The White House • June 1, 2018
The Day Ahead
President Donald J. Trump will preside over the Change of Command Ceremony for the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. Watch live at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Unemployment reaches lowest level in 18 years
The United States economy added 223,000 jobs in May, one of many recent indicators showing that President Trump's economic policies are paying dividends for American workers and businesses. Employment growth averaged 207,000 jobs per month in 2018- faster than the gains in both 2016 and 2017.
Job growth in goods-producing industries such as manufacturing, construction, and mining and logging have been especially robust. After averaging gains of 27,000 jobs per month during President Obama's second term, these industries have almost doubled the pace of hiring to 46,000 jobs per month since January 2017.
President Trump is overseeing a renaissance in manufacturing
More: See the headlines about the flourishing Trump Economy
What to know about steel and aluminum tariffs
Yesterday, President Trump announced steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and the European Union following months of discussions to address U.S. national security concerns stemming from global oversupply. This implementation follows the President's March 8 announcement of a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports.
In March, President Trump welcomed any country with whom the United States shares a security relationship to discuss alternative means to address the oversupply challenge. As a result, American officials reached agreements with South Korea, Australia, Argentina, and Brazil on steel, as well as Australia and Argentina on aluminum. The U.S. was unable to reach satisfactory arrangements with Canada, Mexico, or the EU.
Excessive imports threaten to impair national security, the Commerce Department reported in January, for one key reason: Closures of domestic production result in a situation where the U.S. would be unable to meet demand for national defense and critical infrastructure in a national emergency.
More on what you need to know about tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and the EU.
Get outside: June is 'Great Outdoors Month'
"Spending time in the great outdoors, especially during summer, is an American tradition," President Trump writes in his Proclamation of June 2018 as Great Outdoors Month. "Every American should take the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of our natural wonders, which stretch from coast to coast and beyond."
The Trump Administration has made access to public land a top priority. In December, President Trump stood with local communities against Federal overreach on land management, modifying the boundaries of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante national monuments in Utah. The Administration also "opened or expanded hunting and fishing access at 10 national wildlife refuges across the country," the President wrote this week.
As part of an effort to boost exercise and youth fitness, the White House also hosted a field day with several hundred children, parents, and athletes on the South Lawn this week. Watch Ivanka Trump's video from Sports and Fitness Day.
Read: President Trump proclaims June 2018 as Great Outdoors Month
More: The Administration stands with communities against Federal land overreach
Photo of the Day
Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks
Marine One | May 29, 2018
The Day Ahead
President Donald J. Trump travels to Texas, where he will meet with family members and community leaders affected by this month's tragic shooting at Santa Fe High School. Read the President's May 18 Proclamation honoring victims.
Giving terminally ill patients a chance, here at home
An estimated 609,640 Americans will die from cancer alone in 2018, according to the National Cancer Institute. Before yesterday, the options for terminally ill patients who had exhausted all available treatments were extremely limited. Only 3 percent of cancer patients today are enrolled in clinical trials for new medication, for instance.
With President Trump's signature, this bleak picture changes. The "Right to Try" law he signed yesterday gives more than 1 million Americans who die each year from terminal illnesses a new tool to make potentially lifesaving treatment decisions. The act amends Federal law to allow certain unapproved, experimental drugs to be administered to terminally ill patients who have exhausted all approved treatment options and are unable to participate in clinical drug trials.
"People who are terminally ill should not have to go from country to country to seek a cure," President Trump says. "I'd see people-friends of mine, and other people I'd read about, where they'd travel all over the world looking for a cure. And we have the best medical people in the world."
President Trump fulfills his promise to expand options for terminally ill Americans.
Bonus read: "Thank Republicans for your right to try," says AEI's Marc Thiessen
250 kids join President Trump on the South Lawn
Sports participation and physical activity are crucial for child development, supporting personal and social growth, lifetime health and fitness habits, and a competitive spirit. Children that play sports have higher educational achievement, earn higher incomes as adults, and have improved mental health.
Each president since Dwight Eisenhower has convened a Council on Fitness to focus on various sports, nutrition, and well-being initiatives. President Trump has given his Council a clear purpose: to reverse the declining trend of youth sports participation and to ensure that all American children are given the opportunity to compete.
To introduce his intended Council appointees, the President invited several hundred children, parents, and coaches to the White House for a field day on the South Lawn. Athletes such as Mariano Rivera, Herschel Walker, and Misty May-Treanor joined youth participants in activities ranging from flag football to volleyball.
Watch President Trump host field day at the White House.
In-depth report: The potential for youth sports to improve childhood outcomes
Photo of the Day
Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks
President Trump delivers remarks and participates in the White House Sports and Fitness Day | May 30, 2018
The White House • May 30, 2018
The Day Ahead
• President Donald J. Trump will sign the Right to Try Act, which will give terminally ill patients greater access to experimental treatments. Watch live at 12:15 p.m. ET.
• The White House will host a celebratory "field day" to encourage youth sports participation and introduce intended appointees to the Presidential Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. Watch live at 3:30 p.m. ET.
China has consistently taken advantage of America's economy
For many years, China has used unfair trade and industrial practices—including "dumping," discriminatory barriers, forced technology transfer, over capacity, and industrial subsidies—that champion Chinese firms and make it impossible for many U.S. firms to compete on a level playing field.
The costs of these policies to American industry keep piling up:
• China's intellectual property theft costs U.S. innovators billions of dollars each year
• China accounts for 87 percent of the counterfeit goods seized coming into America
• Beijing has banned imports of U.S. agricultural products such as poultry, cutting off America's ranchers and farmers
• The United States charges a 2.5 percent tariff on Chinese cars, while China maintains a 25 percent tariff on cars from America
President Trump has taken long overdue action to address the source of the problem. Part of the solution includes imposing a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion of goods imported from China that contain industrially significant technology, including those related to the "Made in China 2025" program. The Administration is also implementing specific investment restrictions and enhanced export controls.
More: "From now on, we expect trading relationships to be fair and to be reciprocal."
Video: Welcome home, Josh Holt!
Over Memorial Day weekend, President Trump greeted another released American. Late Saturday, the President welcomed Josh Holt to the Oval Office following Holt's return from a Venezuelan prison.
With Holt home, 17 Americans held abroad have been released during the Trump Administration. "The United States thanks the Maduro regime for releasing the unjustly detained United States citizen, Joshua Holt, and his Venezuelan wife," Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. His return "does not change United States policy" toward Venezuela.
Watch President Trump welcome Josh Holt home in the Oval Office.
More: The President's full remarks
Federal employment must be earned, not given
Firing bad Federal employees is prohibitively difficult. It takes 6 months to a year to remove a tenured Federal employee for poor performance—plus an average of 8 more months to resolve appeals. Such employees are 44 times less likely to get fired or laid off than private-sector workers.
Through an Executive Order, President Trump is making changesto strengthen the merit system and streamline the removal of poor performers. As part of the new policy, agencies will be required to report information on the disciplinary actions and management of poor performers to the Office of Personnel Management for publication.
Learn more about how President Trump is reforming the Civil Service for the American people.
Photo of the Day
Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian
President Donald J. Trump participates in a Memorial Day ceremony | May 28, 2018
