Live updates: Trump hosts India's PM after increasing US tariffs
President Donald Trump is hosting India’s prime minister at the White House Thursday after he signs another round of executive orders.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a nationalist who boasts a good relationship with Trump, said the visit is a chance to "deepen our partnership" in key areas like technology, trade, defense and energy. But the visit likely won’t be all smiles when it comes to tariffs.
Meanwhile, more of Trump’s cabinet picks are up for confirmation in the Senate, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his nominee for health secretary.
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Here’s the latest:
Trump calls Modi ‘great friend’
8:30 p.m. ET: President Donald Trump greeted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House with a hug and called him a "a great friend of mine," but nonetheless warned that India won’t be spared from higher tariffs he’s begun imposing on U.S. trade partners around the world.
Modi announces expanded space partnership and trade relations with US
6:38 p.m. ET: Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to double U.S.-India trade to $500 billion by 2030, emphasizing economic and energy cooperation.
"Today, we have also set ourselves the target of more than doubling our bilateral trade to attain $500bn by 2030. Our teams will work on concluding very soon a mutually beneficial trade agreement," he said.
Modi also highlighted India's growing collaboration with NASA and plans to boost investment in energy infrastructure.
Modi praises Trump's ‘America First’ policies
5:35 p.m. ET: During a meeting in the Oval Office, Modi commended Trump for prioritizing national interests, aligning it with his own leadership approach.
"One thing that I deeply appreciate and I learned from President Trump is that he keeps the national interest supreme," Modi said through a translator. "And like him, I also keep the national interest of India at the top of everything else."
Modi arrives at White House
5 p.m. ET: Modi has arrived at the White House for a meeting with President Donald Trump.
Modi is the fourth foreign leader to visit Trump since his inauguration last month. He follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
Modi met earlier in the day with national security adviser Mike Waltz and with billionaire SpaceX founder and top Trump administration official Elon Musk.
Brooke Rollins confirmed as agriculture secretary
2:22 p.m. ET: Brooke Rollins, president of the America First Policy Institute, was confirmed as the next U.S. agriculture secretary in a 72-28 vote. Rollins will play a key role in addressing potential farm labor shortages from mass deportation plans and tariffs that could hit ag exports.
Rollins served as chief for domestic policy during Trump’s first administration. Now she must oversee nearly all aspects of the nation’s food system, including standards on farming practices and livestock rearing, federal subsidies to farmers or agribusinesses and setting nutrition standards for schools and public health officials nationwide.
She acknowledged that deporting people could lead to labor shortages on farms that count on migrants to harvest crops. But she said "the president’s vision of a secure border and a mass deportation at a scale that matters is something I support."
Trump signs order for reciprocal tariffs
2:20 p.m. ET: As expected, Trump has rolled out his plan to increase U.S. tariffs to match the tax rates that other countries charge on imports, possibly triggering a broader economic confrontation with allies and rivals alike.
"It’s fair to all. No other country can complain," Trump said as he signed the order on Thursday.
Trump’s Republican administration insists the tariffs will level the playing field between U.S. manufacturers and foreign competitors, though these new taxes would likely be paid by American consumers and businesses, either directly or in the form of higher prices.
The politics of tariffs could easily backfire if Trump’s agenda pushes up inflation and grinds down growth.
RFK Jr. confirmed as next US health secretary
11:32 a.m. ET: The Senate has confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as President Donald Trump’s health secretary in a 52-48 vote.
The prominent vaccine skeptic will control $1.7 trillion in federal spending, vaccine recommendations and food safety as well as health insurance programs for roughly half the country.
Republicans fell in line behind Trump despite hesitancy over Kennedy views on vaccines. Sen. Mitch McConnell, who had polio as a child, was the only "no" vote among Republicans, mirroring his stands against Trump's picks for the Pentagon chief and director of national intelligence. All Democrats opposed Kennedy.
"I’m a survivor of childhood polio. In my lifetime, I’ve watched vaccines save millions of lives from devastating diseases across America and around the world," McConnell said in a prepared statement. "I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles."
Kennedy was sworn into office later Thursday in the Oval Office.
Trump said he will sign an executive order to create a "MAHA" commission, to study how to Make America Healthy Again.
Kennedy has talked a lot about how unhealthy the United States is as a nation.
McMahon says Congress should shut down Education Department
11:03 a.m. ET: Linda McMahon, Trump's pick for education secretary, is testifying at her Senate confirmation hearing Thursday. She told senators she believes it would take an act of Congress to abolish the Education Department, saying the Trump administration wants to "do this right" and craft a plan that senators will support.
McMahon used softer language than President Donald Trump has invoked in his pledge to close the Education Department. If confirmed, she vowed to "reorient" the department without ending some of its core work, adding that "defunding is not the goal here."
"We’d like to make sure that we are presenting a plan that I think our senators could get on board with, and our Congress could get on board with, that would have a better functioning Department of Education," McMahon said. But closing the department "certainly does require congressional action."
