Trump returns to Washington for busy week amid tariff rollout and controversial comments

The president grabbed headlines by addressing the possibility of seeking a third term, which is prohibited by the Constitution.

(NBC)- President Donald Trump is back in Washington for a busy week, with his massive reciprocal tariff plan set to roll out Wednesday targeting all U.S. trading partners. Trump emphasized that the tariffs would apply universally, stating, “You’d start with all countries.”

The president also grabbed headlines by addressing the possibility of seeking a third term, which is prohibited by the Constitution. In an exclusive phone interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker, Trump declared, “I’m not joking” and suggested there could be methods to pursue such a goal. However, he later downplayed the idea, stating, “We have a long way to go before we even think about that.”

 Trump’s billionaire advisor, Elon Musk, raised legal questions after distributing million-dollar checks to two voters at a Wisconsin town hall, where he campaigned for a conservative judge in the state’s high-stakes Supreme Court race. The election could lead to a potential redrawing of Wisconsin’s congressional maps. Democrats have accused Musk of attempting to buy the seat, but the state’s Supreme Court chose not to intervene.

 President Trump voiced strong criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In his NBC interview, Trump expressed being “very angry” and “pissed off” at Putin for questioning the credibility of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s leadership. “He’s supposed to be making a deal with him, whether you like him or you don’t like him,” Trump said. The president also warned of the possibility of additional tariffs on Russian oil.