington and European allies over international justice issues.
Established an investigative committee to review whether there are grounds to remove Federal Reserve Governor Cook
According to an announcement posted on the White House website on Friday, US President Trump announced the establishment of a special committee to investigate allegations against Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.
OpenAI and Anthropic compete to recruit former Trump administration officials
According to CNBC, as AI technology is increasingly viewed as a national security issue, amid growing calls for stronger AI regulation and following multiple cybersecurity incidents caused by runaway AI systems, OpenAI and Anthropic are racing to hire former officials from President Trump's administration.
Calls the oil deal with Russia a big deal
Trump responded to a reporter's question about the diesel agreement reached with Russia. The reporter noted that Ukrainian President Zelensky believes reaching an oil deal with Russia is an act of weakness by a strong partner and will only prolong the war. Trump responded: "We are a strong partner. We need to supply oil to the world, so we are very happy to get diesel. The oil deal with Russia is a big deal."
Blames Norway for not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize
Trump said: We will not forget Norway. You did not award the Nobel Peace Prize to the United States. Look at my peace record — it is unprecedented. I am not saying this to boast, but simply to illustrate how dark this whole Nobel Prize situation is. The Nobel Peace Prize has forever lost its credibility. The prize has been thoroughly discredited by a small group of anti-democratic, anti-civilizational radical ideologues.