Tracking Trump: Press pool takeover, Zelensky and the Musk effect

White House takes over press pool coverage

The White House upended decades-old protocols Tuesday by announcing it would decide which news outlets can access the president at meetings and events when space is limited, also known as the press pool.

• Historically, the independent White House Correspondents' Association has determined which outlets make up the pool, ensuring that outlets with diverse perspectives have access to the president.
• The move "suggests the government will choose the journalists who cover the president," Eugene Daniels, president of the WHCA and Politico reporter, said in a statement. (The WHCA said Wednesday it will no longer coordinate pool coverage.)

Zoom out: The Associated Press is suing White House officials for banning its reporters from the Oval Office and Air Force One over its use of Gulf of Mexico instead of Trump's preferred Gulf of America.

• Since AP mentioned its role in the press pool 52 times in its initial 18-page lawsuit, the White House decided to take over the function of picking the outlets in it, one White House adviser told Axios' Marc Caputo.

Canada and Mexico tariffs still on

The White House remains committed to imposing 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports next week, despite earlier comments from Trump that hinted at a possible delay.

• A 10% tariff took effect on Feb. 4 for China, with another 10% on the way March 4, Axios reported.
• Tariffs for Canada and Mexico, at 25%, are delayed until March 4, and reciprocal tariffs are set to take effect April 2.
• "The tariffs could jolt the global trading system and stoke tensions with allies and adversaries," Axios' Courtenay Brown writes.

Go deeper: A timeline of Trump's tariff proposals

House passes Trump-approved budget

Speaker Mike Johnson's Trump-backed budget bill narrowly cleared the House 217-215 on Tuesday, overcoming a brief Republican rebellion earlier in the day.

• Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a fiscal hawk, cast the lone GOP dissenting vote, while Democrats united in opposition.
• The passage sets the stage for advancing Trump's domestic policy agenda, including tax cuts, border security measures and potential energy cuts.

Go deeper: Behind the Curtain: The hard truths about Trump tax cuts

Trump backs Musk's progress-or-else email

Federal workers who failed to respond to an emailed request last weekend to report their progress "are on the bubble," Trump said during his first Cabinet meeting this term on Wednesday. He added, "Maybe they're gonna be gone." Federal workers had been warned their failure to respond to his email would be treated as a resignation.

• The email rattled D.C. throughout the week and showed a misalignment between the administration, government agency heads and Cabinet officials.

Musk on Wednesday described the email, which many agency heads told their staff to ignore, as a "pulse check review."

• Workers later claimed in a lawsuit filed and amended on their behalf that Musk's DOGE doesn't have the power to make good on the threat.

What to watch: The White House has already directed federal agencies to plan for large-scale layoffs in its promise to reduce federal bureaucracy and return power to the states, Axios' Emily Peck writes.

Trump and Zelensky meet at the White House

Zelensky made his first visit to the White House Friday since President Trump took office. The meeting's purpose was to improve relations and get a minerals deal signed, after a public squabble last week between the two leaders.

• But it devolved into a public shouting match including a tense exchange where Vice President Vance accused Zelensky of disrespecting Trump by "trying to litigate" U.S. policy on Ukraine in front of the media.
• Throughout the exchange, Zelensky became visibly uncomfortable and upset. He pointed out that Vance hadn't been to war-torn Ukraine, conceding that every country in their situation has problems.

Zoom out: The minerals deal would allow the U.S. to tap into Ukraine's minerals and other natural resources. It would also establish a joint fund for rebuilding Ukraine.

• As of Friday afternoon, it wasn't signed.
• "He can come back when he is ready for Peace," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
• A U.S. official told Axios Trump is considering retaliation including stopping military assistance to Ukraine.

Go deeper: U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal faces long, uncertain road

More from Axios:

• Trump's loyalty-first FBI
• Tracking Trump: Zelensky friction, the power grab and IVF access
• Trump ousts top U.S. Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown and other leaders
• Tracking Trump: 5 moves this week with lasting impact

Editor's note: This story has been updated with developments after Trump and Zelensky's meeting.