President Donald Trump held his first Cabinet meeting of his second term on Wednesday (February 26), with tech billionaire Elon Musk making a notable appearance. Although Musk is not a cabinet member, President Trump invited him to speak, praising him as "a tremendously successful guy."
“They have a lot of respect for Elon and that he’s doing this. And some disagree a little bit. But I will tell you for the most part, I think everyone’s not only happy, they’re thrilled," Trump said, referring to the members of his Cabinet.
During the meeting, Musk discussed his priorities for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), acknowledging that mistakes might occur but promising quick corrections. He mentioned a recent incident where DOGE inadvertently canceled Ebola prevention efforts at USAID, which was promptly rectified.
"We won't be perfect," Musk said. "But when we make mistakes, we'll fix it very quickly."
President Trump also announced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit the United States on Friday. The two leaders are expected to sign a significant agreement concerning rare earth minerals.
“We’re doing very well with Russia-Ukraine. President Zelensky is going to be coming on Friday. It’s now confirmed, and we’re going to be signing an agreement,” Trump said. “We’ve been able to make a deal where we’re going to get our money back and we’re going to get a lot of money in the future, and I think that’s appropriate.”
Tariffs were another issue Trump spoke about, confirming that he plans to enact the levies on Canada and Mexico on April 2. He also suggested he was going to place a 25% tariff on "cars and all other things" coming from Europe.