Her remarks clashed with the rhetoric espoused by Trump, who on Wednesday said he wanted the department closed "immediately."
What to expect for Trump, Modi visit
Modi is looking to improve relations with Washington and the West overall, which have been frosty lately after Modi refused to condemn Russia for its war on Ukraine. For the Trump administration, India is seen as integral to the U.S. strategy of containing China in the Indo-Pacific.
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The U.S. is India’s largest trade partner, but the two countries have a trade deficit of $50 billion in India’s favor.
U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House on February 10, 2025 (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
What they're saying:
Trump has repeatedly dubbed India a "tariff king." In response, New Delhi has shown a willingness to buy more American oil while lowering its own tariffs on U.S. goods, including on some Harley-Davidson motorcycles, from 50% to 40%.
Also, India in 2023 dropped retaliatory tariffs on U.S. almonds, apples, chickpeas, lentils and walnuts.
Then there's a recent deal allowing U.S.-based General Electric to partner with India-based Hindustan Aeronautics to produce jet engines for Indian aircraft in India, and the sale of U.S.-made armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones.
Still, Trump has decried U.S. trade deficits around the world and said he'll work to shrink them.
Dig deeper:
Another topic likely to be discussed is immigration. Modi can point to India's having accepted the return of 104 migrants brought back on a U.S. military plane — the first such flight to the country as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump to announce reciprocal tariffs
What we know:
The president posted on social media that he will sign an executive order increasing U.S. tariffs to the rates other countries charge on imports.
RELATED: US-China trade war reignites as both sides slap new tariffs
"TODAY IS THE BIG ONE: RECIPROCAL TARIFFS!!!" Trump said on his social media site Truth Social. "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!"
What we don't know:
Trump has not specified yet how he defines the term "reciprocal" and whether his order would apply only to matching tariffs or to address other foreign taxes he views as barriers to American exports.
RELATED: Tariffs could cause 'some pain' for Americans, Trump says
Big picture view:
A dramatic hike on tariffs could send shockwaves through the world economy, possibly depressing growth while causing inflation to intensify. Trump has maintained that such tariffs will help to create domestic factory jobs, but most economists say they would effectively be a tax increase on U.S. consumers that would add to inflationary pressures.
RELATED: CPI inflation report: Egg, gas and other prices that jumped in January
Senate to vote on RFK Jr. nomination
What's next:
The Senate is expected to vote Thursday on the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent lawyer and vocal vaccine critic, as the nation’s health secretary, controlling $1.7 trillion in spending for vaccines, food safety and health insurance programs for roughly half the country.
RFK Jr. grilled by Sen. Warren on vaccine lawsuits
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared on Wednesday before the Finance Committee, one of two committees with jurisdiction over HHS, and again on Thursday before the Health Committee. Kennedy's confirmation is far from certain in the Senate, where he is expected to face pointed questioning from both Republicans and Democrats on the chamber's health and finance committees. Kennedy’s nomination alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines. He has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. During Wednesday's hearing, Kennedy Jr. sparred with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, among others.
Despite several Republicans expressing deep skepticism about his views on vaccines, Kennedy is expected to win confirmation, absent any last-minute changes. If confirmed, he will oversee public health agencies including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes for Health.
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McMahon, Trump’s education secretary pick, faces hearing
Linda McMahon, a former pro wrestling performer and wife of WWE’s Vince McMahon, faces an unusual test on Thursday as she seeks Senate approval to lead an agency the president wants her to destroy.
What Trump dismantling Education Dept. would mean
Throughout his campaign, President-elect Donald Trump heaped scorn on the federal Department of Education, describing it as being infiltrated by " radicals, zealots and Marxists." He has picked Linda McMahon, a former wrestling executive, to lead the department. But like many conservative politicians before him, Trump has called for dismantling the department altogether — a cumbersome task that likely would require action from Congress. Jeanne Allen, founder and CEO of the Center for Education Reform, joined LiveNOW from FOX to discuss.
If Trump has his way, his pick for education secretary would be the last in the role. The Republican president has promised to close the agency, saying it has been infiltrated by "radicals, zealots and Marxists."
RELATED: Linda McMahon: A look at the background of Trump’s pick for Education secretary
A plan being considered by the White House would direct the education secretary to dismantle the department as much as legally possible while asking Congress to abolish it completely.
At a White House news conference last week, Trump said he wanted McMahon "to put herself out of a job."
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Trump has yet to sign an order on the department’s shutdown, and some of McMahon’s advisers pressed to delay it until after her hearing. Yet it’s expected to be the central subject of Thursday's hearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
Democrats have been gearing up to grill McMahon on her willingness to execute Trump’s plan, which opponents say would undermine public education. Trump hasn’t said whether he would preserve the core work of the agency, which sends billions of dollars a year to schools, manages a $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio and enforces civil rights in education.
The Source: This report includes information from the Associated Press.