President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday to temporarily suspend all US foreign aid programs for 90 days pending a review to determine whether they meet his policy goals, the White House website reports.
“All heads of departments and agencies responsible for U.S. foreign development assistance programs should immediately suspend new commitments and disbursements of development assistance funds to foreign governments and non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and contractors providing development assistance until an analysis of such programs regarding their effectiveness and consistency with U.S. foreign policy is completed, to be conducted within 90 days of the date of this order,” the document says.
It is unclear how much aid is covered by the order, as funding for many programs has already been appropriated by Congress and should be spent, if not already.
On the first day of his presidency, Trump intends to sign executive orders, including reinstating the death penalty at the federal level in the United States, which was abolished by Biden, and declaring a state of emergency on the southern border, representatives of the new administration told Reuters.
“Even before Trump was set to take office, his aides detailed a series of executive orders he would sign immediately, including 10 on border security and immigration, his top priority,” Reuters reported on Monday.
It is reported that on the first day, Trump will also declare a state of emergency on the southern border, send troops to the region and reinstate the policy that forces asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for a hearing in a US court. Will require that official U.S. documents, including passports, indicate the gender assigned to citizens at birth. Pardon 1,500 people involved in the Capitol storming case.
“On his first day, which also happens to be Martin Luther King Jr. Day, he will also sign an executive order ending diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives in the federal government, officials said,” the agency noted.
In the midst of the ceremony, Trump is expected to begin “signing his first executive orders, many of which are likely to face legal challenges.”
Earlier, the Experts Club think tank, Brian Mefford and Maxim Urakin, released a video analysis of what changes await US domestic and foreign policy under Trump, the video is available on the Experts Club YouTube channel – https://youtu.be/W2elNY1xczM?si=MM-QjSqGce4Tlq6T
Today, Donald Trump will officially begin his term as the 47th President of the United States of America. His possible actions and strategies in the international arena were the main topic of discussion at a meeting of experts organized by the Atlantic Council and Experts Club. Brian Mefford, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, and Maksym Urakin, founder of the Experts Club, discussed key issues that will affect the geopolitical situation in the world, including Ukraine.
Brian Mefford noted that Trump’s first months in office will be focused on resolving domestic issues, such as the confirmation of his cabinet members in the Senate. However, the expert emphasized that Ukraine will remain an important issue in US foreign policy.
“Ukraine already has a special envoy, General Kellogg. Although his visit to Kyiv was postponed, it shows that Ukraine remains a priority. Its security is crucial for stability in the region,” Mr. Mefford said.
One of the key topics of discussion was Ukraine’s membership in NATO, which was first promised at the Bucharest Summit in 2008. According to Brian Mefford, this decision could have prevented many of the current problems.
“It was a serious mistake at the time. Russia used this uncertainty: first in Georgia and then in Ukraine. Now, because of the war on its own territory, the NATO issue for Ukraine is being postponed indefinitely. At the same time, there is a need for long-term security guarantees. Ukraine needs modern weapons, so the United States and European partners must remain reliable allies of Ukraine,” he explained.
At the same time, according to the expert, the issue of NATO funding became one of the most discussed during Trump’s first presidency, when he called on European countries to increase their defense spending.
“The United States spends more on defense than the next nine countries combined. Trump was right to insist that European countries spend at least 2% of GDP on defense. And now these requirements are being met. Increasing defense spending in Europe is in everyone’s interest. The alliance remains a powerful tool for ensuring stability,” Mr. Mefford emphasized.
According to him, the US withdrawal from NATO is currently an unlikely scenario.
Mefford suggested that the Trump administration will continue its tough economic policy towards China, including trade wars.
“China does not follow fair rules in international trade. Support for Taiwan will remain unchanged, as the United States has strategic interests in the region. Although China often demonstrates strength, its economy is on the verge of recession and its military power is exaggerated,” he explained.
The expert also touched upon the issue of sanctions against Russia, which remain an effective tool of international pressure.
“Trump imposed more sanctions against Russia during his previous term than Obama did. Their mitigation is possible only if the war ends. This is a long-term mechanism that cannot be ignored,” emphasized Mefford.
