Big beautiful bottleneck: Trump’s high-stakes week at home and abroad
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
Big beautiful bottleneck: Trump’s high-stakes week at home and abroad
A favorable Supreme Court ruling on Friday prompted Trump to hold an impromptu press conference. “It’s a really big day,” he concluded. While he touted victories, several matters remain unresolved. What happens over the next 10 days or so, domestically and abroad, could come to define Trump’s presidency.”Every day, it’s just a heart monitor in a hospital. It’s like, up and down,” a senior adviser says. “And I can’t come up with a time that was as pressure-filled in the previous administration as we’re dealing with right now,” he adds. “We’ve had a big week. We’ve had some victories this week,” the president says of the Supreme Court decision. “This traffic jam of uncertainty is just plain old plain old uncertainty,” an expert says. ‘It’s hard to tell whether this is strategic uncertainty or just plain plain old old uncertainty,’ another expert adds. ‘This traffic jams of uncertainty’ is “just plain old ordinary uncertainty,” says an expert.
A favorable Supreme Court ruling on Friday prompted Trump to hold an impromptu press conference, capping off a high-stakes few days for his presidency.
“It’s a really big day,” he concluded. “We’ve had a big week. We’ve had a lot of victories this week.”
While he touted victories, several matters remain unresolved. What happens over the next 10 days or so, domestically and abroad, could come to define Trump’s presidency.
“The president is doing peace deals, tax deals, trade deals,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Capitol Hill earlier this week. “So he’s done a peace deal. I think we’ll have the tax deal done by July 4, and then we can finish with the trade deals.”
Hogan Gidley, who served in the first Trump administration and is now a senior adviser to the House speaker, said he couldn’t think of a time from the first term that was as momentous as what’s happening now.
“Every day, it’s just a heart monitor in a hospital. It’s like, up and down, up and down all day long,” Gidley said. “And I can’t come up with a time that was as pressure-filled in the previous administration as we’re dealing with right now, although I’m sure there were plenty.”
Here are the wins and challenges for Trump this week:
Win: Supreme Court ruling on nationwide injunctions.
The Supreme Court issued a ruling on Friday that makes it much more difficult for opponents of the administration to put a quick stop to executive actions they say are illegal.
The ruling stemmed from a case about Trump’s executive order calling for an end to birthright citizenship in the U.S. While the justices did not rule on whether the order is constitutional, they did say that the nationwide pause on it — known as an injunction — was an overreach by lower courts.
“This morning the Supreme Court has delivered a monumental victory for the Constitution, the separation of powers and the rule of law,” Trump said in the White House briefing room Friday.
Trump has faced more than two dozen nationwide injunctions against executive actions on everything from ending birthright citizenship, to halting refugee resettlement and freezing federal funding. Now he says the way has been cleared for his administration to push ahead.
Trump and others in his administration argue that lower court judges have been wrongly blocking the president and therefore the will of the American people.
With this decision, the balance of power is now tilted in the president’s favor.
More wins: NATO commitments and the Israel-Iran ceasefire
Through the week, the Trump administration had ample praise for the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and the ceasefire between Iran and Israel that followed.
The president is not budging from his early assertion that Iran’s nuclear program was totally obliterated, and Friday he said he doesn’t believe Iran will go back to trying to build nuclear weapons. That, however, is far from certain. Assessments of what was actually destroyed are still underway.
Omar Havana / Getty Images / Getty Images President Trump during a news conference on the second day of the NATO summit on June 25 in The Hague.
A more unqualified win is what happened at the NATO summit, which Trump attended in the Hague earlier this week. Member states agreed to spend more money on defense, something Trump has long pushed for.
His longstanding skepticism about the alliance seemed to melt away as a result. It doesn’t hurt that at one point the NATO secretary general seemed to awkwardly and perhaps accidentally refer to Trump as “daddy” — a moment the Trump White House seemed unable to let go.
Challenge: Unfinished trade deals
When Trump punted on his so-called reciprocal tariffs earlier this year, he set a July 8 deadline to get dozens of trade deals done. So far, just one agreement is signed, sealed and delivered, and many more are in limbo.
He announced in a post on Truth Social on Friday that he was halting all trade negotiations with Canada over its new digital services tax, which would affect major U.S. technology companies.
