President Donald Trump was shut down this week in the first 100 days of his administration, closing the three months with unprecedented use of executive orders and ongoing debates over the Russian-Ukraine peace agreement.
Trump met Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Garh at the White House on Thursday. There he said he and other allies will be closing the deal between Moscow and Kiev in the near future. Still, he said he would stick to his timeline.
“I have my deadline,” Trump told reporters Thursday. “And we wanted to be faster. And the Prime Minister helped us.”
“He hopes it’s faster too,” he said. “And I think we’re hoping to see this happen at this point at NATO.”
The White House did not provide comment to Fox News Digital regarding deadline details.
Trump’s team has expressed optimism about this week’s deal, with Vice President JD Vance making it clear on Wednesday that the proposal is on the table. However, he said that time is limited and that if neither party agrees, the US will withdraw from moving forward with those debates.
The deal would require that both Russia and Ukraine abandon some of their territory, but according to Vance, the line would remain “near where they are today.”
Here’s what happened with the Trump administration this week:
Heggs under the fire
The White House went to Bat for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses following a New York Times report that it shared information about the March military airstrikes against Houthis in a signal messaging app group chat that includes wife, brother and personal lawyers.
In March, the Atlantic reported on an early signal group chat, including Hegseth and Vance, to discuss the same attack on Houthis. The chat was incorrectly included Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg.
Hegses faces the latest fight to protect the Pentagon’s Secretary of Defense
The White House has made it clear that it is in the position of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses. (Getty Imges)
The latest incident has prompted lawmakers to ask Hegses to step down despite the chat keeping the war plan undisclosed. The Trump administration has expressed support for Heggs this week despite NPR reports that the White House is considering finding a new defense secretary amid the controversy.
“He’s bringing monumental changes to the Pentagon, and there are many people in the city who refuse monumental changes. Frankly, I’ve seen a smear campaign against the Secretary of Defense since the moment President Trump announced his nomination in the US Senate.”
“Again. The President stands strongly behind the changes he is bringing to the Pentagon and the results he has achieved so far speak for itself,” Leavitt said.
Pope Francis Funeral
Trump and first lady Melania Trump left Washington Friday morning to attend Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome on Saturday. The Vatican announced that Pope Francis died Monday in Casa Santa Malta, Vatican.
“Pope Francis rests in peace!” Trump said in a post Monday about the True Society. “May God bless him and all who loved him!”
Pope Francis and the US President: Looking back on his legacy with the leaders of the country
Pope Francis leaves left to left to left to left to left before giving the blessing of Urbiet (Latin to cities and the world) at the end of the Easter Mass declared by Cardinal Angelo Comastrial at St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP)
The Pope’s death was when Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, met with him in one of the Vatican Hotel response rooms hours before his death.
Additionally, Trump signed an executive order on Monday, ordering all US flags to be flew half-staffed on all public buildings and grounds, all military and naval stations, and on all naval vessels to remember Francis. The order also applies to all US embassies, ministers, consulates and other facilities overseas, including military facilities, naval ships and stations.
Former President Joe Biden and his wife Jill will also be attending the funeral in Rome.
Educational reform
Trump has also signed seven executive orders on education. This includes incorporating artificial intelligence into the K-12 school curriculum, modifying school discipline and accreditation guidelines, and updating requirements for foreign funding disclosure.
Meanwhile, Trump’s education division announced Monday that it will resume its default federal student loan collection in May for the first time since 2020.
Education Division reopens its default federal student loan collection for the first time since 2020
The education department will resume its default federal student loan collection in May. (Getty Images)
The first Trump administration suspended the introduction of federal student loans to its collections in March 2020 at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. But Trump administration officials are concerned that the suspension will have their federal student loan portfolio “leading towards a financial cliff if they don’t begin paying off their collections.”
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“As a result, our federal student loan portfolio continues to grow, with record borrowers at or at risk of delinquency and default,” a senior department official told reporters Monday.
Emma Colton from Fox News contributed to this report.
Diana Stancy is a political reporter for Fox News Digital, covering the White House.
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