AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
President Donald Trump had barely left the Middle East before getting very busy on his Truth Social account. He told Walmart to eat the tariffs rather than raise prices. He slammed the Supreme Court, except for Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. Plus, he announced he'll talk on the phone tomorrow with Russian President Vladimir Putin. So what's behind the multiple posts and the all caps? Joining me now is NPR senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith. Good morning, Tam.
TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: Good morning.
RASCOE: So let's start with his comments on the Supreme Court. You know, some of this stems from that 7-2 ruling on Friday. It temporarily blocks the deportations of Venezuelan immigrants under the Alien Enemies Act.
KEITH: Yeah, this really all comes down to a frustration on his part, that the courts are getting in the way of his agenda, or, as he said in one of his posts, quote, "the Supreme Court of the United States is not allowing me to do what I was elected to do." And he was clearly elected on a platform of mass deportation and strict immigration enforcement. But immigration law, as it is currently written, doesn't make that fast and easy. So Trump and his administration have declared emergencies and they've used wartime authorities, even though the U.S. isn't at war by any traditional definition. And these novel interpretations of the law and the Constitution are running into legal roadblocks. So he's complaining about the Supreme Court and saying it's a dangerous day in America.
RASCOE: But why, you know, do this barrage of posts on the heels of his first foreign trip?
KEITH: Well, I can't say for certain, but this appears to be a return to reality. You know, on the trip, he was being showered with state dinners. One welcome ceremony more spectacular than the last. And here in the U.S., his agenda is running into trouble. The U.S. credit rating was downgraded by Moody's. Consumer confidence is down again, and Walmart is saying that they'll have to raise prices because of his tariff policy. They aren't the first retailer to say this, and they certainly won't be the last. Trade deals aren't coming together quickly, and his one big, beautiful bill hit a skid.
RASCOE: Yeah, so I mean, what happened with that is that some GOP lawmakers on the House Budget Committee - they voted against the legislation, the big, beautiful bill. So does that mean that Trump is going to have to get in there and, like, twist some arms to get this done?
KEITH: Certainly. And he is the ultimate closer. He has a phone, and he has proven quite persuasive when he dials up members of Congress. The White House message is that all Republicans are expected to vote for this big tax cuts and spending cuts bill.
But this - you know, we're still at the easy part phase in what is going to be a long and painful process for congressional Republicans. There is very significant tension in the House between representatives who are hard-line conservatives insisting on reducing the deficit even more and moderate Republicans from high-tax states that are demanding higher deductibility of state and local taxes. There are others who have made promises not to cut Medicaid or who have large shares of their constituents receiving benefits or their Medicaid or food benefits for the poor. And there are just some real math problems here.
But as one former Trump aide put it to me, Republicans in Congress ran with Trump, and Trump ran on this agenda. So they are under intense pressure to get this package through, which is one reason why the House Budget Committee will meet again tonight at 10 p.m., Ayesha - 10 - to see if they can get to yes and keep this bill moving.
RASCOE: Well, that's past my bedtime.
KEITH: Me too.
RASCOE: Tomorrow morning, Trump has that phone call with Putin. What do you expect to come of that?
KEITH: Yeah, Trump says that he will speak with Putin at 10 a.m. tomorrow, which he said would be followed by calls with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine and European leaders. Trump is demanding a ceasefire and ultimately an end to the war, which has been an elusive goal. Just this last week, there had been some thought that Putin might show up for talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey, but he didn't show up. And then Trump suggested that Putin only would've been there if he had been there, too. Trump is really putting himself at the center of this.
RASCOE: That's NPR senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith. Tam, thank you so much.
KEITH: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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