He also said this week that the U.S. had reached a deal with China, but that turned out to be a step forward on a framework, rather than a finalized agreement.
Members of his Cabinet have said for months that deals with other countries such as India, South Korea and Japan were just around the corner.
As July 8 draws closer, Trump is wavering. This traffic jam of negotiations is a problem he created, and with a stroke of his pen, he could change it.
It’s hard to tell whether this is strategic uncertainty or just plain old uncertainty.
Chris Whipple, an expert on White House chiefs of staff, said Trump is reactive and instinctive, which drove his success on the campaign trail. But now, he said, the crises are piling up.
“You know, it does feel like kind of a defining moment,” Whipple said. “One thing that’s clear, six months in, is that shock and awe, so-called, is just not an effective formula for governance.”
Challenge: The fate of the “One Big Beautiful Bill”
The House has passed Trump’s major tax and policy bill, but there have been speed bumps in the Senate. That process is ongoing, and it’s not clear whether it will pass or whether that version can pass in the House.
Trump wants a bill signing celebration to coincide with Independence Day. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said it would be epic. But planning the wedding before the engagement can be dicey, and it’s hard to say at this moment whether Trump will get the party he wants on the date he wants it.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images / Getty Images President Trump delivers remarks as he hosts a “One, Big, Beautiful” event in the East Room of the White House on Thursday.
As a reminder, he calls it the “one big beautiful bill” because it essentially combines his entire legislative agenda into a single package. Trump has a lot riding on this legislation, not just tax cuts and promises he made like no tax on tips, but also funding for immigration enforcement that he needs in order to keep his pledge of mass deportations.
Gidley said every Republican in Congress understands the gravity of this moment.
“If they cannot deliver on the very thing that put them in office, there’s going to be a big problem with their chances of reelection,” he said.
Trump was supposed to travel to his golf club in Bedminster, N.J. Instead, he is staying in D.C. to monitor action on Capitol Hill and to twist arms when needed.
Copyright 2025 NPR
Big beautiful bottleneck: Trump’s high-stakes week at home and abroad
The Supreme Court issued a ruling on Friday that makes it much more difficult for opponents of the administration to put a quick stop to executive actions they say are illegal. The ruling stemmed from a case about Trump’s executive order calling for an end to birthright citizenship in the U.S. The president is not budging from his early assertion that Iran’s nuclear program was totally obliterated, and Friday he said he doesn’t believe Iran will go back to trying to build nuclear weapons. So far, just one agreement is signed, sealed and delivered, and many more are in limbo. As July 8 draws closer, Trump is wavering with his stroke of pen, and his staff is reacting to his instinct, which is reactive and reactive, an expert on the White House says. The next 10 days or so, domestically and abroad, could come to define Trump’s presidency, the expert adds. The White House seems unable to let go of the moment when the NATO secretary general accidentally referred to Trump as “daddy”
For President Trump, it’s been — to borrow a phrase — one big, beautiful week.
A favorable Supreme Court ruling on Friday prompted Trump to hold an impromptu press conference, capping off a high-stakes few days for his presidency.
“It’s a really big day,” he concluded. “We’ve had a big week. We’ve had a lot of victories this week.”
While he touted victories, several matters remain unresolved. What happens over the next 10 days or so, domestically and abroad, could come to define Trump’s presidency.
“The president is doing peace deals, tax deals, trade deals,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Capitol Hill earlier this week. “So he’s done a peace deal. I think we’ll have the tax deal done by July 4, and then we can finish with the trade deals.”
Hogan Gidley, who served in the first Trump administration and is now a senior adviser to the House speaker, said he couldn’t think of a time from the first term that was as momentous as what’s happening now.
“Every day, it’s just a heart monitor in a hospital. It’s like, up and down, up and down all day long,” Gidley said. “And I can’t come up with a time that was as pressure-filled in the previous administration as we’re dealing with right now, although I’m sure there were plenty.”
Here are the wins and challenges for Trump this week:
Win: Supreme Court ruling on nationwide injunctions.
The Supreme Court issued a ruling on Friday that makes it much more difficult for opponents of the administration to put a quick stop to executive actions they say are illegal.
The ruling stemmed from a case about Trump’s executive order calling for an end to birthright citizenship in the U.S. While the justices did not rule on whether the order is constitutional, they did say that the nationwide pause on it — known as an injunction — was an overreach by lower courts.
