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US job growth was robust in April and the unemployment rate held steady, suggesting uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s trade policy has yet to have a material impact on hiring plans.

Nonfarm payrolls increased 177,000 last month after the prior two months’ advances were revised lower, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data out Friday. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.2%.

The report suggests the labor market continues to cool gradually, a sign that businesses facing heightened uncertainty around tariffs and turmoil in financial markets didn’t significantly alter their hiring plans. Most economists anticipate the brunt of the impact from punishing levies will be seen in coming months.

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe and Kailey speak with:

• Bloomberg Economics Chief US Economist Anna Wong.
• Economic Policy Consultant Kathryn Edwards.
• Former OMB Director and former Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney.
• Democratic Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, candidate for Governor of New Jersey.
• Democratic Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow, candidate for US Senate.

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President Donald Trump blamed former President Joe Biden for weak economic data that sent stocks tumbling, arguing government data showing increased domestic investment signaled his tariffs are working.

“I have to start off by saying, that’s Biden. That’s not Trump,” Trump said Wednesday during a Cabinet meeting.

Inflation-adjusted gross domestic product decreased an annualized 0.3% in the first quarter, well below average growth of about 3%, according to initial government data published Wednesday.

“Let’s give us a pass on the first month, we were sort of getting a little bit used to things,” Trump added.

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe and Kailey speak with:

• Bloomberg's Michael McKee.
• American Action Forum President Douglas Holtz-Eakin.
• Bloomberg's Daniel Flatley.
• University of Michigan Professor of Public Policy and Economics Betsey Stevenson.

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President Donald Trump is scheduled to sign an executive order easing the impact of his auto tariffs, preventing duties on foreign-made vehicles from stacking on top of other levies and lessening charges on parts from overseas used to make vehicles in the US.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration would release the text of the directive, detailing the specifics of the action, later on Tuesday. 

The plan would change 25% tariffs on auto part imports, expected to start May 3, by allowing carmakers to claim an offset worth up to 3.75% of the value of a US-made vehicle for one year, a senior Commerce Department official said. 

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe and Kailey speak with:

• Bloomberg's Molly Smith.
• Fireside Strategies Partner Alex Conant.
• Bloomberg's Tyler Kendall.
• Democratic Governor Laura Kelly of Kansas, Chair of the Democratic Governors Association.
• Bloomberg Politics Contributors Rick Davis and Jeanne Sheehan Zaino.

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and congressional Republicans will meet to sketch out the plan for passing a multi-trillion tax cut in the coming weeks as polling shows that voters largely disapprove of the White House’s handling of the economy.

Bessent and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett will meet with top congressional leaders Monday afternoon as lawmakers return from a two-week break. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Speaker Mike Johnson and the two tax committee chairmen Senator Mike Crapo and Representative Jason Smith are slated to attend, according to people familiar with the schedule.

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe and Kailey speak with:

• Ipsos President of US Public Affairs Cliff Young.
• Bloomberg Economics Chief Economist Anna Wong.
• Republican Congressman Bill Huizenga of Michigan.
• Bloomberg Politics Contributors Rick Davis and Jeanne Sheehan Zaino.
• Bloomberg Correspondent David Gura.
• Manitoba Finance Minister Adrien Sala.

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President Donald Trump suggested another delay to his higher so-called “reciprocal” tariffs was unlikely, raising pressure on nations to negotiate trade deals with his administration.

Asked about the possibility of granting another 90-day pause, Trump cast that scenario as “unlikely,” while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday. Trump also said that he would not drop tariffs on China, the world’s second largest economy, unless Beijing offers “something substantial” in return. 

Trump said he believed financial markets were adjusting to his tariff policy, downplaying the volatility that has hit equity and bond markets this month after he announced plans to hit about 60 US trading partners with higher duties.

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe and Kailey speak with:

• Bloomberg's Tyler Kendall.
• Abroath Group Managing Director Christopher Smart.
• Bloomberg Politics Contributors Rick Davis and Jeanne Sheehan Zaino.
• Bloomberg's Romaine Bostick.
• Former US Diplomat Mara Rudman

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Balance of Power: Trump Urges Putin to Stop Ukraine Strikes (Podcast)

The US will demand that Russia accept Ukraine’s right to develop its own, adequately equipped, army and defense industry as part of a peace agreement, according to people familiar with the matter, pushing back on Russia’s insistence that the country largely demilitarize as a condition to end the war.

US envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Russia to raise the issue with President Vladimir Putin, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations. 

It’s a signal that President Donald Trump’s administration is seeking some concessions from the Kremlin, as well as Ukraine, as it tries to end a war that’s now into its fourth year. Critics have thus far viewed the US proposals as tilted toward Russia, including the Trump administration’s insistence that Ukraine give up its aspirations to join the NATO military alliance. 

Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.
Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe and Kailey speak with:

• Director of the Futures Lab and Senior Fellow with the Defense and Security Department at the Center of Strategic and International Studies Ben Jensen.
• Bloomberg Politics Contributors Rick Davis and Jeanne Sheehan Zaino.
• Operation Hope Inc. Chairman, CEO and Founder John Hope Bryant.

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Confronted with fresh warnings from financial markets, business leaders and top advisers, President Donald Trump this week eased off on two of his frequent punching bags: Jerome Powell and China. 

Trump entered office with a steadfast desire to reshape the global economy. But his resolve has appeared to waver in the face of turmoil in equities and bonds and pleas from powerful executives who fear his sweeping tariffs and interference with the Federal Reserve could set off an economic calamity.

Trump on Tuesday said he had no intention to fire Powell — despite days of criticism over the central bank’s policies — and said he believed a deal with Beijing would significantly reduce the sweeping tariffs he’s posted on Chinese goods. After a report that the US would be willing to phase in lighter tariffs on Beijing over five years on Wednesday, Trump told reporters that China was “going to do fine” once talks had settled.

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe and Kailey speak with:

• Bloomberg Politics Contributors Rick Davis and Jeanne Sheehan Zaino.
• Atlantic Council Nonresident Senior Fellow Melinda Haring.
• Bloomberg Technology Co-Host Ed Ludlow.

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Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told a closed-door investor summit Tuesday that the tariff standoff with China cannot be sustained by both sides and that the world’s two largest economies will have to find ways to de-escalate.

That de-escalation will come in the very near future, Bessent said during an event hosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Washington, which wasn’t open to the public or media. He characterized the current situation as essentially a trade embargo, according to people who attended the session.

Bessent said that it was not the US’s goal to decouple from China and that the current status quo of 145% tariffs on Chinese goods by the US and 125% tariffs on US products by China was not sustainable. He expressed optimism that tensions could cool in the coming months, which would bring relief to markets, but cautioned that a larger deal could take longer.

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe and Kailey speak with:

• Bloomberg White House Correspondent Kate Sullivan.
• Bloomberg Politics Contributor Rick Davis and ROKK Solutions Partner Kristen Hawn.
• Bloomberg International Economics and Policy Correspondent Michael McKee.
• EIU Chief Economist Constance Hunter.

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President Donald Trump warned the US economy may slow if the Federal Reserve does not move to immediately reduce interest rates, in his latest broadside against Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

Trump said in a social media post Monday that “there is virtually No Inflation,” pointing to lower energy and food prices.

“But there can be a SLOWING of the economy unless Mr. Too Late, a major loser, lowers interest rates, NOW,” Trump said, referring to Powell.

Economists widely expect Trump’s tariffs to boost inflation and slow growth, even if just temporarily. While inflation has cooled notably in recent years, it remains elevated. Powell, along with several of his colleagues, has underscored the central bank must ensure new levies don’t lead to a more persistent bout of inflation.

Trump has rattled Wall Street by repeatedly criticizing Powell and suggesting he had the ability to remove the Fed Chair before the end of his term. US equities sank on Monday as traders weighed the chances Powell gets axed, with the S&P 500 Index falling more than 3%.

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe and Kailey speak with:

• Bloomberg's Tyler Kendall.
• Bloomberg Intelligence Chief Equity Strategist Gina Martin Adams.
• Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis of New York.
• Bloomberg Politics Contributors Rick Davis and Jeanne Sheehan Zaino.
• Bloomberg's Tony Capaccio.
• Beacon Global Strategies Managing Director Michael Allen.

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Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.

President Donald Trump said during a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni that he expects to reach a trade deal with the European Union, but indicated he is in no hurry to finalize an agreement to reduce tariffs.

“There’ll be a trade deal,” Trump said Thursday, adding “I fully expect it, but it’ll be a fair deal.”

The president offered no time line for when he expected the first of the agreements to be finalized with trading partners seeking to avoid high tariffs, saying only that they would happen “at a certain point” and insisting that other nations would need to make concessions.

“We’re in no rush,” Trump added. “We are going to have very little problem making a deal with Europe or anyone else.”

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe and Kailey speak with:

• Bloomberg's Michael McKee and Tyler Kendall.
• Bloomberg Politics Contributor Rick Davis and Democratic Strategist Caitlin Legacki.
• Atlantic Council Nonresident Senior Fellow Rachel Rizzo.
• Editor of NASAWatch.com and Astrobiology.com, former-Scientist with NASA Keith Cowing.

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