Maksym Urakin, founder of the Experts Club think tank, in turn, emphasized the importance of Donald Trump’s election for Ukraine and the world and reminded of other important elections for Ukraine and the region in 2025:
“For Ukraine, partnership with the United States is crucial. However, we need to be prepared for different scenarios and strengthen our economic resilience and diversify our foreign policy, given the very important elections this year in Germany, Poland, Romania, Moldova, and Canada. The world is becoming very dynamic in the future,” said Maxim Urakin.
The experts’ analysis showed that Trump’s policy toward Ukraine will be shaped by both internal and external factors. At the same time, Ukraine’s role in global security will only grow, and international support will remain critical for security on the European continent.
The full version of the video is available here:
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https://www.youtube.com/@ExpertsClub
Atlantic Council, EXPERTS CLUB, NATO, SECURITY, TRUMP, UKRAINE, URAKIN, USA, Меффорд
The bitcoin rate set a new record on Monday, rising above $109 thousand before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.
During the election campaign, the politician publicly spoke in support of the cryptocurrency market, and traders expect him to ease regulations in this sector.
On Monday, the price of bitcoin rose to $109,241 thousand, Barron’s writes. According to CoinDesk, as of 10:00 a.m., the rate is $107.617 thousand.
Last weekend, Trump and his wife Melania launched their own cryptocurrencies on the Solana blockchain.
The politician himself introduced his TRUMP memecoin on the X social network and on his own platform, The Truth Social, on Saturday. At one point, the capitalization of this cryptocurrency rose to $15 billion, but fell below $8 billion after the launch of the MELANIA memecoin on Sunday, which diverted some of the funds of crypto investors.
The total number of TRUMP memecoins is limited to 1 billion, with 200 million tokens available initially, according to the official website. 80% of the memecoins are owned by CIC Digital, a subsidiary of the Trump
Organization, as well as Fight Fight Fight Fight LLC (corresponding to the Trump campaign slogan “Fight, fight, fight!”), in which CIC Digital is a co-owner.
CIC Digital used to sell Trump’s NFTs and campaign merchandise.
US President-elect Donald Trump has launched his own cryptocurrency, the market capitalization of which quickly soared to several billion dollars, the BBC reported on Sunday.
“Trump is launching $Trump meme coin as he prepares to take office as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, January 20. The venture is being coordinated by CIC Digital LLC, a subsidiary of the Trump Organization, which previously sold Trump-branded shoes and perfumes,” the BBC said.
It is noted that meme coins are used to increase the popularity of a viral Internet trend or movement, but they have no intrinsic value and are extremely volatile investments.
According to CoinMarketCap.com, by noon on Saturday, a few hours after the launch, $Trump had reached almost $5.5 billion.
CIC Digital LLC and Fight Fight Fight Fight LLC, founded in Delaware earlier this month, own 80% of the tokens. However, it is unclear how much money Trump can make from this venture.
“My new official Trump meme is here! It’s time to celebrate everything we stand for: victory,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social page, announcing the meme coins on the evening of January 17.
About 200 million digital tokens have already been issued, and another 800 million will be issued over the next three years, according to the cryptocurrency’s website. “This Trump meme honors a leader who doesn’t back down despite adversity,” the site says.
The BBC report also states that “the message also contains a disclaimer that the coin is ‘not intended to be the target’ of an investment opportunity or security, and ‘is not political’ and ”has no connection to any political campaign, political office or government agency.”
Such digital tokens are notorious for speculators using the hype to drive up the value before selling at the top of the market, leaving latecomers to count their losses as the price plummets. However, cryptocurrency investors are hopeful that the Trump administration will promote the industry.
President Joe Biden’s regulators have expressed concerns about fraud and money laundering as they cracked down on crypto companies by suing these exchanges.
In the past, Trump has not shown much favor for cryptocurrencies, but last year at a bitcoin conference in Nashville, he said that America would become the “crypto capital of the planet” when he returned to Washington.
His sons Eric and Donald Jr. announced their own cryptocurrency venture last year.
Switzerland is ready to host a meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin if they request it, Le Temps reported on Saturday, citing a Swiss Foreign Ministry spokesman.
“Since the Burgenstock summit, Ukraine, Russia and the United States have been regularly informed of our readiness to support any diplomatic efforts aimed at establishing peace,” Le Temps quoted Nicolas Bideau, head of the Foreign Ministry’s communications department, as saying.