“This morning the Supreme Court has delivered a monumental victory for the Constitution, the separation of powers and the rule of law,” Trump said in the White House briefing room Friday.
Trump has faced more than two dozen nationwide injunctions against executive actions on everything from ending birthright citizenship, to halting refugee resettlement and freezing federal funding. Now he says the way has been cleared for his administration to push ahead.
Trump and others in his administration argue that lower court judges have been wrongly blocking the president and therefore the will of the American people.
With this decision, the balance of power is now tilted in the president’s favor.
More wins: NATO commitments and the Israel-Iran ceasefire
Through the week, the Trump administration had ample praise for the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and the ceasefire between Iran and Israel that followed.
The president is not budging from his early assertion that Iran’s nuclear program was totally obliterated, and Friday he said he doesn’t believe Iran will go back to trying to build nuclear weapons. That, however, is far from certain. Assessments of what was actually destroyed are still underway.
A more unqualified win is what happened at the NATO summit, which Trump attended in the Hague earlier this week. Member states agreed to spend more money on defense, something Trump has long pushed for.
His longstanding skepticism about the alliance seemed to melt away as a result. It doesn’t hurt that at one point the NATO secretary general seemed to awkwardly and perhaps accidentally refer to Trump as “daddy” — a moment the Trump White House seemed unable to let go.
Challenge: Unfinished trade deals
When Trump punted on his so-called reciprocal tariffs earlier this year, he set a July 8 deadline to get dozens of trade deals done. So far, just one agreement is signed, sealed and delivered, and many more are in limbo.
He announced in a post on Truth Social on Friday that he was halting all trade negotiations with Canada over its new digital services tax, which would affect major U.S. technology companies.
He also said this week that the U.S. had reached a deal with China, but that turned out to be a step forward on a framework, rather than a finalized agreement.
Members of his Cabinet have said for months that deals with other countries such as India, South Korea and Japan were just around the corner.
As July 8 draws closer, Trump is wavering. This traffic jam of negotiations is a problem he created, and with a stroke of his pen, he could change it.
It’s hard to tell whether this is strategic uncertainty or just plain old uncertainty.
Chris Whipple, an expert on White House chiefs of staff, said Trump is reactive and instinctive, which drove his success on the campaign trail. But now, he said, the crises are piling up.
“You know, it does feel like kind of a defining moment,” Whipple said. “One thing that’s clear, six months in, is that shock and awe, so-called, is just not an effective formula for governance.”
Challenge: The fate of the “One Big Beautiful Bill”
The House has passed Trump’s major tax and policy bill, but there have been speed bumps in the Senate. That process is ongoing, and it’s not clear whether it will pass or whether that version can pass in the House.
Trump wants a bill signing celebration to coincide with Independence Day. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said it would be epic. But planning the wedding before the engagement can be dicey, and it’s hard to say at this moment whether Trump will get the party he wants on the date he wants it.
As a reminder, he calls it the “one big beautiful bill” because it essentially combines his entire legislative agenda into a single package. Trump has a lot riding on this legislation, not just tax cuts and promises he made like no tax on tips, but also funding for immigration enforcement that he needs in order to keep his pledge of mass deportations.
Gidley said every Republican in Congress understands the gravity of this moment.
“If they cannot deliver on the very thing that put them in office, there’s going to be a big problem with their chances of reelection,” he said.
Trump was supposed to travel to his golf club in Bedminster, N.J. Instead, he is staying in D.C. to monitor action on Capitol Hill and to twist arms when needed.
From Iran to the Big Beautiful Bill: Trump’s high-stakes week : NPR
President Trump praised the Supreme Court for a ruling that will make it harder for judges to put sweeping legal blocks on his actions. This caps off a high-stakes week in the Trump presidency where several matters remain unresolved. Here to talk about some of the pressures the president is facing is NPR senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith. The next 10 days or so could really define his presidency, she says, and it’s hard to tell whether this is strategic or just plain plain old uncertainty. The July 8 deadline is so important for Congress to pass this bill that there seem to be some speed bumps in the speed bumps. But planning the wedding before the wedding can be epic, Keith says, but it’s still hard to be dicey with the dicey dicey, dicey Donald Trump that we’re talking about here. The full interview is on “This Is Life with Maria Cardona,” tonight at 8 p.m. ET on CNN. For more, go to CNN.com/soulmatestories.
For President Trump, it has been – to borrow a phrase – one big, beautiful week.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: This is a really big day. We’ve had a big week. You know, we’ve had a big week. We’ve had a lot of victories this week.
SHAPIRO: Those remarks came during a press conference where Trump praised the Supreme Court for a ruling that will make it harder for judges to put sweeping legal blocks on his actions. This caps off a high-stakes week in the Trump presidency where several matters remain unresolved. Here to talk about some of the pressures the president is facing is NPR senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith. Good to have you in the studio.
TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: Good to be here.
SHAPIRO: To start with the ruling today, what did Trump have to say about the Supreme Court decision?
KEITH: Oh, he is very happy about it.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TRUMP: This morning, the Supreme Court has delivered a monumental victory for the Constitution, the separation of powers and the rule of law.
KEITH: Really, it is a win for his powers, his executive authority. It makes it much more difficult for opponents to put a quick stop to executive actions that they say are unlawful. President Trump has faced a lot of nationwide injunctions, halting executive actions on everything from ending birthright citizenship to halting refugee resettlement, freezing federal funds, more than two dozen. Now, he says, the way has been cleared for his administration to push ahead. Trump and others in his administration argue that lower court judges have been wrongly blocking the president and therefore the will of the American people. With this decision, the balance of power is now tilted in the president’s favor, this one and the next one.
SHAPIRO: And what else is the president putting on his list of wins this week?
KEITH: Well, the strikes over the weekend on Iran’s nuclear sites and the ceasefire between Iran and Israel that followed. He is not budging from his early assertion that Iran’s nuclear program was totally obliterated. And today, he said he doesn’t believe that Iran will go back to trying to build nuclear weapons. That, however, is far from certain. Assessments of what was actually destroyed are still underway.
A more unqualified win is what happened at the NATO summit, which Trump attended in The Hague earlier this week. It has been a big week. Member nations there agreed to spend more money on defense. That’s something that Trump has been pushing for for a long time. And all of a sudden, his skepticism about the alliance seemed to just melt away. It also doesn’t hurt that at one point the NATO secretary general seemed to awkwardly and perhaps accidentally refer to Trump as daddy.
SHAPIRO: No comment on that.
KEITH: Nope.
SHAPIRO: If the White House is putting those in the win column, what’s in the other column?
KEITH: Yeah. This is such a pivotal time. What happens over the next 10 days or so could really define his presidency. First, there’s trade. When President Trump punted on his so-called reciprocal tariffs, he set a July 8 deadline to get dozens of trade deals done. So far, just one agreement is signed, sealed and delivered, and many more are in limbo. Today, he angrily announced that he was halting trade negotiations with Canada. Members of his cabinet have said deals with other countries like India, South Korea and Japan were just around the corner for months now.
So as July 8 draws closer, Trump is wavering. You know, this traffic jam of negotiations is a problem that he created. And with the stroke of his pen, he could change it. And this is one of those times where it’s really hard to tell whether this is strategic uncertainty or just plain old uncertainty.
SHAPIRO: The July 8 deadline is one thing. There’s a July 4 deadline for Congress to pass this bill that’s so important to his agenda. What’s going on with that?
KEITH: Yeah, there seem to be some speed bumps in the Senate. The latest is that they are set to begin the process of debating the bill tomorrow. Once they get started, that will be a long process, and it’s not clear whether it will pass or whether that version can pass the House. Trump wants a bill-signing celebration to coincide with Independence Day, July 4. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said it would be epic. But planning the wedding before the engagement can be dicey.
SHAPIRO: Right.
KEITH: Yeah. And it’s hard to say at this moment, whether President Trump will get the party that he wants on the date that he wants. As a reminder, he calls this the One Big, Beautiful Bill because it essentially combines his entire legislative agenda into a single bill. So Trump has a lot riding on this legislation, not just tax cuts – like no taxes on tips – but also funding for immigration enforcement that he needs to keep his pledge of mass deportations. He was supposed to travel to his golf club in New Jersey this weekend. Instead, he is staying in D.C. to monitor the action on Capitol Hill and likely twist some arms.
SHAPIRO: NPR’s Tamara Keith. Good to have you here. Thanks.
KEITH: You’re welcome.
Copyright © 2025 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.